Download (PT1): Naturalist (Monarch Butterflies) Subjects: Science

(PT1): Naturalist (Monarch Butterflies)
Subjects: Science, Environmental Science, Math, Technology
Grade Band: 3-5 (Grade 4)
Content Vocabulary:
Ecosystem – a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all
the nonliving, physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil,
water, and sunlight
Environment – the combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth,
development, and survival of organisms
Geography - the science that deals with the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants
Habitat- the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs
Migrate- to change location periodically, especially by moving seasonally from one region to another
Naturalist- a person who is expert or interested in botany or zoology
Species- an organism’s category of scientific classification
Content vocabulary retrieved from:
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/
BIG IDEA:
Populations of organisms evolve by natural selection.
People acting individually and/or as groups influence the environment.
Living things depend on their habitat to meet their basic needs.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What allows some populations of organisms to change and survive while others cannot?
How do humans influence the environment?
When investigating different systems (e.g., agriculture, terrestrial, aquatic), how does a habitat meet the needs
of a species?
OVERVIEW:
The monarch butterfly is known around the world as the only butterfly that migrates. The monarch butterfly
species travels north in the summer where it can find food for its larvae and then returns to Mexico and Baja,
California prior to winter. As human population increases along these routes, access to resources often
becomes limited due to geographic and economic concerns for humans.
GOAL:
Your goal is to supply critical information regarding the monarch butterfly migration to towns and cities along
the flight path so that the monarch butterfly can continue its journey with minimal loss of habitat.
ROLE:
As a naturalist, you are very interested in helping the monarch butterfly to survive and thrive. Concerns have
arisen in Mexico and the United States related to habitat loss. You will be supplying information and ideas to
towns and cities that influence the monarch butterfly migration.
AUDIENCE:
You will be providing information to a mixed audience. You will want to gain the support of local, state, and
national governments for your ideas. Additionally, you will want to educate citizens of all ages about how they
can help the monarch butterfly.
SITUATION:
The monarch butterfly is known around the world as the only butterfly that migrates. The monarch butterfly
species travels north in the summer where it can find food for its larvae and then returns to Mexico and Baja,
California prior to winter. As human population increases along these routes, access to resources often
becomes limited due to geographic and economic concerns for humans.
PRODUCTS:
1-Brochure – Create a brochure that highlights the many threats to the monarch butterfly including
herbicides, pesticides, deforestation, and other human influences. In your brochure, highlight one particular
threat by creating a chart or graph that illustrates its impact. This brochure will be distributed throughout the
community.
2-Butterfly Garden – Create a blueprint for a butterfly garden. Your blueprint will need to include
dimensions for the garden’s size as well as dimensions for a fence that will go around the garden.
Additionally, you will need to include the plants you will use in the garden. You must draw and label the
plants you will include, such as milkweed, butterfly bush, and other plants that are beneficial to the monarch
butterfly. Your blueprint will need to be drawn to scale so you know exactly how many plants you will need
and how much space you need between each plant.
3-Letter – You will write a letter to a town, city, county, or state government located along the path of the
migration discussing ways that the community can help the monarch butterfly make their journey. This letter
must be based upon fact and may consider the monarch butterfly life cycle, habitat concerns, and/or
environmental influence on the gene pool. Your goal is to convince the community that they can make a
positive difference and can help the monarch butterfly migration. This should be a business letter that
includes all parts of a business letter.
4-Scientific Drawing – Create a poster of the monarch butterfly highlighting the various parts of the butterfly
and the role each part has in the life cycle and migration. The poster should also provide an overview of the
life cycle critical to the migration.
5-Webcast/Newscast- Create a webcast/newscast that connects the monarch butterfly migration with your
location. Provide an overview of the biology of the migration and how human influences affect this migration
and the species. This should include multimedia resources when appropriate.