The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Name: Diana Pyatigorsky                                                                  

Subject: English Language Arts with Arts Integration

Lesson Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Grade: First

Materials/Equipment/Worksheets

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Paper
• Crayons
• Pencils
• Markers
• Colored Pencils

Pre-assessment of Students Knowledge & Skills. (A) Students have been immersed in a unit on sequencing events in a text. The majority of students are not writing and reading fluently.

(B)Students were able to accurately describe the components of a story order/sequence. They completed a K-W-L Chart and used several resources to develop knowledge.

Content-Specific Standard(s):

English Language Arts

SL.1.1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

SL.1.4. Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

SL.1.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings

The Arts

Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theater, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Objectives: Students will understand the concept of sequence or story order based on the Read Aloud.

Procedure:

a)      Introduction and motivation:

Review the idea of sequencing. Ask the children if they know what it is or why it is important. Illicit that sequencing is the order of events in a story or in our lives. Understanding the sequence helps us to comprehend the story or situation. The awareness that events occurring in sequential order can be related to each other helps to bring meaning to a story. Put up the word “sequence” and show the class the pictures of the people in different life stages. Discuss that we are not born as older adults. First we are babies and then we become toddlers. The next stage is young adulthood and finally older adulthood. Put the pictures in the correct order. Give another example about getting ready for school. We don’t come to school and then wake up. We don’t come to school in pajamas and then brush our teeth. There is a specific order in which we carry out our tasks. This is the same idea when we read a book. Understanding the order of events helps us understand the story.

Introduce The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Ask if the students are familiar with the book. I will mention the author as well. We will look at the cover and a few pages and predict what the story may be about. Before I read the book I will explain that the main purpose of reading the book is to listen for the main events in the story in order. Next I will read the story and have the students make predictions and confirm their predictions. I will help them realize that there is order in the story regarding the days of the week.

Read Aloud of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, stopping periodically to elaborate on the events that take place.

A little egg lay on a leaf.

The tiny caterpillar emerges from the egg.

A tiny caterpillar eats and grows.

The caterpillar builds a cocoon.

He turns into a beautiful butterfly.

Direct instruction: I will then explain that the students will each have their own hungry caterpillar which will eat the letters of their name, stressing the importance of sequence. I will model my caterpillar eating each of my name letters in order. D I A N A.

Activities: Students go back to their desks to work independently to draw and illustrate their hungry caterpillar, including the sequence of their name letters.

Closure: Students will present their hungry caterpillar drawings to the class.

Assessment: Teacher will assess understanding during conference time and during the share. Ask follow up questions if students are not confident with their explanations. Students will be assessed for their activity participation, their participation as audience members and their working material. Student project work will be reviewed against the rubric below.

Diversity: This lesson continues the work of opening a window into different modalities of learning such as Collaborative and Flexible grouping, scaffolding, varied time allowance, multiple intelligences, varied demonstrations, simulations, use of visuals and role play.

Differentiation:

“A hands-on activity supports students who struggle with verbal skills” (Cornett, 2011). Using visual and tactile skills, students that struggle with writing are able to use the images to show that they understand the content. This lesson also supports concreteness of the topic with the use of pictures, labels and names.

                           Student Work: Illustration Rubric