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Life Cycle Wheel

Life Cycle of a Frog Life Cycle of a FrogThe following activity is a great way to demonstrate the life cycle of frogs. The Life Cycle Wheel can be used to teach students a frog’s stages of development or as an ongoing assessment tool. To help students gather the information they need to complete the Wheel, provide a copy of one of the suggested leveled books for them to read. Information gathered can then be solidified through the viewing of the Life Cycle of a Frog Video. 

Materials Needed for Cycle Wheel:

1 salad plate-sized circle traced on tag board

1 coffee cup plate-sized circle traced on tag board

1 rubber band

glue stick

scissors

hole punch

fine point marker or colored pencil

ruler

Cycle Wheel Worksheet (see our Modified Cycle Wheel Worksheet)

Frog Images Worksheet

Directions for Making the Life Cycle Wheel:

*This is a multi-step project. Refer to example as needed. For younger students, students requiring assistance due to decreased fine motor ability or with multi-step directions, modify by decreasing the number of steps needed to complete the wheel. Have samples already prepared or offer one-to-one assistance.

  1. Complete the Cycle Wheel Worksheet.
  2. Cut out the squares from the Cycle Wheel Worksheet.
  3. Cut out both the large and small circles from tag board.
  4. Color and cut out the frog images.
  5. Place the small circle on top of the large circle.
  6. Punch a hole through the middle of the two circles.
  7. Place a rubber band through the two circles and tie a knot on each end to hold the circles together.
  8. With circles together, use a ruler to draw 6 lines equally spaced apart (this will create 6 sections) on the front of each and the back of the large circle.
  9. On the front of the small wheel, add numbers 1-6.
  10. Glue frog images to front of large circle (*They should not be in order.)
  11. Glue matching description to back of large circle (*They should be in the same section as the corresponding frog image on front.)

To Use the Wheel:

Once completed, the wheel is used by selecting the image that occurs first in the life cycle of a frog. The 1 is placed on that image and the child is to describe that stage of development. The child will then flip over the wheel to read if she/he is correct by reading the description that matches the picture. The wheel is flipped over and the students will continue until stage 6.

Information to complete the Life Cycle Wheel can be gathered through several leveled “Tadpole to Frog” books:

From Tadpole to Frog (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)

Price: $5.99

4.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

95 used & new available from $0.01

From Tadpole to Frog (Lifecycles)

Price: $6.95

5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

37 used & new available from $0.01

Tadpole to Frog (Qed Lifecycles)

Price: $2.99

( customer reviews)

17 used & new available from $2.99

From Tadpole to Frog (Start to Finish (Lerner Hardcover))

Price: $19.93

( customer reviews)

23 used & new available from $2.97

From Tadpole to Frog (How Things Grow)

Price: $4.95

( customer reviews)

20 used & new available from $0.01

 

 

 

Modified Life Cycle Wheel

Because the Life Cycle Wheel is a multi-step project, it may be too difficult or too time-consuming for students who:

  • have fine motor difficulty
  • have ADHD
  • have difficulty following multi-step directions
  • are English Language Learners

In order to modify the project, decrease the number of steps required to complete the activity. Have samples already prepared or offer one-to-one support. Further modification includes simplifying the reading content by having students read one of the simplified versions of the Tadpole to Frog books and/or have students watch the Life Cycle of a Frog Video. In addition, offer the Modified Life Cycle Wheel Worksheet to decrease the writing demands on the student.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are useful tools for students at any grade level and with multiple abilities. They come in a variety of styles and are often given specific names according to the information they present (e.g. Story Map, Concept Wheel). A graphic organizer is a way to organize information pictorially. Graphic organizers aid students in arranging their ideas visually as they gather data and/or through the planning process of a task.

Here is an on-going list of graphic organizers to use with your students:

Concept Wheel

Fact and Opinion

5 W’s Chart

KWL Chart

Story Map

Story Web

Venn Diagram

Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer

A Venn Diagram is a useful graphic organizational tool that compares and contrasts the characteristics of two things (people, places, ideas, etc.). Younger students and those needing visual representation benefit by using Venn diagrams. Venn diagrams consist of two curves–each one featuring specific attributes. The overlapping portion represents characteristics that are shared.

Story Web Graphic Organizer

This simple story web offers young students a place to organize a story. The story can be a personal one they are developing or a story that was already read. Elements of this graphic organizer include the “main idea” and space for four supporting ideas. Space is provided for students to add additional ideas to the web. It can be used with a variety of genres and subjects.

Story Web Graphic Organizer