The Caterpillar Project

For our reading practicum, another student and I designed a unit on predictable books to use in our kindergarten classroom. Our objectives are to teach print concepts, as well as skills like questioning, sequencing, and predicting. Through shared reading and writing, we want the students to see themselves as storytellers: readers and writers. We hope that our caterpillar project will bring those goals together by allowing students to watch live caterpillars transform, record their observations, and write a book together as a class.



Week One: Wednesday, October 17

We will read and discuss Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, giving students the opportunity to practice questioning and predicting.We will discuss the sequences presented in the story, the days of the week and the life cycle. I will introduce the students to the live caterpillars, give directions, answer questions, and explain their writing center. During the first lesson, the students can make predictions about what will happen to the caterpillars in real life.

At the writing center, through which the students circulate throughout the week, they will write the day at their top of the papers, draw a picture about what they are doing, and finish the prompt, "The caterpillars _________." Their work will be used to compile a book during next week's group writing activity. At the reading center, the students will work on sequencing using a calendar and retelling the story.

Week Two: Wednesday, October 24

Today we begin our group writing activity. For the draft, I'll use posterboard to make a big book and tape in the students' illustrations. Once the book is completed we will print a copy to present to the class as a thank you/going away gift. Students will take turns showing and describing their pictures. From their input, we'll come up with a sentence that fits the form: "On _______, they __________." Once we complete our story, we can add a title and a title page. Finally, we'll read the story together, as a class. (The same reading and writing centers will continue into this week.)

Week Three: Monday, October 29

Because it takes about three weeks for the caterpillars to transform into butterflies, the student will have continued recording their observations in the writing center. This week we will continue our group writing process in revision and in adding new information. We can discuss how our story compares to Eric Carle's book and determine if our initial predictions were correct.

In the reading center, the students will take turns reading our class book to each other. In the writing center, the students will draw a picture and write/dictate a sentence about "what I will do today."

Overall, this project should allow students to apply their knowledge of print concepts. They will gain experience in research, drafting, revising, illustrating, and publishing a story. And they should not easily forget the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.