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Hey ya'll, I am a student teacher and am doing a lesson on the Life Cycle of a Frog. Any ideas on a fun engagement/ hook for my kiddos?

Hi Alexis,

Making first-hand observations of living organisms, especially those that go through a growth process so different from our own, is especially memorable for children. Check with naturalists in your area about the season for frog egg-laying and opportunities for observing tadpoles they have. If you have already have local tadpoles or frogs in the classroom sure to follow the rigorous cleanliness guidelines from the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), 'Considerations and Recommendations for Raising Live Amphibians in Classrooms,' in Herpetological Review, 2009, 40(2), 142–144. There is 'a real potential risk of transferring non-native pathogens back into the natal pond of the amphibians included in the classroom exercise.'

See the list of resources at the end of the article for options that are not hands-on.

Best wishes,

Peggy

Hi Alexis,

You could talk about the life cycle of another organism like a plant and then compare that with the frog's cycle. You could also bring a live frog in and talk about what kind of frog you have and how different frogs could have different life cycles. Having a frog for a classroom pet could be fun for your students and they could watch as the frog grows and changes.

Hope this helps

Samantha

Wartburg Colllege

Hi Alexis! A really engaging way to begin your lesson about the life cycle of a frog would be to show a video that shows the entire life cycle. After the video you can begin your lesson with an activity that connects to the video.

Here's a video that I found for you! (Depending on the age of your stuents, you can discuss the notes that are seen throughout the video, such as the idea of cell division when the frogs are just eggs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAcwjWi6I9Y