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!