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Title: Magnificent MonarchsAuthor: Olivia V. Sanderfoot, Summer Educator, Madison Audubon SocietyTopics: monarch butterflies, monarch migration, pollination, predator-prey interactionsRelated Disciplines: biology, ecology, conservationObjectives:Learn the basic life history of the monarch butterfly, including the path and duration of its migration from Canada to Mexico.Think about the many obstacles monarch butterflies face during migration.Understand the importance of the monarch butterfly and appreciate how unique its migration is within the animal kingdom.Consider threats the monarch butterfly faces and list ways that we may be able to help support the insect and its migration.Lesson:A. IntroductionFollow the PowerPoint presentation to guide students in a discussion about the life history and migration of the monarch butterfly. This lesson plan is targeted toward elementary school students, but this presentation may be easily adapted for students of any age.B. Monarch Migration Obstacle CourseIn this game, students will think about what it might be like to be a monarch butterfly migrating to Mexico in late summer or early fall. Students will play the role of a monarch caterpillar, a predator, a summer storm, a fir tree, or a scientist. Follow these instructions to set up the game and teach your students how to play:BEFORE CLASSGather your supplies. You will need:A dozen carpet squaresThree paper bagsMulti-colored paperTwo sheetsA dozen conesColorful, circular stickersName tagsCut the multi-colored paper into one-inch strips and fill the paper bags.Write out name tags. Three should say “predator”, two should say “scientist”, one should say “storm”, and one should say “tree.” Be sure to print in nice, big letters.Place the carpet squares on the ground one after the other to create a path. Students will be required to start at the beginning of the course and skip from square to square, so while the path should be challenging, the squares should not be so far apart that students are unable to make the jump from square to square. These squares represent milkweed plants.At the end of the path of carpet squares, place the three paper bags filled with multi-colored paper strips on the ground to create a triangle. Each bag should be about three feet from the center of the triangle. These bags represent patches of wildflowers, each one filled with nectar.Roughly five feet away from the top of the triangle, lay out one of the two sheets. This sheet represents the Great Lakes. Students will be required to “fly” (i.e. jump) over the sheet, so be sure the width of the sheet when laid out is an appropriate jumping distance for your students.Roughly five feet away from the top of the sheet, scatter six of the cones in a random pattern. Skip about three feet from the farthest cone and then lay out the remaining six cones. The cones represent towns and cities, which the students will have to avoid.Count out ten paces from the farthest cone and lay out the second sheet. This sheet represents the Gulf of Mexico. Students will be required to “fly” (i.e. jump) over the sheet, so be sure the width of the sheet when laid out is an appropriate jumping distance for your students. Ideally, the sheet here should be laid out so it is wider than that used in step 6.DURING CLASSAfter the presentation, teach students how to run the monarch migration obstacle course. Let students know that the goal of the game is to illustrate the many challenges monarch butterflies face on their migration south for the winter. You will need to ask for seven volunteers: three predators, two scientists, a storm, and a tree.Before placing the volunteers in the course, explain the rules of the game. Everyone who is not a volunteer will run the monarch migration obstacle course. Students will start out as caterpillars, jumping from milkweed plant to milkweed plant, eating as much as they can to grow big and strong. If they miss a plant, they’re out and have to go back to the beginning. At the end of the path, students should hug themselves and spin in a circle. This represents building their chrysalis and emerging as a butterfly! Next, students must collect nectar from the wildflower patches. They must collect at least five strips of paper, sufficient nectar to fuel their journey south. Next, the students should fly (i.e. jump) over the Great Lakes – their first large, physical barrier. After they successfully land on the other side of the lakes, they must navigate through towns and cities to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. To make it home to their mountain sanctuaries in Mexico, students must fly (i.e. jump) over the Gulf and land in one of the many fir trees monarchs roost in during the winter months.Have the student who was chosen to be the fir tree stand roughly fifteen feet from the edge of the second sheet in the obstacle course. Give them the name tag that says “tree” and have them plant their feet and hold out their arms. Tell the class that they must tag the tree to finish the course, indicating that they have completed their journey to the fir trees in the mountain sanctuaries in Mexico.Place the students who were chosen to be predators in the obstacle course. Tell the class that predators must have their feet planted, but can tag the students as they run the obstacle course. If tagged, students must go back to the beginning. Predator #1 (a spider) should be placed in the center of the path of carpet squares, at least two feet from the path itself. Predator #2 (a paper wasp) should be placed in the center of the triangle of paper bags. Predator #3 (a Black-backed Oriole) should be placed between the sheet representing the Gulf of Mexico and the student acting as the fir tree. All students acting as predators should be given name tags.Have the student acting as the storm stand in the gap in the field of cones. Give the student a name tag and have them raise and wave their arms, as if they were blowing in the breeze. Tell the class that if they are tapped by the storm, they must start over. Butterflies can’t get caught in the storm because they cannot fly in the rain!Finally, give each of the two students acting as scientists a name tag and a sheet of stickers. Place one in the patch of wildflowers and one between the Gulf of Mexico and the mountain sanctuaries. Tell the class that the scientists are going to try to tag them. This is not harmful to the butterflies at all, so students don’t need to avoid the scientists!At the end of the first round, when all the butterflies have made it to the end, count how many students were tagged by scientists by having students raise their hands. Then, have students switch roles. Continue playing until every student has played at least two different roles, including the role of the monarchs.C. DiscussionTo conclude the class, ask for the students’ input on the following questions:Was it hard to be a monarch migrating south for the winter?Which obstacles were the hardest to navigate?Which role was the most fun to play?Were scientists successful in tagging monarch butterflies? Why would it be useful to tag monarch butterflies at the beginning and end of their migration?How could we make migration easier for butterflies? What could we add or take away from the course that would make it easier to run? How does that correspond to actions we could take in the real world? (i.e. We could add more carpet squares (plant more milkweed) or add in places to stop in the field of cones (build more habitat or plant gardens to attract butterflies).) ................
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