Skip to content

Grade 3 · Life Science · FireFlash pack

Animal Life Cycles

Compare how butterflies, frogs, birds, and mammals grow.

Animal Life Cycles compares six animals that start life and grow in very different ways. Students follow a monarch through complete metamorphosis, a grasshopper through molts, a tadpole into a frog, and a fox kit growing with its parents' care.

Get this packGet the full Grade 3 bundle

Already have an unlock code? Unlock this pack, then open it in FireFlash.

Monarch life stages Four separate panels show monarch stages from left to right: a tiny egg on a leaf, a striped caterpillar on a leaf, a green chrysalis hanging under a leaf, and an adult butterfly with two pairs of orange wings. complete metamorphosisegglarvachrysalisadult
Four life stages

What students investigate

The pack begins with parents and offspring as separate animals, and with two ways to begin life: ducks hatch from eggs, while foxes are born live. Students then learn the difference between growth and metamorphosis.

Next come the animals: monarch butterflies with larva, pupa and chrysalis; a lady beetle larva that looks nothing like its adult; a grasshopper nymph that grows through molts; a tadpole becoming a froglet and a frog; a duckling growing new feathers; and a fox kit cared for by adults. The last card shows that every life cycle includes growth, reproduction and death.

Who it is for

Animal Life Cycles is written for Grade 3 life science. Paired with Plant Life Cycles, it lets students compare plant and animal life cycles across a whole unit.

It is a natural fit before or during a classroom butterfly or tadpole habitat, giving students words for what they watch.

What students learn

10 learning ideas, one at a time. Each one is a silent animated Learn card, then Review and Mastery questions.

  1. A parent and its offspring are separate animals.
  2. Ducks hatch; foxes have live birth.
  3. Growth and metamorphosis describe different changes.
  4. Monarch butterflies have complete metamorphosis.
  5. A lady beetle larva looks unlike its adult.
  6. A grasshopper nymph grows through molts.
  7. A tadpole changes into a frog.
  8. A duckling grows new feathers.
  9. A fox kit grows with adult care.
  10. A life cycle shows an animal’s life.

Science words in this pack

Each word is taught on its Learn card, then used again in Review and Mastery.

  • parent
  • offspring
  • hatch
  • live birth
  • growth
  • metamorphosis
  • complete metamorphosis
  • larva
  • pupa
  • chrysalis
  • lady beetle
  • nymph
  • molt
  • incomplete metamorphosis
  • tadpole
  • froglet
  • duckling
  • feathers
  • kit
  • care
  • life cycle
  • reproduce
  • death

Inside the pack

Eggs and live birth Two panels. Left, mallard: a whole egg, an opened eggshell and a downy duckling standing outside it. Right, red fox: an adult fox with its small kit standing beside it. mallardhatchred foxlive birth
Two beginnings
Grasshopper nymphs Three panels: a small wingless grasshopper nymph; a bigger nymph with small wing pads next to the pale, empty skin it shed; and a larger adult grasshopper with long wings. Each has six legs and big jumping back legs. An egg pod lies in the soil below. incomplete metamorphosisnymphmoltadult
No pupa stage
Tadpole to frog Five snapshots of the American bullfrog at a pond edge. In the water: a floating film of eggs, a tadpole with no legs and a long tail, and a tadpole with back legs and front legs starting. On the bank: a small froglet with four legs and a short tail, and an adult frog with no tail. American bullfrogtadpolefrogletadult frog
Tadpole to froglet

How it works in class

  • Learn. 10 silent whiteboard animations, one idea per card. No audio, so it works on a classroom screen or a quiet device.
  • Review. 30 practice questions with feedback. Ideas a student misses come back.
  • Mastery. 30 questions to show what each student knows on their own.
  • Certificate. A student who finishes can print a certificate or save it as a PDF. It shows first-try Review and Mastery results and the ideas that needed a retry.

Standards connections

These cards support parts of the following NGSS performance expectations. They do not replace hands-on investigations.

  • 3-LS1-1 — core ideas

Questions teachers ask

Does it compare complete and incomplete metamorphosis?

Yes. The monarch and lady beetle show complete metamorphosis; the grasshopper nymph shows growth through molts, also called incomplete metamorphosis.

Which animals are in the pack?

Monarch butterflies, lady beetles, grasshoppers, bullfrogs, mallard ducks and red foxes.

How do I open it after buying?

Enter your unlock code on the Unlock page, then share the pack with students from Share with students.

Get Animal Life Cycles

Get this packGet the full Grade 3 bundle

Already have an unlock code? Unlock this pack, then open it in FireFlash.

More in Science in Motion — Grade 3

About the Science in Motion — Grade 3 series