Caterpillars and Frogspawn is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using eight weeks of observations to compare two animal life cycles, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-LS1-1. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Observations the class kept of caterpillars and frogspawn over eight weeks.
WHAT WE WATCHED
Butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult, eggs again
Frog: egg, tadpole, tadpole with legs, froglet, adult, eggs again
Both started as eggs.
Both grew, then produced eggs of their own.
Neither adult lived past the end of the year.
1. What would you expect a beetle's cycle to include?
2. What does this record not tell you?
3. What claim does this record support?
4. What stage comes after the tadpole with legs?
2.A tadpole grows back legs, then front legs, and loses its tail. What is happening?
A.It is dying
B.It is changing into a frog
C.It is turning into a fish
3.How is a frog's life cycle different from a chicken's?
A.The chicken changes shape completely
B.The frog has no eggs
C.The young frog lives in water and changes shape before it lives on land
4.What do the life cycles of a chicken, a frog and a fish all have in common?
A.Each is born alive
B.Each begins as an egg, grows, and makes young of its own
C.Each has a chrysalis
5.What is the right order for a chicken's life cycle?
A.Chick, egg, adult hen, young hen
B.Egg, chick, young hen, adult hen
C.Adult hen, chick, egg, young hen
6.What hatches from a fish's egg?
A.A caterpillar
B.A tadpole
C.A tiny larva that grows into a young fish
7.Which four things do all life cycles share?
A.Flowers, seeds, fruit and leaves
B.Eggs, wings, legs and tails
C.Birth, growth, reproduction and death
LessonPrint · 3-LS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Caterpillars and Frogspawn
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Birth, growth, reproduction and death, with its own stages between. 2. It does not tell you how long each stage lasted. 3. Life cycles are diverse, but all include birth, growth, reproduction and death. 4. The froglet.
2.It is changing into a frog
3.The young frog lives in water and changes shape before it lives on land
4.Each begins as an egg, grows, and makes young of its own
5.Egg, chick, young hen, adult hen
6.A tiny larva that grows into a young fish
7.Birth, growth, reproduction and death
Questions about Caterpillars and Frogspawn
What does the Caterpillars and Frogspawn worksheet cover?
It practices using eight weeks of observations to compare two animal life cycles — 7 questions for Grade 3, all on NGSS 3-LS1-1: Model how life cycles differ, and what every one of them has in common. The instruction to students is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Caterpillars and Frogspawn practice?
3-LS1-1, under Life Science for Grade 3. The published performance expectation reads: “Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Caterpillars and Frogspawn is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on 3-LS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Caterpillars and Frogspawn come with an answer key?
Yes. All 7 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Caterpillars and Frogspawn can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Caterpillars and Frogspawn free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Caterpillars and Frogspawn, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for 3-LS1-1
Model how life cycles differ, and what every one of them has in common.