Using chapter 1 of Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed, middle schoolers write a personal memoir based on Spinelli's style and a Six Trait writing activity. The lesson suggests several ways to activate prior knowledge, including a picture book and...

Students explore Earth science by completing a worksheet in class. In this botany lesson plan, students identify the relationship between the Milkweed plant and the butterflies which regularly feed on its nutrients. Students visit a list...

Ninth graders study milkweed and see how it is effected by ozone.  In this air pollution lesson students complete a lab activity that includes data analysis. 

Second graders view milkweed plants (or pictures). The describe the plant and discuss ways some butterflies use it as a food source. Students view four pictures of different phases of a milkweed plant's life cycle. They discuss the...

Students chart how milkweed bugs grow and change.  In this growth and life stages lesson, students read two stories and discuss how and why things grow.  Students brainstorm what can be measured about humans, review and discuss...

Students investigate the monarch's searching behavior and ability to find food. They determine whether or not a caterpillar can find food in a simple Y-shaped maze. They record and graph or chart the data from several attempts using...

Learners watch for milkweed plants from the previous fall and choose several new plants to monitor. Then make observations and measurements about the plants. The connection with the weather is also made with the monitoring of...

Students monitor the growth of milkweed plants. The observations are made to help make conclusions about growth and development.

Learners record and analyze what types of food monarch caterpillars will eat.

Students follow directions regarding what colors farm objects should be colored. They identify various items pictured on provided worksheet that can be found on a farm or are made from farm animals. Finally, they match each color crayon...

Students raise money to purchase milkweed plants for their butterfly garden. In this gardening lesson, students listen to the story Miss Rumphius to determine why it is important to plant milkweed for butterflies. Students develop a...

Learners observe caterpillar behavior and the amount of milkweed leaves the caterpillars eat each day. They collect data regarding the caterpillar's size and anything else they see. They look for patterns in caterpillar eating habits and...

Second graders study what monarch caterpillars eat by solving math problems and reading The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars: A Twelfth-Century Tale from Japan. They analyze why Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed leaves and solve...

Students study the migratory behavior of the monarch butterfly and to carefully develop a scientific method for answering one question concerning their behavior. They perform many meaningful tasks which help them explain the Monarch...

How are third graders like rabbits? They both live in habitats and require food, water, and shelter to survive! An educational science instructional activity encourages your learners to think about their own habitats and survival needs,...

Learners, working in groups, create "artificial seeds" for a wind dispersal experiment. After trial runs, they redesign their seeds, and re-test them under the same conditions. Finally, they interpret, compare, and evaluate the original...

Learners identify the stage of the butterfly's life cycle. For this life cycles lesson, students create a KWL chart about monarch butterflies. Learners observe monarch caterpillars in an aquarium and identify the various stages of growth.

Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...

Students play rock-paper-scissors and create a play to demonstrate the butterfly life cycle. In this butterfly life cycle lesson plan, students also plant a butterfly garden with plants that attract butterflies.

Students explore the real experience with the sequence and process of caterpillar-to-butterfly metamorphosis. They actually get to watch the process unfold in the classroom. A Flex-Cam records the video of the process to assure that the...

Young scholars analyze an animal's life cycle and behaviors, and examine what animals need to stay alive and reproduce. They develop theories and hypotheses about the reasons for migrations, using the Journey North online project.

Learners collect and microscopically examine seeds from the school yard and neighborhood. In small groups, they draw and discuss the shapes of the seeds to determine each plant's method of dispersal. they also test two types of seeds...

Students examine the last stage of the monarch butterfly. For this life cycles lesson, students read the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and study photos of the monarch life cycle. Students illustrate the third stage of the monarch...

Students create a garden.  In this ozone lesson, students discuss ozone injury, identify plants sensitive to ozone, and then plant their own ozone garden.