Monarch Butterfly: 2008

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Monarch Migration

Map of monarch migration. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=32.842674,-86.484375&spn=65.241657,120.410156&z=3

Map

Here is a map of the spring 2008 migration of the Monarch Butterfly. Click on the circles to find out more information!

Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

The life cycle of the monarch butterfly is similar to other living organisms. Above are pictures of the life cycle. The monarch butterfly starts out as an egg about the size of a pencil tip, once it hatches it is a young caterpillar. The caterpillar first eats is shell then eats all of the milkweed it can. Once it's skin becomes too tight it will molt or shed it's skin for a looser one. The caterpillar will do this four times before going into it's next stage which is the chrysalis or pupa. The chrysalis is green with gold dots towards the top. The final stage of the life cycle is the emerging of the butterfly. Once the butterfly comes out of the pupa it must dry it's wings for about 3 hours before it can take flight. The butterfly will begin to look for nectar to eat.

Lesson plan

Science Monarch Butterfly Blog
Target audience-2nd graders who are learning the life cycle of a butterfly.
Context- This is for a school, to complete the life cycle kit in the science curriculum from the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center
Learning objectives- The learners will have concrete knowledge of the life cycle of a butterfly and have the ability to transfer the information to other living organisms as well as understand the monarch butterfly habitat.
Description of lesson/Intervention- Online tools, blog, You Tube video, Flickr, microphone, and Google Maps.
Students will work in groups of 3-4 (or you could do a class blog if student’s are not familiar with blogging) to create a blog on the life cycle of the butterfly. They will include details learned throughout the unit about the habitat; describe how and where the butterfly travels when winter comes, and life cycles of the butterfly and other living organisms. Students will utilize online tools such as video clips from united streaming, images from the photo gallery I have put together; they may use the class pictures taken of our butterflies and include them onto their blog.
Procedure:
Towards the end of the science kit unit on Life Cycles, begin by talking about creating blogs, explain how a blog can be like an online journal or in this case a science journal. We will be creating a blog that will put everything you have learned in science about the monarch butterfly on the internet available for others to view. I have created a model blog that I will be showing you for an example. Each week I will be giving you guidelines about what I would like you to be working on within your blog. You and your group mates need to work together to ensure you have accurate information that is helpful to someone who knows nothing about the monarch butterfly.
Week 1 – Find pictures of the life cycle of a butterfly and another living organism. Blog write to your audience telling about the two life cycles. Create a venn diagram or write in a two-column chart how they are similar.
Week 2 – Insert a United Streaming video clip telling about the habitat for a butterfly. Write in your blog the key points of understanding from the video. What does the butterfly need to survive? Where does the butterfly typically live?
Week 3 – Using Google Maps insert a map showing the path the butterfly will travel when heading south for the winter. Explain why the butterfly must travel south and not stay up north for the winter.
Week 4 – Finalize the group blog, check for errors and information that is not clear, publish and send out for others to share!
Artifact: Sample blog for Monarch Butterfly
Justification:
I chose to incorporate the online tools to get 2nd graders into the technology world. They journal write and record information into their science journal. It is now time to share their understandings with parents, family, and other school friends by using a blog. This is another way to show students that their work is important and meaningful. Utilizing Google Maps is a wonderful way for others to experience a detailed path the butterflies travel, it becomes more lifelike. It is difficult to share this information from a paper map. Providing real-life photos taken from the classroom and inserting them into the blog gives the students’ a sense of ownership, they will still use images retrieved from online to give deeper understanding to their blog writing. Clips from United Streaming are another teaching tool in aiding to reach all student’s different learning styles.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Lesson plan

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