Science Mini Unit
Science Mini Unit: Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Bianca Springer
Maudi Lopez
Science Mini Unit
CONCEPT MAP
2nd grade: Standard 2. Plants and
animals have predictable life
cycles. As a basis for
understanding this : b. Students
know the sequential stages of life
cycles are different for different
animals, such as butterflies, frogs,
and mice.
Essential Questions: Why are
all butterflies different and flies
all the same?
Are life cycles different for
every animal ? and how do
they differ?
Science Mini Unit
Rationale:
Students will learn about the predictable life cycles of animals. Throughout their learning
they will engage in many activities that will help with their understanding of the process. In the
California State Standards, it states that this content should be taught so that students have the
opportunity to build connections that link science to technology and societal impacts. We will
focus on one standard of the California Content Standards for Life Science:
2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles. As a basis for understanding this concept:
b. Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals
such as butterflies, frogs, and mice.
The understanding that we hope our students get out of our lessons is that they understand that
living things have a certain life cycle that they follow. They will learn about the sequential stages
of the life cycle of a butterfly. Throughout the mini unit they will get a deep understanding of
each stage. We will begin by activating their prior knowledge where they will think about their
own life cycle.
We addressed the following ELD Standards:
Grade: 2nd
Proficiency: Early advanced
Domain: Writing
Strand: Strategies and Applications

Writes in other content areas
o Use complex vocabulary and sentences appropriate for language arts and other
content areas (e.g., math, science, social studies]
Domain: Listening and speaking
Strand: Strategies and Applications

Listens and identifies specific Information
o Listen attentively to stories/information and orally identify key details and
concepts.
In all of our lessons are ways to support ELD students and students with special needs.
In our unit we incorporate all 4 fundamental skills of language: reading, writing, speaking
and listening. The students will use language through learning content. “The Freemans
advocate organizing curriculum around integrated thematic units that keep the focus on teaching
Science Mini Unit
both language and content” (Freeman and Freeman, 2009). Throughout our unit we will be
teaching our students both language and content. They will learn new vocabulary words and be
able to construct sentences as well as say them orally. In the article Academic Language for
English Learners, Freeman and Freeman state that, Cummins hypothesized that there were two
components of language proficiency, one that reflected the ability to carry on conversations on
everyday topics and another that was needed to comprehend, talk, read, and write about school
subjects (Freeman and Freeman, 2009). In our mini unit the students will be able to use both
BICS (basic interpersonal communicative skills) and CALP (cognitive academic language
proficiency). Students will communicate with each other throughout the lessons by working
together to accomplish the different activities. They will also use new academic language that
will be learned in the lessons where they will talk, read, and write about the life cycle of a
butterfly.
The heart of the constructivist approach to education is learners control their learning.
(Brooks& Brooks, 2008) We began our lesson by relating the life cycle to the student’s own
lives. This allows them to use what they already know and apply to the new concept of a life
cycle. Geneva Gay defines culturally responsive pedagogy as the use of cultural knowledge,
prior experience, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to
make learning encounters more relevant and effective to them (Gay, 2002). By having the
students apply their prior knowledge they will be able to comprehend the lesson better and make
it more relevant and effective to them. Brooks stated that, “Initial relevance and interest are
largely a function of the learner's experiences, not of the teacher's planning.” We want all of our
students to learn the same concepts but every student will construct their own meaning through
their own cognitive processes. Through our activities we will allow the students to construct their
own meaning about the life cycle of a butterfly. We provide many different opportunities for
students to deepen their understanding of the life cycle of a butterfly by group collaboration,
technology, experimentation and observation.
ASSESSMENT
We will assess our students through observation, story retelling, writing samples, and
projects. Throughout this mini unit we will authentically asses our students in different ways in
order for the students to apply their learning and construct their own responses. According to
O’Malley, “If complex thinking and academic language skills are important components of
today’s curriculum, assessment should reflect these emphases.” During the week we will
continually use teacher observations to asses. By observing how students interact during the
different activities we can see how the students are using academic language and higher order
thinking skills in task oriented discussions. We will record observations to see the progress the
students are making throughout the mini unit and throughout the whole unit.
For our pre assessment we will use story retelling because we will read the students the
story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and check for understanding after by having the students
Science Mini Unit
retell the story to their partner. Together the pair will be able to retell the story and be ready to
share to the class if called upon. By allowing the students to work together it helps the students
that are learning Spanish practice with a partner and bounce ideas off one and other. After
retelling the story we will monitor the way that they construct their own poster of the life cycle
of a butterfly. We will observe to see if they paste the pictures in the correct order, so that we
know if they are ready to continue on to learn deeper understandings of each stage of the life
cycle.
Our formative assessment will be teacher observation, we will observe how the students
interact throughout the lessons. We will be observing if they can model the stages of the butterfly
through body movements and their abilities to understand the different stages at each center. For
our summative assessment we will have the kids make their own book about the life cycle of the
butterfly, this will show us if they understood the topic because we will see if they have the
correct stages of the butterfly and can write two complete sentences about each stage. Projects
are good to use for summative assessment because you can observe oral, written and thinking
skills. Students will also be assessed as they make a formal presentation to their group about the
book they have written. “These assessments enable students to construct information rather than
simply choose response alternatives, and challenge students to use their language to
communicate their understandings and applications of knowledge” (O’Malley, 1996)
Block Plans 2nd Grade Mini Unit: Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 5
Description: Our first lesson
will be an introduction for our
unit. The students will learn
about what a life cycle is.
They will make a timeline
demonstrating their own life
cycle from newborn to
toddler, to child, to teenager,
and then adult.
Description: The teacher will
read the story The Very
Hungry Caterpillar to students
and that will introduce them
to the life cycle of a butterfly.
They will then be able to
color, cut, and glue the cycles
to create a poster of the life
cycle of a butterfly.
Description: Students will have
the opportunity to make their
very own book of the life cycle
of a butterfly.
Objective- After a class
discussion with teacher
examples and applying prior
knowledge students will be
able to explain what a life
Objective- Students will be
able to identify the four stages
of the life cycle of a butterfly Language objective: Students
will be able to write sentences
and be able to create a poster
with vocabulary words for
Objective: Students will be
able to organize information
learned in correct stages by
creating a book of the life
cycle of a butterfly.
Science Mini Unit
cycle is.
of the life cycle of a butterfly.
Language Objective: In
partners and whole class
discussion, students will be
able to converse with one
another about their personal
life cycle.
Language Objective:
Strategies: Think-pair-share,
teacher modeling, direct
instruction, and building
background.
Assessment: All students will
make a poster timeline that
demonstrates their life cycle
of five stages starting from
newborn to adult.
each stage of the butterfly life
cycle.
Strategies: Write aloud and
Students will retell the story
student-students interaction.
to a partner and be ready to be
called upon.
Assessment: Students will be
able to create the life cycle
Strategies: Read aloud,
book by placing each stage in
student-student interaction
the correct order.
and retelling of story.
Each page should contain an
Assessment: Students will
illustration and two complete
color, cut, and paste the stages sentences describing each
of the life cycle of a butterfly stage of the life cycle of a
in order on a poster board.
butterfly.
Lesson 3
Description: Students will
watch a movie about the life
cycle of a butterfly. They will
then be able to demonstrate
the life cycle of a butterfly
with teacher modeling
through their own body
movements.
Objective- After watching a
video on the life cycle of a
butterfly, students will be able
to use their body movements
to demonstrate the life cycle
of a butterfly.
Language Objective: Students
will communicate with one
another while demonstrating
body movements.
Students will repeat the life
cycle vocabulary words while
doing the body movements
After their book is complete,
students will have the
opportunity to read their book
to their groups.
Science Mini Unit
several times.
Strategies: Teacher and peer
modeling
Assessment: Students
correctly associate body
movement to vocabulary
words.
Lesson 4
Description: Through stations
of computers, experiments,
art, and a nature walk students
will be able to learn about
each stage of the life cycle of
a butterfly.
Students will take a nature
walk where they will discuss
about the places where
butterflies could lay their
eggs.
Students will communicate
with their group, while
experimenting how a
caterpillar grows with food.
They will use the paper from
a straw to create their own
caterpillar and water as food
to demonstrate the process of
how a caterpillar grows.
Students will watch and listen
to a video at the computer
center where they will learn
about the chrysalis stage.
Through an art project
students will be able to create
their own butterfly that will
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demonstrate that all butterflies
are different.
Objective- Students will be
able to summarize each stage
of the life cycle of a butterfly
in 2 or more sentences per
stage.
Language Objective: The
students will discuss the
different stages with each
other using key vocabulary
they have learned. The
students will also write down
key ideas they learned in each
center.
Strategies:
Practice/Application through
centers and student-student
interaction
Assessment: Teacher will be
informally assessing by
observing students for
understanding and
cooperation at each center.
Science Mini Unit
References
Brooks, M. G., & Brooks, J. G. (2008). The courage to be constructivist. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov99/vol57/num03/The-Courage-toBe-Constructivist.aspx
California State Board of Education. (1998). Science content standards for California public
schools: Kindergarten through grade twelve. Retrieved from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/sciencestnd.pdf
Freeman, Y. S., & Freeman, D. E. (2009). Academic language for English language learners and
struggling readers.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching Journal of teacher education
O'Malley, J. M. (1996). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners.