Butterfly Garden WebQuest

Introduction “We are destroying natural habitats all around us by building roads, houses, supermarkets, hospitals and golf courses. In fact, we sometimes forget that the land our school is built on was once a natural habitat and home to many living things -- plants, animals, and insects. It’s time we did something to put back what was taken away. Our principal has set aside one part of our schoolyard and has asked our class to create a beautiful butterfly garden.”

The Learning Tasks Before we can put on our gardening hats, there are several guiding questions we must answer: 1.How many different species of butterflies live in our area? 2.Which plants will attract butterflies? 3.What is the life cycle of a butterfly? 4.What equipment will we need and how much will it cost? 5.How will we share this project with the rest of the school?

The class will be divided into 5 expert groups. Some groups will have more members than others. Each expert group will be given one guiding question to research. Your group will complete the learning stations that go along with your guiding question. When you have finished, your expert group will share what it has learned with the whole class. Each group will be responsible for deciding how they should present their information to the whole class. Be sure to ask your teacher for help. Once each expert group has had a chance to share what it has learned, we will create a plan for our butterfly garden. Only then will we put on our gardening hats...

Field Observers 1.Jordan 2.Maddie 3.Denver 4.Sheldon 5.Krystal

Task: Find out what butterfly species are found in our area.

Part 1: Creating the field guide Your group will be creating a butterfly field guide which contains at least different butterflies in it. Print out at least two different butterflies from each of these groups: –Skippers –Parnassians and Swallowtails –Whites and Sulphurs –Gossamer-wing Butterflies –Metalmarks and Brush-footed Butterflies

1.Locate Texas on the website. 2.Locate Kendall County on the map. 3.Choose at least 5 butterflies from each group (family). 4.Click on the camera icon and then print the picture. You may need the teacher’s assistance in printing. 5.After printing, create a title page with your groups’ names on it using Microsoft Word. You may insert butterfly pictures on the title page! 6.Bring it to your teacher for binding. Click here to begin your Butterfly Quest!

Part 2: Watching for Butterflies 1.In your group and with adult supervision, go outside and observe which butterflies you see on the schoolyard. 2.Use the butterfly net provided to carefully catch the butterflies that you see. See if they match any of the butterfly species in your field guide. 3.Keep a record of the butterflies you see using the log provided at the back of your field guide. Also make note of the weather conditions. IMPORTANT: Always be very careful not to injure the butterflies that you catch or to disturb their habitat. Field observers must respect the natural habitat that they work in.

Part 3: Butterfly Migration and Weather 1.Click on The Annual Cycle of the Monarch and watch where Monarch butterflies come from and where they migrate to. 2.Click on Monarch Home, find Questions and click on the arrows to activate the link. 3.Click on migration to answer the questions on your questionnaire. Prepare to present your answers to the class.

Butterfly Garden Botanists 1.Ian 2.Kailey 3.Dorian 4.Brad

Task: Identify the traits of a good butterfly plant.

Part 1: Nectar Plants 1.Identify 3 main traits of nectar plants that attract butterflies. Record these in your booklet. 2.Name 8 nectar plants that attract butterflies. Record these in your booklet. 3. Print out all 8 pictures of the plants and glue them to you booklet on each page. Be sure to record their name. 4.To begin your quest click here!here

Part 2: Questions for an Expert 1.As a group, you will need to come up with at least 5-6 questions to ask a gardening expert. 2.You will be ing this person and presenting their response in front of the class. 3.Make a PowerPoint presentation of your questions along with the responses from the expert.

Butterfly Garden Bulletin Board 1.Emma 2.Chandler 3.Trey 4.Amos

Task: Create a bulletin board display on interesting butterfly facts.

Part 1: Create Bulletin Board 1.As a group and using the chart paper provided, design a bulletin board display of butterflies. You may need to collaborate with the botanists and field observers to get an idea of what the butterflies and nectar plants look like. 2.Each person will create their own butterfly using the medium of their choice. Be creative! 3.Leave a poster size space for the Butterfly Garden Designers to attach their sketch of the butterfly garden.

Part 2: Fun Facts 1.Next, include some fun facts about butterflies in the display. 2.Choose one fun fact about butterflies and record it on a note card. 3.Carefully print you fact on the flower cut-out provided and attach it to the bulletin board display.

Part 3: Butterfly Photography 1.You will be collaborating with the field observers in an attempt to document and photograph their findings. 2.You will also be photographing for the Butterfly Garden Designers when looking for a site for the butterfly garden. 3.You will be placing these photos on the bulletin board.

Butterfly Garden Designers 1.Austin 2.Hannah 3.Mykah 4.Teryn

Task: Find out what equipment we will need and how much it will cost.

Part 1: Sketch the Garden 1.As a group and with adult supervision, you will need to find the best possible location for the butterfly garden. 2.Go to this website to do research about site selection, gardening components, plant selection, and site preparation and upkeep. You may need to collaborate with the botanist for an expert on butterfly plants. Keep record of all ideas in your idea journal.website 3.Once you have found the location, make a sketch of the garden using graph paper. Be sure to show your teacher to get approval to move on to the next step. 4.Next you will neatly sketch it onto a presentation board, color it, and attach it to the bulletin board.

Part 2: Tool and Materials 1.Brainstorm a list of tools and material you will need in order to build our butterfly garden in your idea journal. Use this website for more ideas. Click here for ideas!Click here for ideas! 2.Using Microsoft Word, make a numbered list of all tools and materials we will need in order to build our butterfly garden. Include plants, soil, and tools etc. Be sure to title your page Tools and Materials. Save your page you will be adding more information. DO NOT PRINT.

Part 3: Finance 1.Go to the Home Depot website and look up the cost of all tools and materials. If you can’t find an item on the webpage, you will be provided with a menu with plant prices. 2.Using your Tools and Materials list, write in the cost of each item and write your total at the bottom. 3.Be prepared to present your information to the class. HOME DEPOT

Butterfly Biologists 1.Ross 2.Denton 3.Karlie 4.Keegan

Task: Create a booklet of the stages of the life cycle of the butterfly and write your own production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Part 1: Life Cycle Booklet 1.You will see four small pictures that show the stages of the butterfly life cycle. Click on the first picture to make it bigger. Print the large picture that appears. 2.Then click the BACK button and click on the second picture. Print the large picture that appears. 3.Do the same for the other two pictures. 4.Cut out the pictures and glue them on the left side of the pages of your booklet. 5.Write a description for each of the pictures on the opposite page (right). 6.Click here for the booklet pictures.here 7.Click on the blue butterfly for more information on the life cycle of the butterfly.

Part 2: The Hungry Caterpillar Production 1.You will need to read and adapt The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle into your own production. 2.As a group, you will write a script for your play. It must include the life cycle of a butterfly. Be sure to put a creative spin on the story! 3.As a group, you will make your own props and back drop if needed. 4.Your play will take place on the stage!

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