5th Grade Living Things And Their Habitats Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Living things and their habitats

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the basic characteristics of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect, and a bird.
• Students will be able to explain the differences in the life cycles of these four different types of living things.

Materials

• Pictures or models of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect, and a bird
• Chart paper and markers
• Construction paper and art supplies

Warm-up

• Have the students sit in a circle.
• Hold up a picture or model of a mammal and say, "Did you know that some animals are called mammals? Let's think of some characteristics that mammals have. What about teeth? Do any of you have teeth like this?" (show picture or model of a mammal with teeth).
• Encourage the students to share their thoughts and ideas.
• Move on to the characteristics of an amphibian, an insect, and a bird, asking the students to think of the same things for each one (ta

es, skin, etc.).

• If time permits, go over any words that the students may not know.

Introduction

• Explain to the students that today we are going to learn about the different life cycles of different animals.
• Ask the students to think about the life cycle of any animal they know (e.g. a butterfly).
• Have the students share their ideas with the rest of the class.
• Explain that a life cycle is the sequence of events that an animal goes through from birth to adulthood.

Direct Instruction

• Show the students the picture or model of a mammal and explain the stages of its life cycle:
• Birth: The mammal is born after a period of gestation (the time it takes for the mammal to develop inside its mother's womb).
• Infancy: The mammal is very dependent on its mother and must learn how to feed and care for itself.
• Adulthood: The mammal is fully independent and can care for itself.
• Ask the students to think about the same stages for the other animals: amphibian, insect, and bird.
• Have the students think about the stages of their life cycle and share their ideas with the rest of the class.
• Explain that the stages of a life cycle are very important because they show how an animal changes and grows from birth to adulthood.

Practice

• Have the students work in pairs.
• Give each pair a picture or model of a mammal, amphibian, insect, and bird.
• Have the students label the stages of the life cycle on their pictures using the provided handouts.
• Check the students' work for accuracy.

Wrap-up

• Thank the students for their participation and enthusiasm.
• Explain that today we learned about the different life cycles of different animals and how they change and grow from birth to adulthood.
• Ask the students to share any knowledge they gained or questions they have.
• Explain that the life cycles of different animals are very important because they help us understand how they survive and thrive in their habitats.
• If time permits, go over any words that the students may not know.

Guided Practice

• Have the students work in small groups.
• Give each group a set of cards with pictures of different mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds.
• Have the students sort the cards into groups based on the stages of the life cycle.
• Have the students share their sorted cards with the rest of the class.
• Have the students explain why they sorted the cards in the way they did.
• Ask the students if they notice any patterns in the life cycles of the different animals.

Independent Practice

• Give each student a copy of a life cycle chart with pictures of four different animals -one mammal, one amphibian, one insect, and one bird.
• Have the students use the life cycle chart to create a cartoon showing the stages of the life cycle of their chosen animal.
• Have the students present their cartoons to the class.

Closure

• Review the different stages of the life cycles of mammals, amphibians, insects, and birds.
• Ask the students to share something they learned about living things and their habitats during the lesson.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the guided and independent practice activities to assess their understanding of the different stages of the life cycles of living things and their habitats.
• Collect the students' posters and presentations and review them to assess their ability to understand and communicate their ideas about their chosen living thing and its habitat.