WebQuest

Life Cycle of a Butterfly

A WebQuest for 3rd Grade(Science)

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/online_field_journal/fj/fjbf/fjbfmain.html

Where do Butterflies Come From?

   Do you ever think about where butterflies come from? They come from a chrysalis(KRIS-uh-liss) which is also called a pupa. A chrysalis looks like a tiny leathery pouch. You can find them underneath leaves in the summer.
     Some animals stay the same as they grow up. Some animals just get a little bigger. Some animals just get a little smaller as they get older. Think about it: someone your age looks a lot like a grown-up. Grown-ups have more wrinkles and gray hair. But they still have two arms, two legs and one head-just like you.
     We're going to meet an animal that's grows up very different than us-the butterfly. Butterflies go through four life stages, and at each stage they look very, very different. Today we will look at butterflies!

The Task:

By doing this lesson you will learn about butterflies. You will look at different websites. These websites will show different butterflies. They will also show different stages that a butterfly goes through to become a butterfly. While you look at the websites, write down stages of the butterflies life. This is called the life cycle. Then you will make a butterfly of your own. This butterfly will go through all of the stages. You can take them home to show your family.

The Process:

First you will look at different butterflies. There are some websites below. Click on these websites to look at butterflies. They will show the different stages of a butterflies life. While you are looking at the pictures, write down the different stages. Make a chart that has the name of the butterfly on top and the four stages on the side. Write down a short description of each stage.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/
http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr/farmer/bfly1.htm
http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/resources/education/butterfly/life-cycle/butterfly-life-cycle.shtml
http://www.fmnh.org/butterfly/life_basic.htm
http://www.butterflies.org.uk/lbh_home/cycle.htm

Make sure you notice the different stages that the butterfly goes through during his life cycle.

Here's what you need:
         -toilet paper tube
         -tongue depressor or ice-cream pop stick
         -heavy paper
         -6" piece of pipecleaner folded in half
         -markers or crayons
         -scissors and glue

Here's what you do:

1. Cut out and color a butterfly from the heavy paper.
Use any colors, but make both halves look the same.
Put a small hole at the top of the butterfly's head.

2. Color the toilet paper tube to look like a chrysalis.

3. Take a piece of pipe cleaner and shape it like the
letter "V". Put one point through th elittle hole in
the butterfly's head and then twist it to look like
an antennae. Butterflies use these "feelers" to
learn more about their environment.

4. Glue the butterfly to one end of the tongue
depressor or ice-cream pop stick. Let the glue
dry.

5. Curl the butterfly's wings and slide it into
the chrysalis.

6. Pull the stick to make the butterfly come
out of the chrysalis.

Evaluation

     After you finish this project you will be graded on:
           1. Chart of life cycle stages = 25 points
                   (You must have at least three sentence descriptions under each stage.)
                            2. Activity of creating a butterfly = 25 points
           3. Paper describing the life cycle of a butterfly = 25 points
                   (Paper must be one page long, and must describe each stage.)
           4. Participation = 25 points
                   (Looking at different websites and completing activity.)

If all four parts are complete you can get up to 100 points. Points will be taken off for not finishing work.

Conclusion

By the time you have completed this activity you will have learned a lot more about the life cycle of butterflies. You will also know the stages that they go through. You will also have a paper butterfly to take home with you. You can show and explain what you have learned to others.

Credits & References

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page