Integrated with a science unit about insects, this lesson adds content knowledge about butterflies and helps students to understand the scientific process as one of formulating questions and seeking answers. The information literacy component gives special attention to formulating questions, learning how to use the library’s online card catalog, and finding answers to questions in the pages of nonfiction books.



 

Instructional Goals

Goal #1: Students will learn about butterflies.

Goal #2: Students will be able to formulate questions and know how to answer their questions by drawing information from nonfiction books.



Learning Objectives

Objectives for Goal #1: Students will be able to

•    describe the life-cycle and name other facts about butterflies

•    know what makes a butterfly a kind of insect

•    know the difference between a butterfly and a moth



Objectives for Goal #2: Students will be able to

•    formulate questions about butterflies and other topics of interest

•    use the card catalogue in the library to look up books on the subject of butterflies

•    locate relevant information in the books

Materials needed include

• a butterfly hatchery, available from many educational science catalogs


• chart paper and markers


• computer with projector, computers for student access to the online catalog


• books about butterflies from the library shelf


• student worksheets

Introduction

During the week before the lesson, a butterfly hatchery will be set up in the library. Students will  visit it for the first time on a Monday to discuss what it could be and formulate questions about it. They may visit the hatchery daily and make observations about what they see writing their observations in a science notebook. Together, the class may develop a theory as to what the object is and what they might expect from it in the days to come.



Procedures

On Thursday or Friday, the class will come to the library for the lesson. The teacher librarian will confirm their theory that the object is a butterfly hatchery. Students will brainstorm all the facts they know about butterflies. Then they will be helped to formulate questions about what they don’t know and the questions will be noted down on chart paper.



Their brainstormed facts may also be questioned. “How do we know these things true?” the teacher librarian might ask. “And how will we get the answers to these questions?” Students will suggest places to get information about butterflies with the teacher and teacher librarian adding as necessary. Some suggestions that may be followed up at a later date include

•    experts

•    encyclopedias

•    the internet

•    magazines

•    television

•    videos



The suggestion to be followed up that day is nonfiction books. “But with all these books in the library, how do we find the ones we want, the ones with facts about butterflies?” Students will be introduced to the idea that every book has a place and every place has a label called the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) number. To find the book, they can use the catalog. The catalog lists the number of every book.



Students will move to the computer lab. Together, using the projector and screen, students will learn how to use the catalog. The lesson will illustrate searching by “everything” “subject” and “title,” with a brief mention of the “author” search. Students will be shown how to recognize the publication date, the DDC number, and whether the entry is fiction, nonfiction, or another type of resource. They’ll also use the “see more” button to get more information about each book.



Examples of the relevance of this information will be offered: Baseball and Butterflies, a beginning chapter book by Karen Williams about a “bratty little brother” will be less relevant to answering their questions than Denny Robson’s Butterflies and Moths, a nonfiction book that “describes the life cycle and habits of various kinds of butterflies and moths.” Students will be reminded to refer back to the questions they want answered while choosing which book would be best.



Students will then pair up with a neighbor to decide which one book they think would be best for answering the class’ questions about butterflies, noting down the title, author, date, DDC number, and the reason for their selection. The class will take a “poll” to find out which are their top three choices.



Armed with the DDC’s of the top three books, students will be shown how to locate that section in the library and find the three books. Then students can relax in the story book area while the teacher librarian reads one of the books to them. Referring to the questions on chart paper, the teacher librarian will remind students to listen for the answers to their questions as she reads.



Examples of helping students formulate questions

•    Remind students that there are no dumb questions. Some questions may be off topic, but no question is stupid.

•    Talk about the importance of questions to science. Every discovery begins with a question. “What question do you think Columbus asked before he decided to sail across the ocean?”

•    Give prompts. “Finish this sentence: I wonder . . . I’m curious about . . . What would happen if . . . Do you think that . . .? Why do butterflies . . .? How do butterflies . . .?”

•    Show pictures of butterflies and have students ask questions about the pictures.

•    Ask what students know about a related topic, for example, dogs. Then ask if they know the same information about butterflies. For example, dogs eat packaged dog food from the supermarket. What do butterflies eat?

•    Ask questions about previous observations and experiences. “Has anyone ever seen a butterfly? Where did you see it? Do you think that’s where butterflies live? Is that a good question for our list?”

•    Have students imagine they are butterflies. Play butterfly music with eyes closed. “As you flit around, what are you doing or thinking? What do you realize you don’t know about being a butterfly?”



Conclusion and Follow-Up

After hearing the book read out loud, students will work together to answer the questions listed on the chart paper, referring back to the text and illustrations as needed. If there are unanswered questions, students may be challenged to find the answers from other books or other resources. Students would be encouraged to use the catalog to choose books during their next book selection visit.



There are a number of spin-off lessons and activities that could take place during future library visits or in the classroom, for example



•    Students can color a small oaktag butterfly cutout to look like their favorite species of butterfly or moth. The finished cutout would be glued to a magnet backing and go home with the student as a refrigerator magnet.



•   The butterfly theme can be carried over to ELA, with the teacher librarian visiting the classroom to share butterfly poetry. Students would have the chance to write their own butterfly (or insect) poetry.



•   Students can be treated to read alouds from high-interest, higher level books about butterflies, such as

        Russell, S. (2003). An obsession with butterflies: our long love affair with a singular insect. NY: Perseus Publishing.



        Pyle, R. (2001). Chasing monarchs: migrating with the butterflies of passage. Boston: Mariner Books.



•   Students can be invited to drop additional questions into a question box, with the promise that if they put their names on the paper, the teacher librarian will help them find a book to answer their questions.



•   Students can return to the computer lab to explore butterflies online at

        The Butterfly Web Site http://butterflywebsite.com/



        Butterflies of North America at

        http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm



        Enchanted Learning Butterflies at

        http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/



Note: By the way, butterflies do not have noses. They smell through their antennae and breath through tiny openings called spiracles.

In classrooms, students will draw a butterfly or moth, labeling the parts and adding a fact about the butterfly’s life cycle or habits.

In the library, students will complete a worksheet that defines “the next question” and the resources they might use to get answers. The next lessons in the unit would give students time to follow up on researching, organizing, and presenting the results of their “next question” research.

Examples of read aloud books

Siminson, N. (2000) Butterflies. (High Interest Books). NY: Scholastic/Children's Press
List, I. (2002). Moths and butterflies of North America. (Animals in Order). London: Franklin Watts
Schlaepfer, G. (2004). Butterflies. (Animalways). NY: Benchmark Books.
Gibbons, G. (1991). Monarch butterfly. NY: Holiday House.