Lifecycles of Butterflies
Lesson 14
Discovering That Butterflies Are Insects
This lesson falls within the realm of APPLY in the learning cycle. Students will be taking the information they have learned about the butterfly and applying it to other insects and non-insects (spiders for example). This is the beginning of classifying, which is a scientific process.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Understand characteristics of living organisms -identify observable characteristics of living organisms (e.g., spiders have eight legs, birds have feathers, plants have roots……) ( Systems 1.1.6)
Butterflies are insects.
Insects have certain characteristics.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
Duplicate Activity Sheet 12, Are Butterflies Insects ? if it will be used. The illustrations of Appendix F pages 121 and 122 of the 2002Teacher's Guide are helpful in pointing out the distinguishing characteristics of insects as you talk about the butterfly. The spider illustration provides a nice "compare and contrast" to the insect.
Procedure:
Show and discuss a labeled diagram of the butterfly's body parts compared to a spider's body parts. Introduce the idea that butterflies are part of a very large group of animals called insects. Point out the key characteristics that identify insects: six legs, three main body sections, two antennae, and two pair of wings. Ask students to name some animals that they believe are insects and apply the test of insect characteristics to deduct whether they are classified as such. If it is unclear, do some library or online research to verify whether those animals have the required characteristics.
Just as students may have made "egg carton caterpillars" with thirteen body segments, they can make "egg carton spiders" with two body parts. Use pipe cleaners poked through the first body part to make the eight legs.
Background Information: Some teachers will not be aware that animals such as ticks and pill bugs are not insects. Note the distinguishing characteristics of insects: six jointed legs, three main body sections- head, thorax, and abdomen, two antennae, and one or two pairs of wings (when they have wings).
Writing Support:
This lesson is a perfect time to bring in some literature about other insects either as read aloud or for students to read from the class library. The included bibliography under Literature Links on your right might be a welcome literacy piece for many teachers as they integrate language arts with science.
Art Support:
Have students draw a picture of an insect nobody has ever seen. Although it is imaginary, it should have the characteristics that make an insect an insect. Then they can name their new "discovery" and write about it.
Reading Support:
No reading support for this lesson.