My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
SCIENCE EDUCATION PLANNER: Butterflies
SCIENCE STRANDS:
MACRO TASK: Become familiar with New LEVEL: 1 2 3 4
Living World
Physical World
Zealand’s butterflies, both native and
Material World
Plant Earth and Beyond
introduced, and discover how students
YEAR: 6–8
work as citizen scientists to tag and track
NATURE OF SCIENCE: understanding, investigating, communicating
monarch butterfly movements.
TEACHER: Angela Schipper
and participating and contributing.
STRANDS/AOs:  Recognise that there are life processes common to all living things and that these occur in different ways.
 Explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to environmental changes, both natural
and human-induced.
KEY COMPETENCIES:
 Thinking – understanding New Zealand has both native and introduced butterflies, and they have similarities and differences in their life cycles.
 Language – using scientific language related to the butterfly life cycle; using vocabulary related to the monitoring and tagging of monarchs.
 Managing selves – working alone and together during activities and investigations.
 Relating to others – listening to others and sharing their scientific ideas and theories.
 Participating and contributing – becoming part of a national butterfly project and having the opportunity to lead the school in environmental
initiatives.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: The students will:
Conceptual LOs
Procedural LOs
Nature of science
Technical LOs
 Understand that New Zealand
 Learn about native and
 Understand that scientific
 View/gather information,
has both native and introduced
introduced butterflies, their
knowledge is based upon evidence
discuss and record ideas.
butterflies.
habitats and life cycles using
from observations of the natural
 Investigate life cycles through
 Understand that some native
Science Learning Hub resources.
world.
hands-on activities and
butterflies are rarely seen due to  Observe life cycle similarities and  Understand that citizen scientists
through the use of an
their habitats and/or human
differences by raising common
contribute to investigations through
interactive.
impacts.
butterfly species.
observations and data collection.
 Participate in the Monarch
 Understand that all butterflies go  Learn more about butterfly
 Understand that school students
Butterfly NZ Trust transect and
through metamorphosis but the
species in their area through
can be scientists provided they
tagging programmes.
process varies between species.
transect walks.
follow scientific procedures.
 Understand that tagging
 Take part in the national butterfly
monarchs helps us learn more
tagging project lead by the
about their behaviour.
Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust.
MANAGEMENT/MATERIALS:
Resources:
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Butterflies, www.monarch.org.nz/monarch, http://nzbutterfly.info, www.teara.govt.nz/en/butterfliesand-moths/4/1
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY EXAMPLES:
Students draw and label the butterfly life cycle and compare this to the initial life cycle drawing.
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
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My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
SCIENCE: PLANNING FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING: Butterflies
MACRO TASK: Become familiar with New Zealand’s butterflies, both native and introduced, and discover how students work as citizen scientists
to tag and track monarch butterfly movements.
Micro task
Resources
Planned
interactions
MESO TASK: To find out what we already know about butterflies.
Discuss what students
 Paper to record ideas
 What butterflies do you
already know about
recognise? Where do they
butterflies and the butterfly
go at night, in the winter?
life cycle.
What are their life cycles?
 In pairs, students sketch
the butterfly life cycle.
Discuss what students
 Selection of library books  Students look at books.
would like to learn about
on butterflies
 What have you learned
butterfly science.
 Paper to record
about New Zealand
questions/ideas
butterflies?
 Is there anything you
would like to learn?
MESO TASK: To learn more about our native butterflies.
In some parts of New
 New Zealand butterfly
 How many butterflies can
Zealand, our most common
families PowerPoint
you name/have you seen?
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc  Do you think other parts
and most visual butterflies
e-Stories/Butterflies/Neware the introduced white
of the country have the
Zealand-butterfly-families
and the monarch.
same types of butterflies
 New Zealand native
as in our town/city?
butterflies PowerPoint
Almost all of the butterflies

Use the New Zealand
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
in New Zealand are native
butterfly families
e-Stories/Butterflies/NewZealand-native-butterflies
and most are endemic.
PowerPoint to show the
 Data projector/classroom
butterflies we have in our
computers/or printed and
country.
laminated colour slides
Show the New Zealand
from the PowerPoints
native butterflies
 Additional information and PowerPoint to learn more
maps showing precise
about the individual
habitat locations
butterfly habitats and
www.nzbutterfly.info
locations.
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
Intended learning
outcomes
Reflections
 Discover what knowledge
students already have as
well as any alternative
conceptions.
 Help students to see that,
although there are
numerous butterfly books,
many feature overseas
butterflies and may contain
little actual science.
 Students will understand
that we have native
butterflies (just like we have
native birds).
 Students will begin to see
how habitat, camouflage
and other characteristics
influence how often we may
see a native butterfly and
why students may not be
familiar with them.
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My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Planned
Intended learning
interactions
outcomes
To understand why we
 Our elusive native
 Students discuss these
 Students will understand
commonly see some
butterflies article for
questions, drawing upon
that we don’t see many of
butterfly species but not
guided or individual
the experiences of those
our native butterflies due to
others.
reading
who have lived in or
the nature of the butterflies
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
visited other parts of New
themselves and/or as a
e-Stories/Butterflies/OurZealand or other
result of human impact.
elusive-native-butterflies
countries.
 Copies of the activity
sheet Questions about our o Which butterflies have
you seen?
elusive native butterflies
o Why do you think we
don’t see some
butterfly species around
school/home?
 Students read the article
to find out why some of
our native butterflies are
not often seen.
MESO TASK: To learn more about butterfly life cycles.
Build on students’ prior
 Monarch butterflies article  Review what students
 Students will gain a fuller
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
understanding of the
already know through
understanding of the
e-Stories/Butterflies/Monarchmonarch’s life cycle.
previous observations.
monarch life cycle and begin
butterflies
Highlight/record any
to use more specific and
 Monarch butterfly life
scientific
language
they
scientifically accurate
cycle
use.
vocabulary.
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
 Use the Monarch butterfly
e-Stories/Butterflies/SciMedia/Animations-andlife cycle interactive. View
Interactives
and discuss the images.
 Data projector
 Compare and contrast the
 Library books about
language found in the
monarchs
books and in the
 Actual monarch
interactive. Discuss why
egg/larvae/pupae
there might be
specimens
discrepancies.
 If live specimens are
available, observe the life
cycle in the classroom.
Micro task
Resources
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
Reflections
3
My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Planned
Intended learning
interactions
outcomes
Examine the white
 White butterflies article
 Discuss whether students  Student will understand
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
butterfly’s life cycle to
have seen white butterfly
that, although
e-Stories/Butterflies/Whitecompare/contrast it with
eggs or caterpillars in
metamorphosis follows a
butterflies
that of the monarch.
their
gardens.
similar pattern, there is
 White butterfly life cycle

Discuss
whether
the
life
variation in larval food
activity
cycle is the same as that
sources, the amount of time
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
of the more commonly
it takes to move from one
e-Stories/Butterflies/Whitebutterfly-life-cycle
observed monarch.
stage to another, and egg,
 Actual white
 Use the white butterfly
larvae and pupae
egg/larvae/pupae
article and activity to
characteristics.
specimens
learn more about and
observe how this life cycle
is similar to but different
from that of the monarch.
Examine other butterfly life  More information about
 View photos/life cycles of
cycles to compare/contrast
native butterfly life cycles
other New Zealand
www.nzbutterfly.info
them with that of the
butterflies or students can
 Red admiral’s life cycle
monarch.
use information from the
www.teara.govt.nz/en/butterflie
NZButterfly website to
s-and-moths/4/1
make their own native
butterfly life cycle
PowerPoint presentations.
MESO TASK: To learn how some butterflies defend themselves with toxicity.
Explore the defence
 Butterfly defence
 This article can be used as  Students will understand
mechanisms some
mechanisms article as a
a reading activity.
that some butterflies use the
butterflies use to protect
whole class discussion or  Alternatively, the
toxins from their larval food
themselves.
individual/small group use
questions from the
plants as a means of
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
activity sheet can be the
protection.
e-Stories/Butterflies/Butterflybasis of a whole class
defence-mechanisms
discussion, using the
 Swan plant, images of
article as a resource.
stinging nettle
Micro task
Resources
Reflections
 Copies of the activity
sheet Questions about
butterfly defence
mechanisms
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
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My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Planned
Intended learning
interactions
outcomes
MESO TASK: To become actively involved in butterfly research by acting as citizen scientists.
Learn how everyday people  Citizen scientists article
 Coloured ribbons/markers Students will understand:
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
become citizen scientists.
while on a bushwalk
 that citizen scientists help
e-Stories/Butterflies/Citizenusually mark transects of
out real scientists in many
scientists
Citizen scientists collect data  Jacqui Knight article
some sort – possibly for
ways
for research scientists to
monitoring,
tracking
or

the MBNZT works to help
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
analyse. School students
trapping. Ask if students
scientists answer questions
e-Stories/Butterflies/JacquiKnight
become actual scientists if
have walked transects to
about monarch butterfly
 Monarch Butterfly New
they follow scientific
gather information. What
habits and habitats
Zealand Trust article
procedures.
did they do with it?
 even school students can be
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
 Discuss the article on
real scientists.
e-Stories/Butterflies/MonarchCitizen
scientists.
Butterfly-New-Zealand-Trust
 Ask why the scientists
 Learn more about the
don’t collect all of the
MBNZT
data by themselves.
www.monarch.org.nz/monarch
 Refer to the article on
Jacqui Knight and her role
as a citizen scientist.
Students can see that
much of her interest in
butterflies came from a
child’s question.
 Discuss the Monarch
Butterfly NZ Trust.
 Alternatively, older
students can read all 3
articles, and individually
or in groups, explain how
the articles are related.
 Discuss Jacqui’s quote:
“People are doing heaps
for kauri, kiwi and kākāpō
but nothing for endemic
butterfly species, yet
insects are crucial to the
ecosystem.”
Micro task
Resources
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
Reflections
5
My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Planned
interactions
Collect butterfly data for the  Establishing butterfly
 Refer to the activity
Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust.
transects
Establishing butterfly
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
This can be done in two
transects to learn how to
eways – through collection of
set up a transect and why
Stories/Butterflies/Establishingtransect data or by tagging
they are valuable for data
butterfly-transects
monarchs to help with
collection
 Tagging monarch
research about over Refer to the activity
butterflies for science
wintering habits.
Tagging monarch
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Scienc
e-Stories/Butterflies/Taggingbutterflies for science to
monarch-butterflies-for-science
learn how to tag a
 Learn more about MBNZT,
butterfly and register the
order tags, register data
tag with the MBNZT.
Intended learning
outcomes
Students will:
 understand more about
transects and their value as
monitoring tools
 learn about observing
versus merely looking
 understand the relationship
between releasing and
recovering tagged butterflies
 appreciate that citizen
scientists work in
partnership with scientists to
answer real-world questions.
Consider establishing
butterfly gardens/habitats
around the school.
 Discuss the possibility of
establishing butterfly
www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/p
gardens around school.
rojects/certified-butterfly Discuss consultation,
gardenhabitats
funding, on-going
 PDF on butterfly
maintenance issues etc.
gardening

Look into the MBNZT’s
www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/p
certified butterfly garden
rojects/butterfly-gardening
initiative.
Students will:
 discuss the possibility of
establishing butterfly
gardens around the school
 research what steps they
need to take in order to
establish the gardens.
 Paper, drawing materials
Students will:
 demonstrate their
increased understanding of
butterfly life cycles
 demonstrate widening
knowledge of native
butterflies
 demonstrate their
increased understanding of
scientific vocabulary.
Micro task
Resources
www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/p
rojects
MESO TASK: Evaluation
Students draw a butterfly
life cycle.

MBNZT certified butterfly
garden
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
 Students draw a butterfly
life cycle including written
descriptions of each
section of the cycle using
scientific vocabulary.
 Compare with initial life
cycle drawings. Do they
still focus on the better
known monarch butterfly
or branch out into native
or white butterfly life
cycles. Compare use of
scientific vocabulary.
Reflections
6
My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Questions about our elusive native butterflies
Why is it uncommon to see some of our native butterflies? Read the science article Our elusive native butterflies to answer the following
questions.
What does the word ‘elusive’ mean?
Why does the author refer to native butterflies as elusive?
In what way are butterflies similar to kiwis?
Give two reasons why it is usually easier for most of us to see monarch and white butterflies rather than native butterflies.
Many of our native butterflies have colourful upper wings but camouflaged hind wings. (Look at the photo of the yellow admiral butterfly as an
example.) Why do you think they have both colour and camouflage?
Use the information about wing size to draw an appropriately sized butterfly. For example, the monarch wings should be 110 mm across. Would
this make a difference to how visible the butterfly is?
Monarch butterfly
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
Tussock butterfly
Copper butterfly
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My Sci > Teacher ideas > Unit plan: Butterflies (upper primary)
Questions about butterfly defence mechanisms
Read the science article Butterfly defence mechanisms to answer the following questions.
1. Butterflies are referred to as the exhibitionists of the insect world. What is an exhibitionist?
Name another insect or animal that is the opposite of an exhibitionist.
2. How is aposematic colouration similar to a high-visibility vest?
3. Sketch the process by which a monarch butterfly obtains its chemical toxicity. There are
four stages.
4. What are the two ways that a red admiral larva protects itself?


5. Swan plants are toxic yet they are still allowed in the classroom. What two reasons are
given for allowing this?


6. The article ironically infers that it might be safer to use white butterfly larvae to teach
about the butterfly’s life cycle.
What does the author mean?
Do you agree with the statement?
© 2007–2011 The University of Waikato
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
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