Insect Lesson Plans for Kindergarten
Insect lesson plans for kindergarten are here! Last week I was able to work with a kindergarten classroom as we immersed ourselves in all things insects!
Insect Lesson Plans: Close Reading
We started insect week by reading Insect Detectives by Steve Voake. This is a fantastic book!
We spent our time contextualizing the vocabulary. When we discussed the fact that insects have 3 body parts, someone chimed in, “Like a SNOWMAN!” So my little friend became our living demonstration.
[NOTE: I must have a propensity for making odd faces when I teach because EVERY. SINGLE. PHOTO has me with an odd expression. EVERY! ONE!]
We also talked and talked and talked about the text. If you want to elevate reading comprehension it is important to dive into books and read them repetitively. It is often said that students learn to read in K-2 classrooms and they read to learn starting in 3rd grade. My belief is that ALL students can read to learn. In the case of our guiding readers, the decoding work is done by the teacher, but the reading comprehension work is done by the students.
Here is a peek inside of the book.
Insect Lesson Plans: It’s all about schema!
We used this text to help tap into our schema. Because Insect Detectives has so much information, we only read half of the book on day one. Here is an example of our reading schema response page.
As the week continued we added and adjusted our Schema chart until it finally looked like this. We can leave those unanswered questions in the “What We Know” section of the chart and do further research. Once it is confirmed or refuted the Post-It notes will be moved. Sometimes, we just have unanswered questions… such is the way of life.
We also worked our way through the text and wrote some interesting facts about insects.
Insect Lesson Plans: Informational writing
Using the information we learned about insects from the text, we started to write our own All About Insects books.
A ground beetle is like a precious jewel. A butterfly starts as a caterpillar. It goes to a cocoon when it comes out as a butterfly. {See the sequencing labels at the top of the page?} Bees collect nectar for their babies.
Ants always live together. Insects have 3 body parts. The head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Wasps chew wood to make paper [nests].
Ants live underground. Some insects fly. Some insects don’t. Wasps mix wood in their mouth to make their nests.
You can find all of these close reading activities in our April Engaging Readers Unit. Click HERE to see more.
Read more about informational writing HERE.
Insect Lesson Plans: Directed Drawing
We also followed the directed drawing in the Engaging Readers! These turned out cute!
Insect Lesson Plans: Science, Math, and More
We also added a few fun activities to our Science, Math, and More extension unit!
More Insect Fun!
In other texts, we learned about insects compound eyes. I have had these kaleidoscope viewers forever, but you can find something similar by clicking HERE.
We enjoyed this fun activity from Deanna Jump’s Insect Unit .
Insect Lesson Plans: Let’s Eat
Then we built an insect, labeled it, and named it!
Insect Lesson Plans: Poetry
This poem is perfect for your insect lesson plans!
You can hear my class (from a previous year) singing it here.
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Deedee Wills
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
Hi, I'm DeedeE.
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
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10 Responses
Hi Deedee! I have been using you & Deanna Jump’s Writing Through the Year Unit for years (and LOVE it!), but have just discovered your blog. Don’t know what took me so long! 🙂 Anyway, I noticed that for some of your blog posts on units of study (like teeth) you have a schedule of your week. I love this because I can see how you fit everything in. Do you have one for this insect unit? (Or did I miss it?) I always get restless about this time of year and want to change my classroom flow, plus I have nonfiction writing coming up next month and this would be a wonderful kick off. Thank you! – Amy Kovacs
P.S. I bought one of your TPT Math & Literacy Center packs and am so excited to use it next month!!! Thanks for answering my questions so quickly on TPT.
AHH! I am so glad you found me!!
Yes! Here is the one for Insect Detective!
Insect Detective
I love your pictures, ideas and lessons. This year, Im the Pre-K – 2 science teacher, and I am looking for lesson plans with differentiation, printables, hands-on activities covering the NYC Science Curriculum. Would you be able to help me, it would be appreciated.
Hi there!
I think you might like the science lessons that Cara Carroll has created. You will find her on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Wow what a fabulous website! Your ideas are amazing! We are going to be Insect “Investigators”
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much!
What would you typically do on Day 1 using this book?
We work on the schema chart. What do we already know, what did we learn. 🙂
Hi! I love your ideas, thank you for sharing all that you do! I follow you on TPT but can’t seem to find anything related to this unit. Would you mind sending me a direct link? I also can’t seem to find that book suggestion at the library…worth purchasing?
The lesson plans and activities are available in Deanna Jump’s TPT store. Here is that link for you: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/READ-ALOUD-LESSON-PLANS-April-Set-Two-2452643
For the book, you can probably find a read aloud on YouTube. I always prefer to have the book and do like this one but that is absolutely up to you! It looks like it’s $8 on Amazon – so not too bad!