Year 5 Science · Life cycles of animals · Summary
Year 5 Science Life cycles of animals: summary and key words
Part of the Year 5 Science life cycles of animals chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | A series of stages, from young to adult, which goes round again. |
| Mammal | Usually born alive, fed on milk, and has hair or fur. The young grow into adults. |
| Amphibian | Eggs laid in water as spawn. A tadpole breathes through gills, then grows legs and lungs. |
| Insect | Eggs laid on a leaf. A caterpillar eats leaves, becomes a chrysalis, and then an adult. Six legs. |
| Bird | Eggs with hard shells, laid in a nest. A chick is fed by its parents, then grows feathers and can fly. |
| Comparing | Each group starts life in a different way: born alive, spawn, eggs on leaves, or eggs in a nest. |
Can you…?
- I can explain what a life cycle is, and name its stages in order
- I can describe the life cycle of a mammal, and say how its young are fed
- I can describe the life cycle of an amphibian, including the tadpole and gills
- I can describe the life cycle of an insect, including the caterpillar and the chrysalis
- I can describe the life cycle of a bird, and compare the four life cycles
Key terms
- life cycle
- the series of stages a living thing goes through, from young to adult, and round again
- mammal
- an animal with hair or fur, which usually gives birth to live young and feeds them on milk
- amphibian
- an animal that usually starts life as an egg in water, and can live on land and in water as an adult
- insect
- an animal with six legs and three main body parts
- bird
- an animal with feathers and a beak, which lays eggs with hard shells
- spawn
- the clump of eggs laid by frogs in water
- tadpole
- the young stage of a frog, which lives in water and breathes through gills
- caterpillar
- the young stage of a butterfly, which eats leaves
- chrysalis
- the stage in which a caterpillar rests and changes shape
- metamorphosis
- a big change of shape during the life cycle of an insect
- chick
- a young bird that hatches from an egg
- nest
- a place where a bird lays its eggs and raises its chicks