Third grade classes at Shaw Avenue Elementary School recently learned about the life cycle of a butterfly. In mid-April, the students received larva and have turned into true scientists, observing the daily changes a caterpillar must undergo to eventually become a butterfly.

Each student had the opportunity to name their own caterpillar and used hand lenses and rulers for their observations. Throughout the process, the third graders examined, measured, recorded and sketched in a butterfly journal each day they were in school. During English language arts, they read articles about the life cycle of a butterfly and started writing informational paragraphs based on their observations which they recorded in the butterfly journals.

Once the butterflies emerge, the students will observe them for a day or two in the classroom in a butterfly habitat. They will examine and sketch the different butterfly body parts closely and compare these to those of the caterpillar. The students will then visit the school’s courtyard and release the butterflies into nature to enjoy their freedom. This will lead to a creative writing lesson where students will be challenged to write from the point of view of the butterflies using descriptive language and vivid details.

The hands-on lesson has allowed students to learn through experience, along with hone their scientific and writing skills.