The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

UBD unit to accompany the video podcast

By Sarah Wiggins

Understanding by Design – Stage 1 Desired Results

Grade/Subject: Second Grade/Science
Title:
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Length of Time - 1 – 2 days
Unit:
Summary of the Students will learn the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle through the use
Unit: of a video podcast.

Standards
Number Title of Content Standard
S2L1 Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.
a. Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals
in your area: a mammal such as a cat or dog or classroom
pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog,
and an insect such as a butterfly.

Understandings: Essential Questions:

Students will understand or know how
to……
[Learning outcomes]
The vocabulary for the butterfly’s life
cycle.
Identify the stages and the order of the
stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.
Unit concepts that reside at the heart
of the subject. Ex. What was the
position of the characters in this story?
What is a life cycle?
What are the stages of a
butterfly’s life cycle?

Knowledge: Skills:
Students will need to know: Students will need to do:

That living things have a life cycle.
Within the life cycle there are different
stages of development.
Different animals, insects, and plants
have different life cycles.
Be able to utilize a technology video
podcast in order to complete the
lesson.
Identify what they know, want to know,
and learn from the lesson.
Complete the activities to study the
stages of the life cycle.

Independently identify and label all 4

stages of the butterfly’s life cycle.
Understanding by Design – Stage 2 - Evidence of Learning
Performance Task
Title of Content Standard:
GOAL
Students will be able to identify the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.
ROLE
Students will listen to the video podcast Life Cycle of a Butterfly and follow the
directions given. Throughout the video, students will complete formative assessments to
help build knowledge about the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.

AUDIENCE
Second Grade
SITUATION
Students will listen to the video podcast and follow along with the narrator to complete
the tasks.

PRODUCT, PERFORMANCE AND PURPOSE

Students will understand the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle so that they can better
understand life cycles of all things, and realize that a butterfly’s life cycle is an example
of metamorphoses.
STANDARDS AND CRITERIA
Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.
a. Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a
mammal such as a cat or dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an
amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.

Other Evidence
(e.g., tests, quizzes, prompts, work samples, observations)
- Students will write in their journal a response to literature that uses inferential
thinking to begin thinking about butterflies.
- Students will create study cards that label the stages and use the correct
vocabulary words.
- A summative assessment in which students will label the stages of a butterfly’s
life cycle will be given at the close of the lesson.

Self-Assessment
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection
Students will complete a KWL chart as they progress through the lesson to identify what
they are learning.
Understanding by Design – Stage 3 – Instructional Strategies

WHERE IS IT GOING?
Students will be guided through a lesson using a video podcast that explains the stages of
a butterfly’s life cycle. They will learn the correct terminology and be able to identify the
stages.

HOOK THE STUDENTS.

The students will be “hooked” by watching the video and seeing a series of video clips
that show animals and their young to realize that everything grows and has a life cycle.
The video will lead to a butterfly.

EXPLORE AND EQUIP

The students will listen to a read aloud that takes them through a butterfly’s life through
literature and they will reflect on a statement from the book. This will help them to begin
to question how butterflies are “Waiting for Wings”.

Throughout the video the students will learn the vocabulary and complete activities that
help them apply the concepts.

RETHINK AND REVISE

After creating vocabulary cards and studying the stages, the students will watch a time
lapsed video that actually shows the stages of a butterfly from larva to adult butterfly.

EXHIBIT AND EVALUTE

Throughout the lesson the students will have their journal and the opportunity to write
down what they are learning. Because this is done regularly in the classroom, the students
know how to use the journals.

TAILOR TO STUDENTS
This assignment appeals to students simply by using the technology. Because the narrator
reads directly from the pictures the slower learners are able to connect words to print.

Lesson Plans:
Assign students to listen to the podcast and work at their own pace. This can be
individually suited for a student to complete in their own schedule, or scheduled for them.
The podcast would need 2 science class periods to complete, but the pace is individual for
each student.
• Students will pause the podcast and complete the activities.
o Activity #1: Create a KWL chart. Use classroom journals to create a
KWL chart. If completing this as a class, discuss their prior
knowledge. If using it independently, have students show their journal
to get stamped for completion and teacher look over.
 o Activity #2: Listen to story Waiting for Wings and write a response to
literature.
o Activity #4: Students will fill in and color study cards. These cards can
be used later as review prior to assessment or placed in class library to
play as a memory game.
o Activity #5: Review the handout that shows the stages of the life cycle.
Students can color this to extend the assignment and study this for the
summative assessment.
o Activity #6: After students have completed the podcast direct them to
revisit their KWL chart to complete it for information learned.
o Summative Assessment: Once students have reviewed the material
assign the summative assessment to draw and label the chart
correctly… Provide a word bank to differentiate instruction for Spec.
Ed. and ESOL students.

Worksheets and Assessments for students:

Practice Cards
Review Worksheet
 Summative Assessment

Extra Activity for Independent work

 References

Lesson plans adopted from the Understanding by Design model:

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design, (2nd edition) Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ISBN 1-4166-0035-3.

Video Podcast create by Sarah Wiggins: acknowledgements are made at end of video.

Educational standards from Georgia Performance Standards at

http://www.GeorgiaStandards.org