Students write a biography of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.
- Chart Paper for K-W-L
- Story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and other non-fiction titles about the topic.
- Caterpillar eggs, appropriate environment for development of caterpillars, specific food for type of caterpillar.
- Magnifying glasses and observation journals.
- Students dictate what they already know about caterpillars to establish prior knowledge. The information they give is charted.
- Students then dictate what they want to learn about caterpillars. This provides a purpose and motivation for learning. This information is also charted on the K-W-L (What I know, What I want to find out, What I learned) chart and referred to throughout the unit.
- Students listen to stories, fictional and non-fictional, about caterpillars and their life cycles.
- At the same time, students begin to observe caterpillar larvae in the classroom and record their observations in an observation journal.
- Students use a variety of resources to obtain information about the development of their “pets” including books, dictionaries, and of course, the Internet.
- Finally, students dictate what they learned to complete the K-W-L chart and use the information to write “biographies” of the lives of the animals they raised.
By: Liz Capote, first grade teacher
Colorful Caterpillar Cut-and-Paste Art Pattern
This cut-and-paste ladybug art project will provide your students with opportunities to improve their fine motor dexterity and their ability to follow directions.
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