Tadpoles and Frogs
Chichaqua’s waters include surprisingly large bullfrog tadpoles, as well as several species of full-grown frogs.
Location
Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt - Maxwell, IA
Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions
- What are the strange creatures? Do they have anything to do with the frogs?
- Why do younger frogs look so different from adult frogs?
- Do all organisms look different in different parts of their lives?
Classroom Suggestions
Students could:
- Visit a park or other area where tadpoles can be found, or see some that are brought into the classroom by the county naturalist.
- Draw or act out a model of the life cycle of the bullfrog.
- Show photos of bullfrog development from a page like this: American Bullfrog Metamorphosis: Tadpole to Frog.
- Split up into different groups to describe the life cycles of humans, familiar animals, and plants.
- Compare and contrast the life cycle of a bullfrog with those of other organisms.
- Find patterns in data about how long different organisms live, the age at which they reproduce, etc.
- Discuss and make predictions about what would happen if different parts of the bullfrog’s life cycle were negatively affected. (For example, if a chemical in the water killed tadpoles, or made it impossible for adult frogs to lay eggs.)
- Read and discuss Oscar and the Frog or a similar book.
Related Resources
- ArcGIS: 2018 Polk County Conservation BioBlitz at Chichaqua Bottoms: Teacher background - Maps of where different animals and plants can be found at Chichaqua.
- American Scientist: The Giant Tadpole That Never Got Its Legs: Teacher background - Bullfrog tadpole that never matured into an adult frog.
- New Hampshire PBS: Bullfrog: Teacher background - Fact sheet on the bullfrog.
- Science Prof Online: American Bullfrog Metamorphosis: Includes pictures of a bullfrog at different stages of development.
- The Dodo: This Is How a Tadpole Transforms Into a Frog: Not bullfrogs, but shows the whole life cycle, egg to tadpole to frog.
- University of Michigan BioKids: Rana catebeiana: Fact sheet geared toward somewhat higher-level students; may be useful in sections.
Iowa Core Alignment
3-LS1-1:Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth,growth, reproduction, and death
Credit Info
Media produced by Iowa PBS.
Submitted by Dan Voss and Madison Beeler as part of their Iowa STEM Teacher Externship experience at Iowa PBS.