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Overview
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Every fall people all over North America carefully catch monarch butterflies, and place a tiny, paper ID tag on one wing. The tagged butterflies are released and continue their journeys. It is always exciting to find a tagged butterfly and wonder when and where it was tagged. Use this slideshow and the accompanying activities to explore the essential question:
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Instructional Activities | |||||||
1. Examine a photo of a tagged monarch. | |||||||
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Tagged Monarch |
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2. Read a true story about the recovery of a monarch tag. | |||||||
Preview the story by having students imagine what it would be like to catch and tag a monarch butterfly in the fall. Ask questions to help them start thinking about what kinds of information we can learn from tagged monarchs:
Introduce the story, The Monarch Tag that Traveled Round Trip, by saying: Here’s a tale about a tag that was discovered in Mexico a few years ago. As you listen, imagine that you are the person who placed the ID tag on the monarch butterfly. Read aloud the story, noting details about the dates, times, and locations of tagging and recovery. Think aloud to show students how to identify important tagging and recovery data, make conclusions from the data, formulate hypotheses, and ask questions using details in the story.
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3. Explore more stories about tagged monarch butterflies. | |||||||
Place students in small groups to read True Stories About Tagged Monarch Butterflies. Distribute helpful handouts. Have students choose one of the stories and complete the following tasks:
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4. Examine tagging data on a map. | |||||||
Look at Dr.
Urquhart’s tagging data on an authentic map made available by Monarch
Watch, a citizen-science project at the University of Kansas. Have
students use the map to collect data, draw conclusions, make hypotheses,
and ask questions. Challenge them to think about how tagging data, stories,
and maps can assist scientists who study monarch populations and fall
migration. What are researchers hoping to learn about monarchs and
their migration by analyzing tagging data? |
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5. Analyze tagging data. | |||||||
After reading stories and examining maps, analyze tagging data
by looking for patterns and comparing/contrasting similarities and differences. |
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6. Extend students’ learning. | |||||||
A tag weighs about 2% of a monarchs' body weight. Have students figure out 2% of their own body weight. Would it be hard to carry something this heavy? |