SETON HILL UNIVERSITY

Lesson Plan Template

TOPIC DETAILS CK

Name Kelsey Myers

Subject Science

Grade Level Kindergarten

Date/Duration 1, 20 minute class period

RATIONALE Butterfly Life Cycle Hats

3.1.K.A3 Observe, compare, and describe stages of life cycles for plants and/or animals

S.K-2.B.1.1.1 Describe basic external structures of animals and plants

S.K-2.B.1.1.2 Identify a plant or animal based on a given life cycle stage (e.g., butterfly,
frog, seed-producing plant).

The students will do a hands on activity with the vocabulary words and pictures of the
life cycle of a butterfly. This lesson builds on the students’ knowledge of the life cycle of
a butterfly taught in a previous lesson. The focus of this lesson is for the order of the life
cycle. The lesson is based off of all three of these standards.

INTRODUCTION Activating Prior Knowledge

Who remembers what is the first stage in the life cycle of a butterfly?
Who remembers what stage it goes into after that?
Can someone tell me what they remember about a butterfly in the chrysalis stage?

Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
5 minute video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S8WzwLPlM

This video is about a cartoon caterpillar that goes through a life cycle of changes. The
video is narrated and shows the words on the screen that are being read to the
students. It is a short video that allows the students to see a cartoon caterpillar go
through the entire life cycle.

Students may have difficulty staying focused for the entire video and may get up and
move around.
I plan to address these behaviors by having students get up out of their seats and try to
follow what is happening in the video with their bodies. (Example: pretend to be asleep
like the caterpillar in the cocoon.

EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION Big Idea Statement

The four stages of the life cycle of a butterfly are an egg, a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a
butterfly.
 Essential Question Statement

What is the first stage of the life cycle of a butterfly?

What is the second stage a butterfly goes through in its life?
What is third stage of a butterfly’s life cycle?
What is the last stage a butterfly is in in its life cycle?
Objective Statement (Audience, Behavior, Condition, Degree)
Kindergarten students will comprehend the order of the stages of the life cycle of a
butterfly by successfully completing the butterfly life cycle hat activity independently
with 95% accuracy.
Students may have difficulty completing the activity independently, so I would change
this by having them do it independently, but with the step by step instruction of the
teacher.

Vocabulary
Egg
Caterpillar
Chrysalis
Butterfly
Life Cycle

Transition
After the video, students will gather the materials needed for activity from the shelf.

Students may have issues with this. To address this, I would place the items the
students will need on their desks.
LESSON PROCEDURE Pre-Assessment of Students
Ask students questions as a class.
Who can describe the first stage of the butterfly life cycle?
Everyone in the class, please tell me what the third stage of the butterfly life cycle is
called.

Students may have difficulty answering these questions. Instead I would ask questions
such as “What do you know about butterflies? What do you know about caterpillars?
What do you know about the life cycle of a butterfly?” I would write the answers the
students give me on the board for the whole class to see.
Modeling of the Concept

Show example of what the construction paper part will look like put together and show
the paper with the different pictures and words on it.
Students in the class may have difficulty understanding what they are to do if this is the
only way the teacher models the concept.
Instead, I would show them what the project would look like at the end. I would also do
the project with them.

Guiding the Practice

Walk around and observe the progress of students.
Tell students to raise their hand so that I can check their work before they glue the life
cycle onto the construction paper.
The students may have difficulty staying on task enough to do this on their own.
Instead, I would show students what they need to do next and allow them time to do so.
I would also go around and assist any students that may need additional assistance.
 Providing Independent Practice
Allow each student to complete the project with assistance from teacher only when
needed.
Exit ticket: Show teacher the completed activity before being put away to be taken home
and instructed to go to the carpet after they have put their project away.
If the student did not finish their project, then this may be a time for a potential
behavior problem. I would ask students to show what they had done instead of asking
students to show me their completed projects. I would also ask the students to place
their project on my desk instead of taking it home with them, so that we can display
their work in their classroom.

Transition
Kindergarten students are called over to the carpet and asked the essential questions of
the lesson as a review of the concepts of the lesson.
It may be difficult for some students to answer these questions. I would address the
behavior problems by asking students what they learned about the life cycle of a
butterfly and writing their answers on the board.

READING MATERIALS, - Projection to display video

TECHNOLOGY, AND - Laptop to stream video
SUPPLIES - Green Construction paper cut up into long strips
- Copies of worksheet with names of life cycle stages and pictures (enough for
each student in the class to have one)
- Glue sticks
- Crayons
- Scissors

EVALUATION OF THE Formal Evaluation

LEARNING/MASTERY OF
THE CONCEPT Teacher will mark on a checklist the students that successfully completed the activity
and those who answered at least one question during the lesson.

Informal Evaluation

Observe the students.

Shown complete work.

CLOSURE Summary and Review of the Learning

The essential questions are asked to the class as a whole while sitting on the carpet in
the classroom. The teacher is to call on one student for each question. Then, the teacher
asks the students to say the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly in order as a class.
Homework/Assignments

Students are to see if they can find something that looks like a butterfly around their
house.