The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We have been working with the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and using it to practice many important kindergarten skills such as making predictions, using scissors and glue, picking colours that make sense, following multi-step instructions, story telling and so much more!

First, we started by reading the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, but kept the end of the story a secret. Instead, students were asked to make a smart guess, or a prediction, of what would happen when the hungry caterpillar came out of his small home, called a “cocoon”. Students then drew a detailed picture of what they thought would happen next and shared their ideas with the teacher. 

 

Sehaj predicted, "he turned into a butterfly."

 

Another student shared, "it turned into a butterfly.. he's going home because he's all done his new home."

 

Rahaan predicted, "he's going to eat more food when he goes out of the cocoon and then he will be big."

 

Usmaan predicted, "he turned into a butterfly... he was sad because he got lost in the forest."

Predictions are a very important early learning comprehension skill. You can practice this skill at home while reading a story by asking your child what will happen in the story by just looking at the cover of the book. While reading, stop throughout the story and ask your child to guess, or predict, what they think will happen next. 

"I can make connections with different types of text.”

We continued to build on our knowledge and understanding of the story, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by watching the story of, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” on the smartboard and learned that sometimes things can be the same in a story and sometimes things can be different. 

"I can use shapes to draw a picture / "I can follow directions"

Next, we used a checklist to help us create our own hungry caterpillar. First, we drew the letter "C". Next, we traced circles to make the caterpillar. Then, we had to pick smart colors for our caterpillar (the caterpillar’s head is red and his body is green). Last we added details to make our caterpillars look more like the hungry caterpillar in the story. 

 

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“I can cut” / “I can match objects to a numeral” / “I can name fruits”

We are beginning to become masters at following directions by using checklists. First, we learned how to use scissors to cut out shapes of fruits. Before glueing, we counted and matched the number of fruits to the correct numeral. Last, we coloured colors that made sense and matched the fruit the hungry caterpillar ate.

"I can use picture cues to put a story in proper order.”

Next, we focused on many skills to put the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” in sequence of what happened first, next, then, last. 

First, we cut. 

                                

                                

Next, we think and glue.

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Last, we colour using colours that make sense.

                    

Boys and girls were then asked to share the story of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in their own words.

Retelling a story: Curious about the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”? Ask your child to tell you the story at home! Boys and girls can also practice retelling stories at home. After reading a story together, prompt your child to tell you what happened first, next, then and last!