Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 2nd
Content Standard Addressed:
S2L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of different living organisms.
a. Ask questions to determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such
as a cat, dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a
butterfly.

Technology Standard Addressed:

7. Global Collaborator

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: Journey North

URL(s) to support the lesson: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom :
As we will be learning about and witnessing the life cycle of the butterfly, I want the experience to be more
meaningful than just seeing a butterfly hatch and be released. I want them to consider all that takes place and
see that the butterflies that we release are the same type of butterflies that other children see all over the
world. As we go through this experience we will be able to make connections across many content domains.
This will also be an activity that we participate in on a regular basis throughout the year, allowing students to
become invested and the overall experience more meaningful to them.

Students will be actively writing and creating a butterflies to send to peers in Mexico. At which point we will
also have to note how far our butterflies will be traveling to their new homes as well as adding our class to
the map so that we will be able to follow our butterflies in their migration. After we have sent off out
butterflies, we will observe caterpillars as they transform into butterflies. Once they have hatched and begin
to flutter, we will release them and await the arrival of the ambassador butterflies from children in Mexico.
Once we receive our butterflies we will then place it on the map so that the children will be able to see that
we received their butterflies.

What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Internet connection and an interactive board
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: Students will be interacting and communicating with peers in different parts of the world as
they send notes and create life size butterflies to let them know where they are from.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): Students will be collecting data as they make
observations and communicate the transformation process and migration of the Monarch butterfly.

c. Higher-order thinking: Students will be using higher-order thinking as they go through the process of
collecting, evaluating, and communicating the information that they gather throughout the year,
particularly when making the observations of the transformations from caterpillars to butterflies.

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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: Students
will be creating butterflies and sending them to Mexico for peers to see migration patterns.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☒ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Students will have access to both traditional dictionaries and thesaurus
as well as electronic translating dictionaries to help them in their communications. We will also have pointers
available for students to easily track migrations, as well as access to Google Maps so that students will be able
to explore areas that we come across throughout the experience.

Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies: To ensure student safety and privacy, this project
will only be completed by students that have written consent from a guardian. In addition, we will only
participate if ¾ of the class has written consent to do so. Once consent is provided students names will not
be given with the pictures, students full name will not be provided on the labeled butterflies, and only the
school address will be provided. Additionally, there will be no student correspondence done over the
internet, all correspondence will be hand written and reviewed by the teacher to ensure that there is not any
personal or inappropriate correspondence.

Reflective Practice: I feel that in having students participate in this activity, it allows them to make
meaningful connections between different cultures. It also allows student to see how the different content
domains are used with real world/hands-on experience. We can even share our experience with others in the
school on the morning news and on the classroom blog to share with families.

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