Goal: To navigate through one website to assist children in learning about butterflies in preparation for the creation of a butterfly garden

Learning Objectives: Students will…
Name the primary plant that monarch caterpillars eat.
Name various kinds of butterflies.
Name caterpillars’ insect enemies.
Identify what butterflies eat.
Make a diagram of butterfly metamorphosis.
Recognize the components of a successful butterfly garden.
Keep a butterfly journal that contains information about butterflies as well as progress reports on the raising of butterflies and creating and maintaining a butterfly garden.

NJ Core Content Standards for Science:
5.1-All students will learn to systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.
#2-Recognize that since the components of a system usually influence one another, a system may not work if a component is missing.
5.6- All students will gain an understanding of the structure, characteristics, and basic needs of organisms .
#4-Show that plants and animals are composed of different parts serving different purposes and working together for the well-being of the organism
#5-Describe life cycles of organisms.

Materials/Resources: laptop, projector, screen, student butterfly journals, Internet access, www.milkweedcafe.com

Procedure for Teaching:
This lesson will be conducted with the use of one laptop, operated by the teacher.  The class will follow the navigation of sites by the use of a laptop projector and screen.
Students will take notes throughout the lesson in their butterfly journals

Go to: www.milkweedcafe.com

Spend some time exploring the homepage, where there are many links to the various sections of this butterfly website.

Click on: http://www.milkweedcafe.com/bflygarden.html

 Ask:  What is the name of the plant that monarch caterpillars eat?

Click on: Garden Photos http://www.milkweedcafe.com/gardenphotos.htm 

Ask: What are some different kinds of butterflies that have visited the garden?
         What insects eat the monarch caterpillar? How do they do it?

Go back to: Read about butterfly gardening basics.

Ask:  What do butterflies eat?
          What are some of butterflies’ favorite nectar plants?
          What are some of butterflies’ favorite host plants?
          What are some bushes that provide nectar?    

Students create a list of plants to be used in our garden in their journal.
        
Read about design elements for the butterfly garden.
Ask:  What do butterflies look for in a home?
Students document the design elements of a butterfly garden necessary for attracting and keeping butterflies.

Go back to the homepage.

Click on: http://www.milkweedcafe.com/fascfacts.html
Ask:  Do you think that you can hold a butterfly by its wings?
          What does transparent mean?
          What do butterflies taste with?
          If the butterflies don’t have mouths, what do they suck nectar with?        

Click on Pupa Formation Pictures. http://www.milkweedcafe.com/photos.html

Discuss the caterpillar’s formation of a pupa, and how the transition to butterfly takes place.

Student Product: Students will have a journal that they have decorated and designated as their “Butterfly Journal”.  In this journal, there will be adequate background information for creating a butterfly garden, as well as log sheets that track the progress of the garden and sightings of butterflies. Create a butterfly garden! Raise butterflies in captivity!
Print out puzzles, games, and worksheets from “Club Caterpillar” for students to do.

Assessment:
Teacher will periodically check journals of butterfly garden observations.
Quiz or questions to be answered might include:
     What plant do we need to plant to attract monarch caterpillars to the garden?
     What insects must we protect our caterpillars from?
     Name some plants or bushes that will attract and keep butterflies?
     What are some of the design elements that will keep butterflies happy?
Students will illustrate the butterfly cycle of metamorphosis.
Define: toxin, proboscis, pupa