American Museum of Natural History: 6th
Grade
Structure/Function
in the Butterfly
Grade Level: 6th grade
Learning Standard: Students will demonstrate an understanding of
structure/function in a living system.
Time Requirements:
PreVisit: 3 hours
Visit: 2 hours
Post
Visit: 3 hours
Topics Covered by
This Lesson:
Role
of the butterfly in the environment
Body
parts of the butterfly as they relate to structure/function
Colors
and patterns of butterflies as they relate to structure/function
Behavior
patterns of butterflies as they relate to structure/function
PreVisit:
Purpose
of Lesson: To learn about structure/function
in butterflies.
Purpose
of Trip: To reinforce classroom
lesson and provide close contact with the
organism
discussed in the classroom.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
identify at least two body parts of the butterfly
and describe how
structure/function relates.
Provide one reason for the different colors and
patterns of
butterflies and describe how structure/function
relates.
Explain when butterflies are active and relate structure/function.
Materials
Required: 1 notebook for each
child, 1 pencil for each child, and 1 box of
crayons
for every group of four children
Student
Learning Prerequisites: Lessons
on biodiversity (knowledge of insects), knowledge of structure/function relationships.
Visit:
Students
will each have a notebook and a pencil and be divided up into groups of
four. Each group will enter the Butterfly Conservatory
and take a fifteen minutes to
view
the long hallway with information, photos and butterfly specimens. They will
have
the opportunity to draw any interesting things they see. Then they will look through the glass
wall, into the vivarium and take fifteen minutes to draw any butterflies they
see. Then they will go into the
vivarium and take twenty minutes to look around and try to find the butterflies
they drew. They will pay close
attention to the body parts, the colors and patterns, and the behavior patterns
of the butterflies they observe. Lunch
break (45 minutes).
Time
to ask questions and color in the butterflies they saw (twenty minutes).
Post Visit:
Assessment:
Oral Each group will take ten minutes to present their findings in the vivarium, utilizing the pictures they drew at the museum.
Each
presentation must include:
Extensions/Suggested
Homework Assignments:
Create
your own butterfly by designing and coloring one like you saw at the museum.
Photograph
a live butterfly in nature.
All
of the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle were not seen in the exhibit.
Followup lessons can include discussions regarding reproduction/life
cycle of butterflies, including the metamorphosis that they go through.
Possible
questions that may be brought up:
Why
are some of the butterflies flying and others resting?
Why
are butterflies going to certain plants and not others?
Do
certain butterflies live in certain parts of the world and not others?
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