Climate Change Impacts Butterflies: Writing Lesson
Lesson Plan
50 minutesGradesK, 1, 2Science, English Language Arts
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Written by Elaine Makarevich
About this lesson
This lesson introduces the effects of climate change on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly in North America.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students learn the Butterfly Rhyme and act it out with visuals.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students play a card game to learn about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly and the effects of climate change on this insect.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students decorate the Butterfly Rhyme with illustrations that show the stages of the life cycle and write about how we can help butterflies.
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Everything you need to teach it
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Positives
- This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students to explore the plight of the monarch butterfly through games.
- This lesson features multiple learning modalities - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic to support a wide variety of young learners.
- This lesson highlights Social Justice standards of action, diversity, and justice.
- This lesson supports the understanding that all humans can make a difference.
- Students will develop a strong connection to self and others as they explore the plight of the monarch butterfly through play.
- Students will have an opportunity to share what they learned with members of their household via their illustrations and writing.
- This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teacher should review the informational article, Endangered Monarch Butterflies, regarding the monarch butterfly.
- Teacher should print out the Rhyme Cards and the Card Game Pieces prior to teaching the lesson.
- Teacher should print the Student Documents and Vocabulary Cards in advance if not using digital copies.
Differentiation
- Several versions of the writing task are provided in the Student Document to accommodate different levels of writers in your classroom.
- Use the word wall and/or vocabulary cards to scaffold writing.
- This lesson can take place in an outdoor area or in the classroom.
- Teacher can request free milkweed plants or free seeds to create a school pollinator garden. Many local garden centers will happily donate last year’s seeds or a few plants to support your efforts.
- To extend the learning, contact a local master gardener or other experts to speak to students.
From the scientist review
This lesson discusses the life cycle of the monarch butterfly and how it is impacted by climate change. It is insightful for students to understand these changes, the extent of threats, and what they can do to protect the butterflies from extinction. The lesson is recommended for teaching.
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About the teacher writer
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Elaine Makarevich
Chief Outreach Officer
Elaine Makarevich, M.Ed., is SubjectToClimate's Chief Outreach Officer. She has over 30 years of experience teaching K–6 across all subjects and holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and an M.Ed. from East Stroudsburg University and Centenary University, along with Supervisor and Gifted Education certifications. Outside of work, she loves gardening — flowers, vegetables, and everything in between.
