LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Science — Grade 2

Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of animal life cycles.

Objective 1.04. Compare and contrast life cycles of other animals such as mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Shakin' and eggs
In BioMusic, page 1.2
In this integrated lesson, students learn about the different kinds of animals that hatch from eggs. As they explore the properties of eggs, they will also develop their understanding of sound by conducting an experiment with “sound eggs” and using musical terminology to describe their findings.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Music Education and Science)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
Marvelous metamorphosis
Most kids love insects. This integrated unit will enable students the opportunity to observe, identify, and describe the life cycle a mealworm goes through during his metamorphosis into a grain beetle.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)
By Pam Maness.
An integrated lesson comparing the butterfly and frog life cycles
Students will build on their prior knowledge about the butterfly life cycle to compare and contrast the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. Students will locate butterflies on the school grounds and create pictographs and models of fractions to explain their findings mathematically. Students will also use a variety of resources to read about and study the food, space and air needed by butterflies and frogs to grow. They will create visual and written products to demonstrate their findings.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Development, Mathematics, and Science)
By Martha Dobson and Margaret Monds.
Getting to know spiders
This lesson is useful for helping students understand the differences between spiders and insects. They will also learn about a spider's particular body parts. Live spiders will be observed over the course of a few days to see how sound, light, and movement affect the spiders.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Science)
By Bree Welmaker.

Resources on the web

Changing cicada
Using an interactive slide show, this lesson provides students with an opportunity to consider the concept of heredity in the context of the periodical cicadas. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Science)
Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science