Unit Plan

Unit Plan Template
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Unit Author
First and Last Name: Witney Willhite i
School District: Tuttle Public Schools
School Name: Tuttle Elementary School
School City, State: Tuttle, Oklahoma

Unit Overview
Unit Title The Life of a Butterfly
Unit Summary
This unit involves learning about the life stages a butterfly goes through. Students will research and explore the life stages a butterfly goes through. The students will participate in reenact the life stages of a butterfly. The students will use techonology (digital story, powerpoint, voicethread, etc.) to share the information learned and their experience of reenacting information they have learned about butterflies..

Subject Area: Language Arts and Science
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Approximate Time Needed
Approximately two weeks using class times and centers.
Unit Foundation
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks

Oklahoma PASS: Language Arts, Grade 1, Standard 1.B: Use blends, digraphs, and diphthongs.
Students will build their language skills by understanding the use of blends, digraphs, and diphthongs.
Students will learn at their language arts center the blends, diagraphs, and diphthongs by trying to find examples of them in the different life stages in a butterfly.

Oklahoma PASS: SCIENCE PROCESSES AND INQUIRY. Standard 2. Classify - Classifying establishes order. Objects, organisms, and events are classified based on similarities, differences, and interrelationships. The student will accomplish these objectives to meet this process standard.

Students will learn to access information learned about butterflies. Students will learn to analyze and evaluate information and will report on their findings in a variety of formats.

Oklahoma PASS: Instructional Technology, Grade 1-12, Standard 3: The student will demonstrate knowledge of technology productivity tool.

The students will use technology tools (presentation, Web tools, digital cameras) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Students have an understanding of the life stages of a butterfly.
Students have a familiarization with technology productivity tools.
Students have learned how to access, analyze and evaluate information.

Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question What is a butterfly?
Unit Questions What are the different stages a butterfly goes through?
Content Questions How do we select the best source for information? How do we use technology productivity tools? What is the best way to communicate the information I have learned?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline

Before project work begins Students work on projects and complete tasks After project work is completed

Day One Day Three Day Five Day Seven Day Eight Day Nine
• A pre-reading worksheet/ activity about butterflies will be given to the students to help determine prior knowledge. • An internet safety course and worksheet will be given to ensure the students' understanding of the importance of proper internet use. • On day five students will meet in groups to see where each group is at with their research and discuss their ideas for their presentation. • I will be taking a look at each group's presentation and address any questions or concerns that each group may have. •The students will be required to participate in the reenactment of the life cycles of butterflies. • The students will make edible caterpillars.


Assessment Summary
Throughout the unit I will rely heavily on conferencing as an assessment tool. I will be meeting with the groups regularly to monitor progress and make sure the students are staying on task. I will occassionally use a worksheet to guage prior knowledge. Although this will not be graded for answers, I will want to use this worksheet as maybe a participation grade. The internet safety worksheet will be taken as a grade for answers. I want to ensure that my students understand the importance of safety and what a responsibility it is to be able to use the internet properly. I will be grading the students' final presentation. I am looking for effort. I want the students to understand butterflies and how important they are to our ecosystem.
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Students will need some prior knowledge of research skills and possibly some technology skills.
Instructional Procedures
Our first day in this unit I will inquire about the students prior knowledge about butterflies. I will use child books about butterflies and open the doors to further exploration into how butterflies go through their life stages.
The next day unit will begin with using the text book to learn basic information about Butterflies and open the doors to further exploration into how butterflies go through their life stages.
On day 3 we will begin taking time to use textbooks and reference materials in our classroom and library to begin doing research on butterflies and their life cycles. I will split the students into groups so now they can begin learning collaborate. Each group will be in charge of gathering information on their life cycle. Every group will discuss a different cycle.
The students will continue their research and we will begin discussing proper internet behavior followed by an assigment. Then I will allow the students to use the internet in the school computer lab to conduct their research. I will also take this time to begin introducing some technology productivity tools. I want to encourage the students to think critically about the information they find and encourage them to truly analyze and evalute the information.
On day 5, the students will be given time to discuss how they would like to share their information. We will begin discussing different options such as building a power point, video recording, voicethread, etc. to share their research with the rest of the class. Students will also be working on their reenactment of the life cycles of a butterfly for the presentation we will be doing at the end of the unit.
The following day students will begin wrapping up their research and discuss how they would like to put their information together. They will begin putting their presentations together.
On day 7, I would like to see what the students have accomplished and encourage them to keep working. This will mark one of the final days to compile their research into their presentation.
On day 8, the students will participate in a sharing their cycles. Using the research they have gathered they will be able to recreate this process. Afterwards there will be games about butterflies and an edible caterpillar stage and the students will have the chance to participate.
The following day the students will put together their presentation of the life cycles of a butterfly for their parents.
On our final day the groups will present their projects. I would like for parents and family to join us so that they can see what their student has learned! I want the students to document their experience. I would also like to encourage parents and family to come join. I would also like to encourage parents to assist in setting up!
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction

Special Needs Students

Special Needs Students will be given more time to complete assignments. Most assignments will be done collaboratively allowing students will special needs assitance from their peers.

Nonnative Speakers

Nonnative speakers will be allowed more time to complete assignments. Peers in their groups will also be able to assist these students in the research process.

Gifted/Talented Students
Gifted and talented students will also be learning about butterflies from their gifted and talented teachers. We have arranged for them to make models of butterflies.

Materials and Resources Required For Unit
Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)
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Intel® Teach Program
Essentials Course

Camera
Computer(s) X
Digital Camera X
DVD Player
Internet Connection Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System X
Scanner
Television VCR
Video Camera X
Video Conferencing Equip.
Other
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM X Image Processing
Internet Web Browser X
Multimedia
Web Page Development X
Word Processing X
Other
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Printed Materials Textbooks and reference materials will be used to learn about Butterflies and also to conduct research about Butterflies.
Supplies Video Cameras and Digital Cameras will be used to document the students' experience throughout the learning process and will also provide a means of communication for them to share their experiences and what they learned.

Internet Resources
Wikipedia.com,
Encyclopedia.com,
http://butterflywebsite.com/,
http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/
These internet resources will be used to conduct research over the life cycles of butterflies, their innate ability to migrate, and their contributions.
Voicethread.com will be allowed as an option for the students to share their story about their experience with this unit.

Other Resources I would like to use guest speakers who can give information on the history butterflies. This way students can learn how to care for a butterfly and learn even more facts they didn’t know before.