This document summarizes the life cycles of various plants and animals. It discusses the stages of plant life cycles including seed, seedling, sapling and adult. It also outlines the life cycles of birds, reptiles, fish, mammals, insects like praying mantises and butterflies, and frogs. All of these life cycles involve stages of growth from birth to adulthood, with the goal of reproduction to continue the species.

1. Life Cycles
• 5th
grade
• This unit will focus on cycles. The focus
will primarily be on the life cycles of plants
and animals.

2. Engage
• Brainpop
• United Streaming Video

3. Plant Life Cycle
Seed
Seedling
Sapling
Adult

4. Different forms of seeds.
Germination occurs when a new plant sprouts from a seed.

5. Plants produce during maturity
• Fertilization occurs when both male and female sex cells
join together in the pollen.
• Plants have different adaptations that allow them to
fertilize and reproduce.
• Example:
– Plants with flowers produce their pollen inside the flower.
– Plants produce nectar inside the flower to attract bees.
– Bees get nectar from different flowers.
– The pollen sticks to the bees and is transferred to a different
flower.
– Fertilization then takes place.

6. Plant Life Cycles
• Please draw the following cycles in your
journal.

7. Plant Life Cycle

8. Avian Life Cycles
• Bird eggs have a hard shell. When the bird
grows enough, it breaks out of the egg.
This process is called hatching. The bird is
called a chick. The chick quickly grows
into an adult. The adult female can then
lay eggs to continue the life cycle.

10. Reptile Life Cycle
• A turtle is a reptile and, like most other
reptiles, it lays eggs. Turtle eggs have soft
shells that feel leathery. When the baby
turtle has grown enough, breaks out of the
shell. This process is called hatching.
Newly hatched turtles look very much like
adult turtles. The young turtles quickly
grow into adults. The adult female lays
eggs and the cycle continues

12. Fish Life Cycle
• A female fish lays eggs which grow in
clusters outside the mother's body. The
parents usually do not protect the soft-
covered eggs. Instead, many eggs are
produced so enough young fish survive to
continue their species. When the eggs
hatch, the baby fish look very much like
the adult fish. With time, they grow into
adults. The adult female can lay eggs to
continue the life cycle

14. Animal/Mammal Lifecycle
• Most mammals do not hatch from eggs; they
have live births. The animal grows in a special
way in the adult female's body. Mammals are
born alive. When the young are born, the mother
produces milk to feed them. The babies need a
lot of care. The young mammal then grows to be
an adult. Mammals are born looking very much
like the adult mammals. The female mammal
then goes on to have babies and the life cycle
continues.

16. Incomplete Metamorphasis
• A praying mantis goes through three stages in its life
cycle. These stages are known as egg, nymph, and
adult. This is a process called incomplete
metamorphosis. The adult mantis can lay between 10 –
400 eggs at one time. These eggs are inside a capsule
that hardens for the protection of the eggs. When the
egg hatches, the young mantis looks similar to its
parents, but without wings. This stage is known as the
nymph stage. As time goes by, the nymph changes its
outer body. It is able to do this because its outer body is
a flexible exoskeleton. The change in outer body is
known as molting. Molting may occur from five to ten
times. When the final molt occurs, the mantis will have
wings and will go into the adult stage. The adult will then
be ready to reproduce and continue its life cycle.

18. Butterfly Lifecycle
• The butterfly is an insect that goes through complete
metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a change in body form during
growth and development of an animal. The stages that the butterfly
goes through are egg, larva, pupa, and adult. When the butterfly egg
hatches, a caterpillar comes out. This caterpillar is also known as a
larva. The caterpillar eats leaves from plants as a food source. The
larva then goes into the next stage, which is the pupa stage. During
this stage, the caterpillar is changing its body inside a cocoon.
When the change is complete, the butterfly emerges from the
cocoon. The butterfly is now in the adult stage.
• Many insects such as mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and flies have life
cycles that go through stages similar to the butterfly. This life cycle
is called complete metamorphosis.

21. Complete Metamorphasis
• Frogs go through a complete change during their life
cycle. This life cycle is called complete metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis is a change in body form during growth
and development of an animal. The adult frog lays its
eggs in water. Frog eggs have a jellylike covering and
look like a mass of jelly in the water. When the eggs
hatch tadpoles emerge looking like small fish. Tadpoles
have tails like fish and breathe in the water through gills.
Eventually, back and front legs form on the tadpole. The
tail disappears and lungs form in the young frog. The
young frog can no longer breathe in water. It must
breathe the air we breathe as humans. The frog is now
an adult. The adult female can lay eggs and the life cycle
continues.