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Hi Morgan,
I am a preservice teacher and I have had the pleasure of working with students from various grade levels. Currently, I am working with students in the first through third grade. One of my favorite lessons I have taught thus far is the life-cycle of a butterfly. I taught this lesson to second graders where they seemed to really enjoy it. I began the lesson with a time-lapse YouTube video of the life cycle of a monarch butterfly. They really loved this aspect, and I feel that it provided an authentic representation of the life-cycle. After they told me some things they noticed in the video, I had them arrange picture cards that displayed the four stages of a butterfly’s life cycle based on what they saw. Throughout the lesson, I went through each stage and had them act out the different stages using whole body movements (e.g. crouch into a ball to represent the egg). The children seemed like they were having a lot of fun and it helped them to really appreciate and envision what happens in each stage. Overall, this lesson can be adapted for grades pre-k through second where teachers can incorporate technology aspects, such as videos and the use of a smartboard/promethean board to allow students to drag images as well as movement components, such as hand gestures or body movements.
~Melissa
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