Life Cycle of a Butterfly

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE

LEVEL: K-2ND

ADAPTED FROM A LESSON ON

OBJECTIVES: SUBJECT MATTER:

SUMMARY OF TASKS/ACTION:

MATERIALS: REFERENCES:

https://snapguide.com/guides/make-a-model-of-a-butterfly-life-cycle/

STUDENTS WILL MAKE THEIR OWN

DISPLAY OF A BUTTERFLY LIFE

CYCLE USING WHAT THEY HAVE

AT HOME

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

LIFE CYCLES OF PLANTS AND

ANIMALS

ARTS AND CRAFTS

STEP 1:PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF

POLLINATION AND WHY POLLINATORS

ARE IMPORTANT

STEP 2: DETAIL THE AMAZING LIFE

CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY AND HOW

EACH STAGE IS DIFFERENT

STEP 3: USING THE LESSON GUIDE

AND YOUR STUDENT'S CREATIVITY,

TRY TO FIND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT

YOU CAN USE TO REPRESENT THE

DIFFERENT STAGES OF A BUTTERFLY

LIFE CYCLE

STEP 4:CREATE A BUTTERFLY LIFE

CYCLE DISPLAY WITH YOUR

FINDINGS!

STEP 5:REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE

IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS.

EGG: SMALL, ROUND AND EITHER

WHITE OR YELLOW IN COLOR

CATERPILLAR: LONG AND SKINNY,

POSSIBLE FURRY OR TEXTURED

CHRYSALIS: SMOOTH,

BUTTERFLY: COLORFUL, TWO WINGS

CRAFT SUPPLIES, COLORING ITEMS,

PAPER, SCISSORS AND EXAMPLES FOR

EACH LIFE STAGE. SEE ACTIVITY FOR

MORE DETAIL:

HTTPS://WWW.NATGEOKIDS.COM/Z

A/DISCOVER/ANIMALS/INSECTS/BUT

TERFLY-LIFE-CYCLE/

HTTPS://ANSP.ORG/EXHIBITS/ONLIN

E-

EXHIBITS/BUTTERFLIES/LIFECYCLE/

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/CYRRKZOL0LG

GEORGIA LESSON STANDARD:

S2L1. OBTAIN, EVALUATE, AND COMMUNICATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE CYCLES

OF DIFFERENT LIVING ORGANISMS.

ASK QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE THE SEQUENCE OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF COMMON

ANIMALS IN YOUR AREA: A MAMMAL SUCH AS A CAT, DOG OR CLASSROOM PET, A

BIRD SUCH AS A CHICKEN, AN AMPHIBIAN SUCH AS A FROG, AND AN INSECT SUCH

AS A BUTTERFLY.

AS YOU CAN SEE, POLLINATORS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN CREATING

FOOD AND PRODUCTS THAT WE USE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES. TODAY WE WILL

BE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE SPECIFIC TYPE OF POLLINATOR- THE

BUTTERFLY!

METAMORPHOSIS IS THE PROCESS IN WHICH SOMETHING IS CHANGES ITS

SHAPE AND TRANSFORMS INTO SOMETHING NEW. WATCH METAMORPHOSIS

OF A MONARCH IN DETAIL AND DISCUSS THE STEP WITH YOUR STUDENT.

BUTTERFLIES ARE BORN FROM LITTLE TINY EGGS. THESE EGGS ARE LAID

ON PLANTS AND ARE SO TEENY, TINY YOU CAN HARDLY SEE THEM.

FROM THOSE EGGS HATCH A CATERPILLAR. THESE CATERPILLARS EAT

AND EAT AND EAT. THEY GROW UNTIL THEY ARE READY TO UNDERGO

METAMORPHOSIS.

CATERPILLARSHANG UPSIDE DOWN AND FORM A CHRYSALIS. THIS HAS

THE SAME GENERAL SHAPE OF A CATERPILLAR BUT IT USUALLY SMOOTH,

SHINY AND HAS A OUTER COATING TO PROTECT THE BUTTERFLY THAT IS

GROWING INSIDE.

AFTER SOME TIME IN THE CHRYSALIS THE BUTTERFLY WILL EMERGE! THEY

LOOK ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR PREVIOUS LIFE AS A CATERPILLAR

BUT THEY ARE THE SAME CREATURE- JUST TRANSFORMED!

INTRODUCE AND DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING WITH YOUR STUDENTS. PAUSE AFTER

EACH QUESTION AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR STUDENT ON WHAT THEY MAY

ALREADY KNOW ABOUT POLLINATORS AND BUTTERFLIES.

POLLINATORS ARE ALL AROUND US, BUT DO WE REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEY

LIVE? WATCH THIS VIDEO CREATED BY UGA EXTENSION:

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/CYRRKZOL0LG TOOBSERVE POLLINATORS UP CLOSE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLES. DO YOU KNOW HOW A BUTTERFLY IS

BORN? HOW THEY GROW? EVER SEEN A CATERPILLAR? HOW DO THEY BECOME

BUTTERFLIES? IN THE HUMAN LIFE CYCLE WE ARE BORN AS BABIES AND GROW

UP INTO ADULTS, HOWEVER BUTTERFLIES HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT LIFE CYCLE.

TODAY WE WILL LEARN HOW BUTTERFLIES UNDERGO A VERY SPECIAL PROCESS

CALLED: M E T A M O R P H O S I S .

INTRODUCTION:

ACTIVITY AND MATERIAL PREP:

EGG: POPCORN KERNELS, SMALL DRIED BEANS OR PEAS, SMALL POMPOM BALLS, PIECES

OF GLITTER OR SPRINKLES ON A DOT OF GLUE

CATERPILLAR: SPIRAL PASTA, PIPE CLEANERS WRAPPED UP, POM POMS GLUED IN A LINE

CHRYSALIS: SMOOTH ROUND PASTA SHELLS, BUNCHED UP PAPER WRAPPED IN

CELLOPHANE WRAP (CLEAR, SHINY OUTSIDE)

BUTTERFLY: DRAW AND CUT OUT YOUR OWN!, BUTTERFLY SHAPED PASTA

LET'S MAKE OUR OWN REPRESENTATION OF A BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE. CAN YOU FIND

ITEMS THAT COULD MODEL THE BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE AROUND YOUR HOUSE? YOU CAN

USE CRAFT SUPPLIES, PAPER TO DRAW AND MAKE YOUR OWN EXAMPLES OR EVEN FOOD

ITEMS TO PRESENT EACH STAGE OF THE BUTTERFLY TRANSFORMATION. IF YOU HAVE

YOUNGER STUDENTS IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO GIVE THEM PRESELECTED OPTIONS TO

CHOOSE FROM.

*NOTE: THERE ARE GREAT EXAMPLES ON PINTEREST OF MAKING A PASTA THEMED

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE TYPES OF PASTA ON HAND.

EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

EXTRA:

SEND US A PHOTO OF YOUR BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE REPRESENTATION! YOU CAN

EMAIL YOUR PHOTOS AT INFO@GACD.US TO HAVE YOUR WORK FEATURED ON

OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES. USE #GACDCONSERVE TO SHARE!

THE GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS (GACD) PARTNERS

WITH LOCAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE EDUCATION

ON KEEPING OUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN AND HEALTHY AND OUR POLLINATORS

PROTECTED.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GACD AND TO FIND YOUR GEORGIA CONSERVATION

DISTRICT PLEASE VISIT: WWW.GACD.US

FOR MORE LESSON PLANS VISIT: WWW.GACD.US/LESSONPLANS

PO Box 1134, Ringgold, GA 30736   1-833-411-GACD   [email protected]   www.GACD.us

ACTIVITY:

ONCE YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR MATERIALS GATHERED, PUT YOUR BUTTERFLY

LIFE CYCLE IN ORDER AND GLUE IT DOWN TO A PIECE OF PAPER. LABEL EACH

STAGE IN THE PROCESS: EGG, CATERPILLAR, CHRYSALLIS, AND BUTTERFLY.

USING CRAYONS OR COLOR PENCILS/MARKERS, COLOR AROUND YOUR LIFE

STAGES WITH BACKGROUND PICTURES. REMEMBER, EGGS ARE LAID ON PLANT

PARTS LIKE THE LEAVES AND THE STEMS. CATERPILLARS LOVE TO EAT! THEY

EAT LOTS OF PLANT LEAVES. CHRYSALISES ARE FORMED HANGING OFF OF

BRANCHES OR OTHER LIFTED AREAS. BUTTERFLIES LOVE TO LAND ON FLOWERS

TO DRINK THE NECTAR AND THEY CAPTURE POLLEN ON THEIR WINGS AND LEGS

WHILE THEY DO THAT. THIS POLLEN IS THEN TAKEN TO OTHER PLANTS AND

POLLINATION TAKES PLACE!

SHOWOFF YOUR BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE AND CHALLENGE YOUR STUDENT TO

NAME EACH STAGE IN THE PROCESS. ASK QUESTIONS TO TEST THEIR

KNOWLEDGE.