This document outlines a 3 lesson science unit for 7-year-olds on butterflies. Lesson 1 focuses on the butterfly life cycle using the story "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and introduces key vocabulary. Lesson 2 teaches parts of the butterfly body through hands-on activities. Lesson 3 reinforces the life cycle and facts about butterflies through additional stories and exercises reviewing material from all 3 lessons. The lessons incorporate listening, reading, speaking and writing activities to engage students communicatively and review target grammar and vocabulary.

1. Science Unit N° 1 – Butterflies
Type of School: Bilingual
Student’s Age: 7 years old (2nd grade)
Time: 40 min each lesson
Book: Science booklet – Material collected from varied sources.
Communicative Goal: to talk about butterfly’s life cycle
Grammar Focus: present simple tense
Vocabulary Focus: butterfly’s life cycle stages
Recycled Vocabulary: fruit and numbers
Lesson 1
The teacher introduces the topic on butterfly’s life cycle and key vocabulary.
Activation
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carl)
The teacher reads the story to the students. She stops from time to time to ask
students for predictions and to check comprehension by asking them questions.
Comprehension and Clarification
The teacher explains that butterflies have to undergo a complete process of “metamorphosis” to
develop. To explain the meaning of that word to the students, she starts asking them questions so as
to retell the story. She writes the word on the board as a title. At the same time students recall the
events, she sticks flashcards of the different stages of a butterfly’s life cycle on the board.
Once they get to the end of the story she goes back to the initial question of “What does
metamorphosis mean?” trying to elicit from students the word transformation/change.
Aplication
Students are given a handout (matching exercise) in which they are asked to use the words from a
box to label the key elements of each stage. Key vocabulary: egg, larva (or caterpillar), chrysalis (or
cocoon), adult butterfly.
Reflextion
Students will work in pairs to do a matching exercise (JMATCH)
connecting the sentences on the left column (which describe the
process of metamorphosis) to the correct pictures on the right column.
Communicative Goal: to describe a butterfly’s body
Grammar Focus: present simple tense
Vocabulary Focus: parts of the body
Recycled Vocabulary: parts of the body in common with other animals (legs, wings, head, etc)
Lesson 2
The teacher introduces new vocabulary on butterfly’s parts of the body.
Activation
The teacher sticks the flashcard of a butterfly on the board and asks students which parts of the body
they can name/identify. Then the teacher puts a question mark next to the new/specific parts of a
butterfly’s body.
Comprehension and Clarification
Students get into small groups. Each group is given an information book (from the school’s library)
and a new part of the body. They are asked to look for the word in the book trying to identify which

2. part of the body they have. Finally, each group will write the word they have on the board labeling the
parts of the body which were left stranding and complete the picture.
Aplication
Activity N°1: Students are given a handout in which they are asked to unscramble the words and
match them with the correct part of the body.
Activity N°2: Students are asked to choose a butterfly from the information book to draw it and
describe it. The teacher provides students with the handout for them to draw and write the description.
Reflextion
Students will work in pairs to complete a crossword (JCROSS) using the
vocabulary on parts of the body to answer each of the clues.
Communicative Goal: to describe a butterfly’s life facts
Grammar Focus: present simple tense
Vocabulary Focus: parts of the body
Recycled Vocabulary: life cycle stages
Lesson 3
Activation
Flight to The South (listening)
The teacher plays the cd for students to listen to the story of Mona (The story of a monarch butterfly
which migrates to the south. During her journey she has to dodge a bird which tries to eat her.)
Comprehension and Clarification
In pairs, students answer a True or False exercise about the story.
Then in small groups, students are asked to read an information text about butterflies’ facts and
answer comprehension questions about the text.
Aplication
Activity N°1: In pairs, students are asked to work out a cloze activity
(JCLOZE) using the key vocabulary learnt during the 3 lessons.
Activity N°2: In pairs, students are asked to unscramble sentences (JMIX)
about butterflies’ life facts in the present simple tense.
Reflextion
Students will work in pairs to answer questions about
butterflies’ life facts (JQUIZ) using the all the information
learnt during the 3 lessons.