Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: The Monarch Butterflies

Content Area: Life Science
Grade Level(s): 3rd Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S3L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the similarities
and differences between plants, animals, and habitats found within geographic regions (Blue Ridge
Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau) of Georgia.
b. Construct an explanation of how external features and adaptations (camouflage, hibernation,
migration, mimicry) of animals allow them to survive in their habitat.

Technology Standard Addressed: 3- Knowledge Constructor

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: Journey North

URL(s) to support the lesson:

https://journeynorth.org
Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
As the students are introduced to the migration of animals, we will focus on the migration of the monarch
butterflies. As the class continues to discuss what migration is and the importance of it, the online learning
project will be introduced to the students. On Journey North, there is a learning project where students can
enter every sighting of the Monarch butterflies, including the location so other learners can follow the
migration pattern of the butterflies. It will be the student’s responsibility to make a note of every time they
see a Monarch Butterfly, and try to remember the location, or close to the location. Students are taking on
responsibility as they are the ones who are responsible for logging every sighting of the Monarch butterflies.

The students would be responsible for logging the sighting for about a week, then as a class, we are going to
look at the map of all the other Monarch Butterfly sightings. The hope is that by looking at the map, the
students can conclude on the pattern that these butterflies take to migrate. This will prompt a class
discussion of why the students think the butterflies migrate the way they do and any other relevant
information they see. While on the site of Journey North, I will also show the students the different types of
resources the students can use on the website regarding the Monarch Butterflies.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
A computer
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: With this learning project, students will get the opportunity to send personalized Monarch
Butterflies to students in Mexico, who are completing a similar project on Journey North.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): As the students interact with Journey North, they are
getting to take on the role of a scientist and go through procedures scientists will. Students will also get
the opportunity to design their own experiments based off of questions they may have.

c. Higher-order thinking: Students are using higher-order thinking as they are creating their own
experiments that can be tested on Journey North.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: (type here)

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

• Students who may be in need will receive assistance from the teacher as needed while using this
online resource.
• Videos shown will display captions for students with auditory issues, headphones can be used for
those in need as well.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
To ensure student safely, parents and administrators will be informed of what the students are doing in the
classroom and how it will benefit student learning. Students will be supervised at all times while they are
using the computers, and they will be informed of basic online safety rules, no anonymous conversations,
avatars, pseudonyms etc.

Reflective Practice:
After planning this lesson, I feel that this lesson can be further extended for student learning by allowing the
students to create a journal about the Monarch Butterflies where they can store data, answer questions, and
document any discoveries the students make on the topic. The students will be able to refer back to this
online journal, while learning and exploring new concepts on their own.

Spring 2018_SJB