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Butterfly Biodiversity
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Grade 1 Language Arts/Fine Arts Activity
Lesson Introduction
The word 'biodiversity' is used to describe the uniqueness of the many different kinds of animals and plants that live in a place. Healthy, intact ecosystems are able to support hundreds, or even thousands of different species. When an ecosystem is damaged, by being paved, or plowed, or polluted, or just reduced in size, the number of different species it can support decreases.
Originally, the tallgrass prairie in Illinois covered thousands of acres and supported many species, some of which, like bison and wolves, can no longer live in our state because the prairies are too small. Over time, the Midewin area has been changed by farm crops and cattle, by roads, fences, and the polluted runoff from the Joliet munitions factory. Over time, the tallgrass prairie at Midewin supported fewer and fewer of its original species. Despite this, when you compare Midewin with the prairie in the rest of the state, Midewin has retained a much greater percentage of its prairie, and as a result, harbors a greater level of biodiversity than the farm fields and towns that completely replaced most of the Illinois prairie. One purpose of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and of other parks, preserves, forests, and refuges is to maintain biodiversity in Illinois.
This art lesson will help students visualize the difference in biodiversity between a preserve like Midewin and a developed landscape, such as a town or farm field.
| Illinois State Goal |
Standard |
Learning Benchmarks |
| 26 |
B |
Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts. |
Lesson Objectives
The students will:
- color two pictures of butterflies, one in two colors, one in multiple colors.
- learn the meaning of 'biodiversity'.
- learn the relationship between biodiversity and habitat protection
Time Allotment
30 to 40 minutes
Materials
crayons in multiple colors
two sided copies of the pictures, one on the front and one on the back
PROCEDURE
Tap Prior Knowledge
1. Ask students to think of all the different kinds of animals that live in their neighborhood. write this list on the board. "How many different kinds of animals are there?" Write the number on the board. Introduce the word 'biodiversity' as meaning the number of different kinds of plants and animals in a place. "What is the biodiversity of our neighborhood?"
Share with Neighbor
2. Ask students what they think would happen if their neighborhood changed into a place where some animals could not live? How might the neighborhood's biodiversity change?
Hands-on Activity
3. Explain to students that they are going to color two pictures of butterflies. The first picture will show the biodiversity of butterflies at home and the second will show the biodiversity of butterflies in the tallgrass prairie. Pass out the coloring pages, one picture on each side, and crayons of two different colors. Ask students to find the page that says "Butterflies at Home" and to color half of them one color and half of them the other color.
4. Pass out many different color crayons and ask students to turn over the picture to the side that says "Butterflies in the Tallgrass Prairie". Tell students to color every butterfly a different color.
Introduce Scientific Principle
5. Ask students to show which picture has the most biodiversity. Ask students to imagine if half of the Tallgrass Prairie was changed into a place where the butterflies could not live. Tell them to fold the picture in half to see what happens, fewer butterflies - less biodiversity. This is why it is important to have places like the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie - it can support many more different animals than places like towns and farm fields.
Relate Activity and Concept
Upon completion of the lesson, the students will be able to:
- define "biodiversity"
- compare the biodiversity of a natural area to that of a developed area
Internet Resources
Butterflies
Biodiversity
Butterflies in Art
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