Karla+Heinemann


 * Grade level:** 2nd grade
 * Subject area:** Science

As a culmination of our butterfly unit, students will design a butterfly garden to attract a variety of butterflies to our school. Our school is being rebuilt in a couple of years, and we would like to include a courtyard. Since second graders study the life cycle of butterflies, it would be great to involve them in the design process of the new school by developing a habitat that will attract butterflies for the students to observe and study.
 * Lesson description:**

Students will design a butterfly garden that provides basic necessities for butterfly survival.
 * Learning objectives:**

3.2.F.1 Explain that organisms can grow and survive in many very different habitats. a. Investigate a variety of familiar and unfamiliar habitats and describe how animals and plants found there maintain their lives and survive to reproduce b. Explain that organisms live in habitats that provide their basic needs. (food, water, air, shelter)
 * Standards addressed:**

Engage students in viewing a video that describes creating a garden to attract butterflies, [|Butterfly Garden]. Explain that in a few years, Brown Station is going to be getting a makeover and the school is going to be rebuilt. One of the features of the new school is a courtyard. Since second graders study the life cycle of butterflies each year, wouldn’t it be great to bring some butterflies to our school to observe right outside our windows? Pose the question, “How can we attract butterflies to Brown Station?” Begin a discussion about what organisms need to survive: food, water, shelter, and a place to raise young. Visit websites on what to include in a butterfly garden, such as [|Attracting Butterflies], and [|Inviting Buterflies to the Schoolyard Garden] to build background knowledge. After viewing the resources, have students work in groups to brainstorm what would need to be included in a butterfly habitat. Prompt students with questions such as, What do butterflies eat?, Where do they rest?, Where do they get water?, and What types of things, other than just plants, should be in a butterfly garden? To learn more about butterflies that live in the Maryland area, engage students in reading the digital resource [|Butterflies in Central Maryland]. Students will work in groups in the computer lab using Pixie to create a model of their butterfly habitat. To get students to think deeper about their habitats while they work, ask questions such as, Why is this a good place for a butterfly?, Can you think of something that we would not want to add to the garden?, Would it be good for other insects or animals?, and In what ways does your garden resemble the garden in the videos we watched? Students will present their models to the class, explaining what they included in their habitat and the thought process behind it.
 * Lesson plan:**

Students will view videos and read digital text on a Promethean board or netbook computers. They will work in the computer lab to create their butterfly garden designs on Pixie.
 * Technology:**

As students are reading the articles online, support ESOL and IEP/DOI students by activating text to speech software, such as Natural Reader. Graphic organizers may also be used to help students plan out their models prior to using Pixie.
 * Diverse learners:**

A rubric will be used to assess student understanding of how habitats provide basic needs for organisms. This rubric will include participation, evidence of the four basic needs of organisms: food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young, and presentation of the model.
 * Assessment:**


 * Grade level:** 2nd grade
 * Subject area:** Science

To further our exploration of butterfly habitats, students will collaborate with monarchsisterschools.org to learn more about planning and planting a schoolyard butterfly garden.
 * Lesson description:**

Students will make revisions to their butterfly garden designs after participating in an online collaboration session with a garden expert in the Monarch Sister Schools program.
 * Learning objectives:**

3.2.A.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how. 3.2.F.1 Explain that organisms can grow and survive in many very different habitats. a. Investigate a variety of familiar and unfamiliar habitats and describe how animals and plants found there maintain their lives and survive to reproduce b. Explain that organisms live in habitats that provide their basic needs. (food, water, air, shelter) 5.2.A.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
 * Standards addressed:**

Tell students that an important part of planning is revising and improving initial designs. Over the next few days, they will be collaborating with a butterfly garden expert in order to learn more about butterfly gardens and make their designs better. First, discuss the meaning of the word, collaboration. Students are familiar with collaboration from previous learning activities throughout the year, but may need reminders about how to collaborate effectively. Next, introduce the website, monarchsisterschools.org. This website is a platform for a program that fosters the migratory habitats of the monarch butterfly by partnering schools across North America, Canada, and Mexico. Students will work in groups of three to draft questions about planning a butterfly garden to post in the “Garden Blog”. In order to draft their questions, students will use question dots and dice to formulate different types of questions. After the teacher has approved the questions, students will work in their small groups to post questions on the “Garden Blog”. Based on the responses, students will have the option of asking follow-up questions. Next, students will revise their garden designs using the information gained from the answers to their questions. They may choose to make small changes or additions to their existing garden designs or start a new design.
 * Lesson plan:**

Students will be working in groups of three at a computer in the computer lab. They will be posting to a blog located at http://monarchsisterschools.org/Garden-Blog/. They will revise their garden designs using Pixie.
 * Technology:**

Students with IEPs/DOIs and/or ELL plans will be grouped together and work with either the resource teacher or a paraeducator to formulate their questions. When answers are received, students may use Natural Reader to hear the text read out loud to them.
 * Diverse learners:**

Students will be given a chance to make any revisions after the online collaboration session. The same rubric will be used from the last lesson for the students’ garden designs. The intent is that students will improve their designs for a better score. Another assessment will be a student written reflection on what they learned about planning a butterfly garden from collaborating with an expert online.
 * Assessment:**


 * Question Dots Resource**
 * ** Who **

**●** ||  ** What **

**●●** ||  ** When **

**●●●** ||
 * ** Where **

**●●**   **●●**  ||  ** Why **

**●●**   **●**    **●●**  ||  ** How **

**●●●**   **●●●**  ||


 * ** Might **

**●** ||  ** Can **

**●●** ||  ** Will/Would **

**●●●** ||
 * ** Is/Are **

**●●**   **●●**  ||  ** Should **

**●●**   **●**    **●●**  ||  ** Do/Does/Did **

**●●●**   **●●●**  ||

Karla, I love your lesson! Not only are your students learning about butterfly gardens, they are also learning how to collaborate and seek the advice of experts. How do you use the question dots? I have never seen that activity. Is it one you came up with or did you get the idea from somewhere else? -Stacey

Stacey, The question dots are a resource from my curriculum. The students roll two dice. The first number corresponds to the question word and the second number corresponds to the verbs. They put the two words together to form a question stem. It encourages higher level questioning. -Karla


 * Grade level: ** 2nd grade


 * Subject area: ** Science/Writing


 * Lesson description: **

In this lesson, students will use what they have learned about the stages in a butterfly’s life cycle and a butterfly’s habitat to write a fictional story. They will use technology tools to develop their digital story, including Kidspiration and PowerPoint.


 * Learning objectives: **

Students will write a fictional story that demonstrates understanding of the life cycle and habitat of a butterfly.


 * Standards addressed: **

3.2.C.1 Explain that there are identifiable stages in the life cycles (growth, reproduction, and death) of plants and animals.

3.2.F.1 Explain that organisms can grow and survive in many very different habitats.

a. Investigate a variety of familiar and unfamiliar habitats and describe how animals and plants found there maintain their lives and survive to reproduce

b. Explain that organisms live in habitats that provide their basic needs. (food, water, air, shelter)

4.2.A.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

4.2.B.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.


 * Lesson plan: **

Begin by explaining to students that they will be writing a story that includes the life stages of a butterfly and uses a butterfly habitat as the setting. Read “Butterfly Story” by Anca Hariton. Have students state examples of how the author included the different life cycle stages and elements of a butterfly habitat in the setting. Students will work in the computer lab using Kidspiration to create a story web that includes their ideas for the characters, setting, problem, events, and solution of their story. Once students have completed their story webs, they will develop a storyboard as a rough draft for their digital stories. These storyboards will include images as well as complete sentences that help the student plan the organization of his/her story. To publish their stories, students will use PowerPoint and create slides with images and text. Students may also have the option to narrate their story by creating an audio recording.


 * Technology: **

Students will work in the computer lab to create their story webs using Kidspiration. They will use PowerPoint to publish their stories as a slideshow.


 * Diverse learners: **

Students with IEPs/DOIs and/or ELL plans will work with a paraeducator or the resource teacher when developing their story webs. A teacher can scribe for students who have this accommodation. When publishing their stories, students can choose whether to type their words, or create an audio recording of themselves narrating it.


 * Assessment: **

A rubric will be used to assess students’ progress through the writing process. The criteria will include ideas, organization, correct spelling and grammar, evidence of the four stages of the butterfly’s life cycle, and an appropriate butterfly habitat as the setting. Students will have the opportunity to review the rubric and provide input prior to the lesson.