BUTTERFLY LIFE

CYCLE UNIT
Brittany Mareth

 It is important for students to learn about a

humans life and other life cycles that occur in
the world. To understand that all living things
go through cycles in their life. To understand
that not all living things go through the same
cycle. To gain the knowledge of how to take
care of a living thing. To gain a sense of
responsibility.

Essential Questions

What is a life cycle?

Why is it important to learn how to be responsible?
What are the differences between a human life cycle
and a butterfly life cycle?

Unit objective
The students will learn the life cycle of a butterfly by
creating a butterfly life cycle collage. That shows the
stages of a butterfly
The students will write a poem about the life cycle of
butterfly. Students will then use water colors to paint a
picture of the poem they wrote about.

The students will make a butterfly and caterpillar. Then

students will up with a dance for the butterfly life cycle
song.

Lesson 1: butterfly lifecycle

Instructional Objectives: The students will create a collage of the butterfly life cycle
Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes in artworks created for various purposes.
Create original artwork that communicates ideas about the following themes:
People (e.g., self, family, friends) Animals (e.g., pets, farm, zoo, wild) Things (e.g., toys, tools, food)
Medium: Cut and paste
Elements of Art: color and space
Principals of Design: balance and contrast
Materials and Equipment: Construction paper, scissors, glue, magazines, life cycle books
Vocabulary: Pupa, cocoon, chrysalis
Art Production Steps:
Teacher will show the students an example of a collage and then review the history of the collage
The teacher will announce to the students that today in class they will be learning about the butterfly
life cycle.
Students will watch a video about the butterfly life cycle after the teacher will show the stages of the
life cycle by showing a book that includes the life cycle of a butterfly. The teacher will then pass out
magazines and life cycle books for students to make a collage with. While passing out the magazines
the teacher will give instructions to the students about how to cut out pictures of the different stages
of a butterfly's life cycle. Students will then paste them onto a paper in the correct order.
Art Historical Resources:
https://www.google.com/search?q=history+of+a+collage&ie=utf-8&oe=utf8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb

Butterfly lifecycle continuous

Aesthetic Questions: Why do caterpillars develop into butterfly's?
Does a butterfly remember is life as a caterpillar?
Art Criticism Element: If you redid this project at home how would
you do things differently? Would you add anything else to the collage?

Assessment tool: self evaluation and class discussion (Students will

discuss what they liked about each others paintings and if they could
reo it what would they do differently?)
Modifications for Special Needs:
Provide left handed scissors
Teacher and para will also have a pair of teacher guiding scissors that
they can useTeacher will have a picture on the smart board of the
correct order of the life cycle

Lesson 2: Poem and Watercolor

Instructional Objectives:
Standard 3: Creating Art Works Through Choice of Subjects, Symbols, and Ideas.
Benchmark 2: The student incorporates images, subjects, and symbols into artwork.
(KS)
Apply paint in even strokes to create a watercolor/thin tempura wash (MO)
Medium: Watercolor
Elements of Art: color and space
Principals of Design: balance and unity
Materials Needed: standard paper, pencils, paintbrushes, suction cup bowls, watercolor
sets, crayons, 12 by 18 paper, water
Art Production Steps:
The teacher will have an example of a water color hung up in the front of the classroom
when the students walk into the classroom. The students will get seated and then the
teacher will discuss what they will be doing in class. The teacher will review what they did
in the first lesson with the life cycle. The teacher will then read a poem created by a
previous student about the butterfly life cycle. Students will write a poem and then the
teacher will describe the next step. The teacher will describe what a watercolor painting
is and how long it has been around. Then the teacher will talk about the example that is
hung up and give directions. Students will partner up and get one suction bowl two paint
brushes and a set of water colors. They will first color a picture that relates to their poem
and then will paint over the crayons.
Art Historical Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watercolor_painting

Poem and watercolor continuous

Aesthetics Questions: What are some words that a student can use in their poem
to describe the butterfly life cycle?
Art Criticism Element:
What colors would you change if you could redo your watercolor?
What else would you have done differently?
Would you have drawn with your crayon harder, softer, or the same if you did the
painting again?
Assessment Tool: Rubric
Modifications for Special Needs:
Students will receive a list with different describing words that they can use in
their poems.
Students at each table will share a water bowl that is suctioned to the table to
clean their paint brushes before moving on to the next color (prevent cups from
spilling)
Instead of using water colors some students can finger paint if not capable of
using a paintbrush

Rubric for poem and watercolor lesson

No Effort
Great
Use describing words in their poem

Followed directions
3
Used 3 or more colors in their painting
Related the painting to the poem
3

Good

2
1

1
1

3
2

2
2

Lesson 3: Art project and song

Instructional Objectives: The students will create a caterpillar and butterfly
craft.
The students will create a dance to a butterfly life cycle song.
Standard 1: Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
Benchmark 1: The student explores a variety of art media, techniques, and
processes.
Medium: Sculpture
Elements of Art: color, texture
Principals of Design: balance, repetition
Art Production Steps: medium- mixed media
After getting the class seated the teacher will announce that they will be
finishing up the butterfly unit and will be making some fun crafts. The teacher
will show the students an example of the crafts they will be making and all the
supplies they need. Each student will get a plastic baggy for each craft full of
the supplies they need to complete the crafts. The students will copy the
teacher step by step to complete the craft and then the butterfly's will be hung
up in the classroom by the caterpillar crafts. While completing the crafts the
teacher will play a video about the butterfly life cycle. After the students are
done with their crafts they will come up with a dance for the song as a whole
class.
Art Historical Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_media

Art project and song

continuous
Aesthetics Questions: What kinds of things could a student use
to make a caterpillar?
What kinds of things could a student use to make a butterfly?
Art Criticism Element:
What other colors would you use to make the caterpillar?
What other supplies could be used to make these projects?
Assessment Tool: Teacher will observe students participating in
singing and dancing to the butterfly life cycle song
Modifications for Special Needs:
All supplies will be given to the students pre cut and ready to
go
Students will be able to work with neighbors
Students can use hand motions for the song instead of using
their bodies

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfXcgD4NqN0
Life cycle of a Butterfly song (call me maybe) with
singing

Summative Assessment
Throughout this unit the classroom will have baby caterpillars that
they will observe daily.
Students will take care of these caterpillars and make daily journal
entries.
Students will record what they do each day with the caterpillars as
well as how they are developing.
After recording their daily journal entries students will make a
drawing of what the caterpillar looks like on that day and what stage
it is in.
After unit is over students will turn in their journals. The teacher will
look at their journals to see if they get the concept of taking care of
something as well as if they knew the life cycle stages that the
caterpillars were in.