Session n#2: Safe trip, butterfly!

To start: Revision of theme and vocabulary from the last session + introduction of the new session

Introduction: pupils respond to the question «Have anyone ever travelled to another country? Where did you travel to? How did you get there? By plane, boat, car…» Teacher should have pictures as vocabulary aide especially if the pupils are not very familiar with the ‘travel’ theme. «Do you know that butterflies travel too? How does the butterfly travel? Does it take the plane? The bus?... And where does the butterfly go when it travels?» Pupils may search for butterflies from their region/country that migrate or butterflies from other countries that migrate every year to their country. If there are no migrating butterflies in your country, the monarch butterfly is a wonderful example of the crossing of borders.

Development: Pupils work in groups of four or five. Each group has a map and a cut-out picture of a monarch butterfly. Pupils use the map to find the home of the monarch butterfly (North America and Canada) and the favourite destination of this insect (Mexico). They use the butterfly picture to connect the two points on the map. This activity is best done with pupils 8 years and up.

Visit the National Geographic site with pupils for information and video on the monarch butterfly. http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/bugs-animals/butterflies-moths/butterfly_monarch.html

Older students may pick out important information from the video on the migration of the monarch butterfly. «where do they live? How far do they travel…what distance? Where do they go? What influences/affects the migration of the monarch butterfly?» Younger pupils may simply watch and comment on different scenes in the video.

Activity: In groups of 2 to 4, pupils write a short story about a monarch butterfly which travels from Canada to Mexico. In the story they may include the route taken, meeting with someone (human or animal), the arrival or the butterfly in Mexico; or students may write their story as they please. This activity may be done at all levels. For pupils in the lower classes the story can be dictated to the teacher and illustrated by the children.

Going further

• Visit the outside surroundings. Pupils take note of any butterfly sitings and activity. If your school is situated in a town or city, you may want to visit a public garden, nature institute or an insectarium.
• Make a butterfly garden. Plant flowers that butterflies of your region like in pots on the classroom window sill or out in the garden. Verify from time to time when the plants have grown whether butterflies visit your garden. Take pictures if possible of the different butterflies or write a description or the butterflies you see.