Students compare and contrast the adult and offspring of a butterfly species, and then they explore the outdoor classroom to find and observe it, identify it, determine if it is an adult or offspring.
Click on the orange links to access free educational materials: ALSDE Standards Taught | |
Activity Page #1: Monarch Adult & Offspring (or as Word Doc)
Activity Page #2: Black Swallowtail Adult & Offspring (or as Word Doc) with Answer Page #2 |
|
Outdoor Activity Materials: activity pages, clipboards, pencils, magnifying glasses, and copies of field identification guides such as National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States |
Step 1: Engage through Discussion
|
|
Engage the students and capture their interests with an Interactive Q&A (or as PDF) that allows you to click through the questions one at a time. You can gauge your students' understanding of the topic as they answer the questions. Print and use the Q&A Info Sheet (or as Word Doc) to anticipate the next question in the Interactive Q&A and to guide the conversation with the students. (Note: For the PowerPoint (PPT), click "Slide Show" & "From Beginning" to display the questions and answers separately.) | |
Use these tools to continue the discussion:
|
|
Step 2: Explore with Literature | ||
As you read these books, you can further explore the topic and discuss your students' experiences and knowledge around the topic:
Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons (ISBN-10:0823409090) From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science 1) by Deborah Heiligman (ISBN-978-0062381835) From Tadpole to Frog (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science 1) by Wendy Pfeffer (ISBN-978-0062381866) |
||
Step 3: Explain with Educational Videos | |
Use these educational videos to help explain the topic in more detail: | |
This is What Newborn Animals Look Like by Mind Warehouse (2:56 min.) @ https://www.youtube.com/watch? |
Baby Animals Who Grow Up to Look Totally Different (2:18 min.) @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0TkOoakcP0 |
Step 4: Elaborate with a Field Investigation in the Outdoor Classroom | |
Students apply what they have learned as they investigate the topic in your outdoor classroom and record their real-world observations on their activity page: | |
Version #1: Monarch Butterfly |
Version #2: Black Swallowtail Butterfly |
Activity Tips
Version #1 – Comparing Adult to Offspring: Monarch Butterfly Procedure
Outdoor Discovery:
Indoor Discussion:
|
|
Version #2 – Comparing Adult to Offspring: Black Swallowtail Activity Page: PDF (as is) / Word Doc (editable) Procedure
Outdoor Discovery:
Indoor Discussion:
|
|
Wildlife Identification Resources:
|
Step 5: Evaluate with an Assessment Activity | ||
Review and assess the students’ observations and answers on their observation pages: | ||
Evaluate the students' understanding of the topic with the following assessment tool: | ||
|
Questions? Contact us at oc@alabamawildlife.org.