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Butterflies that smell with their feet? Are you kidding? Let me read more! |
English/Language Arts
Explore lead sentences - starting with a question
Author Patent starts her Minute with not just, but TWO questions. Add this to your “bank” of model texts for starting with a question lead and have your students get out their journals to give it another practice try with a piece of their writing. If they do not have a good piece of writing of their own to work with, consider having them rewrite a wimple encyclopedia article and giving it some VOICE. And speaking of voice, point out how Author Patent chooses to finish her Minute, with another great dose of her stylistic voice.
STEM
Explore animal behavior and adaptation
This is a great Minute for encouraging critical thinking skills. Have students talk about the connection between animal behavior and reproduction. Do butterfly babies determine where the moms will lay their eggs, or does where the mom lays her eggs determine the diet of the babies? How does a butterfly “know” which leaves will nourish their offspring?
Explore environmental science - symbiosis and native plants
Now that your students are thinking, take them to the next level. If humans create environments based on personal likes and dislikes, for instance, importing plants and flowers from other parts of the world to replace native plantings, what are the potential consequences? Have your students take a deeper look at the connection of native habitats to native wildlife. What happens, for instance, if we eradicate milkweed? No more monarch butterflies in our gardens! But an overabundance of milkweed in a pasture can be poisonous to cattle, sheep, and potentially horses. Do some mapping of symbiotic species and see what happens when humans interfere with the balance.
Explore the science of senses
Young children can rapidly list the five senses, but understanding how they work is a little more challenging. Use this Minute to talk about the science of senses and do some more exploring. For more ideas, check out the lesson plans from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Explore insect behavior
This Minute introduces the reader to the relationship between sense of taste, smell, and feel in butterflies, and how that differs from humans. Many insects have fascinating differences in the way they sense the world. Send students exploring to find out how other insects experience the world.
Research Skills
Explore good question development
Practicing writing god researchable questions is a skill that needs repeated classroom practice. Students need to understand the difference between good researchable questions and fact-finding questions. Both kinds of questions are important for learning, but it is critical for students to move from the lower level basic questions to the higher level critical thinking questions. There are some good level one questions to get them started here. For more advanced strategies to teach your students to ask great questions, check this out.
Explore lead sentences - starting with a question
Author Patent starts her Minute with not just, but TWO questions. Add this to your “bank” of model texts for starting with a question lead and have your students get out their journals to give it another practice try with a piece of their writing. If they do not have a good piece of writing of their own to work with, consider having them rewrite a wimple encyclopedia article and giving it some VOICE. And speaking of voice, point out how Author Patent chooses to finish her Minute, with another great dose of her stylistic voice.
STEM
Explore animal behavior and adaptation
This is a great Minute for encouraging critical thinking skills. Have students talk about the connection between animal behavior and reproduction. Do butterfly babies determine where the moms will lay their eggs, or does where the mom lays her eggs determine the diet of the babies? How does a butterfly “know” which leaves will nourish their offspring?
Explore environmental science - symbiosis and native plants
Now that your students are thinking, take them to the next level. If humans create environments based on personal likes and dislikes, for instance, importing plants and flowers from other parts of the world to replace native plantings, what are the potential consequences? Have your students take a deeper look at the connection of native habitats to native wildlife. What happens, for instance, if we eradicate milkweed? No more monarch butterflies in our gardens! But an overabundance of milkweed in a pasture can be poisonous to cattle, sheep, and potentially horses. Do some mapping of symbiotic species and see what happens when humans interfere with the balance.
Explore the science of senses
Young children can rapidly list the five senses, but understanding how they work is a little more challenging. Use this Minute to talk about the science of senses and do some more exploring. For more ideas, check out the lesson plans from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Explore insect behavior
This Minute introduces the reader to the relationship between sense of taste, smell, and feel in butterflies, and how that differs from humans. Many insects have fascinating differences in the way they sense the world. Send students exploring to find out how other insects experience the world.
Research Skills
Explore good question development
Practicing writing god researchable questions is a skill that needs repeated classroom practice. Students need to understand the difference between good researchable questions and fact-finding questions. Both kinds of questions are important for learning, but it is critical for students to move from the lower level basic questions to the higher level critical thinking questions. There are some good level one questions to get them started here. For more advanced strategies to teach your students to ask great questions, check this out.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
