1^st Grade Plant and Animal Unit (Butterflies) Blueprint

What are the basic needs of the caterpillars?

5C(K-2)#2: Most living things need water, food and air.

5D(K-2)#1: Animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants (or even other animals) for shelter and nesting.

1C(K-2)#3: A lot can be learned about plants and animals by observing them closely, but care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them in the classroom.

Class discussion of caterpillar food (See Steps 1 & 2 of Procedure on page 17 of Teacher’s Guide.)

Do students understand why it is important to prepare and provide specific food for the caterpillars?

How can observations be made more accurate?

6D(K-2)#1: People use their senses to find out about their surroundings and themselves. Different senses give different information. Sometimes a person can get different information about the same thing by moving closer to it or further away from it.

5C(K-2)#1: Magnifiers help people see things they could not see without them.

Activity Sheet 1

• Do the students use their senses to observe the caterpillars and caterpillar food?
• Do the students list different information when using sight, smell and touch to make observations?
• Do students correctly use a magnifying glass to make observations?

How do caterpillars grow and change?

What are some ways to describe things?

11C(K-2)#3: Things can change in different ways, such as in size, weight, color, and movement. Some small changes can be detected by taking measurements.

12D(K-2)#1: Describe and compare things in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion.

11B(K-2)#3: One way to describe something is to say how it is like something else.

Class Calendar (See Step 1 of Final Activities.)

• Do the students understand that the observations on the class calendar show how the caterpillars change over time?
• Are students able to describe in enough detail the features of the caterpillars to determine how caterpillars change over time?
• Do students describe the different sizes and activity levels of the caterpillars?