PBL lesson plan : Butterfly and Human Life Cycle

Driving Question: In what ways are humans and butterflies similar?

Norah Alshammari, Karlie Denson and Natalie Peele
Grade: 1st

Overall Goal:
By the end of this lesson the student will understand similarities and differences
between the butterfly and human life cycle. They will discuss what they know about the
steps in the human and butterfly life cycle. We want the first grade students become able
to know what stages of development all organisms share (birth, growth, reproduction,
and death). The studs will learn by the end of the lesson that organisms have unique and
diverse life cycles but have those four factors in common, as well as a general
understanding of their habitats.

Throughout the lesson, the students will find there are similarities that the different
organisms share by doing some activities about the human and butterfly life cycle to
become more familiar with the relationship between the human and butterfly life cycle.
By the end of the lesson, the students will assess in what they learned about the Develop
representations to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all
have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. As well as represent the
relationship between the needs of human and butterfly and the places they live.

Standards Learning Objectives Assessment

1.LS.1 Develop Objective 1 :  The students will

representations to  The students should assess by compare
describe that understand , find and and contrast the life
organisms have clarify the life cycle of cycle of a butterfly
unique and diverse the butterfly and human. to themselves
life cycles but  The students (people) in the
all have in common should identify that discussion.
birth, growth, human and butterfly have  The student will
reproduction, and unique and diverse life assess by showing
death. cycles but their ability to make
all have in common birth, the right order of
growth, reproduction, and the human and
death. butterfly life cycle in
the activities.
 The student will
assess by taking
quiz and showing
their ability to find
and explain the
 human and butterfly
life cycle.

1.LS.4 Use a model  The students should  The students will

to represent the
relationship between
the needs of
different plants and
animals (including
humans) and the
places they live
become able to use assess by compare
the model of butterfly and and contrast the
human life cycle to identify hapitate of the
and represent the human and
relationship between the butterfly in the
needs of human and discussion.
butterfly and the places  The student will
they live. assess by showing
their ability to
represent the
relationship
between the needs
of human and
butterfly and the
places they live.

Key Terms & Definitions :

 Development: the act or process of developing; growth; progress.
 Pupa: an insect in its inactive immature form between larva and adult
 Habitat: the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or human.
 Organisms: human, animal or plant

Lesson Introduction (Hook, Grabber):

To start the lesson, we will show the students a slideshow that introduces them to the
idea of organisms having similar lifestyles. Find the link to the slideshow below and in
the artifact section. The slideshow will serve as a hook and grabber by asking the
students how butterflies and humans are similar. This is a funny discussion that
students most likely haven’t talked or thought about. The slideshow asks the students
“can a butterfly and a human be twins?”, which will get them thinking about life cycles
and what similarities and differences the two have and get them to feel more connected
with the driving question since they are then involved.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XMmfNvtYCkN9qM44MNqkz21Aw3iPrpC9g
Ag3SvcpgVU/edit?usp=sharing

Lesson Main:
First day:
On day one the lesson will follow the slideshow that is the hook. First, they will have a
discussion about how butterflies and humans are similar and different, followed by an
activity that helps them map the human life cycle (see below). The students will cut
around the dotted lines and then work to match the title of each stage in a humans life.
Have the students match the titles to the picture and glue them to their respective spaces
on the top of the page. After this activity, return to the slideshow and discuss what they
just learned from the human life cycle sequencing activity and start to introduce the
butterflies back into the conversation. Watch the two videos on human life cycles and
then the video on butterfly life cycles (found in the slideshow and in the artifact section).
Students may not be knowledgeable about the butterfly life cycle, so to spark the
conversation further read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. Following the
reading, finish the slideshow that has a more scientific breakdown of the 4 main stages
in a butterfly life cycle.

Second day:
On the second day, the the teacher will review what they have learned in the first day.
Then, the students will do more activities about the human and butterfly life cycles to
assess their understanding and further their understanding of the topics they learned.
By the end of the lesson the students should have a good understanding of life cycles
and the commonalities one can find between different species, and be able to model
what they know. The students will participate in a cultivating activity of collaborating
together to prepare a project and presentation about the life cycle of a caterpillar to
butterfly.

Human/pasta activity
The students will be given a worksheet that looks like the one below
They will then cut out the stages and pictures and glue the pictures with the correct
names in the correct order. They will do this in groups of 2 or three to allow
collaboration. Once they are finished they will come to my desk and present the paper to
me. If it is all correct they will get a gold star and be able to move onto the caterpillar to
butterfly activity worksheet. If they are not all right, I will guide them to help get the
correct answer and make sure they see their mistake before moving on to the caterpillar
activity sheet. Once they finish the human cycle they will be given the worksheet for the
caterpillar like the one bellow:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BkBIO7Rl4_tDHTK5pypn-
KvXsoh78Uk2Irh684ULNMM/edit?usp=sharing
They will then cut out the pictures of the caterpillar to butterfly and glue them in the
correct order. They will again come to my desk and present this activity to me as will,
once I make sure they all understand both life cycles they will get another gold star and
will wait for all groups to be done for the next activity.

Pasta life cycle activity

The students will be first showed an example of what the activity should look like
The students will then keep the same groups as the ones from the human and caterpillar
sheet activities. They will be advised to be as creative as they want but make sure to use
these pasta shells for each stage and put the stages in the correct order. They will be
advised that they can use any background they want, construction paper, plate, etc. and
can make the project their own. They will also have to present these projects once
completed to the class and explain each step, in the simplest terms. After finishing the
activity, they students will all engage in a class discussion about the life cycles and how
each life cycles are related and what they learned from all the activities. They will have
guided questions but will all need to feed off of each other to the best of their abilities.

Teacher role: Instruct the students on the activity. Show the example and explain how
they can be creative in making their own but make it the same steps and shells. Also go
around and provide guidance to any group that need it. Keep the students on task and
listen closely to their presentations and discussion. Chime in when needed and provide
guidance.

Student role: Participate fully in the activity. Make their projects all authentic and be
creative. Listen and be engaged in discussions, do not laugh at others’ opinions and
input their own opinions.
Lesson Ending:
At the end of the lesson, the students will take in class activity as assessment to assess
their learning https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5adb53fabbc2fd001be1ee82 the teacher
will help the students read the question and in the prosses to start the quiz (the students
need Email adress and they need to go th (join.quizizz.com) then they will get code
number then thier name to become able to start the quiz activity. but the students
should answer the question from what they have learned about human and butterfly life
cycle.

After that, students will do individually activity like the one they did on (second day)
“make the right order for human and butterfly life cycle” the teacher move around to
find if the students need help.

Lastly, the students will have a discuss about what they have learned about human life
cycle vs butterfly life cycle .
Find the similarities of the two life cycles (birth, growth reproduction, and death)

Assessment Rubric:
Great Average Poor

Human and The students The students label The students label
butterfly Life accurately depict the the human and the human and
Cycle Activity human life cycle and butterfly life cycles butterfly life cycles
the butterfly life cycle, almost all correctly, half or less
labeling all the parts and only collaborate correctly, and lack
correctly, collaborating on some parts of collaboration
when needed with classmates

Discussion The students engage in The students engage The students are
a meaningful in a discussion that quiet most of the
discussion and all has some meaning, time and only
participate, feeding off only get off topic a answer questions
of each other’s ideas few times and only with few words
and being open to all feed off of each other answers, not much
other students’ sometimes, some feeding off of each
ideas/opinions. quiet pauses, some other and not
laughs and not all everyone respects
open to all other others’ opinions.
classmates’ opinions

Pasta Activity The student finish the The student finish the The student half
pasta activity to the pasta activity but finish, don’t finish,
best of their ability and have minor mistakes or finishes it but
correctly depict the and do not use all the none of it is correct
caterpillar to butterfly correct pasta shells,
 life cycle with the right do not put as much and it is not creative
pasta shells and are effort in the activity. or authentic.
creative.

Assessment The students know all The student knows The student does
activity the steps of the life most of the steps of not know the steps
cycles of each specie the life cycles and of the life cycles and
listed. They have really inputs some does not input any
insightful input and insightful information, does
understand the information, not understand any
information they were understand some of of what was taught,
taught, passes the quiz the information that fails the quiz
with an A or B was taught, passes
the quiz with a D or C

Resources / Artifacts:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egeDXHcNeNw (human life cycle)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8sAHQYvVf0 (Butterfly life life cycle).
3. Pasta activity
https://www.google.com/search?q=pasta+shell+caterpillar+life+cycle+activity&
rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS794US794&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi
XmajNx9PaAhVFtlMKHWH6BrMQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=974#imgrc=_
-Karlie
4. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XMmfNvtYCkN9qM44MNqkz21Aw3i
PrpC9gAg3SvcpgVU/edit?usp=sharing by Natalie Peele
5. https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5adb53fabbc2fd001be1ee82. (join.quizizz.com)
the page to activate the quiz. by Norah Alshammari
6. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BkBIO7Rl4_tDHTK5pypn-
KvXsoh78Uk2Irh684ULNMM/edit?usp=sharing Butterfly life cycle worksheet
by Norah Alshammari

Differentiation:

Differentiation for ability levels:

 The students who need extra help, will be able to ask the teacher or their group
mates anytime for the extra help
 The students who have hearing impairments, will be able to have closed captions
for any videos showed and there will be lots of pictures and words on powerpoint
and also will have trained adults doing sign language during the discussions
 For those who are blind, they will be able to have the words spoken to them and
do the activities verbally
 For the students who need extra help or time will get extra time on quiz/activities
and questions read to them
Differentiation for demographics:
  For those who are from a different culture and do not choose to participate in
anything for that reason, they will get a different activity to complete
 As the teacher, I will make sure that the activities are culturally equal. The
activity itself is gender neutral and does not favor one over the other because
both genders have the same life cycle
 I will make sure to use culturally diverse pictures when showing the words and
definitions and be culturally equal with sentences and the paragraphs on the test
 I will make sure to put culturally diverse pictures in the powerpoint
Differentiation for languages:
 For those students who speak a different language, the websites, activities, and
powerpoint will be translated for them in whatever language needed
 I, as the teacher, will provide the instructions written out in any language my
students need it in and will put subtitles on the video
 I will provide the powerpoint in different languages
 For the students who speak a different language will have a translator during
discussions and have students help them pronounce some words during
presentation
Differentiation for access & resources:
 The activities and homework assignments done at home will not need technology
 All the things needed technology will be done in class and the activity will be with
resources, like construction paper, shells, etc., that are going to be provided
 I will also pass out paper copies of the powerpoint for anyone who needs it

Anticipated Difficulties:
We expect to encounter some difficulties throughout the lesson. Some problems that
may occur include students having a hard time grasping the order of the stages of life
and the similarities between species. Additionally, we think that combining the life
cycles of humans and butterflies may be confusing for some of the students, and we
need to make sure that we keep them separate and clearly distinguish them.