Frogs and butterflies share this three-part 3rd grade life cycles sheet. Students label four frog stages from a word bank (egg mass, tadpole, froglet, adult frog), then read a one-line definition of metamorphosis. They name the stage when a caterpillar wraps itself in a hard shell. The last question asks for two sentences on how a butterfly's life cycle differs from a mammal's, such as a dog or a human. It matches NGSS 3-LS1-1.
3-LS1-1
“Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.”
The labeled frog diagram is the model, and question 2 asks students to show how the butterfly and mammal life cycles differ.
Students label each stage on the frog diagram with a letter from the word bank: A. Egg mass, B. Tadpole, C. Froglet, and D. Adult Frog.
After a short definition of metamorphosis, question 1 asks for the name of the stage inside the hard shell.
Question 2 asks students to write two sentences that compare a butterfly's life cycle with that of a dog or a human.
Unit launch
Start the life cycles unit with this sheet. The frog labels show what students already know, and question 1 tells you who has heard the word chrysalis.
Class pets
If you raise caterpillars or tadpoles in class, give this out on day one. Students can check the stages against the real animals as the weeks go by.
Writing extension
Question 2 works as a paragraph starter. Ask for a sentence about a puppy that looks like its parent at birth and a sentence about a caterpillar that does not.
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