SC.4.L.16.4

Export Print
Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants and animals, such as those that undergo incomplete and complete metamorphosis, and flowering and nonflowering seed-bearing plants.
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 4
Body of Knowledge: Life Science
Idea: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Big Idea: Heredity and Reproduction - A. Offspring of plants and animals are similar to, but not exactly like, their parents or each other.

B. Life cycles vary among organisms, but reproduction is a major stage in the life cycle of all organisms.
Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Content Complexity Rating: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved
Assessed: Yes
Test Item Specifications
  • Item Type(s): This benchmark may be assessed using: MC item(s)

  • Clarification :
    Students will identify, compare, and/or contrast the major life cycles of Florida plants and/or animals.
  • Content Limits :
    Items will only assess the life cycles of plants and animals commonly found in Florida.

    Items assessing the life cycles of insects are limited to egg, larva, pupa, and adult (complete metamorphosis) or egg, nymph, and adult (incomplete metamorphosis).

    Items assessing the life cycles of flowering and nonflowering plants are limited to seed, seedling, and other stages of plant development.

    Items assessing the life cycles of animals are limited to egg, embryo, infant, adolescent, and adult stages.

    Items will not assess the major stages of the human life cycle.
  • Stimulus Attributes :
    Plants and animals in scenarios and art must be common to Florida.
  • Response Attributes :
    None specified
  • Prior Knowledge :
    Items may require the student to apply science knowledge described in the NGSSS from lower grades. This benchmark requires prerequisite knowledge from SC.2.L.16.1.
Sample Test Items (1)
  • Test Item #: Sample Item 1
  • Question: The life cycle of both butterflies and grasshoppers starts at the same stage. The pictures below show the life cycle of both organisms.

    which of the following is the beginning stage of the life cycle for both the butterfly and the grasshopper?
  • Difficulty: N/A
  • Type: MC: Multiple Choice

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5020050: Science - Grade Four (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
7720050: Access Science Grade 4 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 and beyond (current))
5020110: STEM Lab Grade 4 (Specifically in versions: 2016 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
SC.4.L.16.In.3: Identify similarities in the major stages in the life cycles of common Florida plants and animals.
SC.4.L.16.Su.4: Recognize the major stages in life cycles of common plants and animals.
SC.4.L.16.Pa.3: Match offspring of animals with parents.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Lesson Plans

Plant Package:

The Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) is written at a 4th grade level. The Plant Package provides students with an engineering problem in which they are asked to rank different plant packaging designs using recycled materials.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

BUGS...Food Of The Future?:

In this 4th grade MEA, students will work in groups to develop a procedure to rank which insect would be the best bug to farm for human consumption in the USA. Students will consider factors such as nutritional value, length of insect life cycle, stage of life cycle the insect can be served, notes from chefs, customer tasting notes, level of difficulty to farm, and price. This MEA allows students to apply scientific content, metamorphosis, in a real world application, while developing high-level problem solving skills.

Type: Lesson Plan

Have I Morphed Yet?:

In this sequence of observations, students will observe the life cycles of butterflies, darkling beetles, preying mantises, and grasshoppers to compare and contrast complete metamorphosis (butterflies and darkling beetles) and incomplete metamorphosis (preying mantis, grasshoppers, termites).

This sequence is a long-term investigation. The initial cycle requires a 45-60 minute period to introduce and model journal entries, but after that it only requires 5-10 minutes per day to make observations. Research can be done throughout the cycle at a Reading center. At the conclusion of each cycle, another 45 minute session is needed for wrap-up and assessment.

SPECIAL NOTE: To fully implement this benchmark, the teacher should repeat this basic investigation format with plants. Beans and daisies work well as flowering plants and allow the students to proceed through the entire life cycle (seed, seedling, adult, back to the seed stage). This can be done in conjunction with benchmark SC.4.L.16.1: Identify processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including pollination, fertilization (seed dispersal), and germination. For non-flowering, seed-bearing plants (conifers), you can't go through an entire life cycle within the classroom. However, this website has an image that goes through the life cycle of a conifer: 

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorials

The Life Cycles of Florida Plants:

Explore the life cycle of different Florida seed plants: the longleaf pine and the orange tree.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

The Life Cycles of Florida Animals:

Explore the life cycles of animals including simple, complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Text Resources

Metamorphosis:

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This article describes the complete and incomplete metamorphosis stages.

Type: Text Resource

Forest Trees of Florida :

Florida Division of Forestry – This website provides identifications, descriptions, and biological classifications of Florida trees. The website is presented in field-guide format, providing sketches of elements such as the leaves, fruit, and flowers. Also, the trees included are grouped alphabetically.

Type: Text Resource

Unit/Lesson Sequence

Plants Parts and Life Cycles:

In this unit, students learn about various plants, their parts, their life cycles, and the importance of bees in plant reproduction.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity

BUGS...Food Of The Future?:

In this 4th grade MEA, students will work in groups to develop a procedure to rank which insect would be the best bug to farm for human consumption in the USA. Students will consider factors such as nutritional value, length of insect life cycle, stage of life cycle the insect can be served, notes from chefs, customer tasting notes, level of difficulty to farm, and price. This MEA allows students to apply scientific content, metamorphosis, in a real world application, while developing high-level problem solving skills.

Plant Package:

The Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) is written at a 4th grade level. The Plant Package provides students with an engineering problem in which they are asked to rank different plant packaging designs using recycled materials.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8

The Life Cycles of Florida Animals:

Explore the life cycles of animals including simple, complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis in this interactive tutorial.

The Life Cycles of Florida Plants:

Explore the life cycle of different Florida seed plants: the longleaf pine and the orange tree.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorials

The Life Cycles of Florida Plants:

Explore the life cycle of different Florida seed plants: the longleaf pine and the orange tree.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

The Life Cycles of Florida Animals:

Explore the life cycles of animals including simple, complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Text Resource

Forest Trees of Florida :

Florida Division of Forestry – This website provides identifications, descriptions, and biological classifications of Florida trees. The website is presented in field-guide format, providing sketches of elements such as the leaves, fruit, and flowers. Also, the trees included are grouped alphabetically.

Type: Text Resource