Monarchs in Canada

Lesson PlansMonarch butterfly

The teacher resources site and materials are used here with permission from Monarch Lab.  It provides a wealth of activities for teachers grades K-12, links to current research, courses, lesson plans, and outreach materials.

How Much Do Caterpillars Eat in One Day?
Trace milkweed leaves onto card stock in order to make quantitative observations of the milkweed consumed by a monarch caterpillar in one day. Fill in a data sheet and compare the quantities of milkweed eaten over several consecutive days.
http://www.monarchlab.org/mitc/Resources/LessonPlans/K-2/How_much_do_caterpillars_eat.pdf (for grades K-2)

Milkweed Monitoring
Students will record the growth and development of milkweed plants, tracking their appearance in the spring, and the rate at which they grow. If desired, they can track the use of these plants by insect herbivores.
http://www.monarchlab.org/mitc/Resources/LessonPlans/3-6/Milkweed_Monitoring.pdf (for grades 3-6)
http://www.monarchlab.org/mitc/Resources/LessonPlans/MS/Milkweed_Monitoring.pdf (for middle and high school)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Students will first predict, and then estimate, how much milkweed a larva consumes on a daily basis. If the research is carried over several days, they will learn how much milkweed consumption varies with larval age and size.
http://www.monarchlab.org/mitc/Resources/LessonPlans/3-6/Hungry_Caterpillar.pdf (for grades 3-6)

For all of the lesson plans on this web site, CLICK HERE.

For more lesson plans and resources for teachers, go to Monarch Education on the Monarch Butterfly: North America’s Migrating Insect web pages:
http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/teacherandstudent/index.shtml