Life Cycles - Complete Lesson Plan - 4th Grade

Everything you need for an engaging elementary school biology unit on life cycles. This life science lesson includes presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and an assessment. Fully editable, multiday content needs low to no prep. Differentiated, student-led learning leaves time for you to focus on student success!

Students will answer these essential questions:

• How do organisms change as they go through their life cycles?
• What stage in the life cycle do plants begin with?
• What stage in the life cycle do insects begin with?

What makes this Kesler Science Complete Lesson stand out?

• Differentiated materials for students who need more support
• Multimodal learning to keep students interested
• Maximum flexibility in formats - Printable? Digital? YES!
• Editable PowerPoints so you can tailor the materials for your classroom
• Spanish translations of vocabulary, a station lab reading passage, and interactive notebook pages

The lesson is based on the well-researched 5E Model, which covers Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. 

Look at what is included to cover each stage of learning!

Engagement

• Objectives and Word Wall Cards with English and Spanish vocabulary
• Teacher file with engaging ideas for class discussion and a class activity - many lessons include a student activity and/or common topic misconceptions

Exploration

The student-led station lab is differentiated for all learners and learning styles. With nine stations, you can introduce life cycles to your 4th graders in a variety of ways! 

Input Stations offer students multimodal ways to absorb lesson learning.

• Explore It! - Hands-on demo or experiment connects students with information through engagement.
• Read It! - Students read a short passage and answer comprehension questions. Choose from differentiated reading passages in English and Spanish.
• Research It! - Students visit a website, perform tasks, and answer related questions.
• Watch It! - Students learn through a short video and discussion on their lab sheets.

Output Stations provide ways for your 4th-grade students to show what they know about life cycles.

• Organize It! - Students use printable hands-on card sorts or manipulate digital images to foster categorization skills.
• Write It! - Students respond to open-ended questions and communicate in complete sentences.
• Illustrate It! - Students sketch or draw concepts; visual activity can increase recall and retention of new information.
• Assess It! - Students answer more formal questions to demonstrate mastery and vocabulary in context.

Bonus Station!

• Challenge It! This station offers fun extension activities for your early finishers to push their learning even further. This also provides the class with another reinforcement option. 

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints in standard and interactive versions with differentiation
• Interactive notebook templates in multiple formats, including digital INB files and print files in Spanish and English
• Note-taking templates to help students follow along with presentations

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on life cycles to extend the learning in class or at home

Evaluation

• Assessment questions updated for STAAR 2.0 (Texas end-of-year testing) and available in dependent and modified versions
• Review questions and a worksheet for class discussion, test practice, or homework

Can This Resource Be Used for Virtual Learning?

Absolutely! The station lab from the Exploration section and the PPT/INBs from the Explanation section have been created so that students can use them on campus or in a virtual learning environment. 

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.