Lesson Overview: The following resources provide a comprehensive lesson to teaching the stages that occur in the life cycle of a butterfly. Pair it with a butterfly growing kit to solidify concepts.
Recommended Grade Level(s): First, Second, Third
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Diagram--Use this as part of your anticipatory set to introduce the life cycle. This can also be laminated and displayed with your butterfly growing kit.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Student Reader--Provide a copy to each student. Allow time for them to cut along the dotted lines to separate the pages. Then, using the numbers at the bottom of each page, students will place their pages in order and staple along the left side to form a book.
How to Implement: As a small or whole group activity, distribute Student Readers to each child. Read through the book, discussing vocabulary and information provided on each page, and asking questions to help students make connections. After reading as a group, assign students independent work. Have them reread the book and answer the questions at the back of the book. Once children are done, review the answers as a class, or have students turn in their work for your review. Additional copies can be made and distributed at the end of your life cycle study to be used as a final assessment.
Butterfly Growing Kits offer a fantastic way to provide a real-world experience for your students. They're fun and enriching. Pair it with a science journal for students to hypothesize and track results. If you haven't grown your own butterflies before, you really are in for a treat. The process of watching, firsthand, the metamorphosis that takes place in these little creatures is amazing! There are several growing kits on the market. Be sure to read the fine print when purchasing as it is common for brands to send you a voucher for purchasing your caterpillars separate from the kit.
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.R1.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.R1.2.3 Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.R1.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.