Ohio Resource Center
[blank]
   
Grade 5 Life Sciences Benchmark A: Life Cycles
 
This mini-collection aligns with Life Science Benchmark A: Differentiate between the life cycles of different plants and animals. The first two resources explore the life cycles of a radish and a butterfly. It is important that students are exposed to the life cycles of a wide variety of plants and animals so they can identify similarities and differences. Their understanding must go beyond labeling the stages of the life cycle and extend into the behavior of organisms in different stages. For best results, instruction should incorporate science process skills with the content. Several of the resources are also aligned to the scientific process standards. Lessons designed with the learning cycle approach provide students with inquiry experiences necessary to build these skills.


   
Raphanus sativus, Germination, and Inquiry: A Learning Cycle Approach for Novice Experimenters (ORC#: 311)
This lesson engages students in an inquiry into the germination of radish seeds. Students collect and organize data for several days. This guided inquiry is followed by an open inquiry in which students ask a testable question and design the experimental protocol. This is important because the achievement test may ask students to design an investigation. This lesson also illustrates the learning cycle approach. The 5-Es version of the learning cycle is discussed in the teacher background information. This is a proven instructional approach that supports learning about content and processes (ts)


   
NAEP Assessment Item, Grade 4: Frog life cycle (ORC#: 7191)
This test item requires students to complete a diagram of a frog's life cycle by placing the two missing stages into the correct positions. Students could respond correctly to this question by recalling the information if they have studied the life cycle of frogs. Students who have not studied the life cycle of frogs could respond correctly by analyzing the images and applying general knowledge of life cycles. Either way, students must be able to explain their answers. Sixty percent of students tested failed to provide satisfactory responses to this question. Providing students with opportunities to answer questions of this nature would help prepare them for the test. (ts)


   
NAEP Assessment Item, Grade 4: Number of tadpoles and toads (ORC#: 1577)
This item requires students to analyze information presented in graphs. This is a good example of a question about the life cycle of a toad that goes beyond identifying the specific stages. (ts)


   
Ohio Achievement Test Grade 5 Science: Half-Length Practice Tests (ORC#: 9163)
Item 4 on page 3 of this sample test is aligned to grades 3-5 Benchmark A. (ts)


   
Constructivism and the Five E's (ORC#: 2588)
This resource provides additional information on the learning cycle. (ts)