Table of Contents Introduction...2 Animal Life Cycles: Monarch Butterfly...3-8 Habitats and Biomes...9-14 Organisms Change Their Environments: Mold...15-20 Animal Communities and Groups...21-26 Animal Characteristics: Survival Adaptations...27-32 Equipment Table...33 Introduction Learning science is something students do. Full inquiry involves asking a simple question, completing an investigation, answering the question, and presenting the results to others. National Science Education Standards Quick Life Science Labs provides active, hands-on science investigations in the content strands of life science for grades 3 and 4. Each unit in this book ties in with a specific program standard outlined in the National Science Education Standards. Investigations address fundamental life science concepts including organisms' characteristics, life cycles, and environments. In the spirit of the National Science Education Standards, activities require students to use scientific inquiry to investigate a question, communicate findings, and connect learning to real-world experiences. Students are challenged to use tools including technology, and to work cooperatively when performing experiments and analyzing results. Each unit can serve as a springboard for students to design their own labs and to research questions asked after doing investigations as well. Each unit investigation includes Teacher's Notes and these reproducible student pages: Quick Lab Experiment introductory activity Data Collection/Communication record sheet for Quick Lab findings Working Together cooperative group project Using Tools research using a scientific tool to gain information Learning Links interdisciplinary connections, including Internet research Before beginning the activities, help students create a Science Log. Students will be asked to record additional information in their logs as part of their activities. Check the equipment table printed on the inside back cover of this book for materials needed in each unit.
Teacher Notes Animal Life Cycles: Monarch Butterfly Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The details of this life cycle are different for different organisms. National Science Education Standards Getting Started This unit requires monarch eggs. You can purchase these from a biological supply company (such as Carolina Biological Supply Company: 1-800-334-5551). You may wish to perform this unit when wild monarchs are in your area. To determine the appropriate time, visit the Journey North web site, which posts monarch butterfly migration updates weekly between February and May. You also will need a supply of nectar plants (feeder plants for the monarch) and host plants (e.g., tropical milkweed, on which monarchs lay their eggs and feed as caterpillars). Eggs can be stored in jars with lids (poke airholes in the lids), in a commercial insect cage, or a screen-covered aquarium. Choose storage space that does not receive direct sunlight. Check the Equipment Table for other materials needed to complete the activities in this unit. Begin the unit by defining and discussing a monarch s life cycle. Share background information listed below. Post a list of questions children would like to answer as a result of their life cycle study. About the Monarch Butterfly Monarch butterflies are identified by their orange and black markings. These butterflies migrate each fall to over-wintering sites that do not experience freezing temperatures, including Mexico, California, and Texas. Each spring monarchs court, mate, feed, and migrate north to re-colonize the U.S. and Canada. Up to four successive generations of monarchs complete their life cycle during one summer season. Each generation of monarchs that reaches adulthood in summer lives about four weeks. Monarchs that mature in fall live at least six months. They migrate and return the following spring. Development from egg to adult butterfly takes just under one month. The egg stage lasts 3-5 days. The larval (caterpillar) stage lasts about 10 days. The pupa-chrysalis stage lasts 10 days, after which an adult butterfly emerges. Monarchs are threatened by human activity in their wintering areas. Trees that shelter these butterflies are being cut down. Misconceptions: Students may believe butterflies are no different from moths. They may not recognize butterflies as insects. Teaching the Unit Quick Lab Experiment and Data Collection/Communication: Warn students against handling the caterpillars that emerge during this experiment. Be sure the jars have a steady supply of fresh air and fresh milkweed leaves. Tissue paper can be used to clean out droppings. Tell children to watch for signs their caterpillar is ready to form a chrysalis. The caterpillar will stop eating, grow restless, and instinctively crawl to the top of the container. It will spin a silk button, hang head down and, after several hours, shed its skin, revealing the chrysalis beneath. Once the adult monarch emerges and its wings dry, be prepared to release it (near flowers if possible). If the season doesn t permit this, research ways to maintain a butterfly enclosure. In Design Your Own Experiment, children should find that caterpillars grow best when it s warmer, the optimum temperature range being 80º F to 85º F (27º C to 29º C). Duplicate five copies of the Data Collection page for each student. Children can fill in their pages once weekly for approximately one month. Afterward, children can collate their pages into a book. Working Together: Children should use the insect characteristics list to determine that a butterfly is an insect. Noninsects shown in this activity include the spider, tick, and millipede. Help students research other insect life cycles, and encourage them to share their results with the class. Using Tools: Do this activity soon after the caterpillars emerge. Most caterpillars have 8 pairs of legs: 3 pairs of true legs in front; 5 other pairs of stumpy false legs; and one last pair near the tail. Learning Links: Encourage children to share their butterfly stories with the class. Help them use Internet search engines for their research, such as Yahoo! and Alta Vista.
Quick Lab Experiment Becoming a Butterfly PREDICT How does a monarch grow from an egg into a butterfly? Write what you think in your Science Log. LAB TIME Follow these directions for raising a butterfly. 1. Place your egg in a jar and seal it. Cover the jar with netting or a lid that has air holes. Your teacher may also help you set up a classroom cage. 2. Watch the egg grow into the next stage. Record what you see on your Data Collection page. 3. Add food to your monarch s home. Pack milkweed leaves in the bottom of the jar or cage. 4. Watch the monarch grow into the next stage. Don t forget to record what you see. 5. Watch your butterfly grow into its final stage. 6. Study all your data. What questions can you answer? What else did you find out? 1 2 3 4 DESIGN YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT Design an experiment to answer this question: Do caterpillars grow best when it s cooler or when it s warmer? Try it! Write what you learn in your Science Log. Share your findings with classmates.
Use this page to record results from your Quick Lab Experiment. LAB TIME 1. My monarch is in day of its life cycle. Data Collection / Communication Becoming a Butterfly 2. The size of my monarch is. 3. I can describe my monarch by saying that it. 4. My monarch is in this stage (circle one): egg caterpillar/ larva chrysalis/ pupa butterfly/ adult 5. Here is a picture of what my monarch is doing in its home. CONCLUSION It takes days for a caterpillar to become a chrysalis. It takes days for a chrysalis to become a butterfly. All monarchs take the same number of days to become butterflies. true/false (circle one) Pick a stage of your butterfly s life cycle. In your Science Log, write about what your butterfly did during this stage. Be creative. How will you share the life cycle of a monarch with classmates or your family?
Quick! Life Science Labs Grades 3-4 LER 2159 Quick Life Science Labs Grades 3-4 (LER 2159) is a part of a series that builds science skills through hands-on, open-ended labs. Designed to support the National Science Education Standards, the 25 inquiry-based activities in this book encourage observation and critical thinking, while exploring the following life science topics. Life Cycles Habitats and Biomes Organisms And Their Environment Animal Communities Animal Characteristics Each lab includes Teacher s Notes and four activities that challenge students to: Make predictions Collect and analyze data Communicate results Design their own experiments Use science tools Work cooperatively Combine science with other subjects Do internet research Quick Life Science Labs Grades 3-4 will get students excited about doing science: exploring questions through investigations, reaching conclusions, and sharing them with others! Look for the other fine products from Learning Resources: LER 2159 Quick! Earth Science Labs, Grades 3-4 LER 2160 Quick! Physical Science Labs, Grades 3-4 LER 2157 Quick! Earth Science Labs, Grades K-2 LER 2155 Quick! Physical Science Labs, Grades K-2 LER 2156 Quick! Life Science Labs, Grades K-2 LER 2177 Quick! Science Classpack, Grades K-2 LER 2178 Quick! Science Classpack, Grades 3-4 LER 2970 Quick! Physical Science Lab Kit LER 2971 Quick! Life Science Lab Kit LER 2972 Quick! Earth Science Lab Kit, Grades 4-6