The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about life cycles. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize that although life cycles vary in length and developmental stages, all multicellular organisms go through a life cycle. Elementary school students observe a variety of living organisms in the classroom to learn about their life cycles. Middle school students learn about fertilization—including pollination—as the beginning of an animal or plant’s life cycle. High school biology students build on their basic K–8 understanding of reproduction and development to focus on the haploid and diploid cellular details. Teacher notes, standards, assessment, and references are provided. This book selection also includes the Table of Contents, Dedication, Preface, Introduction, and Index.