Kindergarten Butterflies Life Cycle

Process Page for Inquiry Project

Small-Group Inquiry Model For Inquiry Project
Stage Teacher Role Student Role
Immerse
Invite curiosity, build
background, surround with
materials, modeling,
thinking-aloud


Teacher prep: set up an airport in an empty room of
the school. Have someone ready to take their
tickets (volunteer). Have a stamp ready for their
passports.
Share video with students:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/butterfly_mona
rch?source
=relatedvideo

(Over weekend )
Set up an area for exploration posters of
different butterflies, butterfly specimens, field
guides, maps, binoculars, field journals made for
student observation notes. Explorer hats, butterfly
nets, magnifying glasses, texts about butterflies,
butterfly life cycle poster and display items from
Insect Lore, caterpillars to observe from Insect
Lore. Camera to take pictures of life cycle of
butterflies.



(On a Friday afternoon)
Students will board a plane with
their airline tickets that they
bought from the travel agent the
week prior and start their
journey to South America. In
flight they will watch a video
about butterflies to set the
stage for our exploration. Once
they arrive their passport will be
stamped (butterfly stamp).















.
Investigate
Develop questions, search
for information, discover
answers, modeling
strategies, guide
discussions, conferring
*Students are welcomed to the Little Investigators
lodge/lab by the door as they walk in the morning.


*Start project with an observe/wonder/learn chart
(this can be used frequently during the study to add
information, as we progress and to expand our
questioning on the topic and record our learning).
Explain to students how the chart works and how we
will be using it during our investigation. I will start off
modeling something I observed, and something I
wonder to get them started.

At the conclusion of our OWL strategy for today I will
discuss with the student our course of study for this
inquiry.

*Share National Geographic Kids: Caterpillar to
Butterfly with the students. Break students into two
small groups and share the text. After reading
introduce the students to the classroom caterpillars
ordered from Insect Lore. Review the life cycle and
have the students make the observation with a
magnifying glass as to what stage to caterpillars are in.
Introduce students to their butterfly journals for the
Students wander around the room
looking over the change in
environment to create a sense of
awe and wonder.
*Students gather on rug for first
meeting of the butterfly inquiry
They will add to the
observe/wonder/learn chart as
we progress through the study









Students will make observations
with their magnifying glasses
and discuss with a partner what
stage the caterpillars are in.
They will then make their first
entry into their butterfly
journals and label with the date
and draw picture of their
study. Students can make their first entry with a date
and drawing of the caterpillars. Introduce the
students to the classroom camera and how to take
pictures of the caterpillars. Pictures can be printed
off by the teacher later in the day. Revisit OWL chart
record new information. Stressing the new area
learned-. Student will then get a chance to wrap each
other up in toilet paper, pretending to be in a chrysalis
and hatch into a butterfly.
*At end of day lead students in a quick verbal response
I was surprised to learn.. (pull five student
names)




Read Butterfly or Moth by Melissa Stewart.
Use Compare and Contrast Strategy on 13 x 11 paper
for students -venn diagram printed on it. I will use a
large chart venn diagram for my recordings. Students
will be placed in a small group. As we read the book I
will stop and model my thinking explaining what clue
words alerted me to the information. I will record the
information through a quick drawing and I will have
students record on their venn diagram also. As we read
the book we will stop after every page to do a quick
draw of one thing we learned on that page. Students
observation. Students will then
take a picture with the
classroom camera which will
later in the day be placed in
their journal by their drawing.
Students can also take pictures
during the rest of the study.
Students will continue to add
information to the OWL chart
with teacher assistance.


*Students will be using their
venn diagram to draw their
learning whether the learning is
for the butterfly only, moth
only, or they share the
characteristics. Work on
partner share during the
reading when asked.







will also be encouraged to turn and talk to their seat
mates about one finding. I will be observing their
exchanges and asking what clues they used to better
understand their thinking. After we finish the reading
we will once again look at a moth and butterfly samples
with a magnifying glass so they can observe the
differences and more easily recall, analyze and apply
their learning when they see a moth/butterfly in the
future. Add information to OWL chart.
*At end of day before departure do a quick verbal
response pulling five students names I still want to
learn more about ..


Students gather in their small groups again. This time
we will be reading the text Design Your Own
Butterfly Garden. I will have in front of me different
plants from the book for the students to look at
(magnifying glasses available if they want one), then I
want them to skim the text and see if they can find at
least one of the plants represented in the book and put
a sticky note on that page (life-text connection).
Giving them time to explore first. Once it looks like
the students are finished we will read the text.
Stopping on the pages that represent the plants that
we have. I will also notice who marked the pages, and
what pages they marked. Adding information onto our












*Students observe plants that
are on display. Students will
skim the text and put a sticky
note on the page of one of the
plants that they observed (or
more pages if they want to).
Students will add new
information to our OWL chart.


*Students continue with
butterfly observations and
journal, along with photos of the
butterfly life cycles.

OWL chart to keep our observations, wondering and
learning ongoing.

Butterfly Migration is our final focus before the
students are off to their own learning. In our small
groups we will be reading National Geographic Reader-
Great Migration Butterflies. Students will be tracking
print from left to right, and turning pages. Then we
will watch a short video about butterfly migration:
Monarch Butterflies and Migration:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/jr/KidsJo
urneyNorth.html.

Add new information to our OWL chart.

I will have a map available for the students so we may
have a better idea of how far the butterflies actually
travel and how miraculous their journey really is.










Students will draw/write one
piece of information that they
learned from the video/book.



Stage Teacher Role Student Role
Coalesce
Intensify research,
synthesize information,
modeling organization and
evaluating sources,
identify key ideas,
conferring
*I will model for the students how I put together the
information for my powerpoint slide. Where I got the
information from and the picture I chose to use.
*Students will be working with their 5
th
grade friends
to create their powerpoint slide, the student helpers
for the week will be guiding them to figure out with
information they want to use and help them insert the
pictures.
*I will confer with each student to see where they
stand on their learning, comfort level on working with
their friend. Adding additional support where needed.
*Since there are only five computers in the room to
work on students will be taking turns on making their
slide. The rest of the time they will be working on the
list to the right students will be provided with a
checklist so they know what they have done and what
they still need to do.
*During the entire inquiry I will also be projecting the
butterfly life cycle on the document camera.
*Come up with display areas for students to show case
their learning.


Students options during this
time:
-spend time working on the
butterfly garden
-journaling their observations
-photographing life cycles of our
butterflies
-researching for information on
book marked websites
-taking notes in their
observation journal
-making an artistic rendition of
a butterfly with collage and art
items
-reading texts





Go Public
Share learning,
demonstrate learning in a
variety of ways,
understand, reflect, create
new questions
*I will model how to present my slide of my learning
about the caterpillar to butterfly life cycle. We will
discuss using eye contact, voice volume and speaking
clearly. Remind students that it is important to
practice with their mentor friends because we will be
sharing our learning with the North American Butterfly
Association members (our families).
*Invite parents through a special written invitation to
join us for our Butterfly Inquiry Celebration.-
Butterfly Release. Parents will be able to hear the
students presentations, watch a video of our learning
that I will make, view their art work, check out our
inquiry space and visit our new butterfly gardens.
*Take a field trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens to
observe the butterflies if possible.








*Students will practice their
presentation with their 5
th

grade buddies.
*We will have a run through
which I will be using for our
summative assessment.
Students will self-assess their
presentation when finished.
*Students will finish the items
they have been working on so we
may put them out for our parent
night.

*Students will present their
information to their families at
a end of inquiry celebration.
They will share their art work,
and show them our learning
areas. Conclusion with be the
powerpoint presentation and a
butterfly release celebration.
Strategy 1 Observe, Wonder, Learn
This strategy will be used to start building background knowledge for our students. They will share what they have
observed from our video and around the room so far, what they are wondering from their current information, and
what they learn as we progress through our inquiry. This strategy is similar to a KWL chart know, want to know,
learn. This not only gives students the opportunity to share their thinking, but to give them ownership of their
ideas and gives them motivation to go look for answers from resources provided, or on their own. This is also a
wonderful way to gain insight into our students thinking whether it may be correct or incorrect.


Strategy 2 Compare and Contrast
RedWriteThink mentions by learning to identify and use specific strategies for reading, students will be able to
read and study more quickly and effectively and introducing graphic organizers, such as the venn diagram for the
compare and contrast can help students see a picture of the idea, and their relationships, which will help them
remember the information being presented. The students have been learning to listen for the key words that alert
them to an item that would fall under one of the different areas on the compare and contrast chart.
Key words: difference, contrast, the same, similar, alike, as well as, too, though, in the same way, much as,
either/or, same as, and where as.


Differentiation/English Language Learner Support
*Students worked in small groups to enhance learning
*Students used pair shares to share thinking, especially useful with ESL students.
*Pairing with an 5
th
grade students for final project presentation
*Teacher reading aloud for students who are struggling with reading, ESL students and auditory learners
*Using hands on exploration for learning
*Different art supplies to make their butterfly rendition for free expression
*Planting the butterfly garden for our hands on learners





Formative Assessments:
-Observation of students working with butterfly journals
-Observation of students working on their venn diagram, are they putting their drawings of their learning where
they should be put.
-Participation Are students speaking up and adding information to our observe, wonder, learned chart?
-Participation How are students doing working with their share partners at small group time.
-Are students self motivated in their learning?







Student Self Assessment

Did you use a loud/clear voice?


Did you look at the audience?


Did you practice what you were going to say before you said it?


Did you refer to your slide while you were talking?




Summative Assessment:
Presentation:

Volume- Did students use an appropriate volume for the presentation?
Yes ______ No ______

Eye Contact Did students make eye contact with the audience?
Yes ______ No ______

Speaking Clearly Did students speak clearly to be understood by the audience?
Yes ______ No ______