Rachel Wilkinson
1st Grade Science; the Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Purpose: The students will learn that the butterfly goes through a life-cycle, the four stages of
the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle, and what metamorphosis is.
Objective: The students will be able to name all four stages of butterfly development correctly
and in order.
Review: Before the lesson begins, bring all students over to the story rug (carpet at the front of
the class). Ask the students what type of animal we have been learning about in science this
week (answer: insects!). Ask students what special features insects have (six legs, three body
parts [head, thorax, abdomen], exoskeleton, antennae). Ask what different insects they
remember learning about this week. (We have looked at ants, grasshoppers and bumblebees)
[students are expected to raise hands when answering questions]
Anticipatory Set: Tell students that you will be reading a story about a very special insect.
[read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle]. After the story ask students what they think
happened to the caterpillar, and where did the butterfly come from. When/if someone answers
correctly (usually give 2-3 kids a try), tell them that when they go back to their seats they will
learn how a caterpillar gets to be a butterfly. [dismiss students to quietly go to their desks]
Input Content Teaching Aid(s) (used during Input section): pins, images of caterpillars and
butterflies, life cycle poster
Input:
Begin by telling students that just like they go through stages in life to become adults/grownups, caterpillars go through stages to become butterflies called a “life cycle” (ask them what a
“cycle” is. They might know, but if not, tell them it means that when all the stages are finsished
it starts all over again). Let them know that there are four stages in the caterpillar/butterfly life
cycle. There is a special word for when the caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and it’s called
“metamorphosis”. [Have students say the word “metamorphosis” out loud together a couple of
times] To learn the four stages, play “The Butterfly Song” from havefunteaching.com, then we
will look at each stage individually.
Before they are born, caterpillars grow in eggs. [put picture of caterpillar eggs on the board
with poster putty] Caterpillar eggs are very, very small; even smaller than the pinheads. [hold
out a pin and walk around room so each student can see how small the end is, but do not let them
touch it!] As you walk round the room, tell them that these tiny eggs are laid on leaves of small
plants. Most butterflies can lay up to 100 eggs at a time! The baby caterpillars spend 10 days in
the eggs before they hatch. Ask students why they think it’s important for the caterpillar eggs to
be laid on a leaf. [students should raise hands to answer] After hearing a few answers, tell them
it’s because caterpillars eat leaves, so when they hatch, they have food right there for them to
start eating. To remember the egg stage is first, we will make a circle with our hands (a circle
with our fingers and cover it with our other hand) that looks like an egg. As we do this, sing the
“the first stage of the butterfy is the egg” from the song we learned earlier.
Check for Understanding: “Are caterpillar eggs big or small?” (small), “Do butterflies
lay a lot or just a few eggs at a time?” (a lot: 100)
The next stage is the caterpillar. [put up picture of caterpillars hatching from eggs after
picture of eggs (at the end of the lesson all four pictures/stages will be on the board)] The fancy
name for the caterpillar is “larva”. [have students say “larva” out loud together a couple of
times] Baby caterpillars do not stay babies for very long; they grow into “kid” caterpillars very
fast. Mostly the larva just eat and grow. In 5 to 10 days they grow from very small caterpillars
to big fat caterpillars. [put up picture of full-grown caterpillar under the caterpillars hatching,
telling students that this is not an entirely different stage but still part of the caterpillar stage]
When we learned about grasshoppers, we learned that they do something when their skin gets too
tight. [ask students what this is: they shed their skin] Caterpillars also shed their skin several
times before they are fully grown. Our motion for the caterpillar is to make a number “one” with
our pointer finger, and inch it across our other arm like a caterpillar. Again, as we do this
motion, sing “the second stage is the caterpillar, larva” from the song.
Check for Understanding: “ What is the fancy name for the caterpillar?” (larva)
When the caterpillar has eaten enough food and gotten big enough it goes into the “teenager”
stage and sleeps for about 2 weeks. [ask students if they have teenaged brothers and/or sisters or
know any teenagers. Tell them teens like to sleep a lot, so that’s how we can remember what
happens in this stage for a butterfly] The caterpillar makes a cozy blanket around himself with a
fancy name, “chrysalis”. [put up picture of butterfly in chrysalis after pupa; have students say
“chrysalis” out loud together] Now we know why the caterpillar had to eat so much—because it
will be in the chrysalis for 2 weeks!
Modeling: To demonstrate, ask two students to come to the front of the room. Explain
that one of them is a caterpillar and give the other student a blanket. Tell them that the blanket is
a chrysalis. Have the “caterpillar” student hold a side of the blanket, while the other student
holds the other side. Tell this student to stand holding his/her end of the blanket and tell the
“caterpillar” to turn around in circles to wrap himself up. Once the “caterpillar” is wrapped in
the blanket, address the whole class and tell them that when the caterpillar is inside the chrysalis,
it is called a “pupa”; so the blanket around him is the [pause for answer] chrysalis, and the
caterpillar inside is called the [pause for answer] pupa. [have both students return to their seats]
We have a motion for this stage too: put both hands together on your face like you’re sleeping
and sing “the third stage is the chrysalis, pupa”.
Tell students to imagine going to sleep, and when they wake up they have wings! [put up
picture of butterfly after pupa] This is what happened to the caterpillar pupa when he was inside
the chrysalis. He bacame a grown-up and turned into a butterfly. Remember our big word for
this? Metamorphosis! We have one last motion to add to our song: make a butterfly with your
hands by hooking your thumbs together and flapping your hands like wings. The last verse of
the song goes “the fourth stage is the beautiful butterfly”. We also said earlier that a cycle is
when there are different stages in something, and when all the stages are finished, it starts back
over. So with the butterfly life cycle, the grown-up butterfly lays the eggs and the cycle happens
again. So let’s sing our song all the way through with our motions:
“The first stage of the butterfly is the egg (egg shape with fingers/hands)
The second stage is the caterpillar, larva (caterpillar with finger)
The third stage is the chrysalis, pupa (sleeping, hands)
The fourth stage is the beautiful butterfly” (butterfly with hands)
Checking for Understanding: Let’s review the big, fancy words we learned today:
“What’s the big name for the transformation of the caterpillar to butterfly?”
(metamorphosis)
“What’s the fancy name for the caterpillar stage?” (larva)
“What does a caterpillar go inside before it becomes a butterfly?” (chrysalis)
“What’s the fancy name for the caterpillar inside the chrysalis?” (pupa)
*take down pictures from board so that students cannot look at them while doing the activities*
Guided practice: Purpose: For students to apply their knowledge of the life-cycle by helping
each other put the cycle in the correct order.
Process:
1. Separate students into groups of four or five and tell them that they are going to put the
butterfly life cycle in order.
2. Give each group a set of the four flashcards
3. Tell groups they have a few minutes to work together and put the life cycle of the
butterfly in order.
4. The first group to finish will tell the rest of the class the correct order. (the group may
stand up at their places, each member of the group may hold up one card and state one
stage each.
Product: Flashcards will be in the correct order.
Independent Practice: Purpose: For students to apply their knowledge of the life-cycle by
recognizing the correct stages of the cycle and putting them in order on their own.
Process:
1. On their own, students will complete the “Life Cycle of a Butterfly” sheet.
2. Let them know they will be allowed to take these sheets home with them, as a reference
for their homework project.
3. When everyone is finished, go over the answers to make sure everyone has is right.
Product: Answers on the worksheet will be correct.
Assessment: Students will stand with flashcards in the correct order; answers on the worksheet
will be correct.
Closure: After all students have completed the sheet, review the correct answers, making sure
everyone has the names right and in the correct order. Put the “Butterfly Life Cycle” poster on
the board and review the cycle once more. Start with the egg and follow the arrows, showing
how each cycle leads into the next. Remind them that the caterpillar is called the larva, and all
he really does is eat and grow. Next, the caterpillar is called a pupa when it forms a chrysalis
around itself. In the chrysalis, the caterpillar/pupa undergoes metamorphosis and it comes out as
a butterfly. The butterfly then lays more eggs and the cycle repeats.
Homework: At the end of the lesson, each student will receive a paper plate (paper plates are in
filing cabinet in drawer labeled “crafts”). Tell the students that they have a homework project
that is due on Monday when they get back. Explain that they will make a model of the butterfly
lifecycle on this paper plate using things found in their homes/outside (give them a few examples
of items: beads, string, beans, split peas, cotton balls/pompoms, pipe cleaners pasta, small twigs,
small pebbles, leaves etc.). Show them how to divide the plate into four sections with a marker.
In each section, they will glue the items they found onto the paper plate, creating a picture of
each stage of a butterfly’s life. They will need to put the number of the stage in each corner, and
label each stage correctly, below the picture. Tell students to write their names on the back of
their plates and put them with their worksheets in their cubbies by the classroom door *right
now* so they don’t forget . (I have made an example of this project: see “Butterfly Homework
Project” in “Handouts and Worksheets” at the end of this packet)
Handouts
and
Worksheets
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Homework project example
Butterfly life cycle poster
Eggs (content teaching aid)
Caterpillars hatching (content teaching aid)
Full-grown caterpillar (content teaching aid)
Chrysalis
Butterfly
Life cycle cards (for guided practice activity)
“Life Cycle of a Butterfly” sheet
Butterfly Homework Project
(example)
Eggs
Caterpillar (Larva)
Caterpillar (Larva)
Chrysalis (Pupa)
Butterfly