Grade 2 Science: Animal Life Cycles
California Science
Content Standards
Life Sciences
2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles. As a basis
for understanding this concept:
b. Students know that the sequential stages of life cycles
are different for different animals, such as butterflies,
frogs, and mice.
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions
and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for
understanding this concept and addressing the content in the
other three strands, students should develop their own questions
and perform investigations. Students will:
c. Compare and sort common objects according to two
or more physical attributes (e.g., color, shape, texture,
size, weight).
NGSS Science and
Engineering
Practices
Practice 8 Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain
scientific and/or technical information to determine patterns in
and/or evidence about the natural and designed world(s).
Specific Learning
Objectives
Students will determine the differences between the life cycle of a
mammal and the life cycle of an animal that lays eggs.
Students will classify or sort animals into groups based on their life
cycles.
Materials
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Lesson Plan
Engage
Concept/Learning
Goal:
Students will begin
to think about life
California Science Grade 2 Interactive Text by
Macmillan/McGraw –Hill (Chapter 2)
Pictures of mammals and egg-laying animals
Recording Sheet with T-chart
Picture of personal pet and teacher as a baby
Teacher asks/says/does:
1. Introduce schedule for the
day and the objectives for
the science lesson.
Student asks/says/does:
1. Students will discuss with a
partner what “classify” means.
Then, students will raise hands
and share what they remember
2. Review the vocabulary word
from yesterday’s science lesson
“classify” from yesterday’s
about how they classified
lesson.
animals.
cycles of different
animals.
Instructional
Strategies Used
(with rationale):
3. Display pictures of a pet as a 2. Students will observe the photos
puppy and adult, and of the
and provide comments about
teacher as a baby using the
what they think of the photos
Elmo. Ask questions to
based on teacher questioning.
prompt students to think
about life cycles.
The pictures will prompt students to think about life cycles, specifically
differences in how babies are born and raised. Students will be able to
compare and contrast the picture of the pet with the picture of the
teacher as a baby.
Students will recall yesterday’s lesson and will share the different ways
they classified animals. This will create the anticipatory set for today’s
lesson.
How is student
participation
ensured?
Partner Share
Whole Class Discussion
Questions and
Levels of
Questioning
(Blooms) Used:
How do you think my dog was
born?
Do you think her mother took
care of her?
Students will recall or use previous
knowledge to identify the objects in
the photos to form ideas about them.
Do you think she is a mammal?
Did she need her mother to
survive?
Explore
1. Provide each student with
ten cards of different
Concept/Learning
animals. Each card has the
Goal:
animal’s picture and name
labeled on it. Remind
Students will begin
students that scientists
to classify animals
classify animals into
based on prior
different categories. Ask
knowledge about life
students to sort animals
cycles.
using life cycle properties.
The first task will require
students to use what they
currently know about life
cycles to classify.
1. Students will sort (classify) the
animals into categories based on
properties of the life cycles for
those animals.
2. Students will volunteer and
describe how they classified
animals by life cycles.
2. Call on students to give
examples of how they chose
to classify the animals that
were given to them.
3. Accept all answers and write
them on the board.
Instructional
Strategies Used
(with rationale):
Students will discuss how they classified their animals with a partner
before the class discussion. During the class discussion, all students
will be able to hear how others were thinking and take that into
consideration.
This portion of the lesson encourages students to use prior knowledge
to classify the animals. Because of this the teacher will record all
student suggestions for how to group the animals. Students will then
reflect on their initial thinking at the end of the lesson.
How is student
participation
ensured?
Pair-Share
Whole Class Discussion
Questions and
Levels of
Questioning
(Blooms) Used:
How did you choose to sort
your animals?
Why did you sort those animals
into those categories?
How do you know that all those
animals have life cycles that are
similar?
Explain
Concept/Learning
Goal:
Students will read
the textbook to help
support their
understanding of
animal life cycles.
1. Dismiss students by table
number to sit on the floor
with their textbook.
2. Guide reading of pages 3031.
3. Introduce the vocabulary
word “mammal.”
4. Ask students to read pages
34-35 independently.
Students will apply prior knowledge
to sort and classify animals into
categories using what they know
about life cycles. They will discuss
why those animals have similar life
cycles.
1. Students will bring their science
textbook to the floor.
2. Students will choral read with
the teacher pages 30 and 31.
3. Students will repeat the vocab
word mammal.
4. Students will independently read
pages 34-35.
5. Students will volunteer to
5. Ask questions to check for
comprehension of
independent reading.
answer reading comprehension
questions.
Instructional
Strategies Used
(with rationale):
Providing guided and independent reading opportunities will support
students’ comprehension of nonfiction texts.
How is student
participation
ensured?
Choral Reading
Whole Class Discussion
Questions and
Levels of
Questioning
(Blooms) Used:
What are some differences from
an animal that lays eggs and an
animal that has a live baby?
Students will discuss the readings as
a class by answering questions.
Students will identify the key
differences between the life cycles
of a mammal and an animal that lays
eggs.
Elaborate
1. Choose three animals
students had difficulty
classifying. Model how to
characterize each animal as
either a mammal or an egg
lying animal.
1. Students will help identify the
correct category the animals
should be placed in based on the
characteristics life cycles they
learned from the text during the
whole class discussion.
2. Instruct students that when
they return to their desks
they will use what they
learned from the text to
classify the same ten
animals into two groups
(mammals and egg lying
animals). They will glue
each animal under the
correct heading on their
worksheet
2. Students will repeat to a partner
what they will be doing when
they get back to their seats.
Students will use their
knowledge from what they read
in the text to classify animals on
their life cycles worksheet. They
will glue the animals down.
Concept/Learning
Goal:
Students will apply
what they just read
in the text to the
animals they
classified at the
beginning of the
lesson.
3. When students finish, ask
them to read pages 36-37.
Instructional
Strategies Used
(with rationale):
Students will use the graphic organizer to separate the animals into
different categories mammals that have live babies and animals that lay
eggs.
Students will talk with a partner to discuss why they think the animals
should go into each category based on the input they received from
reading the science textbook and discussions.
How is student
participation
ensured?
Whole Class Discussion
Partner Activity
Questions and
Levels of
Questioning
(Blooms) Used:
Why did you place the animal
into that category?
How do you know that that
animal has that life cycle?
Students will apply what they have
learned and explain their reasoning
for classifying animals as either
mammals or egg laying on a TChart.
What other animals are similar
to that animal?
Did you switch any animals that
you placed at the beginning of
the class? Why?
Evaluate
Concept/Learning
Goal:
Students will
synthesize learning
throughout the
lesson in a closing
activity.
1. Introduce homework
1. Students will use the word bank
students will complete based
to complete the “Cloze”
on what they learned about
paragraph on life cycles.
life cycles.
2. Students will use the word bank
to complete a T-Chart (mammals
and egg lying) without pictures.
Instructional
Strategies Used
(with rationale):
Students will synthesize what they learned during the lesson through
the use of key vocabulary.
How is student
participation
ensured?
Independent Activity
Questions and
Levels of
Questioning
(Blooms) Used:
Students will apply what they
learned to classify without the use of
pictures. Students will synthesize
their learning through the “Cloze”
paragraph.