Monarch ManiaBy Ryan Bohannan

School District: Blue Springs School District

Instructional Coach: Chris Gibler

Brief Description: In this unit students will explore the life cycle of a butterfly. Students will observe caterpillars and watch as they change into beautiful butterflies. Along the way students will learn about the basic needs of butterflies and their migration patterns. They will also compare a butterfly’s life cycle and needs to that of a human. By the end of the unit, students should be quite knowledgeable about Monarch Butterflies!

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Essential Questions:

What are the four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly?

How does the butterfly’s life cycle compare to ours?

What is migration?

How do the Monarchs know when to migrate?

Where do Monarchs migrate to?

How do the Monarchs know which way to fly?

Student Learner Objectives:

TSWBAT explain the four stages of the life cycle of a butterfly.

TSWBAT compare and contrast the life cycle of a butterfly to that of a human.

TSWBAT make observations of a caterpillar and after metamorphosis a butterfly. Students will make and assess predictions throughout their observations.

TSWBAT identify a butterfly’s basic needs for survival.

TSWBAT define and explain the purpose of migration.

TSWBAT explain when, where and how butterflies migrate during the fall.

TSWBAT locate and mark Blue Springs, MO and Mexico on a map. The students then will track the butterflies as they journey from Missouri to Mexico.

GLE’s:

Science 3.3.D.a: Scope and Sequence – Parent-Offspring Relationships: Identify that living things have offspring based on the organisms’ physical similarities and differences.

Science 4.1.A.a: Scope and Sequence –Weather and Seasons: Describe how the seasons affect the behavior of plants and animals.

Social Studies 5.A: Identify maps and globes as geographic tools.

Communication Arts: Reading 1.E: Develop vocabulary by listening to and discussing unknown ideas in stories.

Featured Picture Books:

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Time Needed: 4 days, approx. 1 hour per day

Academic Vocabulary Words:

Larva - Newly hatched, wingless, often wormlike form of many insects before metamorphosis. (For

butterflies, the larva stage is the Caterpillar.)

Molting -To shed periodically part or all of an outer covering, which is then replaced by a new growth.

Chrysalis – for butterflies, a pupa, enclosed in a firm case for protection during growth.

Metamorphosis - A change in the form and often habits during normal development.

Migration - To change location periodically, especially by moving seasonally from one region to another.

Habitat - The area where an organism lives.

(Definitions retrieved and adapted from http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/english on July 23,

2011.)

Depth of Knowledge Level: Will be addressed in lesson narrative.

Materials Needed: Materials are listed separately for each lesson.

Pre-Assessment: Before beginning this unit, assess the students’ background knowledge. Since this unit is designed for kindergarteners, the pre-assessment will be given through class discussion. Ask the following questions:

What do you know about butterflies?What do baby butterflies look like?Where do butterflies live? Do they stay there all year?Do butterflies and humans have anything in common?

The teacher will want to take note of responses that could be incorporated into the unit.

Day 1

Time Needed: 1 hour

Materials Needed:

Monarch caterpillarsMonarch caterpillar eggs on milkweed leafContainers for caterpillars and eggsMagnifying glassesObservation journalsDocument cameraPencilsColored pencilsChart paper for OWL chartMarkersGotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope

Featured Picture Book:

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope

Reading Strategies:

Throughout the read-aloud, the teacher will model questioning, inferring, making connections and accessing background knowledge. Students will also be asked to use these strategies during the reading.

DOK Level:

Level 1: Draw observations of caterpillars and eggs. Recognize that the egg and the caterpillar are both different stages of development. Discuss observations with classmates.

Level 2: Make observations of caterpillars and eggs. Compare the habitat of the egg to the habitat of the caterpillar.

Lesson Narrative:

Engage/Explore: As students are sitting at their tables, place caterpillars and eggs in the middle of the tables for students to observe. Students will spend two minutes just observing, using their magnifying glasses. Remind the student to look closely at the caterpillar and egg, but also pay close attention to everything else in the container. Ask the students to observe where the egg and the caterpillar are located in the container.

Explore/Explain: Once the students have made some observations, pass out their observation journals. Give the students about 10 minutes to draw /or write their observations. Once a majority of students have finished recording their observations, allow students to share their recordings with the class. Let the students place their journals on the document camera to make it easier for others to see.

Elaborate/Extend: Once students have shared their observations, have students move to the classroom meeting area. Tell the students that they have made some very impressive observations, so you are curious to see what they already know about caterpillars. Explain to the students that the class will be creating an OWL chart about caterpillars. Using the chart paper, record students’ observations in the O column. Once many observations have been shared, ask the students what they wonder about caterpillars? What do you want to know about caterpillars? Record this information in the W column.

After wonders have been recorded, tell the students you are going to read The Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope. Students need to listen carefully and raise their hand if their wonderings are answered. While reading, be sure to stop periodically to voice questioning, inferences and making connections. After modeling a few times let the students join in with the reading strategies.

Evaluate: As a class, fill in the learnings on the OWL chart. This should include wonders or questions that the book answered as well as other information the students learned from the reading. Once the chart if complete, have students return to their seat. Ask the students to observe the caterpillar and the egg one more time (about a minute is all that is needed). Have the students use their newfound knowledge to describe what they see and predict what may happen next.

Student Resources: (to assemble journal, copy one cover and multiple observation pages for each student. Staple the cover on top of the observation pages, stapling on the left side so to create a book. Students need to make observations every few days to capture the four different stages of the butterfly life cycle.

Day 2

Time Needed: approximately 75 minutes

Materials Needed:

OWL chart from Day 1 lessonChart paper (if additional room is needed for chart)MarkersGreen or orange construction paper cut 4” x 18”Butterfly life cycle handoutColored PencilsScissorsGlueStapler

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Featured Picture Book:

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Reading Strategies:

Throughout the read-aloud, the students will be asked to use context clues to understand unknown words, question the text, and make inferences and connections.

DOK Level:

Level 1: Discuss observations on nature walk. Sequence the four stages of the butterfly life cycle. Explain the butterfly life cycle.

Level 2: Make observations during nature walk. Compare butterfly life cycle sequence with classmates. Construct Monarch Crown.

Lesson Narrative:

Engage/Explore: Refer to the OWL chart from Day 1 and discuss what the students have learned so far. Tell the students that there are still questions and wonderings that have not been answered. Propose the idea of a nature walk to see if they can observe butterflies in their natural habitat. Before going on the walk, remind students the important safety procedures: We must stay together as a group, we must wear closed toe shoes and always listen and follow teacher directions. On the walk, let students explore. Monitor student interest to know when exploring needs to cease.

Explore/Explain: Once exploration is complete, find a group meeting area to discuss the student observations. After observations have been discussed, ask the students to ponder what questions and wonderings have arisen from today’s observations.

Elaborate/Extend: Once back in the classroom, gather students in the classroom meeting area. Refer to yesterday’s OWL chart. Have the students discuss what they learned in yesterday’s lesson. Then, discuss what questions and wonderings the class still has. Add these to the OWL chart.

After wonders have been recorded, read Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons. Students need to listen carefully and raise their hand if their wonderings are answered. While reading, be sure to stop periodically to discuss vocabulary words. Ask the students to use context clues from the story to define unknown words. Continue to encourage questioning the text, and making connections and inference.

Vocabulary words in Monarch Butterfly: larva, molting, chrysalis, pupa, metamorphosis, migration.

Evaluate: As a class, fill in the learnings on the OWL chart. This should include wonders or questions that the book answered as well as other information the students learned from the reading. Once the chart if complete, have students return to their seat. Now students are going to show what they’ve learned about the life cycle of a butterfly by creating a Monarch Crown. Students must first color the four stages of the life cycle. Discuss color choices so that the pictures represent real monarch butterflies. Next, students cut out the four stages of the life cycle, and then place the stages in the correct order on the crown. Before they can glue, students must compare their crown with two classmates to ensure the correct order, and then explain the four stages using their new vocabulary words to the teacher. Once complete the teacher will fit the crown around the child’s head and staple.

***Continue to observe caterpillars and record observations in journal. This will continue until time to release the butterflies.

Student Resources: For the Monarch Crown, cut 4” x 18” pieces of green or orange construction paper for each student. As a class, discuss why the teacher chose the two colors; green to represent the milkweed leaf and/or orange to represent the butterfly.

Day 3

Time Needed: 1 hour

Materials Needed:

Suitcase with Mexico tagColored PencilsMonarch Butterfly Migration slideshow: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/jr/IntroMig2K.htmlComputer/ProjectorMap of North AmericaMonarch Butterfly photo (see end of lesson)Suitcase papers

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Featured Picture Book:

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Reading Strategies:

Throughout the slideshow, the students will be asked to question the text, make inferences and connections.

DOK Level:

Level 1: Discuss basic needs of butterflies. Define vocabulary words. Recall information from migration slideshow.

Level 2: Compare butterfly needs to human needs. Identify patterns of migration.

Level 3: Determine importance when “packing” for trip to Mexico.

Lesson Narrative:

Engage/Explore: Refer to Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons and review the vocabulary words presented in the text. Ask students to discuss the basic needs of butterflies: food, water, shelter and space. How do these needs compare to our needs as humans? Do humans need to migrate to survive?

Get out the suitcase with a Mexico tag attached. Invite students to take a scientific journey with you to Mexico. Ask the following questions:

o Does anyone here know which direction we would need to go to get to Mexico?o Would we go north, east, south or west?o What would help us to find the way?

o If we went without a vehicle, how long would it take us?o Would we need to stop along the way? What for?

Announce: I think we need a tour guide to help us. Pull a picture of a monarch butterfly out of the suitcase without revealing any information. Why might I have a monarch butterfly? Do you think he can help us find our way?

Explore/Explain/Elaborate: Show students the Monarch Butterfly Migration slideshow: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/jr/IntroMig2K.html. Ask the students: How do the butterflies know when to begin migration? How do they know which way to fly? Have students mark on classroom map, Blue Springs, MO and Mexico where the butterflies migrate.

Extend: Once back at their seat, explain to students: Monarchs are born knowing how and when to migrate hundreds of miles to Mexico. People need suitcases, maps, clocks, technology to find their way to Mexico. They must learn where to go or be led by another person. Monarchs know how to travel by instinct. Discuss the meaning of instinct. Pass out the paper suitcases. Have students fill the suitcase with the supplies a human would need to travel to Mexico.

Evaluate: Once all students have completed their suitcases, have students share their creations and discuss their needs to travel to Mexico compared to the needs of a butterfly.

Notes: This lesson was adopted from the Journey North website. The original lesson can be found here: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/jr/IntroMigTG.html.

***Continue to observe caterpillars and record observations in journal. This will continue until time to release the butterflies.

Student Resources:

Day 4

Time Needed: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Materials Needed:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric CarleChart paperMarkersPencilsCrayons/colored pencilsHuman life cycleBlank human life cycleMonarch butterfly picturesSmartboard

Featured Picture Book:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Reading Strategies:

While reading, the students will be asked to use context clues to make connections and synthesize.

DOK Level:

Level 1: Recognize misconceptions in The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Discuss human life cycle.

Level 2: Compare butterfly life cycle with human life cycle. Show the human life cycle.

Level 3: Revise The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Lesson Narrative:

Engage/Explore: Gather students at classroom meeting area. Tell the students: We have learned so much about Monarch butterflies lately. Now that you are experts, can you help me listen for misconceptions in this book? Explain to the students that misconceptions are ideas that we have in our heads that differ from what scientists believe to be true. Think about everything you know about butterflies. As I read, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, raise your hand when you see/hear something that we don’t

believe to be true. Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. When misconceptions arise in the book, stop and let students discuss.

Explore/Explain: Since there is some information in this book that is not accurate, we are going to rewrite the book as a class. Assist the students in rewriting The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with accurate facts by creating a class book on chart paper. Send students back to their tables to illustrate the new butterfly story. There should be enough pages in the class book for one page per two students. Place pictures on the projector so to help the students to create more lifelike/accurate images. When complete, compile the pages to make a new class book. Read the book together as a class.

Elaborate/Extend: Have students think about the butterfly life cycle and compare it to a human’s life cycle. What are the stages of the human life cycle? Using Chart paper, create a t-chart to record comparisons. Explain the simple human cycle to the students, letting them know they will learn more stages to human development in later grades. Since this lesson is designed for kindergarteners, the human life cycle will include: baby, child, teenage, adult. Show the students the human life cycle diagram.

Evaluate: Have students return to their seats. Pass out the blank human life cycle diagram. Students are to draw pictures and label each stage in the cycle. Write the following words on the board for labeling: baby, child, teenager, and adult. If students need more assistance, you may need to leave example human life cycle on the smartboard. When done, students are to share and explain their human life cycles with the class.

***Continue to observe caterpillars and record observations in journal. This will continue until time to release the butterflies.

Student Resources: Show the following images while students are illustrating their class story.

Post-Assessment: At the completion of the unit, it is important for the teacher to assess the students to show knowledge gained. This assessment can be in the form of a class discussion or a one-on-one conversation with each student and the teacher.

What are the four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly?

How does the butterfly’s life cycle compare to ours?

What is migration?

How do the Monarchs know when to migrate?

Where do Monarchs migrate to?

How do the Monarchs know which way to fly?

Misconceptions: Misconceptions are discussed while reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Safety Concerns: There are various safety concerns that must be addressed during this unit. When students spend time outside, they need to wear closed toe shoes, and stay with the group. Students need to wash their hands after coming inside and after handling caterpillar containers. When using scissors, remind students to be careful and leave scissors on the table when not in use. For the safety of the caterpillars/butterfly, students need to practice observing without disturbing.

Suggestions for Teachers and Students: Accommodations and changes may be necessary for this lesson to fit your group of students. Before beginning the unit, research the life cycle of a butterfly so that you are well equipped to answer student questions. Screen children’s literature you choose to include with the unit to monitor for misconceptions.

Bibliography:

Websites used:

www.journeynorth.org

http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/english

http://bluford.pbworks.com/w/page/14895337/Butterfly-Life-Cycle

http://www.rpdp.net/DOK_pdfs/DOK_ALL_LEVELS_Presentation.pdf

www.amazon.com

Books used:

Primary Instant Theme Stationery; Over 100 Sheets by: Scholastic Professional Books

Picture-Perfect Science Lessons by Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

Images borrowed from Google Images can be accessed by the following links:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.diet-blog.com/upload/image/hungry%2520caterpillar.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.diet-blog.com/11/what_we_can_learn_from_the_very_hungry_caterpillar.php&usg=__w09liEEzIEjrEYeILCp5i0QGSrI=&h=300&w=400&sz=40&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=nZDfcQPEf2o_TM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=133&ei=6osnTouIG-m60AHn5vzWCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bvery%2Bhungry%2Bcaterpillar%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D642%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=980&vpy=215&dur=2812&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=219&ty=115&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0&biw=1280&bih=642

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+butterfly+images&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=ERaOQaTCEx0piM:&imgrefurl=http://fohn.net/monarch-butterfly-pictures/page8.html&docid=61cm1nHhR4v66M&w=500&h=374&ei=8AgzTpygNs-CsgKj-tWHCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=483&page=3&tbnh=153&tbnw=204&start=39&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:39&tx=151&ty=79&biw=1280&bih=685

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+butterfly+images&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=1tpOn_3VvkXa1M:&imgrefurl=http://celebretynewstoday.blogspot.com/2010/03/saving-monarch-butterflies.html&docid=ifq-e39JsQL4yM&w=800&h=640&ei=8AgzTpygNs-CsgKj-tWHCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=397&page=3&tbnh=166&tbnw=247&start=39&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:39&tx=167&ty=99&biw=1280&bih=685

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+caterpillar+images&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=7Kt8NO2CWjgmJM:&imgrefurl=http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp%253Fid%253D34&docid=eJ-9J6vobfUCpM&w=492&h=369&ei=QQkzTqioN8GosAKWmKGcCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=391&page=2&tbnh=149&tbnw=233&start=15&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:15&tx=130&ty=74&biw=1280&bih=642

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+caterpillar+chrysalis+images&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=59OmuGLkIg4AgM:&imgrefurl=http://gardenvan.com/Butterflies-Life-Cycle.html&docid=_0P0xCCgUgt4LM&w=822&h=1020&ei=dAkzToGFBOGmsAKi4NzyCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=196&vpy=247&dur=444&hovh=220&hovw=177&tx=129&ty=135&page=1&tbnh=169&tbnw=136&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&biw=1280&bih=642

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+caterpillar+chrysalis+images&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=ubjy-V2gZcdyJM:&imgrefurl=http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/hours-in-the-out-of-doors/links-tips/raising-butterflies/&docid=Bt4M4cYE2r0XhM&w=640&h=480&ei=dAkzToGFBOGmsAKi4NzyCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=413&page=1&tbnh=169&tbnw=223&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0&tx=53&ty=80&biw=1280&bih=642

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=monarch+caterpillar+egg&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=P1IjCTIgGCI3WM:&imgrefurl=http://www.claytonvnps.org/Habitats%252520and%252520Education/stonehouse_elem_habitat/stonehouse_habitat_critters_spotted_photo_page.htm&docid=kk752ZH0iIdz5M&w=448&h=238&ei=uAkzToH6L-yHsAL6wrCTCw&zoom=0&iact=rc&dur=445&page=7&tbnh=67&tbnw=127&start=103&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:103&tx=75&ty=16&biw=1280&bih=642