1. How Do
Butterflies Flap
Their Wings?
Amy Zschaber / azschaber@stancoe.org
A STEAM Lesson
Aligned to 4th grade CCSS, NGSS, and
California Visual Arts Standards
2. 4th Grade Standards Addressed
• Common Core Math Standard
– CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.3
• Next Generation Science Standard
– NGSS 4-LSI-I
• California Visual Arts Standard
– Grade Four 1.5, 2.3, 5.2
• Common Core Writing Standard
– CCSS.Writing.Content.4.2
3. How is the
flight of
these
animals
the same?
How is
their flight
different?
6. Birds Butterflies
Type of skin
Type of skeleton
Fur, skin, scales, chiton,
feathers
Muscles
Size
Food
Young
Life Span
7. Birds Butterflies
Type of skin Skin na
Type of skeleton Bones exoskeleton
Fur, skin, scales, chiton,
feathers
Skin and feathers chiton / scales
Muscles Yes ?
Size Small Very small
Food
Varies; mostly plants some
meat
Nectar from flowers, leaves
when caterpillars
Young Eggs Eggs
Life Span Years months
8. Bird bones are hollow. This helps them
to be light enough for flight. Bird wings
are made up of bones, muscles, skin,
and feathers.
Butterfly wings are solid. They have
veins. Butterfly wings are made up of
veins and chiton (the butterfly
“scales”).
9. Bird bones are hollow. This helps them
to be light enough for flight. Bird wings
are made up of bones, muscles, skin,
and feathers.
Butterfly wings are solid. They have
veins. Butterfly wings are made up of
veins and chiton (the butterfly
“scales”).
If butterflies do not have muscles in their wings,
how do they move their wings?
10. They contract their bodies!
- Bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and
wasps contract their bodies in order
to fly.
- Squeeze your body as tight as you
can. Then, release! Can you feel that
movement? That is you contracting
your body.
- When insects contract their bodies
(using muscles), the movement on
their exoskeltons makes their wings
flap.
- Flapping wings = flight!
Check out this super slo-mo video of a bee
contracting its body to fly: https://goo.gl/enjdiU
11. Read the text, Great Migrations: Butterflies
by Laura Marsh
• https://goo.gl/iDQwU8
12. Watch the video, Monarch Butterflies
Migration to Mexico
• https://goo.gl/GPdhFR
13. Read, Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals
are Big and Little Animals are Little
by Nicola Davies
https://goo.gl/Kd0NTd
18. The most common type of symmetry is
line or mirror symmetry. A picture
that can be folded in such a way that
one-half of it is an exact reflection is
said to have line symmetry.
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
19. Our color blot pictures have line symmetry.
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
20. Where is the line of symmetry here?
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
21. The two parts of the original pictures
are mirror images of each other and are
said to be congruent. Congruent means
that
both parts have the
same shape and the
same size.
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
22. Line symmetry is found in nature in
all kinds of creatures and plants.
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
23. Where are the lines of symmetry here?
Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl
62. Write about what you’ve learned
• You have learned that
– Butterflies are migratory animals
– Butterflies are symmetrical
– Butterflies flap their wings by contracting their
bodies
– Deforestation is hurting the Monarch migration
• What can people do to protect the migration
of the Monarch butterfly?
63. What can people do to protect the
migration of the Monarch butterfly?
• Introduce the main idea
– Support and develop the main idea with facts,
definitions, details, and/or quotes
– Link idea with words and phrases like, another, for
example, also, because
– Use strong vocabulary words
– Provide a closing statement related to your
information