Art Lesson Plan: Exploring the Butterfly Life Cycle

Lesson Overview

This lesson plan is designed for Year 1 students in New Zealand and focuses on the life cycle of butterflies, integrating visual arts with science and nature. This activity aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum, targeting the Visual Arts area at Level 1 of learning, where students "explore a variety of materials and tools and discover elements of visual language."

Objectives

• Students will understand the life cycle stages of a butterfly.
• Students will create a visual representation of the butterfly life cycle using collage materials.
• Students will develop fine motor skills and creativity by manipulating art materials.

Materials Needed

• White paper plates (one per student)
• Coloured paper (green, yellow, brown, red)
• Cotton balls
• Pipe cleaners
• Glue sticks
• Safety scissors
• Markers
• Example images of butterflies and life cycles (printed or digital)

Time Allocation

• Total Duration: 27 minutes

Lesson Details

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Greeting and Introduction: Start by welcoming the students and introducing the day's activity.
2. Engagement Question: Ask the students if they know what butterflies are and what transformations they go through. Briefly explain the four stages of a butterfly's life: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly.
3. Visuals and Explanation: Show the students the images of the butterfly life cycle. Explain each stage briefly and clearly to ensure understanding.

Main Activity (15 minutes)

1. Distribution of Materials: Hand out paper plates, coloured paper, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, markers, glue sticks, and safety scissors to each student.
2. Instructions for the Task: Guide the students through the following steps:
   • Divide the Plate: Instruct them to visually divide their paper plate into four sections (like slices of a pie).
   • Creating Each Stage:
     • Egg: Tear small pieces of yellow paper to represent eggs and glue them on the first section.
     • Caterpillar: Cut green paper to make a caterpillar shape, use markers to add details, and glue it onto the second section.
     • Chrysalis: Use brown paper to shape a chrysalis and attach it to a small cotton ball to represent its silky texture. Attach this to the third section.
     • Butterfly: Create butterflies using coloured paper for wings, decorate with markers, and twist small pieces of pipe cleaners for the antennae. Attach to the fourth section.
3. Progress Monitoring: Circulate around the classroom to assist students, answer questions, and ensure everyone understands the stages as they work.

Conclusion and Cleanup (7 minutes)

1. Sharing and Discussion: Ask students to share their completed plates with the class. Discuss the stages again briefly as they show their artwork.
2. Reflection: Encourage students to talk about what they enjoyed or found interesting while working on their art piece.
3. Cleanup: Guide students to clean up their work areas, putting away markers, scraps, and returning any unused materials.

Evaluation

• Assess the students' grasp of the butterfly life cycle based on their explanations and the visual representation in their artwork.
• Observe students' skills in handling materials and following multi-step instructions.

Additional Resources

For more visual aids or to prepare for this lesson, educators can refer to resources available on TKI - Te Kete Ipurangi like Art in the New Zealand Curriculum and the visual arts resources linked therein.

Notes

This activity not only helps in understanding a natural phenomenon but also allows creativity, making learning engaging and enjoyable for young learners. This lesson can be adapted for various learning settings and can be extended to other natural cycles.