The Butterfly Garden Webquest

Butterfly Garden

A WebQuest for 2nd Grade

INTRODUCTION

You are a landscape designer and have been asked to create a Butterfly Garden. The owner of the garden would like to be able to observe the life cycle of the butterfly.

Before designing your garden, there is research that you must do. The first thing that you must learn is the life cycle of the butterfly. The second is to identify the plant life that attracts and sustains all stages of the butterfly’s life cycle.

TASK

Your task is to develop a butterfly garden that will contain a minimum of three different types of plant life. The size of the garden is up to you.

There are a few different ways that you can create your garden. One choice is to draw a poster size version of your garden. Another choice is to create a diorama of our garden. If you prefer using the computer, you could design your garden using KidPix Deluxe. If you prefer real life, you can create your habitat using a window garden planter. Before designing your garden you need to tell the teacher your ideas for creating it.

You will need to use the reference section at the library or the Internet to gather information on your habitat and the butterflies that you will attract. You will need to find information concerning the physical part of the habitat (i.e. plants, dirt, etc.), as well as the information on sustaining each of the stages of development for the butterflies.

To begin the task, we will read From catepillar to butterfly by deborah Heiligman

Published by Harper collins Publishers ISBN 0-06-445129-1

PROCESS

STEP 1: Life Cycle of the Butterfly

1.	First you will be assigned to a group of four students. You will have three days to complete the entire step.
2.	As a group you will each need to select a stage of the life cycle of the butterfly. The stages are egg, catepillar, pupa and adult.
3.	Individually you will each research one stage of the life cycle of the butterfly. Each member of the group will research and journal about the stage. Click here to get a worksheet to guide you in your research.
4.	Click here to begin your research. Additional resources.
5.	Be sure to document all of your research in your journal. Write in complete sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.
6.	As a group, discuss each of the stages of the life cycle of your butterfly. Be sure to explain in detail the following: Did you enjoy researching your stage? Review your journal worksheet answers. Compare the similarities and differences of your stages. How does each stage relate to the other?
7.	Write your answers to your discussion in your journal. Be sure to write in complete sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.
8.	To be sure that you have mastered the life cycle of the butterfly, complete the attached assignment. Click here for the diagram of the life cycle, print the diagram and label the diagram. Submit to the teacher on Thursday.
9.	Thursday will be a review of the material as a class. Friday there will be an assessment on the life cycle of the butterfly.

STEP 2: Research Plants

1.	After you have mastered the life cycle of the butterfly, you will need to begin researching the plant life that attracts and supports all of the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle. You will do this as part of your group.
2.	The group will have three days to complete their research. Click here to begin the research.
3.	Identify a minimum of three different types of plants to plant in your garden. Remember that you must identify plants that will support all of the Butterfly’s stages.
4.	In your journal, list each plant that you plan to use and which stages of the life cycle the plant supports. Write in complete sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.
5.	On Thursday everyone will share their research as a class.
6.	On Friday everyone will write a one page summary of the life cycle of the butterfly and the plants that support their life cycle.

Resources	Search Engines
Gardening Guide	AJKids.com
Butterfly Farm Indiana	Yahooligans.com
Butterfly Farm Illinois
Butterfly House
The Children's Butterfly Site
Insecta Inspecta World
Butterflies.com

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STEP 3: Creating the garden

1.	Once you have chosen the plants to create your garden, you must begin with selecting a design. Click here for more information on designing your garden.
2.	You will have four days to design and create your garden.
3.	On Friday, each group will present their garden to the class.
4.	During the presentation, each student will record the plants used in the gardens and present their data in a bar graph format. Click here to print the bar graph form.

Designing your garden: Your last and final goal is to design your garden. There are many ways that you can go about doing this:

1.	Draw a poster sized version of your garden.
2.	Use a software program such as KidPix Deluxe to create an image of your garden. (You could use images of computer drawn graphics of our garden, movies or images found on the Internet.)
3.	Make a diorama of your garden.
4.	Create a real life version of your garden using a window planter.

You are not limited to these 4 examples. If you have another idea, please discuss it with your teacher. Each group must tell the teacher what they will do to design a garden before they begin this final project.


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EVALUATION
Each student will be given an oral and written exam at the end of this project. The grades will be based on the criteria below and will be assigned points as described below.

Criteria
	3	2	1	0
Discussion The teacher observed the students interacting discussing, and posing questions to all members of the team.	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	None of the time
Content - Lifecycle The student can define each of the stages of the life cycle.	Can define all four stages	Can define two or three stages	Can define one stages	Can not define any stage
The student can label the lifecycle of the butterfly	Can label all four stages	Can label two or three of the stages	Can label one stage	Can not label any stage
The student can describe the size of each stage of the life cycle.	Can describe all four stages	Can describe two or three of the stages	Can describe one of the stages	Can not describe any stage
The student can list the food types for each stage of the life cycle.	Can list all four stages	Can list two or three of the stages	Can list one of the stages	Can not list any stage
The student can compare the amount of food eaten for each stage of the life cycle.	Can determine which stage eats the most	Can identify the stages that eat	Can identify one stage that eats	Can not identify any stage that eats
The student can list the different names for each stage of the life cycle.	Can list all four stages	Can list two or three of the stages	Can list one of the stages	Can not list any stage
The student can list the survival time for each stage of the life cycle.	Can list all four stages	Can list two or three of the stages	Can list one of the stages	Can not list any stage
The student will be able to list 3 plants that support the butterfly.	Can list three different plants	Can list two different plants	Can list one plant	Can not list any plants
The student will be able to explain why they have chosen the plants to support the butterfly.	Can explain all three choices	Can explain two of the choices	Can explain one choice	Can not explain any choice
Legibility The student has written neatly so the research journal is legible.	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	None of the time
Mechanics the student has written in complete sentences with proper capitalization and punctuation.	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	None of the time
Participation The teacher observed each student contributing to the final presentation.	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	None of the time
Garden Design The student will design a garden that includes 3 plants that will support all stages of the life cycle of the butterfly.	The student has designed a gardent that is appropriate for supporting all stages of the life cycle of the butterfly and can support his/her decisions.	The student has designed a garden that is appropriate for supporting all stages of the life cycle of the butterfly.	The student has designed a garden using teacher approved method.	The student did not design a garden using teacher approved method.


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CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have designed a butterfly garden. In doing so, you should have learned that there are four stages in the life cycle of the butterfly and you should be able to name and label a diagram all stages. You should also be able to identify 3 plant types that can support each of the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle. You should be able to verbally or in writing support why you chose each type of plant, including which plant attracts butterflies and which support each stage of the life cycle.

Now go out and explore a garden near you so that you can see butterflies up close and possibly see each of the stages of the life cycle.


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CREDITS
Billy Bear 4 Kids	Butterfly House
Enchanted Learning	Clip Art Center
The Butterfly Farm

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