In The Amazing Life Cycle of Mayflies, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how mayflies emerge and reproduce during a few days in June. Male mayflies have only one purpose in life: to reproduce. After this, they die, leaving the females to fly upstream and lay their eggs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Invite your students to explore the life cycles of common organisms with these life cycle sequencing cards. The cards cover the bean plant, butterfly, birch tree, apple tree, honeybee, ladybug, and frog. They come already mixed up, so kids can color, cut, and put them in order. Use as an introductory task, check for understanding, center activity, or study guide!
As you introduce life cycles, focus on key concepts such as stages of growth, changes in form and function, and the idea that all living things follow a pattern from beginning to end. Encourage students to ask questions, make predictions, and notice patterns across plants and animals.
Teaching life cycles in elementary school is not only standards-based, it's also a great way to help students understand how living things grow and change over time. At this level, students are ready to explore clear, observable stages — like seed to plant or egg to adult—and begin comparing similarities and differences across species.
In The Sun’s Cycle Transforms the Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the most productive food chain that happens off the coast of Alaska. The Sun creates a phytoplankton bloom which attracts herring and larger animals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In The Amazing Life Cycle of Mayflies, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how mayflies emerge and reproduce during a few days in June. Male mayflies have only one purpose in life: to reproduce. After this, they die, leaving the females to fly upstream and lay their eggs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Invite your students to explore the life cycles of common organisms with these life cycle sequencing cards. The cards cover the bean plant, butterfly, birch tree, apple tree, honeybee, ladybug, and frog. They come already mixed up, so kids can color, cut, and put them in order. Use as an introductory task, check for understanding, center activity, or study guide!
As you introduce life cycles, focus on key concepts such as stages of growth, changes in form and function, and the idea that all living things follow a pattern from beginning to end. Encourage students to ask questions, make predictions, and notice patterns across plants and animals.
Teaching life cycles in elementary school is not only standards-based, it's also a great way to help students understand how living things grow and change over time. At this level, students are ready to explore clear, observable stages — like seed to plant or egg to adult—and begin comparing similarities and differences across species.
In The Sun’s Cycle Transforms the Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes the most productive food chain that happens off the coast of Alaska. The Sun creates a phytoplankton bloom which attracts herring and larger animals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.