MONARCH BUTTERFLY LESSON PLAN

OBJECTIVE: Students will learn about the life stages of the Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle

Procedure: Read “A Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, and show the caterpillar changing into a butterfly.  (can make a story box with the other items listed in the story for special needs, or visually impaired kids)

Go  outside and find milkweed.

Hopefully find a caterpillar and see butterfly.

Observe Caterpillars, can journal over time and record observations like how many leaves it eats, size, date it pupates.

Color lifecycle page

Talk through goals with kids during the hike and observations.

GOALS:

Butterfly lays an egg on Milkweed

Where do the caterpillars live? Milkweed in gardens, fields, ditches, ponds

What do they eat? Only Milkweed. Many leaves a day.

How long does it take for a Caterpillar to be full grown and ready to become a chrysalis? (pupate) 9-14 days. Warm weather makes it faster

What happens when it is time for the caterpillars to become a chrysalis? The caterpillar finds a safe place to hang upside down, like a “J” , attaches and starts the process of becoming a chrysalis (pupate).

How does it turn into a chrysalis? It sheds it’s skin by wiggling. The skin on its back splits up the middle and the chrysalis appears.

What does the chrysalis look like? It is green with a beautiful golden necklace.

How do you know when the butterfly will emerge? The chrysalis becomes darker and you can see the wings through the shell.

What happens next? The chrysalis splits and the butterfly emerges.

What does the butterfly look like? Its wings are shriveled and has a black fat body.  It starts to flap its wings to pump fluid into its wings so they start to grow big enough to fly.  The butterfly will hang very still while it dries.  Then it will fly away.

Ask the students to recall stages 1, 2, 3. And review what the students have learned about the habitat of caterpillars, chrysalis stage and signs the butterfly is ready to fly.

 

VOCABULARY: Caterpillars, Chrysalis, Milkweed, pupate, butterfly, lifecycle