National
Science Education Standard
|
Journey
North Monarch Activity or Lesson |
| A.
SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY |
| Ask
a question about objects, organisms, events. (K-4) |
Video Visits
to Sanctuaries: Pictures to Poetry
Monarch
Population Dynamics
Write
a Field Guide for Overwintering Sites
Camouflage in the Overwintering
Colonies
Cascading Behavior
The Forest
as Blanket, Umbrella, and Hot Water Bottle |
| Use
data to conduct a reasonable explanation. (K-4) |
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
The Effect of Snow on Monarchs
How is the
Weather Today in the Overwintering Region?
How Cold
Are the Overwintering Sites in Mexico?
Temperature
and Elevation: The Monarchs Are Nearly Two Miles High
Tropical
vs. Temperate: Watch the Seasons Change
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
Mexico's Wet
and Dry Seasons: Precipitation Graph
The Climate of the Monarch Sanctuaries: What Do Two Pictures Tell
You? |
| Communicate
investigations and explanations. (K-4)
|
Write
a Field Guide for Monarch Overwintering Sites |
| Identify
questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
(5-8) |
Cascading
Behavior |
| Develop
descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
(5-8) |
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Food at the
Overwintering Sites |
| Use
math in all aspects of scientific inquiry. (5-8) |
Counting
All Butterflies: Estimating Pop. Size |
| UNDERSTANDINGS
ABOUT SCIENCE INQUIRY |
| Science
investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing
that to what scientists already know about the world. (K-4) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Living on Lipids: Surviving
on Stored Energy
The Effect of Snow on Monarchs
The Cloud Effect
Cascading Behavior
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
How Many Monarchs
in Mexico?
Monarch Habitat:
Dr. Calvert Looks at Space from a Monarch's Point of View W
|
| Scientists
use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they
are trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects,
events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting).
(K-4) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
By Predators
Camouflage in the Overwintering
Colonies
Living on Lipids: Surviving
on Stored Energy
The Effect of Snow on Monarchs
Migration Monitoring
Sites
Why Are Those Butterflies
Behaving So Strangely?
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
How Many Monarchs
in Mexico? |
| Simple
instruments, such as magnifiers, thermometers, and rulers, provide
more information than scientists obtain using only their senses. (K-4)
|
How
Many Millions of Monarchs in Mexico?
How Many Monarchs
in Mexico? |
| Scientists
develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already
know about the world. Good explanations are based on evidence from
investigations. (K-4) |
Storm Kills Over
75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Living on Lipids: Surviving
on Stored Energy
Cascading Behavior
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
Why Not
Estimate the Number of Butterflies |
| Different
kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations.
Some involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events;
some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some
involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects
and phenomena; and some involve making models. (5-8) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
By Predators
Camouflage in the Overwintering
Colonies
Living on Lipids: Surviving
on Stored Energy
The Effect of Snow on Monarchs
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
How Many Monarchs
in Mexico? |
| Technology
used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to analyze
and quantify results of investigations. (5-8) |
How
Many Millions of Monarchs in Mexico? |
| Current
scientific knowledge and understanding guide scientific investigations.
(5-8) |
Why
Do Monarchs Shiver?
The Cloud Effect
|
| Scientific
explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments,
and use scientific principles, models, and theories. The scientific
community accepts and uses such explanations until displaced by better
scientific ones. When such displacement occurs, science advances.
(5-8) |
Food
at the Overwintering Sites W
Citizen
Science and Journey North W S
|
| Mathematics
is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry. (5-8) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Monarchs in the News:
Populations Rebound
How Many Millions
of Monarchs in Mexico?
Counting All Butterflies: Estimating Population
|
| B.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
PROPERTIES
OF OBJECTS AND MATERIALS |
Materials
can exist in different states?solid, liquid, and gas. Some common
materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another
by heating or cooling. (K-4)
|
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
The Effect of Cold,
Wet Weather on Monarchs
Where Do Monarchs Get
Water in the Winter?
|
| C.
LIFE SCIENCE
THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISMS |
| Organisms
have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water and food; plants
require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only
in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many
different environments, and distinct ones support the life of different
types of organisms. (K-4) |
Wintering
South of the Border: Sharing a Small Area
The Monarch's
Forest Ecosystem
Monarch Migration
Updates for Sanctuary Schools
Exploring the Monarch's
Winter Habitat
Can YOU Find the
Monarch's Winter Home in Mexico?
More
Photos, Maps, Landscape Views
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
Mexico's Wet
and Dry Seasons: Precipitation Graph
Where Do Monarchs Get
Water in the Winter?
Water Resources for
Sanctuary Region Families
Monarchs are Cold-blooded
Creatures: The Basics
Scientists Learn
From Butterflies: More Land is Needed |
| Each
plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions
in growth, survival, reproduction. (K-4) |
Camouflage
in the Overwintering Colonies
Mating Before
Spring Departure
Why Don't Cold Butterflies
Fall? |
| The
behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such
as hunger) and by external cues (such as a change in the environment).
Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal
and external cues. (K-4) |
Wintering
South of the Border: Sharing a Small Area
How Much Space Does
a Monarch Colony Need?
Seasonal History
of a Monarch Colony
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Living on Lipids: Surviving
on Stored Energy
The Cloud Effect
Monarch Migration
Updates for Sanctuary Area Schools
Why Are Those Butterflies
Behaving So Strangely?
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Can YOU Find the
Monarch's Winter Home in Mexico?
More
Photos, Maps, Landscape Views
Tropical
vs. Temperate: Watch the Seasons Change
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
Where Do Monarchs Get
Water in the Winter?
Close Quarters:
How Many Butterflies on a Branch?
Monarch Habitat:
Dr. Calvert Looks at Space from a Monarch's Point of View
Visiting
the Monarch Sanctuary with Doctor Lincoln Brower
Searching for Monarchs
in the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Field Notes From
Mexico
Monarchs are Cold-blooded
Creatures: The Basics
|
| LIFE
CYCLES OF ORGANISMS |
| Plants
and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into
adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The details of this life
cycle are different for different organisms. (K-4) |
Mating
Before Spring Departure
Monarch Migration
Updates for Sanctuary Area Schools |
| ORGANISMS
AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS |
| All
animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Others
eat animals that eat plants. (K-4) |
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
by Predators |
| An
organism's behavior patterns are related to the nature of that organism's
environment, including the kinds and number of other organisms present,
the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics
of the environment. When environment changes, some plants and animals
survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations. (K-4) |
How
Much Space Does a Monarch Colony Need?
Introducing Dr. Bill
Calvert
Monarch
Population Dynamics
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Exploring the Monarch's
Winter Habitat
Why Are Those Butterflies
Behaving So Strangely?
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
How Cold
Are the Overwintering Sites in Mexico?
Where Do Monarchs Get
Water in the Winter? |
| Humans
depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change
environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental
for themselves and other organisms. (K-4) |
Domestic
Uses of Wood: A Ranch Tour with Noemi's Dad
Deforestation
Maps of Monarch's Forest
Deforestation
in the Sanctuaries: Domestic Uses of Wood
Causes of Deforestation
Monarch Conservation
News From Mexico
About Conservation
Perspectives
Storm Kills Over
75% of N. America's Migratory Monarchs
Monarchs in the News:
Population Rebounds
Measure Your Ecological
Footprint
Water Resources for
Sanctuary Region Families
Life in the
Sanctuary Region
Why Not
Estimate the Number of Butterflies |
| STRUCTURE
AND FUNCTION IN LIVING SYSTEMS |
| Living
systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary
nature of structure and function. (5-8) |
Why Don't Cold Butterflies
Fall? |
| REPRODUCTION
AND HEREDITY |
| Reproduction
is a characteristic of all living systems; because no individual organism
lives forever, reproduction is essential to the continuation of every
species. Some organisms reproduce asexually. Other organisms reproduce
sexually. (5-8) |
Mating Before
Spring Departure
|
| In
many species, including humans, females produce eggs and males produce
sperm. An egg and sperm unite to begin development of a new individual.
That individual receives genetic information from its mother (via
the egg) and its father (via the sperm). Sexually produced offspring
never are identical to either of their parents. (5-8) |
Mating
Before Spring Departure
|
| Every
organism requires a set of instructions for specifying its traits.
Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation
to another. (5-8) |
Mating
Before Spring Departure |
| REGULATION
AND BEHAVIOR |
| All
organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce,
and maintain stable internal conditions in a constantly changing external
environment. (5-8) |
Entire Monarch Study
How Much Space Does a Monarch Colony Need?
Seasonal History
of a Monarch Colony
Wintering South
of the Border: Sharing a Small Area
Exploring the Monarch's
Winter Habitat
Why Are Those Butterflies
Behaving So Strangely?
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Temperature
and Elevation: The Monarchs Are Nearly Two Miles High
Food at the
Overwintering Sites
Mexico's Wet
and Dry Seasons: Precipitation Graph
Monarch Habitat:
Dr. Calvert Looks at Space from a Monarch's Point of View
Visiting
the Monarch Sanctuary with Doctor Lincoln Brower
Monarchs are Cold-blooded
Creatures: The Basics
|
| Regulation
of an organism's internal environment involves sensing the internal
environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions
within range required to survive. (5-8) |
The
Monarch's Forest Ecosystem
Why Do Monarchs
Shiver?
Why Are Those Butterflies
Behaving So Strangely?
Temperature
and Elevation: The Monarchs Are Nearly Two Miles High
Temperature
and Survival: A Balancing Act
Monarchs are Cold-blooded
Creatures: The Basics
|
| Behavior
is one kind of response an organism can make to an internal or environmental
stimulus. A behavioral response requires coordination and communication
at many levels, including cells, organ systems, and whole organisms.
Behavioral response is determined in part by heredity and in part
from experience. (5-8) |
Seasonal
History of a Monarch Colony
The Cloud Effect
Mating Before
Spring Departure
Monarchs are Cold-blooded
Creatures: The Basics |
| An
organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment.
How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and responds to danger
are based in the species' evolutionary history. (5-8) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Mexico's Wet
and Dry Seasons: Precipitation Graph
|
| POPULATIONS
AND ECOSYSTEMS |
| Populations
of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem.
Plants and some microorganisms are producers?they make their own food.
All animals, including humans, are consumers, which obtain food by
eating other organisms. Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi,
are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food.
Food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and
decomposers in an ecosystem. (5-8) |
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
by Predators |
| The
number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on resources
available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water,
range of temperatures, and soil composition. Given adequate biotic
and abiotic resources and no disease or predators, populations increase
at rapid rates. Lack of resources and other factors, such as predation
and climate, limit the growth of populations in specific in certain
niches. (5-8) |
Millions
of Monarchs Eaten by Predators |
| DIVERSITY
AND ADAPTATIONS |
| Biological
evolution accounts for the diversity of species through gradual processes
over many generations. Species acquire many of their unique characteristics
through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally
occurring variations in populations. Biological adaptations include
changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival
and reproductive success in a particular environment. (5-8) |
The
Monarch's Forest Ecosystem
Storm Kills Over
75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
by Predators
Camouflage in the Overwintering
Colonies
Mating Before
Spring Departure
Why Don't Cold Butterflies
Fall?
Millions of Monarchs Eaten
by Predators |
| D.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
PROPERTIES OF EARTH MATERIALS (K-4)
(5-8) |
| Soils
have properties of color and texture, capacity to retain water, and
ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants, including those
in our food supply. (K-4) |
Causes
of Deforestation |
| CHANGES
IN THE EARTH AND SKY |
| Weather
changes from day to day and over the seasons. Weather can be described
by measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and
speed, and precipitation. (K-4) |
The
Monarch's Forest Ecosystem
Storm Kills Over
75% of Overwintering Monarchs
How is the
Weather Today in the Overwintering Region?
How Cold
Are the Overwintering Sites in Mexico?
Climate and
Seasons: Annual Global Precipitation
Tropical
vs. Temperate: Watch the Seasons Change |
| Objects
in the sky have patterns of movement. The sun, for example, appears
to move across the sky in the same way every day, but its path changes
slowly over the seasons. The moon moves across the sky on a daily
basis much like the sun. The observable shape of the moon changes
from day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month. (K-4) |
Where
Do Monarchs Get Water in the Winter? |
| STRUCTURE
OF THE EARTH SYSTEM |
| Clouds,
formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate.
(5-8) |
Climate and
Seasons: Annual Global Precipitation |
| Global
patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather. Oceans have
a major effect on climate, because water in oceans holds a large amount
of heat. (5-8) |
Tropical
vs. Temperate: Watch the Seasons Change |
| EARTH
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM |
| The
sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface,
such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.
Seasons result from variations in the amount of sun's energy hitting
the surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and
the length of the day. (5-8) |
Reasons
for Seasons (entire unit) |
| F.
SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES |
| TYPES
OF RESOURCES |
| Resources
are things we get from living and nonliving environment to meet the
needs and wants of a population. (K-4) |
Domestic
Uses of Wood: A Ranch Tour with Noemi's Dad
Causes of Deforestation
Reforestation Solutions:
Michoacan Reforestation Fund
Life in the
Mexican Monarch Sanctuary Region
Measure Your Ecological
Footprint
Water Resources for
Sanctuary Region Families
Life in the
Sanctuary Region |
| Some
resources are basic materials, such as air, water, and soil; some
are produced from basic resources, such as food, fuel, and building
materials; and some resources are nonmaterial, such as quiet places,
beauty, security, and safety. (K-4) |
Deforestation
in the Sanctuaries: Domestic Uses of Wood
Causes of Deforestation
Reforestation Solutions:
Michoacan Reforestation Fund
Life in the
Mexican Monarch Sanctuary Region
Measure Your Ecological
Footprint |
| The
supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended
through recycling and decreased use. (K-4) |
Deforestation
in the Sanctuaries: Domestic Uses of Wood
Reforestation Solutions:
Michoacan Reforestation Fund
Life in the
Mexican Monarch Sanctuary Region |
| CHANGES
IN ENVIRONMENTS |
| Environments
are the spaces, conditions, and factors that affect an individual's
and a population's ability to survive and their quality of life. (K-4)
|
Habitat:
A Quiet Walk in the Monarch's Forest
Can YOU Find the
Monarch's Winter Home in Mexico?
More
Photos, Maps, Landscape Views
Water Resources for
Sanctuary Region Families
The Forest
as Blanket, Umbrella, and Hot Water Bottle
How
Are These Monarchs Avoiding Predators?
Monarch Habitat:
Dr. Calvert Looks at Space from a Monarch's Point of View
Visiting
the Monarch Sanctuary with Doctor Lincoln Brower
Field Notes From
Mexico
Life in the
Sanctuary Region
Scientists Learn
From Butterflies: More Land is Needed
|
| Changes
in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes
are good, some are bad, and some are neither. Pollution is a change
in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities
of organisms, including humans. (K-4) |
The
Children's Monarch Reforestation Project
Deforestation
Maps of Monarch's Forest
Causes of Deforestation
Monarchs in the News:
Populations Rebound
The Effect of Cold,
Wet Weather on Monarchs
Measure Your Ecological
Footprint
Why Not
Estimate the Number of Butterflies
Scientists Learn
From Butterflies: More Land is Needed
Ecotourism
Safari
|
| POPULATIONS,
RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTS |
| Causes
of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region
to region and country to country. (5-8) |
Monarch
Conservation News From Mexico
About Conservation
Perspectives
Measure Your Ecological
Footprint |
| NATURAL
HAZARDS |
| Human
activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban
growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can
accelerate many natural changes. (5-8) |
Causes
of Deforestation
The Children's
Monarch Reforestation Project |
| G.
HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
SCIENCE
AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOR |
| Although
men and women using scientific inquiry have learned much about the
objects, events, and phenomena in nature, much more remains to be
understood. Science will never be finished. (K-4) |
Storm
Kills Over 75% of Overwintering Monarchs
Cascading Behavior |
| Many
people choose science as a career and devote their entire lives to
studying it. Many people derive great pleasure from doing science.
(K-4) |
Monitoring
the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary
Discovery Tale: Two
Geographic Clues Led to Monarchs
Field Notes From
Mexico |
| NATURE
OF SCIENCE |
| Scientists
formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation,
experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models. Although all
scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change, for most major
ideas in science, there is much experimental and observational confirmation.
Those ideas are not likely to change greatly. Scientists do and
have changed their ideas about nature when they encounter new experimental
evidence that does not match their existing explanations. (5-8) |
Why
Not Estimate the Number of Butterflies |
| It
is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of scientific
investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical models, and
the explanations proposed by other scientists. Evaluation includes
reviewing experimental procedures, examining the evidence, identifying
faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond the evidence,
and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.
Scientists agree that questioning, response to criticism, and open
communication are integral to the process of science. As scientific
knowledge evolves, major disagreements are eventually resolved through
such interactions between scientists. (5-8) |
Citizen Science
and Journey North
Why
Not Estimate the Number of Butterflies
|