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Lesson Plan
By Shaina Clark with References to www2.scholastic.com
Lesson: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Length: 1 hour
Age or Grade Level Intended: 1st grade
Academic Standard(s):
Language Arts 1.2.7 Relate prior knowledge to what is read. (Core Standard)
Language Arts 1.4.2 Use various organizational strategies to plan writing.
Performance Objective(s):
Given a class KWL chart, each student will participate with giving at least one idea.
(Participation grade, either student did or did not)
Given a web diagram, the student will fill it out with at least one topic and four reasons.
(Completion grade, either student did it or not)
Assessment:
I will assess the class KWL by observing to make sure that all the students are
participating by having a class checklist. I will have the students turn in their web
diagram and give them a completion grade as long as the chart has one topic and at least
four reasons.
Advance Preparation by Teacher:
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Have a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Have a KWL chart prepared on the chalkboard.
Have questions handy in order to help provoke thinking for the KWL chart.
Have a class checklist next to you in order to quickly check students who are
participating. (Try to give students who did not participate an opportunity to do
so. Encourage them.)
 Have enough web diagram handouts for each student.
 Have example of the teacher’s web diagram to model for the students.
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Procedure:
Introduction/Motivation:
“Have you ever been on a bug hunt?”(Give students a chance to answer) “Have you ever
seen a caterpillar?” (Give students a chance to answer) “Well, today we are going to learn
about the life of a caterpillar!”
Step-by-Step Plan:
1. First, as a class, fill out the KWL chart on the chalk board. (Gardner:
Interpersonal)
2. Tell students that the K stands for what they already know, W is what they want
to know, and that as a class later we will fill out the L about what we learned.
(Gardner: Verbal/Linguistic)
3. Next, ask the students questions in order to provoke their thinking, such as: “Have
they ever seen a caterpillar? Have they ever held one? How did it feel? What did
it look like? Does anyone know what happens to caterpillars? Where do they live?
What do they eat?” (www2.scholastic.com) (Blooms: Knowledge)
4. As a class, we will fill out the K and the W of the KWL chart. (Students will raise
their hands and give the teacher answers to write down). (Gardner:
Logical/Mathematical)
5. After filling out these parts of the chart, then students will go back to the reading
center and sit on the floor.
6. Teacher then reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar out loud to the students.
7. During reading, teacher will pause between pages and ask students what they
think will come next. Teacher and students will count out loud the number of
items the caterpillar is eating on each page. (Gardner: Logical/Mathematical)
Teacher will also asks questions such as, “How are you similar (the same) or
different to the hungry caterpillar?” (Blooms: Analysis)
8. After finishing reading the story, have students go back to their desks.
9. Next, as a class, fill out the L part of the KWL chart.
10. When finished filling out the chart, ask students to think about if they could turn
into anything in the world, what would it be and why? Give them the example of
how the caterpillar turned into the butterfly. (Blooms: Application)
11. Next, model on the projector an example of a web diagram that the teacher filled
out with their idea. Explain the model to the students.
12. Now, tell the students that they are to create their own web diagram with their
idea of what they would want to change into and why. Students can either create
their own web according to the example, or use the handouts that the teacher
created. (Gardner: Visual/Spatial, Intrapersonal, Logical/Mathematical)
13. When students are finished filling out their diagram, then they are to turn it in to
the folder on the teacher’s desk.
Closure:
After turning in the web diagram, ask the students to write in their writer’s notebook at
least one thing they learned about caterpillars. (Blooms: Comprehension) Then, the
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teacher will tell the students that tomorrow they will get their web diagrams back in order
to use it to write a short story about what they would want to change into and why. Then,
they will draw and color a picture to go with their story.
Adaptations/Enrichment:
ADHD: I could give this student a list that tells the student step by step what task they
should be doing. I would also make rounds around the classroom to make sure this
student was staying on task and to see if he/she had questions. I would make sure that
during reading time this student was not sitting by anything or anyone that would cause
him/her to be distracted. I would make sure that the student had a seat that was not near
distractions and would give him/her a goal of when to be done with their web diagram
and then check on him/her.
Learning Disability in Reading: As I wrote items on the KWL chart, I
would read them out loud. As I asked questions while reading the book, I would observe
the student to make sure that he/she seemed to be following along and comprehending. I
would make sure to point out the illustrations in the book and have the students help me
count the items that the caterpillar eats as he goes. I will also help this student by reading
directions out loud and modeling how the web diagram needs to be done.
Student with Gifts and Talents in Creativity: This student can create
his/her own web diagram if they want to. If the student gets done early, he/she can start
working on their story or ideas of what they would like to draw to go with their story.
Student with Autism: I will give this student a checklist showing him/her what
will be done in the lesson and when. I will also have all the directions wrote down in this
checklist for the student. I will make sure to model the assignment for the student so that
he/she knows exactly what is expected.
Self-Reflection:
I would first look over the web diagrams. Then, I would ask myself if the students
accomplished the objective. If some of the students did not, then I would ask myself
“Why not?” I would ask myself “Was I clear when I taught the lesson?” I would ask
myself “Did the students understand the assignment?” I would also ask myself that “If I
taught this lesson again, how could I improve it? Were there any aspects that I needed
more details on? Were the students engaged?”
Elements from Literacy Block Class:
 Activate Background knowledge
 Help students make connections
 I will make sure I accomplished this by keeping track of whether or not each
student is participating and making sure the students filled out the web diagram.
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Sources for Lesson Plan:
 http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=510_type=Book_typeId=50
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 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZVrzhjK5Hjs/
SwnxZIUiGfI/AAAAAAAAANs/4_IQTYV59w/s1600/carle.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tamsinnagel.blogspot.com/2009/11/ver
y-hungry-caterpillar.html&usg=__mjvpdaSyLAgUy0j8c70caC3jI4=&h=1179&w=1600&sz=216&hl=en&start=32&zoom=1
&tbnid=VHF56qh336lbRM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=205&ei=07zRTeD-NXu0gG_r6DLCw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bvery%2Bhungry%2Bcaterpilla
r%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADFA_enUS406%26b
iw%3D1259%26bih%3D606%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=218
&page=3&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:32&tx=147&ty=68
 Shaina Clark
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar KWL Chart
(Example)
K
W
L
What we know
Caterpillars are:
Green
Black
Fuzzy
Crawly
Caterpillars have:
A head
A long body
Lots of legs
Caterpillars eat:
leaves
What we want to know
Where do caterpillars live?
What we learned
Caterpillars can eat fruit.
What all can caterpillars
eat?
Caterpillars sometimes live
in a cocoon.
Do caterpillars bite?
Caterpillars eventually turn
into a butterfly.
Can caterpillars hurt you?
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Example of a Web Diagram of What I Would
Want to Turn Into
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Web Diagram over The Very Hungry
Caterpillar Completion
(Example)
Name
Ted
Joe
Emily
Brandon
Abby
Fabio
Nicole
Pedro
Drew
Jose
Ben
Jayden
Shannon
Avery
Phoenix
Summer
Mulan
Ariel
Justin
Date/Assignment
Completed
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KWL Chart Participation Checklist
Name
Ted
Joe
Emily
Brandon
Abby
Fabio
Nicole
Pedro
Drew
Jose
Ben
Jayden
Shannon
Avery
Phoenix
Summer
Mulan
Ariel
Justin
Date
Participated