Changes in a Monarch's Life Cycle

Students will be able to:
Observe and describe monarch's growth and change
An organism's survival is dependent upon a habitat that sustains its needs
Some organisms undergo metamorphosis to complete a full life cycle

I will be using this for second grade in a class of about 25 students. The lesson is a combination of lecture, classroom observation, field observation, and book making. The time needed may vary according to the size of larva that you have to work with. Outside observation will be 30 minutes with 15 minutes of sharing once back in class. I would take an hour for the students to make their life cycle books. Before going outside we will have discussed and observed the various stages a monarch goes through. I feel this activity would be easily adaptable to any grade level.

I will introduce the monarch and allow the ongoing observation through an area set up in the classroom. We will discuss vocabulary terms of development and growth while raising the monarchs. Once the students have observed the various stages of monarch development we will head outside. Depending on the amount of milkweed plants I will have pairs of students sit by a plant; they will draw what they see. We will be observing the milkweed plant for eggs, caterpillars and what stage they are at, chrysalis, or butterflies. If none of these live organisms are seen the student should draw an eaten leaf or the milkweed plant itself. This will ensure a feeling of success for all students even if they don't see a living monarch. Once back in class we will share what we saw. Tools needed for the field study are: clipboard, white paper, colored pencils, and magnifying glass. Remind the students of outdoor behavior before going outside. After this the students will create a pop-up book of the monarch's life cycle. They will also write 1-2 sentences about that stage of life. The book is a good way to review for the assessment.

Before students go outside to observe I would tell them they should ask before touching or holding any live organism. I would have an example of the finished pop-up book and also show individual pages and how they go together for a better understanding of the assembly of the book. I think it would be a good idea to brainstorm vocabulary they would be using in their book and write these words on the board.

Students will pretend they are a trail guide at a nature park. They are giving a tour to elementary students and need to tell about the monarch and the stages of its life cycle. The choices of how you want to share the information are: All About Book, a diagram, a poster, or a brochure. Students will accurately name the stages of the life cycle and explain them, demonstrate the survival needs of the monarch, use scientific vocabulary, and the project should be organized and easy to understand.

Life Science
Living things are diverse with different observable characteristics
Understand changes during life cycles
Literacy
Compose informational piece of writing.
Demonstrate increased emerging knowledge in writing process