Amphibian life cycles
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the stages in the life cycle of different amphibians.
Key learning points
- Amphibians are animals, they are living things that grow and reproduce
- Amphibians are usually hatched from eggs, then live under water before moving onto land
- Most amphibians go through big changes (metamorphosis), but not all amphibians go through the same process
- Scientific diagrams are used to show the stages in an amphibian’s life cycle
- Scientists use simple language and images to help different audiences understand their results
Keywords
Amphibian - An amphibian is a cold-blooded animal that has moist skin, lays eggs and can live on land and in water.
Life cycle - A life cycle is the way in which a living thing changes as it ages.
Larva - A larva is a life cycle stage that some animals go through before metamorphosis into their next form.
Reproduce - When living things reproduce they create their offspring.
Metamorphosis - Metamorphosis is a major change from one form to another.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that only birds lay eggs.
Use the lesson resources to make it clear that other animals, including amphibians, lay eggs and these can look different to bird eggs.
Teacher tip
Children would benefit from being able to observe amphibian life cycles first-hand, either by bringing frogspawn into the classroom in a suitable habitat, or by observing animals over time at a local pond or other similar area.
Equipment
Access to the internet or non-fiction texts about amphibian life cycles.
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - equipment
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do we call the stages that an animal goes through as it ages?
Q2.Which life process means 'an animal making more animals'?
Q3.Which of these statements about amphibians is not true?
Q4.Eggs are roundish objects with what inside?
Q5.Which of these animals is not an amphibian?
Q6.Amphibians belong to a group of animals called vertebrates. This means they have a .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Amphibians hatch from jelly-like eggs called .
Q2.Starting with the youngest, order the stages of the life cycle for most amphibians.
Q3.What is the name for this type of image which shows the stages that an animal goes through as it ages?
Q4.At which life cycle stage are amphibians able to reproduce?
Q5.The big change in form that most amphibians go through is called .
Q6.Why do scientists present information in different ways for different audiences?
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Amphibian life cycles, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Amphibian life cycles, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Reproduction and life cycles: animals unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.