Last updated: May 29, 2025
Lesson Plan
Bison Life Cycle
"Red dog" bison explores the prairie.
NPS Photo
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 30 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 4.RF.4, 5.RF.4, 4.RI.1, 4.RI.3, 5.RI.5, 4.W.2, 5.W.2
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts.
Essential Question
How long do bison live to be?
Objective
Students will understand the life cycle of the bison and compare it to a human life cycle.
Background
All living things go through changes in their lives. Humans start out as infants, grow into toddlers, children, teenagers, and finally adults. The cycle from birth to death in modern humans usually takes about 80 years.
Preparation
In the wild, the bison life cycle takes less than 20 years. This means that it has less time to grow, learn, and pass along its genes to later generations. The animal must gain the skills to survive and reproduce at a much earlier age.
Materials
Download and print this file, cut apart the descriptions and photos, and use the pieces to assist with this activity.
Download Bison Life Cycle Descriptions and Pictures
Lesson Hook/Preview
When does a human become an "adult"? When does a bison become an "adult"? Are they the same or different?
Procedure
1. Print out the bison life cycle pictures and descriptions and cut them to size.
2. Separate the bison life cycle pictures and descriptions into two piles and mix up each pile.
3. Have class study the pictures and attempt to put them in life cycle order, from youngest to oldest.
4. Read each description and have class attempt to match the description to the proper picture