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Monarchs and Milkweed (3rd - 6th) | Series 8, Lesson #3

Monarchs and Milkweed

Key Topics: Metamorphosis, Symbiotic Relationships, Migration, Endangered Species, Life Cycle, Insects

Grade Level: 3rd - 6th

Click here for #8 Series Description

Science Framework

Spanish Lesson Plan

Lesson Bridge:

Connect this lesson (3) with Flower Power (2) by reminding students that we learned about the interdependence of pollinators and flowers last week. See if students can recall flower anatomy and which types of pollinators prefer which types of flowers. This week, we will learn about a particular (and very important) relationship between a certain plant and insect species.

Lesson Overview:  

Students will learn about the relationship between  pollinators and flowers as well as Milkweed and Monarch butterflies! Afterward, they will make seed balls of wildflowers and native milkweed to help contribute to monarch habitat restoration!

Learning Objectives:

Essential Question(s) that Connect CCCs and SEPs:

Vocabulary:

Metamorphosis- The process of change that some animals go through to become adults.

Symbiotic Relationships- A close relationship between two different species or kinds of organisms.

Migration- When animals move locations on a regular cycle, or at certain times of the year.

Endangered Species- A species of plant or animal that is at risk of becoming extinct (no longer existing).

Life Cycle- A series of stages a living thing goes through during its life.

Insects- A small animal whose body is divided into three parts.

Materials:

Prep:

Activity Procedure:

Engage: 

Are there butterflies that live in our garden? What do butterflies do that helps our garden? (“they pollinate”) In order for a flower to make seeds it needs to have a butterfly, bee or other pollinator carry pollen to it from another flower! Different pollinators like different kinds of flowers. We are going to do a little activity to learn about the types of flowers different insects pollinate.

Explore:

Use your whiteboard to write a list of different pollinators and what they like:

Butterflies (Including Monarchs and Swallowtails)- Like brightly-colored that are big enough for them to land on!

Bees like blue/Purple and yellow flowers as well as flowers with a sweet minty smell. They cannot see red.

Hummingbirds like red flowers that are long and shaped like a tube.

Beetles like white and green flowers that have a strong scent.

        Flies like flowers that smell like rotten meat!

Break students into groups and tell them what type of pollinator they are from the list above. Have them act out their pollinator and go around the garden looking for a flower that they want to drink nectar from. Have them use the chart as their guide. They can think about how they will move through the garden. Beetles might crawl, hummingbirds might move very fast). Remind them to smell the flower to tell if it’s one their pollinator might like! When they come back ask how it felt being a pollinator. Was it easy to find nectar? Were they in competition with other pollinators who liked the same type of flowers?

Sentence Frame: I notice ____________.

Explain:

Butterflies are amazing! They live a part of their lives crawling on the ground as caterpillars and a part of their lives flying in the air, after they metamorphosis within a cocoon.

How does this coevolution benefit the flower and the pollinator? They also help the flowers in our garden by pollinating them. In order to make flower seeds so that there can be flowers next year, plants need to have pollen carried to their flowers from other flowers, and this is what butterflies do when they drink nectar.  An important butterfly to learn about when living in our area is the Monarch butterfly. They are orange and black and migrate hundreds of miles every year. Using the Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Document, talk through the Monarch life cycle.

Thumbs up/down: Do you think you’ve ever seen a Monarch Butterfly?

It is hard to say for sure, because there is another butterfly called the Viceroy that looks very similar to monarch butterflies. Scientists know how to differentiate them though and have taken counts of monarch butterflies. There used to be more Monarch butterflies than there are now.

        

Think, Pair, Share: What are some reasons that you think there are so many less Monarch Butterflies now than there used to be?

Sentence Frame: When there is less _______ there are less _________. (milkweed, monarchs)

A big reason for this is habitat loss. When people build on an area or make farms they often get rid of native plants in the process. There is only one type of plant that caterpillars eat, called Milkweed (share a sample or photo of Milkweed).

Milkweed is actually poisonous to most animals but Monarch caterpillars are tolerant to the poison. When they eat it, they become poisonous too and this protects them from other animals that might want to eat them! We can help protect Monarch caterpillars by planting Milkweed in our gardens to make a habitat for them. Define the remaining vocabulary words.

Action: 

Milkweed/Wildflower Seedballs

  1. Review your Garden Agreements
  2. Invite students seed ball making stations. Ideally you have 3-4 tables set up for this activity, so the students can work in smaller groups.
  3. Demonstrate in front of the class how to make seed balls.
  4. Remind students to explore the texture of the seeds and clay and enjoy the sensory experience as they sculpt their seed balls!
  5. Let students wash off their hands in a bucket of water or with the hose.

Reflect:

How does planting Milkweed in the garden help Monarch butterflies? What would happen if there was no Milkweed in the world? Who can remember the 4 life stages of a butterfly? Why are butterflies so important for our garden?

Extension Activities: