Name of Activity:  Butterfly Life Cycle
Grade Level:  Second

NC Standard Course of Study Competencies
· Science Curriculum
· Competency Goal 1.02 (Analyze the life cycle of animals, including being born, developing into an adult, reproducing, and eventually dying)

NC Computer/Technology Skills Competencies
· Competency Goal 1.3 (Identify how electronic databases are used in the school, neighborhood, and community)
· Competency Goal 1.5 (Identify how telecommunications has changed the ways people work and play)
· Competency Goal 2.5 (Use electronic databases to locate information)
· Competency Goal 3.1 (Collect, sort, and organize information to display a graph or chart)

NC Advanced Technology Competencies for Educators
· Competency Goal 11.1 (Use technology in the discipline/subject for learning and as a medium for communications)
· Competency Goal 11.2 (Use media and technology to present the subject so that it is comprehensible to others)

Purpose of Lesson
· Through the use of a digital camera, the internet, and email, students will learn the stages of a butterfly life cycle.

Lesson Objectives
· Competency Goals 1.3 , 1.5, and 2.5
Students will understand the uses of the internet and email in researching, retrieving, and sharing information on the butterfly life cycle.  Students will also demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computers and other technologies by accessing pre-approved and appropriate web sites.  Furthermore, they will communicate via email with students at Coal Creek Elementary in Louisville, Colorado about their studies on butterflies and their butterfly garden web site.
· Competency Goal 3.1
Students will learn to use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.  Students will use a digital camera to capture each of the four stages of the butterfly life cycle, including the egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult butterfly stages, and students will finally organize photographs with descriptive text to create butterfly life cycle booklets.

Materials
· Butterflies by Karen Shapiro and other books about butterflies
· Life Cycle of the Butterfly worksheet
· Multi-colored construction paper
· Pencils, crayons, and colored pencils
· Paper plates
· Multi-colored pipe cleaners
· White rice
· Pasta shells
· Glue sticks
· Butterfly larvae
· Butterfly pavilion, or house
· Magnifying glasses

Technology Resources Needed
· Computers with Internet access and Email
· Printers and printing paper
· Digital Camera

Procedure (Pedagogical Strategies)
Engagement
1. Read the book Butterflies by Karen Shapiro and have students identify the four stages of the butterfly life cycle in correct sequence (Egg, Larva, Chrysalis, and Adult Butterfly).

2. Guide students in creating model butterfly life cycles.  First, give each student one paper plate pre-divided into four sections, including egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult butterfly.  Next, give a pre-cut green leaf and several pieces of white rice to each student.  Instruct students to glue pieces of rice onto the green leaves to represent the first stage in the butterfly life cycle, the egg.  Then, students should glue the leaf with rice onto the paper plate under the section titled egg.  To construct the next stage in the butterfly life cycle, each student should be given one shortened, green or brown pipe cleaner, and students should coil the pipe cleaner and paste it on the paper plate under the section titled larva.  Next, to illustrate the chrysalis stage, each student will need one pasta shell to paste under the section called chrysalis on the paper plate.  Finally, the adult butterfly stage can be constructed by using colored tissue paper for wings and pipe cleaners for antennas, and it should be glued to the section of the paper plate labeled adult butterfly.  Students should understand that the finished product is illustrative of the four stages of the butterfly life cycle.

Activities
1. Students will be introduced to the butterfly larvae as it arrives, after being ordered by the teacher.  The larvae will be placed in a butterfly pavilion, or home, and a butterfly center will be arranged in the classroom.  Students will have access to magnifying glasses, which will enable them to closely watch the larvae as it moves through the stages of the butterfly life cycle.  During each stage of development, students will observe the changing larvae and use a digital camera to capture the metamorphosis.  Students will brainstorm descriptive words that correspond to each stage, and the words will be recorded on a butterfly chart in the center.

2. Secondly, students will use lab computers to access pre-approved search engines, such as AOL kids search and Yahooligans in an effort to gather information on butterfly metamorphosis and other relevant butterfly topics.  Students can attempt to find answers to questions about butterflies or the butterfly life cycle, and they can admire photographs of different types of butterflies on web sites such as www.butterflywebsite.com, www.naba.org, www.mesc.usgs.gov/butterfly, and www.fmnh.org/ butterfly.

3. After accessing Coal Creek Elementary school’s web site (www.bvsd.k12.co.us/schools/coalcreek/Pages/home.html) and reading about their grant- funded butterfly study, students will use email to communicate to the children of Coal Creek appreciation and enjoyment of their work.  Students can also use email to share ideas, ask questions, and offer further comments to the children of Coal Creek Elementary, who participated in the butterfly study.

 4.  Finally, after the butterfly larvae have completed the life cycle, students will create butterfly booklets, using digital photographs of each
developmental stage.  Each student will be provided with a construction paper booklet, in which to arrange photographs of each life cycle stage.  Photographs should be accompanied with text labeling each stage, and a short description of each stage should also be included.

Closure
1. To close and review the butterfly lesson, students should be able to list the four stages of the butterfly life cycle and identify some characteristics of each stage.

2. During a class discussion, students should be able to recall the different types of technology used to learn about butterflies, including a digital camera, internet search engines and web sites, and email.  Students should also communicate the value and benefits of using technology in studying topics such as butterflies.

Assessment
1.  Students can be assessed by individually completing a Life Cycle of  the Butterfly worksheet, in which they cut out, label, and arrange each of the four stages in the cycle.

2.  To receive an “A,” students must cut out, label, and arrange the four stages in correct sequence.  If students misidentify one stage, they will receive a “B.”  If two stages are misidentified, students will receive a “C.”  Finally, students who incorrectly identify three stages will receive a “D.”  Students with the grade of a C or below will restudy the stages of the butterfly life cycle and complete the worksheet again.

Reflection
I really like the butterfly life cycle lesson plan, and I believe that it effectively incorporates technological tools to enhance the science curriculum, while stimulating the learning process for students.  I feel that using a digital camera to capture the larvae in each stage of development is especially valuable to students, as it teaches them the importance of technology as a tool for learning.  Several methods of learning are included in the lesson plan, such as art, photography, reading, creative writing, and technology.  I believe that it would be challenging to take enough digital photographs for each student to use four, one of each stage, in constructing butterfly life cycle booklets.  Furthermore, it would be important to screen any web sites that students may access for butterfly research, and it would also be imperative to adequately monitor students’ internet work.  Overall, the butterfly life cycle lesson plan is grounded in the second grade standard course of study, but integrates technology to stimulate and enhance the learning process.