Six-Point Lesson Plan

Name: Jennifer Reuhland Powell

Grade Level: Kindergarten through 2 grade
nd

Lesson Title: Life Cycle-Monarch Butterfly

Subject Area(s): Science
Academic Standards (CCS and Essential Standards):
Science
2.L.1.1 Understand animal life cycles-Summarize the life cycle of animals: Birth Developing
into an adult Reproducing Aging and death
1.L.2.1 Summarize the needs of living organisms for energy and growth: Summarize the basic
needs of a variety of different plants (including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and
growth.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson introduces the unit focusing on conservation and life on land. Students will learn in
this unit, what the concept of conservation is. Students will specifically learn what a life cycle is,
through the example of the declining monarch butterflies. Students will be introduced to the
topic using a guessing game, given clues about monarch butterflies. The students will then have
an opportunity to watch a short video about butterflies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=adB638SIE1k). Students will learn through a book, Im a Caterpillar by Jean Marzallo. This
book examines a butterflys life cycle and introduces key terms to this lesson: eggs, caterpillar,
chrysalis, and metamorphosis. Students will also learn a song about the life cycle to help make
the information they have learned more concrete (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8rvGUevGxDk). Each student will reflect and test their knowledge about the monarch
butterflys life cycle by making their own life cycle in independent work.
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:

Explain what a life cycle is

Articulate the order of a monarch butterflys life cycle
Create an example of a life cycle using pictures provided by the teacher of the different
phases of the butterflys life, and verbally share with the class the correct order of a
monarch butterflys life cycle
Identify ways to help in the conservation of monarch butterflies in each phase of the
butterflys life cycle

Materials and Resources:

Marzallo, J, (1997) Im a Caterpillar. Scholastic Big Book.

Rauly2k1's channel (2011, March 11). The Magnificient Monarchs [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adB638SIE1k (appendix A)

Harry Kindergarten Music (2014, April, 19). Butterfly, Butterfly! (a song for kids about
the butterfly life cycle) [Video file]. Retrieved from .https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8rvGUevGxDk (appendix B)

Life cycle poster-made by instructor (appendix C)

Life cycle craft (appendix D)
Colored pencils
Glue
Blank paper
Scissors

preserved butterfly in jar

Focus and Review:

1.

Introduce the lesson by telling the class: we are going to learn about a very
important insect and Im going to give you clues as to what it is, and you all have to
guess. Give them the clues: I drink nectar with my long tongue, I have two antennas, I
fly around, and I only eat milkweed during a certain stage of my life. Have the students
guess until they come up with the right answer
2. Discuss conservation and give a definition: the act of helping to protect a group of
animals or plants. Ask the students why we would be talking about conservation and
monarch butterflies together; explain it is because the monarch butterfly population is
declining and we can do some things to help protect it.
3. Pass around the preserved butterfly in jar and discuss with the class how the monarch
butterfly population is declining, and some reasons why (examples: less milkweed,
climate change, less flowers and nectar available).
4. Show the video (appendix a)
5. Ask if anyone knows what a life cycle is. Discuss what a life cycle is and give a
definition: the physically changes an organism goes through in its lifespan.
6. Relate the reasons the butterfly population is declining to each phase of the life cycle
1. egg phase-there is not as much milkweed for butterflys to lay their eggs on
2. caterpillar phase-there is not as much milkweed available for the caterpillars to eat

3. adult monarch butterfly phase- there are not as many plants for the butterflys to
drink the nectar from, and the climate changes impact their abilities to know when
to move and migrate, and they cannot live in the cold temperatures so die off in
areas that are not getting warmer.
b.

Teacher Input:
1. Introduce the lesson by telling the class: Today we are starting a unit on plants and
animals in our world and what it means when we try to protect a certain plant or animal.
We are going to start off by learning about one insect-the monarch butterfly. In this unit
we are going to learn all about the monarch butterfly and its life; we will learn what it
eats, how and where it travels, where it lives, and some ways that we can help protect or
conserve this amazing animal!
2. Tell the students you are going to read a story and you want them to think about some
words they may not recognize or words that seem important. Read Im a Caterpillar
Book by Jean Marzallo (Marzallo, 1997) and have students listen to keywords that they
do not know.
1. While reading the book emphasize the words eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis, and
butterfly.
3. Have the students tell you what words they thought were important.
4. Tell the students we are going to watch a video about the life cycle and you want them to
try to remember the order of the stages in the video. Show appendix B.
Guided Practice:
1. Show the students the life cycle poster, briefly go over the stages, and ask if they have
any questions. Go over what the butterfly needs to survive in each stage
1. Egg phase: milkweed to lay the eggs on
2. Caterpillar: milkweed to eat and grow in order to spin a chrysalis
3. Chrysalis: a branch, twig, or leaf to attach itself to
4. Adult monarch butterfly: flowers and plants to drink nectar from, warm weather
to survive, and milkweed plants to lay eggs and repeat the life cycle.
b. Leave the poster up so the entire class can see it and refer back.
c. Explain the life cycle craft.
d. Discuss how each student will cut each picture representing a certain phase out, lay them
out in the same order as the video (appendix b), book, and life cycle poster had them in,
and then ask for it to be approved by the teacher before gluing down.
1. Note* for students who are able to write, they can also label the pictures of each
life cycle phase-egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult monarch butterfly
Independent Practice:
1. Say: now we are going to complete the life cycle craft individually. Think about the
order of the monarch butterflys life cycle, then cut each picture out and lay them in the
order you think they should go in, that correctly represents their life cycles. After you

think you have the correct order and before you glue, let me take a look at your paper and
see if you have the order correct.
2. Allow students enough time to complete the craft.
3. After, engage students in sharing their life cycle craft and encourage students to explain
why they chose the order they did for each phase.
4. Everyone comes back together as a group. Take volunteers to share what each of them
could do to help save the monarch butterfly species. Emphasize the milkweed plant,
warm weather, and nectar and the implications each of these things has on each stage of
the life cycle. Talk about how in each stage, students can do something to help protect
this species.
1. Examples:
1. egg and caterpillar phase: leave milkweed plants alone or plant milkweed
to help with conservation
2. chrysalis phase: never disturb a plant that has a chrysalis attached
3. adult phase: plant flowers that butterflies drink out of and also plant
milkweed so the adult butterflies can lay their eggs on the plant

Appendix A: YouTube Video

Rauly2k1's channel (2011, March 11). The Magnificient Monarchs [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adB638SIE1k

Appendix B: YouTube Video

Harry Kindergarten Music (2014, April, 19). Butterfly, Butterfly! (a song for kids about the
butterfly life cycle) [Video file]. Retrieved from .https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8rvGUevGxDk

Appendix C Poster

Appendix D-Craft Example

Photos for appendix C and D references:

[Untitled clipart of butterfly eggs]. Retrieved November 5, 2015 from
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/3/s/Z/3/a/s/leaf-with-eggs-hi.png
Morgan, K. [Online image].The life cycle of a butterfly. Retrieved November 5, 2015 from
http://www.westfield.ma.edu/personalpages/draker/edcom/final/webprojects/fa08/butterfly/
chrysalis2.jpg
[Untitled clipart of caterpillar]. Retrieved November 5, 2015 from
http://ian.umces.edu/imaglibrary/albums/userpics/12789/normalian-symbol-caterpillar.png
[Untitled clipart of butterfly]. Retrieved November 5, 2015 from
http://cliparts.co/cliparts/rTn/KkX/rTnKkXzGc.jpg