Literary Sparks were created to address the needs of students to read both literary and informational texts, and to assist subject area teachers by providing ideas for standards-driven, cost-effective classroom activities.
Each grade level from K-12 has its own resource page that includes the standards addressed, text pairings, book discussion questions, and lesson plans for a classroom activity.
Standards Met
LANGUAGE ARTS FLORIDA STANDARDS:
LAFS.2.RI.2.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area
LAFS.2.RI.3.9 Compare and Contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
LAFS.2.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade Two topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions
Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others
Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
SCIENCE STANDARDS:
SC.2.L.15.1:Observe and describe major stages in the life cycles of plants and animals, including beans and butterflies.
Do you have any older siblings (sisters or brothers) that teachers have known before you? What were they known for? Or are YOU the oldest sibling…what are you known for? Why is it important for Velma to have something unique/special to be remembered for?
What is Velma’s favorite subject in school? Why? (p. 8)
Where does Velma go when she wants to learn MORE about butterflies than she learned in school science class? What else does she learn about butterflies there? The library,p. 11
What is Velma’s favorite type of butterfly? The orange and black monarch, p. 12
What are the three words that Velma repeats so she can remember them? What do they mean?
Metamorphosis: means change (egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly), p. 8
Conservatory: place where butterflies are collected and cared for, p.13
Migration: travel (Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico to stay warm in the winter), p. 18
Is it okay for Velma to hold the butterfly on her finger for so long? What should she NOT do to the butterfly? Yes, but she should NOT touch the butterfly’s wings because she could accidentally rub off the scales and that is not good, (p. 15)
Does Velma go through a change in the book? Is she the same at the end of the book as she was at the beginning? What happened?
Read p. 2: what is Bella? A banded woolly bear caterpillar
How is Bella similar to Velma’s caterpillar (on p. 8)? How is she different?
Read pp. 23-24. What is happening to Bella? Can you remember the word for “change” that Velma Gratch learned? Metamorphasis Are the phases for Bella and Velma’s butterfly named the same?
Read pp. 25-26. What time of day does Bella come out?
What is a difference between adult butterflies and moths? Butterflies are out in the daytime,moths like being out at night.
What is similar about butterfly caterpillars and moth caterpillars? The life cycle/process
Investigative Inquiry
Learning Outcomes Statement:
The primary activity reinforces that all living things have a life cycle, and focuses on the life cycle of a butterfly/moth. Students will learn that the major stages are: egg, caterpillar/larva, pupa/chrysalis, and adult butterfly. They will have the opportunity to work with a teammate to identify the stages and what happens during each one. The feeder project will allow students to observe butterflies, either as a class activity or to take one home and observe there.
Butterfly Life Cycle KWL Chart & Facts Worksheets
Materials Needed:
Crayons/colored pencils
Paper
Notes for Introduction:
Please be good listeners, as you will need to pay attention to make sure you understand what we’re doing. First, EVERYTHING has a life cycle. This includes plants, animals, fish, birds, and insects. Life cycle is another way of saying “growing up.” We humans have a life cycle. Let’s take a minute and use your crayons/colored pencils to draw yourself as a baby, you now, you as a teenager, and you as an adult. That’s YOUR life cycle! Next, we are going to work as a group on a KWL chart about the butterfly life cycle. (Mark off three sections on the board and write: K=What We Already Know, W=What We Want to Know, L=What We’ve Learned). Under K, write down students’ suggestions for what they already know about how butterflies come to be. Under W, write down what they would like to learn. Then read The Secret Life of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar by Laurence Pringle. After reading, write down students’ thoughts on what they learned. To recap, the life cycle of a butterfly or moth is: egg →caterpillerorlarva→chrysalisorpupa→adult (butterfly or moth). To wrap up this activity, you will work with another student to fill out the Butterfly Cycle Facts worksheet. After reviewing the worksheet answers as a group, students can use crayons or colored pencils to illustrate the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle.
Materials Needed:
10 inch plastic plant saucer
Single hole punch
Wire cutters & pliable wire, cut into 2-ft lengths
Pony beads, decorative beads, etc.
**small stones & glass marbles (optional)
Notes for Introduction:
Note to teacher: Students can work together to make 3-5 feeders to hang where the class can observe the feeders at school, or they can work individually and take a feeder home for observation.
First, punch four holes in the plant saucer (to make a square around the edges). Next, put a piece of wire through one hole and twist to secure. Do this for the remaining holes. Then, string pony beads on the wire for decoration. Twist all four wires together at the top and make a hook for hanging. Put cut up fruit (such as bananas, melon, oranges, and strawberries) in the feeder and hang from a tree. Observe butterflies coming to the food buffet!
**If you’d like to make a butterfly/pollinator water station, place small, flat glass marbles or small lightweight stones in the saucer and add some water. Butterflies can sit on the marbles/rocks and drink the water.
Questions for Feedback and Reflection
What is the B-I-G word for going through a change? Metamorphosis
Can you name the four life cycle stages of a butterfly/moth?
egg →caterpiller/larva→chrysalis/pupa→adult
True or False: every living thing (plants and animals) has a life cycle. True
What are some of the differences between a butterfly/moth life cycle and a human life cycle?
What stage are you at in YOUR life cycle? What about other people in your family?