Team Activities
Required Activities
1. Make a KWL chart on the life cycle of insects. Write what you know, want to know, and have learned about insect life cycles throughout the unit . Begin with writing what they know and fill out the worksheet as they move through the unit. You may use some of the questions below for your KWL chart, but you must think of at lease 4 additional questions to add to the know part of your chart. Click here for your KWL Chart
If stuck, think about the following questions:
Do you know how a butterfly becomes a butterfly?
Is a caterpillar is similar to a butterfly?
Are young butterflies and earthworms are called babies?
Do you know how an earthworm becomes a fully-grown earthworm?
What do insects need to grow?
How are insects different from humans?
2. Read The Life Cycle of an Earthworm. The book will have several black boxes over various pictures. In your team, place a cutout picture of a cocoon, baby earthworms, young earthworms, and fully-grown earthworm on the book in the correct locations. Discuss the life cycle during with your team and prepare for a group discussion after. Focus on how an earthworm is different from humans and the sequential order of an earthworm's life cycle. Be prepared to show the whole class your placement choices. After the class places the life cycle stages in the correct order, we will all recite the life cycle steps in order. Click here for earthworm pictures.
3. Read Face to Face with Caterpillars. Cutout pictures of the butterfly sequence and place them in the correct order. Be prepared to discuss the life cycle during whole group. We will discuss how the butterfly life cycle is different from humans and earthworms and the order of a butterfly’s life cycle. Get ready to recite the order together. I will select a few students to come up to the board and place each stage of the life cycle in the correct spot. One student will go up at a time and hold their thumb up or down to show if they agree or disagree with their move. If you disagree, you have to be prepared to explain why. Click here for butterfly pictures.
Optional activities
1. Learn a dance or act out the steps of a worm’s life cycle. Watch the teacher model the steps. After, follow along with the teacher. You will learn about an insects' eggs, a cocoon, a hatchling, and mature earthworms. The motions will mimic the life cycle steps.
First, you will be in a ball with their arms around their knees. Break through the bubble around them (cocoon), stretching out their arms wide. Burrow down into the soil and form a snake with their hands to show they are slivering through the soil. Grab nutrients from around them with their hands reaching out and grabbing. Pretend to eat the nutrients. Finally, stretch out further to show you are growing and stand tall and proud once, as you grow into a mature earthworm.
2. Do a text look back after reading both books. Using the books, think about how the different life cycles are similar or different. Create a venn diagram that compares earthworm and butterfly lifecycles, using two hula hoops. Use the prepared slips of paper with certain life cycle steps. Be prepared to tell me why you chose to put your slip of paper in each part of the venn diagram. You may also write down your own idea on a blank slip of paper and add it to the venn diagram.
3. Insect study. Read aloud and identify insect characteristics. As you read, fill out a web graphic organizer. You may also look up questions online. Click here for your web graphic organizer. Print it out when finished.
Think about:
Why earthworms burrow into the soil to grow, while butterflies grow inside of a cocoon?
How are insects different from humans?
What do insects eat to grow?
Do insects need water?
4. Pick one card that lists one step of a butterfly or earthworm's cycle. Draw what your card says. Next, reveal which part of the sequence you have and find other people in the room drew the same part of the cycle. Together discuss which other parts of the sequence you still need and draw the parts, adding to one of your already created drawings.
5. After reading The Life Cycle of an Earthworm or Face to Face with Caterpillars, complete a story film graphic organizer in your team. Pick three key details from the story and draw them. Draw one detail of the life cycle and place them together. When finished, present your findings to the class. Be prepared to answer what the steps of the life cycle are. I might also ask what happens first, second, third, etc. in an insects' life cycle. You may also add any interesting facts in a drawing or writing on your paper.
Required Activities
1. Make a KWL chart on the life cycle of insects. Write what you know, want to know, and have learned about insect life cycles throughout the unit . Begin with writing what they know and fill out the worksheet as they move through the unit. You may use some of the questions below for your KWL chart, but you must think of at lease 4 additional questions to add to the know part of your chart. Click here for your KWL Chart
If stuck, think about the following questions:
Do you know how a butterfly becomes a butterfly?
Is a caterpillar is similar to a butterfly?
Are young butterflies and earthworms are called babies?
Do you know how an earthworm becomes a fully-grown earthworm?
What do insects need to grow?
How are insects different from humans?
2. Read The Life Cycle of an Earthworm. The book will have several black boxes over various pictures. In your team, place a cutout picture of a cocoon, baby earthworms, young earthworms, and fully-grown earthworm on the book in the correct locations. Discuss the life cycle during with your team and prepare for a group discussion after. Focus on how an earthworm is different from humans and the sequential order of an earthworm's life cycle. Be prepared to show the whole class your placement choices. After the class places the life cycle stages in the correct order, we will all recite the life cycle steps in order. Click here for earthworm pictures.
3. Read Face to Face with Caterpillars. Cutout pictures of the butterfly sequence and place them in the correct order. Be prepared to discuss the life cycle during whole group. We will discuss how the butterfly life cycle is different from humans and earthworms and the order of a butterfly’s life cycle. Get ready to recite the order together. I will select a few students to come up to the board and place each stage of the life cycle in the correct spot. One student will go up at a time and hold their thumb up or down to show if they agree or disagree with their move. If you disagree, you have to be prepared to explain why. Click here for butterfly pictures.
Optional activities
1. Learn a dance or act out the steps of a worm’s life cycle. Watch the teacher model the steps. After, follow along with the teacher. You will learn about an insects' eggs, a cocoon, a hatchling, and mature earthworms. The motions will mimic the life cycle steps.
First, you will be in a ball with their arms around their knees. Break through the bubble around them (cocoon), stretching out their arms wide. Burrow down into the soil and form a snake with their hands to show they are slivering through the soil. Grab nutrients from around them with their hands reaching out and grabbing. Pretend to eat the nutrients. Finally, stretch out further to show you are growing and stand tall and proud once, as you grow into a mature earthworm.
2. Do a text look back after reading both books. Using the books, think about how the different life cycles are similar or different. Create a venn diagram that compares earthworm and butterfly lifecycles, using two hula hoops. Use the prepared slips of paper with certain life cycle steps. Be prepared to tell me why you chose to put your slip of paper in each part of the venn diagram. You may also write down your own idea on a blank slip of paper and add it to the venn diagram.
3. Insect study. Read aloud and identify insect characteristics. As you read, fill out a web graphic organizer. You may also look up questions online. Click here for your web graphic organizer. Print it out when finished.
Think about:
Why earthworms burrow into the soil to grow, while butterflies grow inside of a cocoon?
How are insects different from humans?
What do insects eat to grow?
Do insects need water?
4. Pick one card that lists one step of a butterfly or earthworm's cycle. Draw what your card says. Next, reveal which part of the sequence you have and find other people in the room drew the same part of the cycle. Together discuss which other parts of the sequence you still need and draw the parts, adding to one of your already created drawings.
5. After reading The Life Cycle of an Earthworm or Face to Face with Caterpillars, complete a story film graphic organizer in your team. Pick three key details from the story and draw them. Draw one detail of the life cycle and place them together. When finished, present your findings to the class. Be prepared to answer what the steps of the life cycle are. I might also ask what happens first, second, third, etc. in an insects' life cycle. You may also add any interesting facts in a drawing or writing on your paper.