Unit Planning Template

Unit or Theme title/ unit or theme overview TITLE Science – Life Cycles – Grade 2 (5 Weeks)

Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment

Rationale: (context and why unit matters)

In this unit, students will explore the life cycles of several different living things. This unit will focus on metamorphic and non-metamorphic life cycles,
similarities and differences between offspring and parents and learning about first peoples’ knowledge of life cycles. This unit follows the water cycle, which we
have already studied together in class. In this unit, students will practice contributing to class discussions, inquiry techniques, and create a final
poster/presentation. Students will also practice their reading, writing and critical thinking skills. The entire unit will be taught in French.

Culminating tasks or events to celebrate or bring together the learning

 Creation of a life cycle poster (with template and pictures provided) of one of the life cycles we studied in class and possibly a presentation if time
 Plankton Expert from Science World
 Releasing Salmon at Goldstream Park

Big Ideas (curriculum) Important/essential questions (create)

Living things have life cycles adapted to - Why are life cycles important?
UNDERSTAND

their environment - How are the life cycles of local plants and animals similar and different?
- How do different animals change over their life cycles?
- How do offspring compare to their parents?
- What is metamorphosis and why does it happen to some animals but not others?
- What is the difference between metamorphic and non-metamorphic?
- How do First Peoples use their knowledge of life cycles to ensure sustainability in their local
environments?
- How do the seasons effect life cycles?

Curricular Competencies: (skills)

 Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

 Ask questions about familiar objects and events
DO

 Make and record observations

 Experience and interpret the local environment
 Recognize First Peoples stories (including oral and written narratives), songs, and art, as ways to share knowledge
 Transfer and apply learning to new situations
 Content (learning standards):

 Metamorphic and non-metamorphic life cycles of different organisms– Le cycle de vie de différents organismes avec et sans métamorphose
KNOW

 Similarities and differences between offspring and parent – Les différences et les similitudes entre descendant et parent

 First Peoples use of their knowledge of life cycles – Les peuples autochtones utilisent leurs connaissances des cycles de vie

Core Competencies: (big picture reminders)

Communication Thinking Personal & Social

 Connect and engage with others (to share and Creative Positive Personal & Social Identity  Well-being
develop ideas) Social Responsibility
 Novelty and value  Relationships and cultural contexts
 Acquire, interpret, and present information
 Generating ideas  Personal values and choices  Contributing to community and caring for
(includes inquiries)
 Developing ideas  Personal strengths and abilities the environment
 Collaborate to plan, carry out, and review
Critical Personal Awareness & Responsibility  Solving problems in peaceful ways
constructions and activities
 Analyze and critique  Valuing diversity
 Explain/recount and reflect on experiences and  Self-determination
 Question and  Building relationships
accomplishments  Self-regulation
investigate
 Develop and design

Formative Assessment (for learning):

- Review of grade one topics: Mammals, classification of animals (reptile, amphibian, etc)
- Daily worksheets, activities, centers and discussion, tableau activity, ticket out the door, white boards, Venn diagram, creating own wheel,
- Co-creation of poster/presentation criteria
- KWL Chart (What I know, what I want to know, what I learnt)

Summative Assessment (of learning):

- Students will create a “poster” (with provided sample template, pictures and help from teacher with spelling, etc)
- Poster must include the chosen animals’ life cycle (of the 4-6 we went through together as a class), whether or not the animal is metamorphic and an
explanation how they know, and the similarities/differences from the parents and offspring
- We will co-create criteria for the poster and students will self-evaluate before presenting/submitting poster to teacher
 Learning Intentions/Curriculum Connections Instructional Activities Assessment

Lesson 1:
Lesson 1: (may be broken into two lessons) Lesson 1:
- I can review previous knowledge from grade - Teacher will start the lesson with a review of
one - The formative assessment tool will be
what the students remember about animals
- I can participate in class brainstorm and to see how much students remember
from past years (what are mammals, how can
discussion from last year to evaluate their
we classify animals, what are some different
- What are some different types of animals? previous knowledge
types of animals i.e. birds, fish, reptiles, etc.)
- Students will participate in class discussion,
brainstorm and word list at the white board and
Lesson 2: complete review worksheets/activity
Lesson 2:
- How do different animals change over their
Lesson 2: (may be broken into two lessons) - The formative assessment tool will be
life cycles?
- I can learn the salmon cycle and some - Teacher will show photo of the Salmon life cycle to see if students understood the lesson
accompanying vocabulary - Teacher will model the inquiry technique “What and assess whether or not they are able
- I can act out the stages of the salmon life do I want to know? What do I already know/can to do the daily activity
cycle guess from this picture?” - We will then do a movement break
- Students will be lead through a worksheet where students “act out” the different
labeling activity where they will learn the parts of the cycle
placement of each part of the cycle and its
significance
- Students will then do a movement break where
students act out each part of the cycle and use
the proper vocabulary Lesson 3:

Lesson 3: - The formative assessment tool will be

Lesson 3: (may be broken into two lessons) to see if students understood the lesson
- How do different animals change over their and how they did with the activity
- Teacher will review with students the salmon
life cycles? sheets
cycle using the poster or anchor chart to help
- I can learn the Frog life cycle and the specific - Another assessment we will do is a
- Teacher will introduce the frog life cycle
vocabulary “ticket out the door” where students
including pictures and vocabulary
- I can compare the Salmon cycle and the frog will have to write down on a cue card
- Students will do frog life cycle activities and
cycle the 6 stages of the frog cycle (with help
worksheets, comparing it to their salmon life
- I can do a ticket out the door activity from pictures, activity books and
cycle
anchor charts)
Lesson 4: Lesson 4:
- How do different animals change over their - Teacher will review the frog cycle and introduce
life cycles? the butterfly life cycle using pictures and anchor
- I can learn the butterfly life cycle and charts
vocabulary Lesson 4:
- Students will use individual white boards to
- I can compare the frog cycle to the butterfly draw the butterfly life cycle and label pictures
cycle - The formative assessment tool will be
on an activity sheet
- I can use individual white boards to draw the the individual white boards and
cycle labeling activity sheet
Lesson 5:

- Teacher will review the butterfly cycle and

Lesson 5:
- How do different animals change over their
life cycles?
- I can learn the chicken and/or human life
cycle
- I can draw the stages of the life cycle and use
vocabulary
Lesson 6:
- How do offspring compare to their parents?
- I can review the 4 different cycles I’ve learnt
so far
- I can learn what parent and offspring are
- I can complete a Venn diagram with
similarities and differences
introduce the Chicken and Human life cycles.
- Students will be given blank life cycle wheels
and asked to draw and label the different stages
Lesson 6: (may be broken into two lessons)
- Teacher will review all four life cycles we have
already covered, using the pictures and anchor
charts
- Teacher will introduce topic of parents and
offspring, using the other life cycles students
will decide if animals are similar or different
looking than their parents
- Students will complete a similarities and
differences Venn Diagram type graphic
organizer
Lesson 5:
The formative assessment tool will be
-
the cycle wheels the students create
themselves with drawings and
vocabulary of either the chicken or
human life cycle
Lesson 6:
- The assessment tool will be the Venn
Diagram we will create together listing
the similarities and differences
between parents and offspring of a few
of the different life cycles that we have
already studied

Lesson 7:
- How do offspring compare to their parents?
- What is metamorphosis and why does it
happen to some animals but not others?
- What is the difference between metamorphic
and non-metamorphic?
- I can review topics we have already covered
- I can participate in class discussion
Lesson 8:
- I can help create criteria for an assignment
- I can review all the topics we have covered so
far in class
- I can participate in class discussion
Lesson 9:
- I can work quietly on my poster making sure I
am meeting the criteria I helped create
***As of March 12th, I am still unsure exactly
what day we will be releasing the Salmon at
Goldstream park or when exactly the
Plankton Scientist from Sidney (Arranged
through Science World) will be coming. Both
of these events will require pre teaching and
post teaching so that students get the most
out of each experience. ***
Lesson 7:
- Teacher will review the similarities and
differences between parents and offspring
and how to tell the difference
- Teacher will introduce metamorphic and
non-metamorphic
- Teacher will show youtube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8zA
b5gGM6k
- Teacher will show photos and together
students and teacher will develop a way of
deciding if animal is metamorphic or not
- Teacher will show all 4-6 life cycles studied
and ask if metamorphic
- Students will complete inquiry deciding
about other animals whether they are
metamorphic or not and listing some
similarities and differences from parents
Lesson 8:
- Teacher will review life cycles,
parents/offspring and metamorphic
- Teacher will introduce summative
poster/presentation assignment
- Together, teacher and students will co-
create a one-column rubric for the criteria
(organized/neat, spelling and grammar,
colour, life cycle, similarities/differences,
metamorphic or not and how can you tell)
Lesson 9:
- Students will have time to work on posters.
Students will be provided a template to
use, pictures and lots of teacher support
when creating drafts and final copies
Lesson 10:
- Students will finish posters and present to
the class them if time
Lesson 7:
- Formative assessment will be check in and
review with students
- Students will have to show their
understanding of parent/offspring
similarities and differences
- Teacher will see if students understand
concept of metamorphosis, and if they can
apply new knowledge to the life cycles
already studied together
Lesson 8:
- Formative assessment will be review of all
topics
- Students and teacher will co-create poster
criteria together
- Students will have to self-evaluate before
presenting to teacher
Lesson 9:
- Teacher will monitor for on task behavior
and offer support where needed
- Students will be putting together poster
and gathering information from the
worksheets/activities that we did as a class
Lesson 10:
- The summative assessment will be the co-
created criteria used to evaluate the
posters
 Lesson 1: Review activity

Lesson 2: Salmon Life Cycle poster, images and/or anchor chart, and labeling worksheet activities

Lesson 3: Frog life cycle images and/or anchor chart, worksheets and ticket out the door cue cards

Lesson 4: Butterfly life cycle images, individual white boards and pens

Lesson 5: Chicken/Human life cycle images or anchor chart, printable cycle wheels for students
Resources:
Lesson 6: Anchor chart/examples of parents and offspring, venn diagrams

Lesson 7: Photos and definition of metamorphic and non-metamorphic animals, YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8zAb5gGM6k

Lesson 8: Review materials, semi-prepared rubric

Lesson 9-10: Poster materials, templates, images of cycles, books, other supports students may need

Some sample ideas for Pre and Post teaching for Goldstream Salmon Release:

- Tie in with salmon life cycle we covered together in class and with the salmon eggs (alvins) that we have in the school
- Make connections with French salmon life cycle and English vocabulary (as the release will probably be an English field trip)
- Make Aboriginal connections with salmon
- Draw salmon or salmon life cycle
- Recap what we did the day of the salmon release, write 2-4 sentences describing the day, draw pictures
Some sample ideas for Pre and Post teaching for Plankton Scientist:

- Pre-introduce Plankton, what they are, where they are found, why they are important and some vocab in French
- Make connections with French Plankton vocabulary and English vocabulary as the scientist will give an English presentation
- Draw plankton, stages of life cycle, significance to other animals/eco system/food chain
Some sample topics for Aboriginal Education teacher to integrate with this unit (in addition to what I have planned) :

- Salmon significance to First Peoples

- Seasonal changes and effects on life cycles
- Importance of Aboriginal knowledge of life cycles
- Significance of the cycle of life to First Peoples
Planning for Differentiation:

- Although it seems like we will be going through each cycle repetitively and in a similar way each time, this will help each student get a
really strong concept of what a life cycle is, regardless of which animal we study. They will also revisit the life cycles more in depth when
they choose one cycle to do for their poster. Also having the Plankton talk and Salmon release in English will help them further
understand the concepts. By doing a different activity or assessment with each life cycle lesson, the students will have a new opportunity
each time to learn more and try a new style of learning ie: written, visual, graphic, physical, etc.

Rubric general outline to be further developed with students:

Curricular Competencies Meeting Expectations

Science: - One complete life cycle with pictures and correctly labeled and diagrammed
- List the similarities and differences between chosen offspring and parents
- Identify whether animal is metamorphic or not, and explain how they know
-
Français Langue: - Correct vocabulary words used to label each stage of the cycle
- Correct spelling of words
- Correct sentences when describing similarities/differences and metamorphic or not
-
Visual Arts: - Must use at least ______ pictures
- Use of ____ colours
- Well organized, easy to follow, neat
-