The Butterfly Unit Comes to a Close

For our last lesson, Lindsay and I taught the second graders about how all living things have life cycles. In order to connect what we previously taught them with the new content, we asked the students to identify the similarities and differences between the life cycle of a butterfly and the life cycle of a frog/human.  To start off the lesson, we reviewed what we learned last week about a butterfly's life cycle.  I was impressed once again on how much the students were able to remember.   Next, Lindsay and I read the class a book about the life cycle of a frog.  We had a discussion on the book, and talked about the similarities and differences between the frog's life cycle and the butterfly's.  We followed this activity with having the students make a model of the human life cycle.  After the activity, Lindsay and I realized that using the human life cycle was not as beneficial, as choosing a new life cycle would have been. But, all in all the lesson worked out well.  We closed the lesson by creating a venn diagram with hula-hoops on the carpet.  The venn diagram was comparing the life cycle's of a caterpillar, butterfly, and human.   The students sat around the venn diagram and as a class we went through the different labels and had students place them in the correct section.  For example, the label Metamorphosis was a common feature of the frog and butterfly, but not of the human life cycle.  The activity was very hands on, and the students really enjoyed it.   


  The focus points of this lesson was to create an assessment tool that would inform Lindsay and I whether or not the students grasped the content and the processing skill we taught them.  We chose to use a checklist to assess the students' human life cycle model and the hula-hoop activity.  I think it would have been beneficial if Lindsay and I also made a checklist to assess the class discussion.  I believe the assessment tools we created though were focused and accurately assessed our content objective and processing skills.


The other focus point of our lesson was differentiating instruction.  Lindsay and I have been successful at incorporating this component in previous lessons, but we could have approved upon it this week.  We should have provided students who finished their model of the human life cycle with a crossword or other worksheet on life cycles.  One thing I believe Lindsay and I were successful at, was checking in with students who needed more assistance  more often.  A few of the students missed part of instruction, and during the activity time we were able to help catch them up.  Also, we were successful in changing up the activities often, in order to keep all the students engaged. 


I will miss the second grade class  Lindsay and I worked with very much; and I was touched that the students each wrote us personalized thank- you cards.  I will remember teaching the butterfly unit forever, and it was an amazing first time teaching experience.  I am now even more excited to enter the field of education!    

The Butterfly Life Cycle!

Today I had another great experience teaching the 2nd graders. They never stop surprising me on how smart they are!  Lindsay and I did a wrap up lesson on the butterfly by explaining to the students the stages in its life cycle.  This was a fun lesson, because the students were able to make connections between what they have already learned so far with the new concept.   Like always,  the students were able to remember a lot of the information we previously taught them, which is always an assuring feeling.  In order to teach the students about the life cycle, Lindsay and I decided to have the 2nd graders build a paper-plate model with pasta. We used four different types of pasta to represent the different stages: orzo for eggs, corkscrew for the caterpillar, shells for the chrysalis, and bow-tie for the butterfly.  All in all the activity was successful, and we were able to somewhat incorporate the focus point of the week, which was technology and engineering.  In order to incorporate technology and engineering, we found a framework that stated: 1.3 Identify and describe the safe and proper use of tools and materials (e.g., glue, scissors, tape, ruler, paper, toothpicks, straws, spools) to construct simple structures.  I wish we could have better incorporated this into our lesson; we were able to have the students use some of these materials, but we should have given better instructions on how to properly use them.  At times, I found students trying to put glue on their small pieces of pasta, rather than just put glue on the plate and put the pasta on top. When I saw this occur, I would go over and show the correct way of using the glue, but it would have been more beneficial if I instructed the whole class on using the tools before starting the activity. This activity had a lot of difficult steps, in which the students needed broken down.     

In our lesson plan, Lindsay and I almost thought we allotted too much time for the activity, but I am glad we did because it was a very difficult project for the class.  Lindsay and I had to break the steps of the activity down into very small pieces, and we found it to be very challenging.  Even though we had a visual model, written directions, and we gave oral directions throughout the activity, students still needed a lot of assistance.  In the end though, all the models looked amazing, and the students were able to learn about the life cycle in a meaningful, hands-on way. We closed our lesson with a brain pop video on the butterfly, which was a good review of everything we have covered in our lessons thus far, and also a good introduction for our next lesson on all different types of life cycles. The students loved the video, and it was another great way to teach our key question about the stages of a life cycle.  I believe that  the students were able to develop a deep understanding of the life cycle since Lindsay and I had them make connections to previous knowledge, make a model, and watch a video. The lesson was designed to benefit a variety of learning styles.  I have learned so much from this experience thus far, and I am sad that next week will be out last lesson.   

The Butterflies Make Their Debut

The Vanessa Cardui butterflies finally arrived today, which was perfect timing since Lindsay and I's lesson was based on the parts of a butterfly.  The students were very excited and receptive to learning more about the insects that have been living in their classroom.  I was very impressed, during the introduction of the lesson, of how much information the 2nd graders remembered from last week's lesson. For example, one student said, "Caterpillars molt their skin a few times in order to create a chrysalis." This put a huge smile on my face. Hearing that assured me that Lindsay and I are are teaching our lessons in a meaningful way.  I believe part of our success can be attributed to the systematic way we have taught our lessons in.  Since we have created our own lessons, we have been able to start each one with a review, teach one new key concept, and then close by assessing whether students understood the key concept. We have focused on creating connections to prior knowledge, as well as connections to the students' lives.  So far from this experience, I have learned that it is more important to teach students concepts with quality lessons, rather than teach them a quantity of facts. 


In order to teach students about the parts of a butterfly and incorporate technology, which was one of the focus points of the lesson, Lindsay and I created a transparency to use on the overhead.  We had the students  work with us to label all of the parts of a butterfly on the board. This was a very visual activity, as well as an auditory one. We also used this instructional time, to have students make connections between the caterpillar parts they already learned, and the parts of a butterfly.  We taught them how some parts of the caterpillar has changed when it turned into a butterfly.  The students found the changes to be super interesting and they asked some very thoughtful questions, which Lindsay answered brilliantly.   This activity provided a review of the parts of a caterpillar as well as introduced the parts of a butterfly.  


During the next portion of our lesson, we incorporated writing.  We asked the students to observe their butterflies and draw what they saw; we also  had them write where they thought their butterfly was going to go once it was let free, and  what they thought their butterfly might do. I was awed to see that several students wrote that their butterflies were going to lay eggs on a mallow plant.  They already seemed to be grasping the idea of a life cycle.  I was surprised that they remembered most of the information we taught them a few weeks back about caterpillars being born from an egg, and the mallow plants they eat.  Having the students write about science was a good tool to assess whether they were grasping some of the big ideas we were teaching them.  It informed Lindsay and I what we should incorporate into our next lesson about the life cycle, and our one after that about migration.  Some students seemed to have a good hold on both concepts already, but others need more explicit instruction to gain a deeper understanding. I am already looking forward to next week! :) 

The Very Hungry Caterpillars Are Now In A Chrysalis!

            Today’s lesson with the second graders brought lots of excitement for both the students and me.  The lesson focused on the changes a caterpillar makes after it’s born.  Before entering the school today, I was not positive myself of what stage the caterpillars would be in; this definitely was a challenge when planning the lesson.  I assumed the caterpillars would be in chrysalis form, since they were growing at a fast rate, but when working with live insects you never can be positive what is going to occur.  I was pleased to see that the caterpillars were doing well, and that the students were able to observe the amazing changes a caterpillar makes in just a few weeks.    Lindsay and I started off the lesson reviewing what we covered last week.  I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle to the class to review what caterpillars need to grow and survive; it really got the students engaged and the lesson off to a great start.  One of the major focus points of this week’s lesson was to maintain a good flow. I feel Lindsay and I were able to do this by creating a lesson that had a good balance between instruction time and exploration, and having a lesson that was centered around one key question.  We were able to use the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, not only to recap what we were doing, but to set us up for our next activity.  The book discussed how caterpillars changed, so we had a mini discussion, and then had the students go and observe their caterpillar cups for any changes that occurred.  The students observed the caterpillars in chrysalis form.  The observation activity then led us to our discussion on what a chrysalis is, and how a caterpillar molts.  Each component of our lesson plan had a purpose and connected to the key question, which made the lesson focused; and as a result our lesson had a nice flow.  I also believe our lesson ran smoothly since we were prepared had our materials organized.

                Another focus point to our lesson was vocabulary.  Lindsay and I taught the students three new tier three vocabulary words.  During our instruction about a chrysalis, we introduced the students to the vocabulary words:  molting, exoskeleton, and chrysalis. We wrote the words on the white board, and referred to them when we were answering the students’ questions about the changes they observed their caterpillars making.  I found it beneficial to only introduce a small number of new words, and discuss them in context, because it was easier for the students to get a good grasp on their meaning. 

                Also during the instruction of the chrysalis, we identified the misconceptions students had about caterpillars forming a cocoon.  Lindsay and I discussed that unlike the caterpillar from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, our Vanessa Cardui caterpillars do not spin a cocoon, rather they molt their skin and form a chrysalis.  I found that the students were able to grasp this concept well, since we linked the new information to their background knowledge.    To check whether students understood what we taught, Lindsay and I had the students answer the key question a slip of paper.  By collecting this data, Lindsay and I will be able to inform our instruction for next week, and whether we need to readdress the changes a caterpillar goes through to form a chrysalis.  We found a book in which we plan to introduce at the beginning of next class, to review what we already learned. 

                Thus far I have had an excellent experience teaching science, and the biggest thing I have learned that is each lesson should start by igniting students’ prior knowledge, be focused around one key question, and end by answering the key question/getting the students excited about what is coming up next.   

Week Three... The Live Caterpillars Finally Arrive!

Lindsay and I had another wonderful teaching experience today, co-teaching in our second grade class.  As soon as the classroom teacher gave us the floor for our science lesson, the students were inquisitive about whether we would be able to make up the lesson we missed with them because of the snow day.  It was very rewarding to hear how excited they were about learning science.   It was even more rewarding to hear how much they remembered of the lesson we taught them last week;  that ensured us that the class was grasping what Lindsay and I were teaching them.  I believe the successful things that Lindsay and I have been doing is a result of our thorough lesson planning.  For this week, we created another detailed lesson plan, which kept what we were teaching clear and focused.  Lindsay and I were able to classroom manage, because  we created a lesson plan that had specific learning goals, and clear steps we wanted to follow in order to get the students to attain those goals.  Our key question of the day correlated nicely with the MA Framework we based our lesson on.  We really honed in on our key question, which was what caterpillars needed for survival compared to what humans need for survival.  Also, we focused on one processing skill, observation.  I find classroom management to be easier when a lesson has fewer objectives to attain, and several activities in which are designed to help answer the key question.   Lindsay and I switched the activities up every 10-15 minutes in order to keep the students engaged, and also tried to give clear directions prior to switching to the next activity.  I think one thing we could have improved on, was maintaining the students’ attention when we wanted to answer one of their peer’s important question.  Some students were excited about having live caterpillars on their desk and were distracted in their own side conversations.  I found using the classroom teacher’s cueing system, in which the student knew quite well, worked to gain their focus back.

              

           In order to implement a scientific processing skill this week, we re-covered what we learned about making observations of caterpillars with hand lenses.  We did an activity that helped bring the students’ prior knowledge on parts of a caterpillar, and hand lens skills to their working memories.  I was surprised how much the students remembered what we taught them about making observations, and I think spending several lessons on this skill, was very beneficial.  The students seemed to be able to put the skill into practice, and make good scientific observations once the live caterpillars were finally introduced.   This also resulted in them recording good data; the students were drawing detailed pictures of the cups with their caterpillars, and labeling specific parts they saw on the caterpillar with the hand lens. 

                In order to conclude our lesson, Lindsay and I made it a point to re-examine the key question and assess whether the students grasped the learning goal of the lesson.  Time was running out on us towards the end of the class, but we managed to have the students write their answers to the key question of a slip of paper, and we had a few students share what they wrote.  The lesson seemed to be successful, since the second graders could list what a caterpillar needed for survival.   Some students shared caterpillars need air, and others shared caterpillars eat mallow food , and others shared shelter.  I found that the sharing allowed for students to feed of each other’s ideas and remember all the components we taught them about caterpillars’ survival.     

Starting to Get the Hang of Teaching

Since the last science lesson I taught to the second graders did not go horribly wrong , I was not so nervous going into it this second time around.  The nervous butterflies had flow away, and I was very excited to implement what Lindsay and I had planned for this weeks lesson.  Like last week, we came in prepared with a well thought out lesson plan, and activities in which we thought would engage the students.  I believe this was the key to our success today. In our lesson planning, we payed close attention to connecting the concepts we were teaching to the MA frameworks, coming prepared with the correct materials, and creating a good introduction.  

     

           In order to touch upon our first focal point, of connecting our lesson to a MA framework, Lindsay and I searched for a second grade science framework that seemed critical for our students to learn during the  butterfly unit. It is important for a lesson to be linked with a MA framework, to ensure that what is being taught is valid. Lindsay and I decided to create a lesson that tied in with the MA framework that states: "Recognize that people and other animals interact with the environment through their senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste."    

In order to help students understand this concept,  we created an activity in which students practiced making scientific observations of pictures of caterpillars with a hand lens.  We felt it was important to have students practice the processing skill of observing, before the live caterpillars are delivered to the classroom.     

This brings me to the next focus point, materials management. Lindsay and I put a lot of thought into how we would organize our materials in a way that would be time efficient. We learned time is very precious when working in a classroom, and that it is crucial for us not waste it on scrambling for materials. Since we only have an hour allotted to us to teach science every week, we needed to make sure to spend the majority of it on instruction and the activity. For our activity we needed: pictures of an unlabeled caterpillar, a picture of a very small caterpillar, hand lenses, a handout for drawing what a caterpillar looks like, and paper links to create a caterpillar.  So before it was time to teach, we made sure we had enough photocopies of each handout, enough strips of paper, and hand lenses for each student in the class.  We also organized the materials so they were in easily accessible piles, and in the order in which we would be passing them out. When passing the materials out, Lindsay and I split the piles, and got them distributed in a quick and orderly way. This made the lesson run smoothly. 

     The last point of focus for this lesson was an introduction in which would get the students excited right away.  To do this, Lindsay and I explained to the students that caterpillars would be getting dropped off at their school next week.  Also, we told the students that we needed their help to care for and observe the caterpillars.  We discussed how we would not be able to watch the caterpillars every day, and that we needed to find people we could trust to watch after our caterpillars when we are not around.  This introduction worked very well, because it made the students feel needed, it got them eager to take on the responsibility of working with caterpillars  and made the students realize the importance of practicing making scientific observations. 

The First Day Butterflies Are Over!

I would like to start off by congratulating my classmates for a job well done today!!!  

For the first day teaching the butterfly unit, or more like the first day ever teaching a lesson, it went surprisingly smooth. I say surprisingly, because prior to teaching the lesson, I was expecting chaos.  I pictured myself getting up in front of the second graders and just freezing.  I have never been the best public speaker, and I was more nervous today, than I was before taking the MTELS. I think what calmed my nerves a bit, was that Lindsay and I came in with a well prepared lesson plan.  I mentioned the analogy on a prior blog, a lesson plan is to a teacher, as a play book is to a coach.  Our lesson plan prepared us to run a successful lesson.  We had goals written out in which we wanted the students to achieve, and the steps it would take for us to get them there.  We also knew our lesson was age appropriate and valid, because we linked our content objectives and key question in with the MA frameworks.  I think our first lesson was a good foundation for us to build the rest of our lessons off of.  

Also, I believed Lindsay and I incorporated safety, the focus topic for this week, into our lesson well.  It was part of our key question, and I was pleased that the students answered it easily at the end of class. This just made me confident that we at least got one of our main points across.  The students learned that it is not always safe to use taste when making observations; and also that wafting is a good skill to use when smelling an unknown object.  In order to teach this concept, Lindsay and I modeled the technique at the beginning of the lesson, and had the students practice with us.  We also gave them several helpful reminders to use safety when participating in our activity.   

 Lastly, I want to thank my co-teacher Lindsay for being so easy to work with.  The lesson would not have been half as successful without her.  We really meshed when planning and implementing our lesson.  When writing up the lesson we kept feeding off each others ideas, until we reached what we thought to be a well-developed and engaging lesson for the students.  While teaching, we delivered instruction back and forth, and were able to build off each other statements effectively.  We also were great about staying active in the lesson, by either passing out activities or rotating around the room, while the other was talking.  I felt at ease teaching next to Lindsay, and I felt like I had been doing it for ages!