All lessons › Waiting for rain › Lesson 1
Australian primary science · Year 3 · Lesson 1 of 3
Life cycles that wait
Inquiry question: How do a desert frog and a desert wildflower survive the long dry times between rains?
Marked no materials needed
Research using sources
What students learn
Plants and animals have different life cycles. Some Australian frogs and wildflowers time their whole life cycle around rain: they wait, alive but inactive, then grow and reproduce quickly when it rains.
Success criteria
- I can put the stages of a frog’s and a wildflower’s life cycle in order.
- I can describe one way the two life cycles are alike and one way they are different.
- I can explain why a buried frog and a seed in dry soil are still living things.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know that plants grow from seeds and that frogs hatch from eggs as tadpoles.
- One screen or projector to show this lesson’s student view (the two life cycle stories) (or print one student view per pair) — 1
- Workbooks or scrap paper, and pencils — 26
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the two life cycle stories) on your screen, or print the student view if the internet is unreliable.
- No other preparation is needed.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs read the two life cycle stories in the student view.
- Draw each life cycle as a circle of stages with arrows.
- Fill in the comparison table: stages, how it waits for rain, how fast it grows after rain, how it makes young.
- Circle one way the two life cycles are alike and one way they are different.
- Answer: is a frog in its cocoon a living thing? Is a seed in dry soil? Give a reason.
Teacher modelling prompt
Read the frog story aloud and draw a circle with four arrows. Think aloud: “First eggs in a rain pool, then tadpoles, then froglets, then adults that dig underground and wait. When it rains again, they come up and lay eggs, so it goes round in a cycle.” Label each stage.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: How do a desert frog and a desert wildflower survive the long dry times between rains?
| Living thing | Life cycle stages in order | How it waits for rain | What happens after heavy rain | How it makes young |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which claim fits what we know about living things?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Write the four stages of a frog’s life cycle in order.
Explain with evidence: Why do the tadpoles of the water-holding frog need to grow so fast?
Apply the idea: Name one way a frog’s life cycle and a wildflower’s life cycle are different. Stretch (older students): explain why waiting for rain helps both of them survive in the outback.
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.