Questions to answer:

This writing activity ties into the previous reading one we did where we read the Very Hungry Caterpillar and talked about what we think caterpillars actually eat.

Ex. “Butterfly / پَرْوْانِه” (Transcription of Persian: parvâneh) or “Black / Noir” 

Students who are ESL/ELL are encouraged to do as much of the assignment as they can in English. It is alright if the  student has some sentences in English and some in their home language, an example of this would be if the student writes the answer for “What is the butterfly’s name” in English, but answers the question about what colour it is in their home language. 
Ex. “The butterfly is called a Monarch Butterfly” / “Le papillon est orange et noir.” (Translation from French: “The butterfly is orange and black.”)

They are allowed to do the assignment in their home language if they are struggling and will work with their teacher or ESL/ELL coordinator to translate it into English.

Before we read the book, let’s talk about butterflies as a class to see what we know: 

What do you think butterflies eat? 

What do you know about the life cycle of a butterfly? Can anyone name parts of it?

Do we know where butterflies live?

Can anyone name a specific butterfly?

We will read this book together as a class first and you will all have a copy of the book to follow along. While reading, we can all take turns reading a sentence. If you are struggling, do not be afraid to ask a fellow classmate or me (your teacher) for help. 

After reading together we will discuss more of what we know about butterflies and compare the book to the real world facts. 

CC.2.RL.CS5 - Crafting and Structure: Craft and Structure: Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

CC.2.RI.IK9 -  Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Writing Standards: 
CC.2.RI.KI1 - Key Ideas and Details: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CC.2.RI.KI3 - Key Ideas and Details: Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

CC.2.W.TP2 - Text Types and Purposes: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
CC.2.W.RK.8 - Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

We will be reading the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and talk about what we know about butterflies. That then will tie into a writing assignment about a specific butterfly of your choosing. You will be able to read more about these two tasks in the “Lesson Plan Instruction” section. If you get confused, you can ask a classmate or me to explain part of the instructions.

In Science, the class will begin the introduction to life cycles by talking about Butterflies and their life cycle. As a class, we will start a KWL anchor chart. We will read a non-fiction book on Butterflies and talk about what we learned during our cold read of the book. 

In Social Studies, we will begin our unit on Geography by using maps and tracking the Butterflies journey from the North Country to Mexico where they go to stay once it gets cold up here. We will talk about their migration path and why they choose the warmer climate.

Butterfly week will wrap up with a project about the life cycle of a butterfly.
I hope you have fun with these lessons! :)

1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem b mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

1-LS1-2 Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. 

1-LS3-1 Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but hot exactly like, their parents

Social Studies:

SS:GE:2:1.1: Identify the characteristics and purposes of globes and maps. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, F: Global Transformation)

SS:GE:2:1.2: Introduce spatial information on maps and other geographic representations, e.g., map key, compass rose. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment) 

SS:GE:2:1.3: Identify major physical and human features in the United States and on Earth, e.g., cities, oceans, or continents. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, G: Science, Technology, and Society)