Mrs. McGowan's Class

Butterfly Wings

A literacy response to the life cycle
of the butterfly.

 

Butterflies ...

Caterpillar
Fuzzy, slow
Crawling, eating, molting
It makes its own chrysalis.
Hatching, flying, drinking
Amazing, beautiful
Butterfly

Diamante poem by Mrs. McGowan's 1st Grade,
June 2006

 Our class participated in an Internet project hosted by Susan Silverman and Sarah McPherson called

A Dance With Butterflies

You can view additional student work by our class using PowerPoint and Kidspiration software by visiting:

  Our Butterfly Study

  Class Poem - How We Wrote It

  On Butterfly Wings - Our Stories

Sample Slide Show

  Resources

x     Inspired by Aileen Fisher's poem, Butterfly Wings, and after learning about the butterfly life cycle, the students also created and wrote about their own special butterflies.

On Butterfly Wings ...
 



Julia

 

Julia Butterfly

I am Julia the Butterfly.  I am on my way to the pet store.  I wonder if I should get a puppy or a dog?  I think I smell the puppies with my antennas and, guess what?  I got a puppy!  Now I am on my way home.  I gave my puppy wings so she could fly with me.


Michael
 

Jets Butterfly

My butterfly went to a New York Jets football game.  It had popcorn when it was at the game.  It smelled the popcorn with its antennas. The butterfly was in the game.  The other team kicked the ball and the butterfly caught it.  Then he made a touchdown!  The score was 17 to 14.  That was the end of the game, so his team won and he went home.
 


Pat
 

Yankees Butterfly

My butterfly was at Yankees stadium last week.  He likes baseball. His antennas helped him smell hotdogs.  The Yankees won the game when the last ball went to Derek Jeter and he made an out.  My butterfly flew home.  He had a great day.
 


Tyler
 

Fishing Butterfly

I went fishing on Friday.  There were other butterflies fishing too, so I joined them.  After we caught 15 fish we went home by flying.  We tasted fish with our feet.  I wish we could go again.
 


Garrett
 

Yankees Butterfly

My butterfly went to Yankee Stadium.  He also saw a stand selling drinks and souvenirs.  He bought a Yankee’s hat.  At the end of the game, he flew around the bases.
 


Bridget
 

Bridget Butterfly

I am Bridget Butterfly.  I am on my way to ballet.  I smell a pretzel with my antennas.  I see a flower.  I am going to drink from it with my proboscis.  I want to go home because I am tired. 

 


Jimmy
 

Football Butterfly

My butterfly went to the Jets game.  The Jets won.  He saw his friends there too.  After the game he drank lemonade with his proboscis. When they went home, they played baseball.


Blaise
 

Yankees Butterfly

My butterfly went to a Yankees game.  He went for a drink and food.  He got a hotdog and a soda.  He tasted with his feet.  He caught a ball and went home.
 


Dona
 

Dona the Butterfly

I am Dona the Butterfly.  I went to the Dog Show. It was very nice at the Dog Show.  I got to meet the dog that won and she was very sad.  Her name was Lulu.  She was sad because she did not like her name. Then she smelled food but she didn’t know what it was.  I went to see it and it was a hot dog.  Lulu tried the hot dogs and she loved them.  Then she was happy.


Grace
 

Grace Butterfly

My butterfly will fly to Washington, D. C. from Ohio on Monday.  She will see the President.  She will drink lemonade with her proboscis.  She will have a good time in D.C.


Luke
 

Hockey Butterfly

I flew to a hockey game.  It had a restaurant.  I landed on a pretzel and tasted it with my feet.  It tasted good!  Then my favorite team, the N.J. Devils, won the game and I flew home.
 


Maddy
 

Soccer Butterfly

I am Soccer Butterfly.  I was at a soccer field.  I smelled a hotdog with my antennas.  I flew to a flower and got a drink with my proboscis.  Then I went back home.
 


Matt

Ice Hockey Butterfly

Ice Hockey Butterfly went to an ice hockey game.  He smelled fries.  He saw a lot of colors with his eyes.  Then he played hockey.  His four wings helped him fly. He went to the hotdog stand.  He drank water with his proboscis and tasted hotdogs with his feet.
 


Timmy
 

Timmy Butterfly

The butterfly smelled hotdogs with his antennas at a baseball game. The NY Yankees won the game.  The score was Yankees 33 to Red Sox 22.  Timmy Butterfly flew back home with his wings.
 


John
 

Jack Butterfly

Jack Butterfly went to his baseball game.  He used his antennas to smell hotdogs.  He landed on the hotdog and it tasted good.  He played his baseball game and he won.
 


Brielle
 

Soccer Butterfly

My butterfly is a soccer butterfly.  She likes soccer because she plays it.  She had a game on Sunday.  She kicked the ball into the goal.  I like my butterfly.
 


Cole

Spot Butterfly

He went to a rainbow.  He saw red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. He slid down the rainbow into a pot of gold.  He saw many flowers.  He flew back home to his house and his friends and family.  They were playing.

 

z
Class Poem ...

After learning about the butterfly life cycle we wrote the diamante poem seen at the top of this page.  Volunteers offered suggestions for each line.  Revisions were easily made by rereading from the chalkboard.  My students enjoy this kind of whole-class writing.  Our version of this diamond-shaped format included:
 

One noun about the topic Caterpillar
Two adjectives Fuzzy, slow
Three verbs ending in __ ing Crawling, eating, molting
A sentence It makes its own chrysalis.
Three verbs ending in __ing Hatching, flying, drinking
Two adjectives Amazing, beautiful
Another noun about the topic Butterfly

 

Y

Resources

We wondered about what really happens inside the butterfly chrysalis.  Is the caterpillar changing or switching body parts to look like a butterfly? We found the answer to our question at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens website:

How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? This is not easy to explain. One could say that inside the chrysalis the caterpillar changes clothes and turns into a butterfly. Actually, what happens is that the caterpillar structures are broken down chemically and the adult’s new structures are formed. To be more blunt, the solids of the caterpillar completely liquify and then form the new solid structures of the butterfly.

More Websites:

Books:
     I Wish I Were A Butterfly by James Howe
     Where Butterflies Grow 
by Joanne Ryder
     Where Does the Butterfly Go When It Rains? by May Garelick
Videos:
     Magic School bus - Butterflies
     Eye Witness - Butterflies & Moths

Back to Internet Projects                      Home

 

2

Butterfly Wings

How would it be
on a day in June
to open your eyes
in a dark cocoon,
And soften one end
and crawl outside,
and find you had wings
to open wide,
And find you could fly
to a bush or tree
or float on the air
like a boat at sea . . .
How would it BE?

—Aileen Fisher

 

 

 

 

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