Fall 2018 EDUC253

Lesson Plan Format

Preservice Teacher’s name: Ms. Kara Gillon

Date: 10/11/18
Grade level: First Grade
Time required for lesson (in minutes): 20 minutes
Lesson plan title: Life cycle of a Butterfly
Discipline Content area(s): Science- Basic knowledge about a butterfly life cycle
Class description: 8 boys, 7 girls (4 advanced learners, 1 ELLs, 1 IEPs)

Common Core State Standard/NYS Standard (https://www.engageny.org/)

Developing and using models- Modeling in PK–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to
include using and developing models (i.e., diagram, drawing, physical replica, diorama,
dramatization, or storyboard) that represent concrete events or design solutions.
 Compare models to identify common features and differences. (P-LS3-1)

 Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool. (P-
LS3-1)
ISTE Standards addressed: Empowered Learner- Students leverage technology to take an
active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals,
informed by the learning sciences. This is demonstrated using the Smartboard.
Learning Objective(s) for the lesson (Outcomes): Students will be able to communicate with
their classmates in groups of four to stick each phase of the life cycle on a Velcro sheet until they
complete the life cycle of a butterfly. Once all students are finished, one student will come up to
the smart board and be able to drag the pictures in the right order, one will come up and label
each phase, one will come up and drag the correct fact to each phase, and the last student can
drag the correct days of how long the butterfly is in this stage. After, all students will be able to
come together as one and have a discussion on the correct cycle of a butterfly and what happens
in each of these phases/between these phases. For example, during the caterpillar stage, the
caterpillar eats the egg.
Rationale for the Lesson (Why): The purpose of this lesson is to help students become more
knowledgeable on how an egg becomes a butterfly by learning new vocabulary and using this
vocabulary with their peers and teachers. Working in groups will help them with their discussion
skills and having other student’s opinions will guide them in the right direction on understanding
the life cycle. Using the smartboard will improve on their technology skills and group discussion
after will benefit everyone in the class.
Multiple Assessment strategies you will use: I will asses what they already know at the
beginning of the lesson by having them raise their hands and answer while I write on the board,
so they have a visual image of what others have already said. No formal assessment will be
given, all I am trying to do is make this lesson interactive and fun using the Prezi, Screencastify,
and Kahoot. After the lesson, I will ask my students one interesting fact they learned which will
wrap up the class and serves as a post assessment along with the Kahoot and Screencastify.
Materials needed: Velcro sheet and the eight pieces to stick on (4 arrows, 1 egg, 1 caterpillar, 1
chrysalis, 1 butterfly).
Technology (used by student): Smartboard to drag each phase, write each name, drag each fact,
and drag the correct time elapsed. IPads for my students to play Kahoot on.
Instructional procedures with Screencastify (be very detailed in this entire section—what
you will do and what the students will do; do not give a script of what you’ll say)
Introduction (hook) (how are you introducing the lesson so it gets their attention): To
introduce this lesson I will first begin by asking my students what they already know about the
life cycle of a butterfly. As they give me their thoughts, I will write down key words. Before
starting the Prezi presentation, I will show a short video on the life cycle of a butterfly,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1S8WzwLPlM. This will give my students a visual
representation of what we will be talking about in class which gets them thinking about the life
cycle that they have seen outside of the classroom. This will get my students ready to learn and
excited since they can relate this to what they have seen. After the video, I will go over the life
cycle of a butterfly using my Prezi presentation. This will inform my students of any information
they did not already know. To make sure they have fully grasped the idea, I will break the
students up into groups of four and inform them what we will be doing next. I will explain that I
am going to distribute a Velcro sheet with Velcro pieces to each group (which include the 4
arrows, 1 egg, 1 caterpillar, 1 chrysalis, 1 butterfly). After distributing these items, I will give
each group 5-6 minutes to complete the cycle. Once all students are finished, I will have one
student come up to the smartboard and drag the pictures in the right order, one will come up and
label each phase, one will come up and drag the correct fact to each phase, and the last student
can drag the correct days of how long the butterfly is in this stage for. If any errors are made, I
will correct them and explain why they are incorrect. I will distribute iPads to each student so
they can play a quick game of Kahoot to make sure my students have an understanding of the
material. After, there will be one big class discussion about the life cycle of a butterfly and then I
will ask for students to volunteer to share one interesting fact they learned from this activity. To
wrap up the lesson I will share a website with my students using Screencastify. This website
provides additional information, coloring pages, pictures, and more.
Developmental activities
 ● Teacher modeling; checking for understanding; guided practice; independent
practice: As I go through the Prezi, I will stop along the way to see if my students have
any questions and I will also ask a series of questions along the way to check for
understanding. Breaking my students into groups of four will allow my students to
communicate with each other so each of them will help guide the group in the right
direction to get the correct sequence. As each of them come up to the Smartboard, this
allows each student to independently make a decision at the board. This shows me how
well the group communicated and how well that individual student absorbed the
information. Before each student comes up to the Smartboard I will remind the class to be
nice to each classmate that comes up to the board. I will remind them that if their
classmate makes a mistake it is not a big deal because we all make mistakes. I will make
a point that someone in the class probably is confused as well so making mistakes helps
everyone in the class understand the correct answer. I will distribute iPads to each student
and I will have the students play a Kahoot game. After this, I will show my students a
valuable website using Screencastify. The website https://www.kidsbutterfly.org/life-
cycle/lesson is a great tool to use for my students at home and during free time in the
classroom. There are coloring pages, pictures, FAQs, and more.
● Adaptations (differentiated instruction; accommodations/modifications—how will
you “differentiate” or “switch up” your instruction for your different learners; see
your list of types of students in your Class Description): For the 4 advanced learners
in my class I think it is best to group them together, so they can challenge each other.
This way they do not get stuck in a group and answer every question without giving
others a chance. If they finish early I will come over and ask them some questions about
each phase. For my 1 ELL I will make each Velcro piece double sided where one side is
in English and the other is in the language that they are most comfortable with. This
allows them to see the word in both English and their language. This helps them learn
new vocabulary. For my 1 IEP learner I will tailor my lesson and activity to that student’s
needs as identified by their IEP evaluation. I will ask their aid to be with them through
this lesson, so they can always have a teacher to be by their side if they get frustrated or
do not understand what to do. I will also put them in a group with students who work at a
slightly slower pace and will incorporate the IEP student.
Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will ask the class if they enjoyed learning about the life cycle
of a butterfly and to state one fact that they thought was interesting or that they didn’t know
before. I will have my students play a quick game of Kahoot and will show them an
informational website using Screencastify that they can use in their free time in class or at home.
Extensions: After discussion and the Screencastify, I will send each student home with a
coloring sheet of the life cycle of a butterfly! They can complete this as they wish and if students
do not have coloring utensils at home they can sign out a few crayons, coloring pencils, markers,
etc. to color their sheet and bring them back after they are complete. If students do not wish to
take them home, they can complete the sheet during free time in class.