Lifecycles of Butterflies
Lesson 3
Learning More About Caterpillars
This lesson deals with the basic needs of living systems: food, water, air, and shelter.
3. Lesson set up and Management
INQA: Scientific investigations are designed to gain knowledge about the natural world.
INQD: Simple instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers provide more information than scientists can obtain using only their unaided senses.
LS1B: Animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into children, adolescents, then adults, reproducing (which begins a new cycle), and eventually dying. The details of the life cycle are different for different animals.
LS3A: There are variations among the same kinds of plants and animals.
LS3B: The offspring of a plant or animal closely resembles its parents, but close inspection reveals differences.
Living things share characteristics.
Living things need certain things to survive.
Caterpillars have specific needs.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
There is an Activity Sheet 2 that can be duplicated if the teacher chooses, or an entry can be made in the science notebook. Students will use the caterpillar cup they assembled in Lesson 2.
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Writing in the science notebook is a powerful way for students to record and reflect upon learning. |
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Procedure:
In this lesson, students will spend time observing their caterpillars in the habitat made for them.
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The lesson also consists of discussion of the needs of living creatures and where the caterpillar gets what it needs to survive. The final activities give students the opportunity to make a prediction. Point out that predictions are based on what has been observed and aren't just wild guesses.
Remind students not to use the pronoun "it" in their predictions, but to name the things they are predicting about.
Background Information: Caterpillars have the same needs as other animals. They need food, water, air, and shelter. The caterpillars are more particular about their food than we are. They eat only a limited number of plants like those in the Mallow family. They also get their water from the plants they eat. Caterpillars breathe air but differently than we do. There needs to be air holes in the lid of their habitat. Finally they need shelter. In nature this is made from a leaf and silk "tent", but in the classroom, this will be the caterpillar cup.
Writing Support:
This lesson provides another opportunity to give a writing prompt such as: What are two things living creatures need to survive and why?
Reading Support:
A fun read aloud is Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar . It can stimulate discussion of the primary focus of the caterpillar…eating, and its food. It also provides a strong opportunity for students to sequence events in a story.
Enjoying caterpillar literature.