Math-Literature Connection: Ladybugs

The Grouchy Ladybug
by Eric Carle

• Download Vicki Blackwell's Grouchy Ladybug clock.
• See NCTM Illuminations lesson plan for this book which develops students understanding of time based on activities in their days.
• View an entire ladybug unit from Homeschool Share.

 Ladybug on the Move
by Richard Fowler

• See NCTM Illumination's Ladybug Lengths unit that helps students develop the concept of measurement through the use of nonstandard units including a ladybug tape that may be downloaded from the site.
• Let students play with the Hiding Ladybug applet to practice measurement skills.
• Ladybug Leaf is another online version of this applet game that requires students to estimate distances in a Logo-like environment. 

Lots of Ladybugs
by Michael Dahl


This book was designed to provide practice in counting by fives, offering yet another way to include math in a ladybug unit.  Each page adds five more spots to count until you reach 50.

• Download Ladybug Counting worksheets. 

NOTE:  The worksheet is designed as a companion to the Lots of Ladybugs book.  

• Worksheet 1 has all numbers in a traceable font.
• Worksheet 2 has some missing numbers.  Printed numbers are in traceable font. 

 Ladybug Scramble

The ladybug cards are all scrambled and students must put them in the correct order.  This deck is designed to be printed on card stock, cut apart and stored in plastic bags for use in a math center.

• Download Ladybug Scramble cards in color.
• Download Ladybug Scramble cards in black-white. 

Differentiation:  This activity is easily differentiated by varying the number of cards given to students to accommodate the varied learning levels in the class.  Consider creating A, B, C sets in baggies that contain different number of cards.  Students may move to the harder level once they have mastered the first set.

Ladybug Links

For those who remember the Logo language, NCTM Illuminations offers a similar experience for students today.  The Ladybug Adventures unit requires students to use geometric and measurement skills to program a sequence to move the ladybug under a leaf or through a maze.

• Students use NCTM's Hiding Ladybug applet to design a path that will take the ladybug beneath the leaf for a great problem solving experience. This online applet encourages students to refine their paths until they are ultimately successful. 
• Making Triangles and Making Rectangles require students to teach the ladybug to use specific angles to create shapes that will hide the ladybug under the leaf. 
• Finally, Ladybug Mazes challenges students to develop a series of moves that will successfully navigate the ladybug through the given maze. 

 These online applets are exceptional tools to help students think about and experience geometric concepts.  Students are motivated by the challenge and get immediate feedback on their success.  The applets allow students to refine their initial attempts, another plus in motivating students to successfully master the skills to meet a challenge.

•  There are additional Ladybug Links available on Mathwire's Ladybug Themed Activities.

Ladybug Game

The Ladybug, Fly Away Home! game uses a one-die toss to move that numbered ladybug one space closer to her home. Students add their results to the Class Recording sheet by adding a tally mark for the winning ladybug. Class discussion focuses on the fairness of the game by asking if each ladybug has an equal chance to win? PDF file includes directions, game mat, recording sheet and math center icons

• Download the Ladybug, Fly Away Home! directions, game mat, recording sheet and math center icon. 

Ladybug Patterns

Ladybug Patterns introduces students to the algebraic concept of growing patterns or functions. In this case, the dots on the ladybug change with age. Students may use the picture and a function table to analyze the pattern's growth and write a rule in words and/or variables/numbers.

• Download the Ladybug Patterns student handout.
• Download a blank Ladybug Patterns handout so that students can create their own original patterns to challenge their classmates.
• NOTE:  teachers may use an overhead of the blank pattern handout to create additional patterns for students to analyze (e.g. double the age, 2 more than age, etc. )

Ladybug Odd & Even Numbers

Students use counters and their ladybug mats. Count out the correct number of counters for the given number. Place counters, alternating sides, onto the ladybug mat until all counters are placed. If there are the same number of counters on each side of the ladybug, then the number is an even number. If one side has an extra counter (spot), then the number is an odd number.

• Download Ladybug Math for directions for Odd and Even Ladybugs, recording sheet, number cards and Odd/Even Recording Sheet. 
• B/W Ladybug Mat includes mat, recording sheet and number sentence template. 
• Color Ladybug Mat may be used with round counters or black foam circles.

Suggestion for Morning Math Routines: Place a ladybug template in a sheet protector or laminate the ladybug. Use a dry-erase marker to add a new spot each day. Discuss whether the ladybug has an odd or even number of spots, based on whether there are the same number of spots on each side of the ladybug. Incorporate this practice into morning routines to reinforce odd and even numbers.