As I briefly mentioned to you the other day, in my ESOL class we just reviewed a
chapter about using technology to enhance lessons for language learners, which in turn makes
input more comprehensible for them. We also recently adapted content and language arts
lessons to make them more suitable for English language learners (ELLs). So, for my final
technologies unit I decided to take parts from my adapted science content lesson, and infuse
them with technology strategies. By going through this process, I will have taken my lesson one
step further, and created a lesson that is effective for the instruction of ELLs and native English
speaking students alike.
I created this lesson to suite the learners I know to exist in my mentor teacher’s classroom. I
wanted the lesson to be able to be applied in context. In her classroom I know there to be
native English speakers, as well as Spanish speakers. Therefore, these are the languages I will
focus on addressing in my lesson. However, teachers could easily adapt this lesson to meet the
language needs of students speaking almost any language.
I would also like to note that because the school at which I student teach has media teacher, I
would assume I would not have to instruct my students on how to use most of the technologies
in this lesson. Rather, as students use the various technologies it would reinforce their
knowledge thereof, as well as reinforce the content being learned. I would also have to assume
that I would have access to all the materials suggested in the lesson as well.
Grade Level
Content Area
Title of Unit
Learning Goal
Grade 2
Science
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Through a content lesson infused with technology (which will ultimately allow me to
enhance ESOL strategies also used in the lesson) students will be able to
successfully describe the life cycle of a butterfly. This objective is based off the
Oregon State Science standard which states that students will:
2.2L.1 Describe life cycles of living things.
Technology
Standards
The NETS-S standards, including appropriate sub-standards, addressed by this
unit are:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, Including at a distance, to support individual learning and
contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences
using a variety of media and formats.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
Students:
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use
information from a variety of sources and media.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources. Students:
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project.
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to
technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports
collaboration, learning, and productivity
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations. Students:
b. select and use applications effectively and productively
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies
Technologies
Integrated
One audio recording device (capable of transferring audio files to GarageBand)
GarageBand software
Computer
SMART Board
YouTube
Microsoft Word
Video cameras (amount needed will vary on the amount of students in class)
iMovie
Resources
Text: The Very Hungry Caterpillar or the Spanish version;
La Oruga Muy Hambrienta (by Eric Carle); one book for each student in the
class, depending on language capabilities
One audio recording device for each student in the class (capable of transferring
audio files to GarageBand)
Chart paper
Markers
GarageBand software
Classroom computer
Realia pictures
Materials for Word Wall (usually a wall of the classroom, butcher paper,
construction paper, and markers are all that is needed)
SMART Board
Internet Access (see hyperlinks for various sources used)
WebQuest Worksheet
Video cameras with videotapes or memory cards
iMovie
1. Day One: Reading and Recording a Text
To get students thinking about the concepts to be explored, I would send home
the text The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle) for students to read or to be
read to students. Furthermore, if my students are literate in their primary
language I would send them home with the Spanish version- La Oruga Muy
Hambrienta. This text explains the life cycle of a butterfly, and will provide
students with the background knowledge they will need throughout the
remainder of the lesson.
I would also send home an audio recording device for each student in the class,
so that a parent/guardian/caretaker could record the text as they read it aloud.
Students will return the next day with their text and audio recordings. This
activity should take no more than thirty minutes.
2. Day Two: “Picturing the Process”
After students return their texts and audio recording devices, I would then
review the concepts learned with them. As a class, we would fill out a K-W-L
chart (on big chart paper with markers). A K-W-L chart “tracks what a student
knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L) about” the topic (K-W-L
Chart, n.d., p. 1).
I would then further the students’ knowledge of the concepts by explicitly
teaching about the life cycle of a butterfly.
Unit Outline
To do so, I would introduce and post the sentence frames (made on chart paper
with markers) in the front of the classroom as they will be referred to throughout
the lesson.
Next I would hand out realia pictures, one per student, giving roughly equal
numbers of egg pictures, caterpillar pictures, chrysalis pictures, butterfly pictures
with the names of the stages they represent written on the back. I would then
point out the four names and have students practice saying them, especially;
caterpillar, adult and chrysalis (KRISS-uh-liss).
These words would then be added to a word wall that will remain displayed
throughout instruction.
Then I would have students get into groups with those having the same
category of pictures. Next, in their groups students need to try to decide what is
important about their picture. Have students consider:
What is the picture of?
What is it doing?
What is its purpose or role?
I would then explain that the groups of pictures represent the four stages of a
butterfly’s life cycle, and that all animals, including people, have a life cycle. Ask
students to turn to their neighbor and think-pair-share when explaining the life
cycles of:
a person: baby, child, adult (produces babies)
a pet: baby puppy, adult (has babies)
a bird: egg, chick, bird (lays eggs)
I would then elaborate that butterflies and some other insect (e.g. flies, beetles,
bees, and ants) have a very special life cycle with four stages, called
metamorphosis. It means “change”. Note that with other animals the baby looks
quite a bit like the adult but is much smaller. However, the baby butterfly looks
very different from its parent. Show the class a card with the word
metamorphosis (realia) and teach the pronunciation (meh-ta-MORE-fuh-sis).
Ask students to guess the right order of the four stages by placing the
metamorphosis card on the floor, and asking a group to stand around it in the
“right” order bringing their picture cards with them. Once the group and the class
think they are correct, have students sit down in this order. Tell the class you
are going to show them a video about the life cycle of a butterfly. Also, let them
know that during the video they will be able to see if they placed their
classmates in the correct order.
Show students the YouTube video on the life cycle of a butterfly on the
classroom SMART Board. Stop if necessary to reorder students who are
demonstrating the four stages of the butterfly’s life cycle.
After watching the video ask the volunteer “metamorphosis” group in order:
What is the name of the 1st stage?
2nd stage?
3rd stage?
4th stage?
Now ask a variety of questions out of sequence to the whole class. Students
should continue to refer to the sentence frames provided as well as the
vocabulary from the word wall.
Which stage has a caterpillar?
Which stage comes 1st?
Which stage come last/4th?
What is the name of the 3rd stage?
What is the name of the butterfly’s life cycle?
I would anticipate that part of the lesson would take about an hour to complete.
3. After school, I would download the audio files collected from students into
GarageBand and make podcasts for the The Very Hungry Caterpillar or the
Spanish version-La Oruga Muy Hambrienta.
Depending on the number of students in the class, this process should take
about one hour.
4. Day Three: WebQuests
The next day I would tell students that the podcasts are available for them to
listen to while they have library time or at any point there is time to read during
the school day. I would encourage students to listen to the story in another
language if possible.
We would then move on to exploring the life cycle of a butterfly through a
WebQuest. Wright (2010) notes that WebQuests are “activities designed by
teachers to structure students’ time on the internet by directing them to specific
Web sites and giving them tasks to complete as they visit each site” (p. 298).
Click here to preview the WebQuest I created for this lesson.
Something I wasn’t able to do for this lesson, but would like to do in the future is
to have someone translate the directions to this assignment in Spanish and
insert the audio clip into the worksheet. This would be helpful to language
learners so that they could understand what is being asked of them in a
language they are familiar with, and could then be more successful in
completing the assignment.
Students should be given one hour to complete the worksheet.
5. Day Four: Classroom Video
For the final part of this lesson I would create a class video with students about
the life cycle of a butterfly. As a class we would slowly write a script on large
chart paper. I would anticipate this taking at least 3 days to complete. Then I
would type up the script and assign different speaking parts to students;
providing the words they will say in the video on a little piece of paper. I would
group students according to their roles, and which part of the cycle they are
explaining, and allow them to take turns using the cameras to videotape each
other. I feel that I would really need to make clear to students the guidelines for
using this equipment. Before handing over the cameras, we would review how
to use them and how to handle them. We would then work on shooting our
video during the hour of the school day set aside for science instruction over the
period of another 3 days. Click here for an example of a classroom video.
6. Day 11:
After we were done shooting the video I would work with students in their
groups to edit their sections of the film in iMovie. I would allow each group the
whole hour of science instruction to work with me in bettering their part of the
video, while my other students worked on various other assignments. There
would be four groups that would need time to edit, so this process would take
four additional days.
7. Day 15: “SMART” Review
To finish up our unit on the life cycle of a butterfly, I would invite parents into
the classroom during the time set aside for science instruction to view (on the
SMARTboard) the video made by students.
Gibson, R., & Laythorpe, J. (n.d.). Butterflies. University of Calgary. Retrieved
References
November 21, 2011, from
http://www.learningbydesign.ucalgary.ca/content/public/Butterfly_Lessons_
3.pdf
K-W-L Chart (n.d.). ReadWriteThink. Retrieved December 3, 2011, from
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/chart-a30226.html
Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for teaching English language learners:
research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Pub.
Note: Other various resources are hyperlinked throughout the unit.