Sequencing Life Cycles and Daily Activities

Designed by: Emily Hammett, Meadowfield Elementary

1) Core Curriculum Objective(s):  Sequence events and/or steps in a process using dramatizations, retellings, pictures, charts, media.  (1-CM-6)     PACT:  I.F.5

Grade Level:  1     Subject:   Reading

2) Overview:  The teacher will give several story situations in which events are out of order, and the class will decide the correct sequence for each story situation.  The teacher will read Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise, directing the children's attention to the four sequential stages of Charlie's life cycle.  The whole class will review sequencing by acting out these four stages sequentially and by singing a song about this metamorphosis.  As a culminating activity, the children will create their own step books by writing sentences and/or illustrating a 4-5 step process from their own lives.

3) Purpose/Essential Questions:  How do you use acting to put things in order?  How do you use pictures to put things in order?  How do you use words to put things in order?

4) Time Frame: 2  45-minute lessons

5) Resources:

- Sequence cards - In order to make the sequence cards, the teacher needs to either draw or find Internet or magazine pictures of a child awake in bed, a child eating, a child playing outside a child reading or doing work (or a schoolhouse), a picture related to brushing teeth, a picture of children's clothes, a trashcan, a picnic or lunch table, a milk carton or a line of children, people eating cookies, someone mixing something in a bowl, a cookie recipe, and an oven.  Each picture should be glued onto a piece of construction paper, poster board, or tagboard and then cut out into a square.  Each square should then be laminated, and then a magnet strip should be glued to the back of the square.   

-  DeLuise, Dom.  Charlie the Caterpillar.  New York: Simon & Schuster Books, 1990. 

-  Dry erase marker

-  Lyrics to the "Butterfly" song written on chart paper (See Day 2, Step  for lyrics)

- Two pre-made step books for each child -  In order to make a 4-5 step step book, you will need three pieces of 8 1/2 X 11 sized typing paper.  Place one piece of paper on top of the other, leaving an inch of space at the bottom of the first (back) page showing.  Then, place a third sheet of paper on top of the second sheet, leaving an inch of space at the bottom of the second page showing.  Then, place both hands halfway up the third piece of paper, making sure that you are holding all three sheets of paper, and then fold all three papers over so that you leave an inch of space at the bottom of the third sheet of paper, thus creating a 5 "step" book.  Finally, staple the top part of the book in order to secure all of the pages. 

- One teacher-made and illustrated step book of the life cycle of a  butterfly to use as a model.

- 1 pack of crayons for each child

6) Assessments: 

7)  Instructional Activities:

Day 1 - 45 minutes

1. To introduce the concept of sequencing, the teacher will tell the following story of a planet called "Nosequence": 

"Today, I would like to tell you a story about a planet called "Nosequence".  On this planet, the people do everything out of order.  For example, when the Nosequence children wake up in the morning, they eat supper, play outside, go to school, brush their teeth, and then get dressed in their school clothes (As the teacher lists each of the events, he/she should write out each event on the board and place each corresponding magnetic picture card by the statement).  Now, if you landed on the planet Nosequence, your mission would be to show these people how to do things in the right order or sequence.  So, what could we tell these children to do to help them put their day in the right order?  (the teacher may have to read the example again).  What would we tell them to do first, second, third, etc...?  When a child suggest what should come first, he/she should come up to the board and place the number 1 by the picture card and sentence.  This activity should continue until all of these steps have been correctly sequenced.  After all steps have been sequenced on the board, the teacher will review the order of the newly sequenced sentences/picture cards and ask the children to put a "thumbs-up" if they believe that the events are in the correct order or a "thumbs-down" if they disagree with the order.  If any child disagrees, then the teacher should allow that child to explain what he/she believes is the correct order.  A discussion should continue until the class agrees on the correct order.

2. After discussing the correct order of events, the teacher will continue with the following dialogue:  "Now, remember, our mission is to help the Nosequence children to put their lives in the right order.  So, put on your sequence thinking caps and listen carefully to help these Nosequence children.  During lunchtime at Nosequence Elementary, first, the children dump their trays and throw away their trash; second, they sit down at the lunch tables; third, they eat their food; and fourth, they get in the lunch line for their milk and trays (Again, the teacher should write each of the steps on the board with its corresponding picture card).  What should we tell these children to do so that they have some order in their lives?"

3. Again, the teacher will follow the procedure in Step #1 for sequencing the events on the board.

4. Then, the teacher will continue with the following dialogue:  "Now, let's help out the Nosequence people with one last assignment.  When the Nosequence families make cookies, first, they eat the cookies; second, they mix the cookie dough; third, they read the recipe; and fourth, they put the cookies in the oven."  Again, the teacher will write out the steps, as presented, and place the corresponding picture cards by each sentence. 

5. Then, the teacher will ask the students to help the Nosequence family to make the cookies in the right order.  The teacher will call upon the students to follow the same procedure in Step #1 for sequencing the events on the board.

6. After the children and the teacher have correctly sequenced and discussed the various story situations, the teacher will tell the students that when you put anything in order from first to last or beginning to end, you are sequencing.

7. Then, the teacher will transition the children to a "carpet area," and he/she will tell the children that they are going to listen to the story Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise and that they should pay close attention to the order in which Charlie changes.  The teacher will also tell the students that after the story, they will be able to identify and act out, in order, each of the four stages of Charlie's life cycle (egg, caterpillar, cocoon (or chrysalis), and butterfly).

8. At the beginning of the book when Charlie is born, the teacher will ask the students to see if they can tell how Charlie was born (he popped out of an egg).  The teacher will confirm that Charlie started out as an egg and that the egg stage would be the first stage of Charlie's life cycle. 

9. Then, the teacher will ask the students if they know what Charlie is called after he pops out of the egg.  The teacher will confirm that Charlie is called a caterpillar and that the caterpillar stage is the second stage of Charlie's life cycle.

10.  When the teacher reaches the part of the book in which Charlie spins himself a cocoon, he/she will tell the students that the cocoon is the third stage of Charlie's change. 

11.   When the teacher reaches the part of the book in which Charlie wakes up and stretches, he/she will ask the children what they believe the fourth and final stage of the change will be.  The teacher will confirm that the butterfly stage is the fourth and final stage by flipping to the next page where Charlie changes into a butterfly.

12.   After the teacher reads the story, he/she will tell the children that the class will act out, in the correct order or sequence, the changes that Charlie goes through in the story.

13.   The teacher will ask the students, "What is the first stage of  Charlie's life cycle?"

14.   After a child has identified the egg stage, the teacher will tell the  students to use their bodies to act out how Charlie would look curled  up in an egg.

15. Then, the teacher will ask the students, "What happens second in Charlie's life cycle?" 

16.   After a child has identified the caterpillar stage as the second stage, the teacher will tell the children to use their bodies to act out how Charlie would move as a caterpillar.

17.The teacher and students will continue with this
identification/dramatization until all 4 stages have been sequentially   acted out.

18. Then, as a review, the teacher will ask the children "How do we    sequence something?"

19. The teacher will ask students to give an example of sequencing.  Then, the teacher will tell the children that they will continue with   sequencing the next day.

Day 2 - 45 minutes

1. As a review of sequencing, the teacher will display , on chart paper, and teach the following song to the students (song idea from Internet source). The song is sung to the Christmas tune "Up on the Housetop."  The teacher should teach hand movements to go with each stage of the process.  Also, for each new stage, the teacher should hold up a 1, 2, 3, or 4 to show ordering or sequencing throughout the song.

First comes the butterfly and lays its egg.

Out comes the caterpillar with its many legs.

Oh, see the caterpillar spin and spin

A little chrysalis to sleep in.

Oh, oh, oh, look and see.

Oh, oh, oh, look and see.

Out of the chrysalis,

My, oh, my!

Out comes a pretty butterfly.

2. The class should sing the song several times, and then the teacher will ask the children to give the correct order of what happens in the song.

3. Then, the teacher will tell the children that, for a grade, they will make a step book using pictures and/or words to describe the correct order of some activity in their lives (ex: steps to playing a favorite game, steps for getting ready to go to school, etc.)

4. The teacher will remind the students that they should do such a good job that the Nosequence children would be able to understand and follow their steps.

5. The teacher will explain the rubric (see Assessment).

6. The teacher will tell the students that they should have at least four steps in their step book (Each step book will have 5 possible steps).

7. The teacher or a student will pass out one pre-made step book and a pack of crayons to each student.

8. Using a model step book or a drawing of a step book on the board, the teacher will show the children how to make their books.  The title should be "How to ____"  (ex: How to Play Baseball, How to Wash Your Hair, How to Get Ready for School, etc...).  Also, the children should illustrate the title page.

9. Then, on the outside of the first step, the children should place a 1; on the second step, a 2; etc...

10. The children should flip up the title page in order to illustrate and/or write about the first step in their chosen process (There should already be a number one at the bottom of this page from the #9 procedure).

11. To illustrate and/or write about step 2, the children should flip up the number 1 step to reveal the step 2 page of the book.

12. This activity should continue until all steps are completely illustrated and/or written.

13. During the activity, the teacher will circulate to see if children have any questions.

14. If children finish early, they can make a step book ordering the major events in the school day or another self-chosen process.

15. After all children have finished their assignment, they will be called upon to share their step books.

16. As a final review, the teacher will again ask, "How do we sequence something?"

17. The children's step books should be displayed in the classroom or the school hallways and could be scanned onto the school's website.