LITERACY REMIX II: BUTTERFLIES ARE…
Typically, the Literacy lab camps out once a week in Ms. Butler's class.
One day a student from Ms. Dora’s fourth-grade class asked, “Mama K, when are you and Papa K coming to our class?”
“Soon,” I said. “I promise.”
I began the search for a book to inspire wonder and surprise. I wanted the perfect book, and at last I found an amazing nature book entitled A Butterfly Is Patient written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long.
Listed below are some of the fun facts and new words that Papa K and I discovered with our new group of fourth graders:
A butterfly is patient because it begins as a tiny egg resting beneath the leaves.
I misplaced my reading glasses but the show must go on , hence the prescription sunglasses.
A butterfly is creative because after about 38 days a metamorphosis (vocabulary word) occurs, transforming the egg to a caterpillar and then a butterfly.
A butterfly is helpful because as it flutters from flower to flower, it plays a part in the process of pollination (vocabulary word).
A butterfly is protective as it uses its wings to shield itself from prey such as birds and insects.
Did you know that some butterflies, like the Swallowtail, are poisonous?
I think we can all agree that butterflies are spectacular with their various colors and awesome geometric patterns. The Moonlight Jewel, Annie’s Eighty-eight, and the blue morpho are especially fascinating. The book is full of so many species and types of butterflies.
Did you know that a butterfly gets thirsty and needs water just like humans? I have seen butterflies drink from the birdbath in our front yard. Oh, the wonder of nature.
A butterfly can be big or small. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing lives in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of up to a foot. With a ruler in hand, the students learned that 12 inches equal one foot. The tiniest butterfly, called the Arian Small Blue, lives in Afghanistan. Its wingspan is just one-third of an inch, about the length of a grain of rice.
The students were in awe. Before ending our time with them, we asked them to locate Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan on the map. In addition, we left Ms. Dora with a list of vocabulary words and critical thinking questions
We discovered many new things about butterflies, and you will too when you read the book. The best part is that A Butterfly Is Patient is just one of many nature books by Dianna Hutts Aston. I highly recommend the others in the series:
A Rock Is Lively An Egg Is Quiet A Seed Is Sleepy A Nest Is Noisy A Beetle Is Shy