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Sonia Puri15th July 2012

Butterfly LifeIntroduction to the Butterfly Life Cycle

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Overview of the Lesson

Title: Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Subject Area: Science

Secondary Subjects: Language Arts

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Goals• To familiarize students with the life

cycle stages of a butterfly

• As part of an animal unit, this lesson will teach students about the various stages of a butterfly’s life, and how these stages are similar to ours

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Standards• TEKS Standards Addressed (code and

description): §112.3. Science, Grade 1. (1.7) Science concepts.

• The student knows that many types of change occur.

• The student is expected to observe and record changes in the life cycle of organisms.

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Objectives• Identify the four different stages of a butterfly life cycle (from

egg, caterpillar, pupa or cocoon, to a full-grown adult butterfly)

• Compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction books about butterflies

• Design their butterfly life cycle plates

• Explain and share the stages of a butterfly’s life

• Recite a poem about a butterfly life cycle by Meish Goldish

• Write a short story of where the adult butterfly might go after the cycle is over

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Materials Needed The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle A Butterfly Is Born by Melvin Berger (prior day) Poem, Butterfly Life Cycles, by Meish Goldish Paper Plates (one per student) Colored Pencils (handful per table) Ziploc Bags (one per student) Glue Bright Butterflies Worksheet Sequencing HW Sheet Various forms of Pasta (prepared in Ziploc bags by the teacher) Pastina (egg) Curly Colored Pasta (Caterpillar or Larva) Shell Pasta (cocoon or pupa) Bow - Tie Pasta (adult butterfly)Technology Requirements: Computer Projector Screen Internet Access Smart Board

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Setting The Stage• Invite the students to the carpet

• Introduce the reading selection - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

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Setting The Stage

• Reinforce prior knowledge of fiction and non-fiction reading selections about butterflies

• KWL Chart of ButterflyWhat I KNOW What I WONDER What I LEARNED

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Anticipatory FocusPose a few high orders of thinking questions for the students, such as:

• Where did you come from?

• Can you describe the stages of your life?

• How are the stages of your life similar to the stages of a butterfly?

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Modeling• Compare and contrast the stages of

the butterfly to the stages of a human

• Explain that a butterfly develops through four main stages: egg, caterpillar, cocoon and adult butterfly, while the human develops through main stages: baby, child, teenager and adult

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Guided Practice• Visit following link for life cycle video:http://www.cheshire-butterflies.co.uk/species/speciesdetails/ot/life_cycle_10.htm

• Students may identify and drag and drop the stages of the butterfly life cycle to the right pictures on the smart board using the following link :

http://www.cookie.com/kids/games/butterfly-life-cycle.html

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Independent Activity• Explanation of the independent activity

and provide model

• Invite the students back to their seats

• Distribute a paper plate to each of the students

• Invite the students to take a colored pencil and make four equal parts

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• Distribute a small Ziploc bag to each student. The Ziploc bag will contain four different types of pasta. Each piece of pasta will symbolize the various stages of the life of a butterfly

• Next show the children the pasta that will represent each stage of the life cycle. 

Independent Activity

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• Ask them to explain why they think each type of pasta was chosen. 

Egg: Pastina Larva or Caterpillar: Curly colored pasta Chrysalis: shell pasta Adult butterfly: bow tie pasta

• Direct the students in placing the appropriate pieces of pasta in the correct life stage of the butterfly

Independent Activity

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• Model this concept for the students, while walking around and monitoring the students’ progress

• Direct the students’ in the labeling process. The students will need to write the four different stages of the life of a butterfly

Independent Activity

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Mastery Check• Upon completion of the hands-on

activity, the students will be re-directed back to the carpet

• Ask various students to share their interpretations of the butterfly life cycle plate

• The students will explain the different stages

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Sing- Along• Introduce the ‘Butterfly Life Cycle

‘poem by Meish Goldish

• The poem will act as a form of reinforcement for the students

• Read (sing) the poem aloud and ask students to try the second time together

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Sing- AlongPoem - Birth of a Butterfly(can be sung to the tune of Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word)

A mama butterfly lays all her eggs,Out pops a caterpillar, crawling on its legs.

The caterpillar first is rather thin,But then it eats till it bursts through its skin.

After growing nice and big,The caterpillar climbs on a leaf or twig.

It makes a shell where it hangs inside.The shell then cracks, and the parts divide.

Inside the shell, a change was going on,The form of the caterpillar now is gone.

When the shell opens, what comes out?A beautiful butterfly fluttering about!

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Accommodation Strategies For Students With Special Needs

• Blind students will use the audio from video presentations about butterfly life cycles to learn about butterflies. They will use speech to text software to complete their book builder assignments

• The students that are hearing impaired can see and read the text on the presentations. Students that are not at grade level will have a peer tutor to answer any questions

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English Language learners• To culminate a unit on butterflies,

teachers can ask beginning ESL students to illustrate, rather than explain, the life cycle of butterflies

• Students can point to life cycle parts of a butterfly on their own drawing or on a diagram as an assessment of vocabulary retention

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AssessmentAssessment (should relate to objectives):

• Short Term: The students will be able to create a butterfly life cycle plate identifying each stage of the cycle. Various students will share their own interpretation of the life cycle of a butterfly

• Long Term: The students will be asked to talk about the various stages of the life cycle of the butterfly, while comparing them to the life cycle stages of a human

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Closure and Assignment• In Class: Students who complete the

activity quickly will complete a short story on butterfly paper, about where their butterfly will go after it completes the life cycle (Bright Butterflies)

• At Home: Students will complete a mapping/sequencing sheet