For Educators

Metamorphosis: Sequence the Stages

In this activity suggested for grades 3-5, students will review what they know about metamorphosis and animal life cycles. They will also have an opportunity to choose an animal to study. They will create detailed sketches to describe their animal’s life cycle, including the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Finally, students will write a paragraph to sequence the stages of their animal’s life cycle.

Common Core State Standards:

3rd Grade	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3 – Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4 – With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.8 – Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.10 – Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
4th Grade	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3 – Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.5 – Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.10 – Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
5th Grade	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3 – Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.4 – Determine the meaning of general and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
	CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.10 – Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Next Generation Science Standards:

3rd Grade	3-LS1-1 – Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
4th Grade	4-LS1-1 – Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Downloads

Assignment Sheet

Cloze Assignment Sheet

Metamorphosis Examples

Objective:

Students will be able to describe and sequence the stages of metamorphosis and explain its role in animal life cycles.

Materials:

• Building Blocks of Animals and Plants books, specifically Animal Life Cycles

• Copies of the Metamorphosis: Sequence the Stages assignment sheet

• Colored pencils, markers, or crayons

• Optional: Metamorphosis: Sequence the Stages Cloze assignment sheet

Differentiation Considerations:

Differentiate the content using student choice by allowing students to determine which of the three animals in the text they would like to sequence.

Pre-assign specific vocabulary words for particular students or groups to build in appropriate scaffolds as well as extensions.

Differentiate the learning process by using the Metamorphosis: Sequence the Stages Cloze assignment sheet to provide additional scaffolding for students who need it.

Procedures:

Download and print the assignment sheet, Cloze assignment, and examples documents from the downloads section.
Review the following vocabulary terms:

a. Life Cycle – the stages that a living thing goes through as it develops

b. Metamorphosis – the transformation of an animal from an immature form to an adult form

c. Reproduction – the way living things make more of their own kind
Present the assignment sheet to students and explain that they will add a picture and describe what happens to their chosen animal during that stage of its life cycle.

a. Optional: Model how to do this using one of the three animal examples provided (or chose your own!)
Explain to students that once they finish their pictures and descriptions, they will work on writing a paragraph that sequences their animal’s life cycle, including metamorphosis.

a. Optional: Model how to write a paragraph that sequences the life cycle of an animal. Consider using the sentence frames if that is what you are assigning most students.
Provide students time to work and create.
Sharing Option: Pair students with someone who chose to focus on a different animal’s life cycle. Have students discuss any similarities or differences they notice.