Culminating Project: the Butterfly Unit

Culminating Project: The Butterfly Unit

Differentiated Instruction -- Kristine Anderson & Judy Lilley, UMS

VT Standards Addressed
Survival of Organisms and cells: 7.13 a, aa, aaa
Interdependence; 7.9 c, cc, ccc
Class of Living Things; b, bb, bbb
Natural Selections; d, dd, ddd
MK:19 Identifies and extends to specific cases a variety of patterns
MK:20 Demonstrates a conceptual understanding of change
Learner Profile: Our class consists of twenty two students plus one with special needs, who comes for the last hour of each day. We have thirteen boys and nine girls, two are repeating kindergarten. The class make-up is that of; four six year olds and eighteen five year olds the majority of which will not turn six until the spring.
We have two students with severe developmental delay, and two who meet the criteria for emotional disturbance.
Right now our class seems to cross over many learning styles. When provided different opportunities they tend
to explore all of the options (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic). We do have two students who gravitate towards tactile learning.
Please keep in mind that all of the learning choices needed to be taught as individual lessons first so students could appropriately access the materials for when it came time for them to choose independently.
Attach copies of your interest inventory, learning styles inventory, and other inventories as applicable.
Community in the Classroom: The first few weeks of school focus primarily on building a friendly, trusting environment and getting to know one another. We spend time learning about each other, celebrating are gifts and talking about what we hope to learn or become better at in kindergarten. This year Christine spent time on teaching her students that everyone knows different things so we will need different opportunities and materials in order to help each student learn and achieve his/her goals (fair does not look the same for everyone). We focus heavily on the principles of Responsive Classroom. This includes greetings, guided discoveries, classroom management and social responsibility. Before we could teach our butterfly unit we needed to make sure all areas and materials were taught with a guided discovery this really helps with classroom management, expectations and work productivity.
Attach your plans, visuals, and other materials you developed to create community. You may take photos of products that are too large to bring to the gallery or place in the Learning Log.

Title of the Unit:

Teacher: Christine Anderson / Judy Lilley Grade Level: K

Duration (weeks): 4 weeks

Over-arching CONCEPT / Patterns and Change
Sub-concept: Unit / Life Cycles of a Monarch Butterfly
Essential Questions / Why study the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly?
How do Butterflies change?
Why is change necessary?
Where do patterns in nature occur?
As a result of this unit, students will KNOW….. / è  the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly
è  the definition of Metamorphosis
è  the definition and Recognition of a Pattern
è  use appropriate vocabulary to identify the cycles of a Monarch Butterfly
As a result of this unit, students will UNDERSTAND…. / Butterflies go through change, this change is a pattern. Patterns and change are all around us.
As a result of this unit, students will be able to DO…. / Demonstrate and label the life Cycles of a Monarch Butterfly.
Identify and make connections to other patterns in their world.
Differentiated Instructional Strategies used in the Unit / Pre assessment
Children’s literature
Art’s and Crafts Activities
Learning Stations
Tiered Activities
Learning Style Grouping
Readiness Grouping
Songs
Greetings
Poems
Activity Sheets
Blocks
Beads
Other patterning materials
Puppets and theater
Anchor Activities – When students have finished their differentiated activities they will have a menu of activities to choose from.
è  Life cycle puzzles
è  Butterfly floor puzzles
è  Writing letters to the caterpillars / butterflies
è  Sequencing cards
è  Patterning manipulatives
è  Patterning scavenger hunts
è  Technology activities
è  Phonemic word sorts
è  Painting patterns or literature connections
è  Book browse
è  Flannel board stories
è  Listening center

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: Introduction

Title: / Patterning / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / They have patterns, they change, we need to feed and take care of them.
What do you think is in the box?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Introduce our eggs and caterpillars.
·  Let students observe eggs, and caterpillars up close
·  Discuss what they notice
·  Discuss what we will need to do to help our caterpillars turn into butterflies. / There were no monarch caterpillars to be found this year so we found a place to order eggs and larva from Florida.
We really talked up how our eggs and caterpillars just got off a plane from Florida so we could learn from them.
On a side note none of our Florida caterpillars actually survived L. However, we were lucky enough to have a woman from Underhill who had heard that we were in desperate need of caterpillars give us some. These were the caterpillars that survived and turned into butterflies.
Differentiated Activities:
Title: / Patterning / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / Do caterpillars have patterns?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Pre-assessment- using unifex cubes to see if students can make a pattern
·  Student Share about their patterns
·  Observe classroom Monarch Caterpillars / Butterflies
·  Group discussion regarding observations and patterning / A guided discovery was done previously so students knew the right way to use pattern blocks
Differentiated Activities: / Interest Grouping
Make caterpillar patterns using:
·  Cubes
·  Crayons/markers
·  construction paper /glue/ scissors
·  clay / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.(hand over hand scissor help, verbal cues, blackened color lines).
All materials were previously introduced.

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 1

Title: / Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / What do students know about butterflies?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Pre-assessment- record results on chart paper to guiding question.
·  Read, A Butterfly is Born by Melvin Berger
·  Review pre-assessment results
·  Group discussion regarding new learning from the book / This was very telling. For the most part the answers we got were; “They can fly” “They are colorful” “I like them’, “I saw a butterfly once”.
After reading the book (teaching facts). They were then able to retrieve some more prior knowledge about butterflies. We new some of these kids studies butterflies in pre-school. (see picture insert).
Differentiated Activities: / Mixed Grouping
Book browse with partners or small group, making notations with sticky notes on pages and pictures of interest and then do a whole group share. / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
Next time we will have them write their names on the sticky notes before they put them on their favorite pages.

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 2

Title: / Vocabulary / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / What are words we know to describe butterflies?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Pre-assessment- record children’s responses on vocabulary on chart paper to guiding question.
·  Read, Monarch Butterfly by Gale Gibbons
·  Group discussion about labeling and vocabulary in the book
·  Add any additional vocabulary to chart paper / We decided that after the previous lesson using books we needed to have a lesson on books; fiction verses non fiction.
We then did a separate lesson on just non fiction books and talked about how some authors use labels in their illustrations.
Differentiated Activities: / Mixed Grouping
Book browse with partners or small group, using Wiki Sticks or Highlighting Tape, finding connections with vocabulary and/or authors which use labels in the same way as Gale Gibbons. / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations. ( mostly help w/ working w/ a partner).

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 3

Title: / Life Cycle of a Caterpillar / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / Why did the Caterpillar need so much food?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
·  Group discussion about the importance of the caterpillars eating
·  Make personal connections with food and growth
·  Make connections to classroom caterpillar regarding the need for fresh milkweed / This book was previously introduced and then re-read for the lesson.
The personal connections were done in conversation for whole group.
Differentiated Activities: / Interest Grouping
Student make a caterpillar and food by using
·  Paper bag activity
·  Drawing and collecting food pictures out of magazines
·  Use clay or model magic
·  Make connection between other organisms and their food using pictures from magazines, drawing, or writing / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
Hand over hand cutting

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 4

Title: / Identifying Patterns / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / Where in our environment do we see patterns?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, Butterfly Alphabet by K Jell B. Sanved
·  Group discussion about patterns in the butterfly wings
·  Make a list of other patterns in our world
Differentiated Activities: / Interest Grouping
·  use replicated literature cards to find symbols and patterns
·  make a patterned butterfly
·  look through magazines to make a collage finding other patterns in nature
·  do a “write around the room” recording any patterns they see in the classroom
·  use math manipulative to copy or create patterns / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
*used visual perception cards as an activity

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 5

Title: / Life Cycle of a Butterfly / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / What is the life cycle of a butterfly?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
·  Group review of the life cycles
Differentiated Activities: / Interest Grouping
Student will demonstrate the life cycle of a butterfly by using
·  pre-made cards
·  Plastic replicas of the cycles to create the pattern
·  “Paper Plate Pasta” art
·  Quadrant paper top illustrate cycles
·  Make a nonfiction book / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
* see lesson plan for Paper Plate Pasta activity
Teachers helped students sound out words w/ non fiction books.

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 6

Title: / Life Cycle of a Butterfly / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / Why is change necessary?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
·  Discuss the changes with our classroom butterflies.
·  Make personal connections with our own changes / After story we discussed what butterflies will need to eat (flowers, sugar water).
Differentiated Activities: / Mixed Ability Grouping
Student will demonstrate how they have changed in their life by making posters.
Students will take on different roles depending on their readiness levels. Roles will include but not limited to:
·  finding pictures
·  labeling
·  drawing
·  writing
·  cutting
·  pasting / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
·  This activity was too advanced for the group as a whole, the point of it was lost on the students or it was not introduced properly and was a complete flop L.

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 7

Title: / Life Cycle of a Butterfly / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / Why is change necessary?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom Deluise
·  Discuss metamorphosis and the impact it had on the character in the book.
·  Make personal connections with our own changes
Differentiated Activities: / Mixed Ability Grouping
Student will put on a play with butterflies and caterpillars about changes (metamorphosis).
Students will take on different roles depending on their readiness levels. Roles will include but not limited to:
·  Writers
·  Actors
·  Individual lines
·  Group parts / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.
Due to our class assessment of the previous lesson we changed the activities.
Students made stick puppets and put on puppet shows and then we acted out the life cycle whole group.

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Lesson: 8

Kindergarten Science Unit: Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

Title: Culminating Activity / Life Cycle of a Butterfly / Teacher Notes:
Guiding Question: / What is the life cycle of a Monarch Butterfly?
Whole Group Instruction: / ·  Read, A Mother’s Wish by Kathy-Jo Wargin
·  Discuss the release of the classroom butterflies so they can complete their life cycles.
·  Children will make wishes upon their butterflies and set them free.
Differentiated Activities: / Readiness Grouping:
Student will demonstrate their understanding of the life cycle process by completing one of the following activities depending on their readiness level:
Group A will independently complete:
·  make a drawing with label
·  create a non-fiction story
·  construct stages with model magic or clay and label
·  make a game
·  write a song
·  write a story
·  produce a puppet show
Group B: Given the vocabulary words,
·  define and draw the cycles
·  construct stages with model magic or clay and label
·  write a song
·  write a story
·  put on a puppet show
Group C:
·  put pictures in sequential order and label
·  construct stages with model magic or clay and tell the stage
·  put on a puppet show based on a story that was read / Teacher support was provided for those students who need more extensive accommodations.

Student Self Assessment

Name ______

Lesson # ______

How did you feel about today’s lesson?

(Color in the face.)

J / K / L

UNION MEMORIAL SCHOOL