USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
Lesson Content
What Standards (national
or state) relate to this
lesson?
(You should include ALL
applicable standards. Rarely
do teachers use just one:
theyd never get through
them all.)

Essential Understanding
(What is the big idea or
essential question that you
want students to come away
with? In other words, what,
aside from the standard and
our objective, will students
understand when they finish
this lesson?)
MW: What one piece will
students walk away with
understanding after engaging
in this lesson?

Science Content Standard:

SC.1.L.16.1- Make observations that plants and animal closely resemble their
parents, but variations exist among individuals within a population (life cycle)

Essential question:

What are the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly?

Science concept:

Students will be able to identify the four different stages of the life cycle of
a butterfly.
( egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly)

Process skills/science practices:

Students will be able to understand that animals may be similar, but not

exactly like their parents or each other.

Nature of Science:
1. The world is Understandable
2. Scientific ideas are subject to change, yet scientific knowledge is durable.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
Objectives- What are you
teaching?
(Student-centered: What will
students know and be able to
do after this lesson? Include
the ABCDs of objectives:
action, behavior, condition,
and degree of mastery, i.e.,
"C: Given a sentence written
in the past or present tense,
A: the student B: will be able
to re-write the sentence in
future tense D: with no errors
in tense or tense contradiction
(i.e., I will see her
yesterday.)."
Note: Degree of mastery does
not need to be a percentage.)
Rationale
Address the following
questions:
Why are you teaching this
objective?
Where does this lesson fit
within a larger plan?
(Within grade level AND K5 education)
Why are you teaching it
this way?
Why is it important for

1. Why are you teaching this objective?

I am teaching this objective with the sole purpose of educating students on the
importance of life cycles and its stages. It is important for students to observe and
understand change over time will result in these animals/plants having a wide variation
of a population.
2. Where does this lesson fit within a larger plan? (Within grade level AND
K-5 education)
This lesson could easily fit in a larger plan such as learning that connecting the

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
students to learn this
concept?

idea of plants and animal closely resembling their parents, variations exist
among individuals within a population. Being that this is a first grade lesson
and the concept is in its simplest terms and as this move up within the Elementary
school grades, they will use that knowledge and apply it to a much more complex
scheme of cycles etc.
3. Why are you teaching it this way?
I am teaching this lesson with a technology-based component where students are
able to get strong visual support to make appropriate connections on life cycles.
Exposing students to a variety of learning styles will encourage them to think more
critically about the topic and really explpore the 5 Es.
4. Why is it important for students to learn this concept?
The goal is for students to understand the life cycle of a butterfly and understand
that animals change over time through the process of life cycles. It is important
for student to develop the idea that change is inevitable and that it is a process of
change. When directly connecting the importance of this concept to the standard,
the overall goal is to guide students through the students through the steps

of observations. Grasping the concept that plants and animal closely

resemble their parents, but variations exist among individuals within a
population is important because it facilitates the process of identifying life
cycles in the world around them.
Evaluation Plan- How will
you know students have
mastered your objectives?
Address the following:
What formative evidence
will you use to document
student learning during

Students will be able to demonstrate their learning through turn and talk, class
discussions and video questions, in addition to the formative assessment.
Students will be able to understand that some animals (insects) are similar as they grow,
but others change through life cycles.
Students will be able to make connections throughout real life experiences and also
infusing student cultural interest.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
EACH phase of the lesson?
What summative evidence
will you collect, either
during this lesson or in
upcoming lessons? Be sure
to include a scoring guide.

What Content Knowledge

is necessary for a teacher
to teach this material?

Students will need to be introduced to the growing process as change.

Ex. (Baby, child, adult) (egg, tadpole, frog) ( egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly)

Be sure to cite all

resources you used to
learn the content

A teacher must be familiar with the NOS- 1. The world is understandable. 4. Science
demands evidence to convey that knowledge throughout the lesson.
Quote: The modification of familiar activities provides a way to structure activities to
teach the skills of observation, controlling variables and asking operational questions.
(Shiland, November,1997)
Teachers must be familiar with the concept in order to effectively extend thinking
and promote higher order questioning.
Quote: The knowledge, generation process in science is as creative as anything in the
arts, a point that would be made clearer to students who examine process as well as
content. (McComas, Novemeber 2004)
Exposing students to the 5 Es will result in a well-rounded lesson where they will
understand the concept of life cycles. Creativity is thinking- posing new questions
and new ways to enhance learning.

What background
knowledge is necessary for
a student to successfully

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
meet these objectives?
How will you ensure
students have this
previous knowledge?
Who are your learners?
What do you know about
them?
What do you know about
their readiness for this
content?
What misconceptions
might students have about
this content?

Teaching Methods
(What teaching method(s) will
you use during this lesson?
Examples include guided
release, 5 Es, direct
instruction, lecture,
demonstration, partner word,

1. Students may have a hard time grasping the understanding that animals (insects)
- butterflies can change drastically over time.
2. A common misconception is that many people believe that there are only three
stages to a butterfly life cycle, but in fact there are four. (Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis
and butterfly.)

Lesson Implementation
You will utilize the 5E teaching model for this lesson. Below, write out the purpose for
each phase of the 5E model.

Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar (engage)

I will model read the book stated above that strongly represents the life cycle of a

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
etc.)

butterfly. Students will have visual support that will enhance their understanding on life
cycles. Students will be asked the order of the life cycle by referencing what they
remembered from the book.
I will show students the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly in a poster to explore
the stages and its details (explore)
I will introduce the stages of a life cycle separately and allow them to explore all that it
entitles and the order they believe is correct and why. I will then, introduce an anchor
chart on the different stages of the life cycle and have them identify the correct order
within their group.

Brainpop video on the life cycle of a butterfly. I will stop and ask questions
throughout the video to keep track on the understanding of the students . This
video will promote deeper thinking on this concept and thoroughly explain the
steps of the life cycle. (explain)

Students will be given a worksheet where they have to identify the four stages of the life
cycle of a butterfly by infusing a hands-on formative. They will have a worksheet that
they have to cut and correctly place on the life cycle chart (evaluation)

Step-by-Step Plan
(What exactly do you plan to

I will use the ELMO to model student work (students will come up and explain the
stages to the class) Higher order thinking questions will be asked to deepen their
understanding. (elaborate)

Recap- extend on the life cycle of a butterfly. Asks questions like how is this
different from other animal cycles? Ask questions that will allow students to make
real life connections to other life cycles. (extend)

Time

Who is
responsibl

Each content area may require a different step-by-step format. Use

whichever plan is appropriate for the content taught in this lesson.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
do in teaching this lesson? Be
thorough. Act as if you needed
a substitute to carry out the
lesson for you.)
Where applicable, be sure to
address the following:
What Higher Order
Thinking (H.O.T.) questions
will you ask?
How will materials be
distributed?
Who will work together in
groups and how will you
determine the grouping?
How will students
transition between
activities?
What will you as the
teacher do?
What will the students do?
What student data will be
collected during each
phase?
What are other adults in
the room doing? How are
they supporting students
learning?
What model of co-teaching
are you using?

e (Teacher
or
Students)?

3
mins

5
mins
5
mins

5
mins

10
mins

Teacher
and
students

For example, in science, you would detail the 5 Es here

(Engage/Encountering the Idea; Exploring the Idea;
Explanation/Organizing the Idea; Extend/Applying the Idea;
Evaluation).

Ask background info on the life cycle of a butterfly ( turn and talk)
Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar (engage)

teacher
teacher

teacher
and
student
teacher
and
students

I will show students the stages in a poster to explore the stages and
its details (explore)
Brainpop video on the life cycle of a butterfly. I will stop and ask
questions throughout the video to keep track on the understanding
of the students (explain)
Students will be given a worksheet where they have to identify the
four stages of the life cycle of a butterfly by infusing a hands-on
formative (evaluation)
I will use the ELMO to model student work (students will come up
and explain the stages to the class) (elaborate)
Recap- elaborate on the life cycle of a butterfly. Asks questions lie
how is this different from other animal cycles? (extend)

teacher

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

Date of Lesson:

butterfly
What will you do if

mins
a student struggles with the content?

What will you do if

a student masters the content quickly?

Meeting your students

needs as people and as
learners

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural
backgrounds of your students?
Students will be exposed to a number of different ways to learn about the life cyle of a
butterfly to better fit their interest and learning styles.
If applicable, how does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?
Students will be able to identify the different stages within the life cycle throughout their
community
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
challenge during this lesson (enrichment)?
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
language support?

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Castillo________________
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: life cycle
1st
of a

Name: __Eileen
Group
Size:

butterfly
Accommodations (If
needed)
(What students need specific
accommodation? List
individual students (initials),
and then explain the
accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)
Materials
(What materials will you use?
Why did you choose these
materials? Include any
resources you used. This can
also include people!)

ELMO( model/ student participation)

Projector/computer( brainpop video)
Differentiated worksheets
Noodles
Scissors/markers/glue
Very Hungry Caterpillar book

Date of Lesson: