Saguaro Cycles

Saguaro Cycles
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Watch, then discuss. What kind of plant do you think this is?
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This is a type of cactus. It is called a saguaro cactus. Saguaro is pronounced Sa - WAH - ro. The “g” is silent. Look at how tall it is compared to the child on the right!
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Saguaros only grow naturally in the green area on this map. Look at this map, then discuss. Where do saguaros grow?
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Every year in the spring, something amazing happens. These green things start to grow out of the saguaros. Discuss. What do you think these things are?
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Every spring, the saguaros grow flowers! Some of these flowers here have bloomed. After a few months, the flowers will be gone. But more flowers will be back next spring. This happens again and again, every year.
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Every year, people travel from far away to see the saguaro flowers. But people aren’t the only living things that visit the flowers…
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Scientists wanted to watch the saguaros at night. They shined a light on one and watched closely. Watch, then discuss. Which kind of animal do you think this is? What do you think it is doing?
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These are bats! These bats sleep in dark places, such as caves, during the day. But at night, they fly out and stick their heads into saguaro flowers. It is such a strange thing to do. Let’s see if you can figure out what is going on here.
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Get a See-Think-Wonder Chart, or make your own with a large sheet of paper. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.
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Discuss. What did you see on the saguaros? What did you see the bats doing? Record your answers in the See column of your chart.
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Why do you think the bats do these things? Why do you think the saguaros grow flowers? Come up with as many ideas as you can. Record your answers in the Think column of your chart.
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What do you wonder about the bats and the saguaros? Record your questions in the Wonder column.
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You learned about a few things that happen over and over again. When the same things happen over and over again, we call it a cycle. Thinking about cycles can help us understand why these things happen.
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Think-Pair-Share. What is one cycle that you think happens over and over again with the bats or the saguaros? If you need to, you can go back in this lesson to look for things that happen over and over again in a cycle.
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Step
01/04
On this paper, you will describe any cycles. You have space to draw and space to write words. Draw or write about any cycles involving the bats in the box on the left. Draw or write about any cycles involving the saguaros in the box on the right.
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02/04
You might have seen an entire cycle. Or, you might have only seen part of a cycle. You can draw or write about both. Thinking about cycles will help us understand what is going on with the bats and the saguaros.
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Step
03/04
Get a Spotting Cycles worksheet and write your name at the top. Then draw or write about any cycles that you think are happening with the saguaros or the bats.
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Step
04/04
Save your Spotting Cycles worksheet. You will update it after each lesson in this unit!
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It's time to do some investigations! In this unit, you'll explore how living things go through different cycles.

At the end of the unit, you will use everything you've learned in a fun project.

Have fun, and stay curious!

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Activity Prep

Print Prep

Note: This lesson is part of this unit’s Anchor Layer. If you have the Anchor Layer turned on, we recommend teaching all of the lessons in this unit in order.

The anchor phenomenon for this unit is based around bats that fly around at night, sticking their heads into cactus flowers. The unit is focused specifically on saguaro cacti; however, some of the images were selected due to their quality and clarity, despite the fact that they show flowers from other types of cacti.

During the introduction, students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create a list of possible explanations for the phenomenon.

Students will gather clues during and after each lesson in this unit to help them improve their understanding and explanations. It is important to encourage students to recognize that even if they don't know the perfect answer yet, they are going to learn a lot throughout the unit and will have an opportunity to revisit the phenomenon over time.

Preview activity
Number of students:
Circle of Life Anchor Layer Teacher Guide teacher-only resource 1 per class
See-Think-Wonder worksheet 1 per student
Spotting Cycles printout 1 per student
Prep Instructions

Before starting this lesson, review the unit Teacher Guide for an overview of the Circle of Life Anchor Layer.

Set Up Your Classroom

Set up your classroom by creating a class "See-Think-Wonder" chart. You will start the chart today, and you will add to it over the course of the unit.

For the See-Think-Wonder charts, you can use chart paper or a space on your board that won't be erased to create a whole-class chart. If you would like to have students complete the See-Think-Wonder charts on an individual basis, here is a blank chart.

Extend this lesson

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline: