Butterfly Life Cycle Complete Science Unit
What educators are saying
Description
Make learning about the butterfly life cycle even more fun with butterfly activities that combine science, reading and writing with hands on experiments. Students learn the stages of the butterfly life cycle, explore pollination, the compound eye, metamorphosis, adaptations, and so much more! Whether or not you raise live butterflies, this quality science resource is the perfect addition to your life cycle of butterflies activities.
This complete science unit is packed with over 25 highly engaging activities. The high interest lessons, unique experiments, and hands-on activities provide rigor and depth, but most of all FUN! You’ll get your students writing about science as they complete a culminating butterfly booklet writing project that is perfect for assessment. They make a great open house display, too!
Each component of the butterfly booklet aligns to a lesson. Students learn about it, write about it, then add it to their booklets. The formats for the writing activities are responses to the lesson, short explanations, definitions, or diagrams. If you’re short on time, several of the activities can easily be included in your literacy centers.
Lesson topics
Lesson 1: The Butterfly Life Cycle
Lesson 2: Metamorphosis
Lesson 3: Raising Butterflies & Observing the Life Cycle
Lesson 4: The Life of a Caterpillar
Lesson 5: The Life of a Butterfly
Lesson 6: The Compound Eye
Lesson 7: Pollination: Plants Rely on Butterflies
Lesson 8: Comparing Butterflies to Moths
Lesson videos
Embedded videos for each lesson are inside the PowerPoint and make each lesson come alive! You will need access to YouTube to view the videos.
Here’s what you’ll get:
· 8-Lesson teaching PowerPoint with embedded lesson videos
· Interactive diagrams
· Detailed 14-day lesson plan
· 3 Hands-on lab experiments
· Butterfly observation journals
· Unit assessment with answer key
· Vocabulary posters
· Science based-literacy centers
· Math integration activities
· Butterfly life cycle bulletin board set
· Butterfly booklet culminating writing project
Questions addressed during the unit:
What are the parts of a caterpillar and butterfly?
What are the stages of the butterfly life cycle?
How can we collect data about the life cycle?
What is metamorphosis?
What do caterpillars eat?
How do caterpillars protect themselves?
What do butterflies eat?
How do butterflies protect themselves?
What are ways caterpillars and butterflies have adapted?
Pollination: How do butterflies help plants grow?
How are moths alike and different from butterflies?
Compound Eye: What do butterflies see?
Observation journal
The observation journal includes:
· Caterpillar facts
· How to handle your caterpillars with care
· A word bank to assist students in their writing
· Observation recording pages
· 2 Cover options
Lab Activities
- Pollination simulation lab
- Compound eye simulation lab
- Interpreting data collected
Additional Activities
Math Journal Measurement Activity: How Far Did the Caterpillar Crawl?
Collecting Data and Using a Calendar to record changes
Data Discussion Cards
True or False? Butterfly Facts Task Cards
Butterfly Life Cycle Problem/Solution cut & paste printable
Foldable Butterfly Booklet
Directions with detailed photos are included in the teaching PowerPoint to guide students as they assemble their booklets.
Several of the templates include multiple versions so you can easily differentiate or customize your booklets.
Note: This resource will download in a ZIP folder with three files inside- 2 PDFs and 1 PowerPoint file. The files are not editable.
This unit is a real highlight every year in my classroom and my students learn so much! I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine do!
Happy teaching!
Linda Kamp
Around the Kampfire
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