Life Cycle of a Caterpillar

This links to a lesson plan concerning the study of caterpillar life cycles. It explains a multiple-day process for students to use observation, research, and writing to learn and express ideas about life cycles. This lesson is fantastic for combining writing, reading informational text, and science content. It includes a trade book, using a KWL, recording observations, and a writing activity. Other trade books that could be used with this lesson or in a unit surrounding it are Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Fly, and Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin. This is primarily an ELA lesson, but it also includes a Science content connection.

Standards & Objectives

Academic standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.1
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3
Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.1
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3
Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.7
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
GLE 0101.3.1
Compose simple stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
GLE 0101.3.3
Begin to develop topic sentences.
GLE 0201.3.1
Write in a variety of modes for different audiences and purposes.
GLE 0201.3.3
Organize ideas into a topic paragraph with complete coherent sentences.
GLE 0201.4.2
Gather relevant information to answer a research question.
GLE 0207.4.1
Compare the life cycles of various organisms.
TSS.ELA.1.W.TTP.1
With prompting and support, write opinion pieces introducing the topic or text, stating an opinion, supplying a reason for the opinion, and providing some...
TSS.ELA.1.W.TTP.2
With prompting and support, write informative/explanatory texts, naming a topic, supplying some facts about the topic, and providing some sense of closure.
TSS.ELA.1.W.TTP.3
With prompting and support, write narratives recounting an event, including some details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings; use time order words...
TSS.ELA.2.W.RBPK.7
Participate in shared research and writing projects, such exploring a number of books on a single topic or engaging in science experiments to produce a report.
TSS.ELA.2.W.RBPK.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
TSS.ELA.2.W.TTP.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts.
TSS.ELA.2.W.TTP.2
Write informative/explanatory texts.
TSS.ELA.2.W.TTP.3
Write narratives recounting an event or short sequence of events.
 
Alignment of this item to academic standards is based on recommendations from content creators, resource curators, and visitors to this website. It is the responsibility of each educator to verify that the materials are appropriate for your content area, aligned to current academic standards, and will be beneficial to your specific students.
 

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • Chart Paper for K-W-L
  • Story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and other non-fiction titles about the topic.
  • Caterpillar eggs, appropriate environment for development of caterpillars, specific food for type of caterpillar.
  • Magnifying glasses and observation journals.

References

Contributors: