Learning area- Science/ Life and Living Year Level- 2 Topic- Reproduction and Change- Life Cycles

Lesson One- Students are introduced to the concept of life cycles with the use of Eric Carle’s book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. Students then watch a video about the book noting the different stages in the butterfly’s life cycle. In groups, students are then asked to draw a visual story map representing what they have learnt. Lesson Two- Students learn about the life cycle of a frog by completing activities on the interactive whiteboard. Students then work in groups to complete artwork on different aspects of the frog’s life cycle that can be compiled into a pond environment. Lesson Three- Students learn how to create a digital story and then capture images of the imitation frog pond that was created in lesson two.

Lesson Four- Students travel to the Perth Zoo and partake in an interactive lesson that uses movement and costumes to educate the students about the different stages of a frog’s life cycle and the importance of their habitat. Lesson Five- Students prepare the masks they will wear during their presentations. Students then take photos of their groups wearing the masks, to add to their digital stories. Lesson Six- Students use the information they have learnt in previous lessons to create a digital story of the life cycle of a butterfly or frog. Project- Students present their digital stories at a school assembly or presentation night wearing the masks they designed in lesson five. Students can stand together in their groups with the butterfly group removing their chrysalis mask during their presentation to reveal the butterfly masks. Students could also be arranged in two circles (frog group and butterfly group) to signify the continuance of the life cycle. Time needs to be allocated, within the three weeks that the subject is taught, for the students to rehearse their roles in the presentation.

Rebecca completed the group’s website where the introduction, resources page and lessons are available. Completed lesson 5, helped edit pages, completed the project page and completed additional resources and brainstormed ideas. Paula completed lesson 1 and lesson 4 and added additional resources. Also helped with brainstorming ideas. Krystal completed lesson 2, lesson 3 and lesson 6. Also helped with ideas. Emily completed the presentation and helped brainstorm ideas.

Dr Richard Murray, Geograph (2008) Dr Richard Murray, Geograph (2009) Flickr (2011) Duke, Graduate Medical School, C. Frank Starmer (2009) References