Exploring Life Cycles

• What do all living things need to survive?
• How are life cycles of various organisms similar and different?

• To understand information in a text, readers think about the sequence of events. 
• Texts on the same topic can be similar and different. 

In this unit, students continue to use all of the strategies they learned in previous units to understand an informational or literary text. Students build on those understandings by noticing the sequence of events, particularly in informational texts. Students also begin to think about the ways in which texts on the same topic can be similar and different. 

• Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. 
• Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly. 

In this unit, students practice using all of the strategies from previous units to hone in on their speaking and listening skills. Based on data from previous units, teachers can decide what support to provide students to ensure they are successful in tiers 1 and 2 of the three tiers of academic discourse. The focus areas and discourse in this unit align with tiers 1 and 2 of the three tiers of academic discourse and all rows of the Academic Discourse Rubric. See the Teacher Tool on Tiers of Academic Discourse to help support students with the focus areas for this unit.

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 7, view our Kindergarten Vocabulary Glossary.

• All living things need food, water, and air to survive.
• A life cycle is a series of stages that a living thing passes through as it is born, grows, and dies.
• Different organisms have different life cycles. Organisms grow differently.
  • Plants start as seeds. The seeds germinate and grow into a young plant. The plant then grows into a mature or adult plant. The adult plant grows seeds. The seeds travel to different places and the life cycle starts again.
  • A frog starts as an egg. The eggs turn into tadpoles. The tadpoles have gills that grow underwater. The tadpoles then grow legs and lungs. They become froglets. The froglets lose their tail and turn into an adult. The adult then lays its own eggs and the life cycle starts again.
  • A butterfly starts as an egg. A caterpillar grows out of the egg. The caterpillar then goes into a chrysalis. In the chrysalis, it grows a head, wings, and a body. Out of the chrysalis comes a butterfly. The butterfly later lays its own eggs and the life cycle starts again.
  • A bird starts as an egg. Inside the egg, it grows into a little bird. The little bird hatches out of the egg. The mother and father take care of the bird as it grows. The little chicks grow into adult birds, who later can have their own chicks.

In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.