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

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

How is the flight of these animals the same?

How is their flight different?

How do you think moths and

butterflies fly?

Let’s compare bird flight with butterfly flight

Birds ButterfliesType of skin

Type of skeleton

Fur, skin, scales, chiton, feathers

Muscles

Size

Food

Young

Life Span

Birds ButterfliesType of skin Skin na

Type of skeleton Bones exoskeletonFur, 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 EggsLife Span Years months

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”).

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?

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

Read the text, Great Migrations: Butterflies by Laura Marsh

• https://goo.gl/iDQwU8

Watch the video, Monarch Butterflies Migration to Mexico

• https://goo.gl/GPdhFR

Read, Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals are Big and Little Animals are Little

by Nicola Davies

https://goo.gl/Kd0NTd

Fill out “Monarch Butterfly Information Table” with students

Copy of table here: https://

goo.gl/LgWjO0

In the “notes” section,

hypothesize what you can

infer about Monarchs from

what you learned in Just the Right Size

Butterflies are symmetrical. You can see their symmetry in the shapes of their bodies and in the patterns on their bodies.

What is symmetry?

Line Symmetry

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

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

Our color blot pictures have line symmetry.Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Where is the line of symmetry here?Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

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

Line symmetry is found in nature in all kinds of creatures and plants.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Where are the lines of symmetry here?Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Human faces have line symmetry.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Masks can be symmetrical.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Human bodies are symmetrical as well.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Line symmetry can be found in human-made objects.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Any picture can be flipped to create line symmetry.

Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

Many artworks have lines of symmetry.Symmetry ppt from: https://goo.gl/RcqiAl

This artwork by Joel Penkman has symmetry

This artwork by Wan Luyan has symmetry

This artwork by Sara Soderholm has symmetry

This artwork has symmetry

This artwork by Georgia O’Keefe has symmetry

Use what you know about symmetry and butterflies to create

a model demonstrating how a butterfly flaps its wings

Materials Needed (Non-Digital Version)• 1 squishy ball

• Markers

• 2 copies of butterfly template– https://goo.gl/YIWC8N

• X-Acto blade

• Scissors

• 1 Pipe cleaner

• School glue

• Sharpie

Materials Needed (Digital Version)• 1 squishy ball

• Digital copy of butterfly template– https://goo.gl/YIWC8N

• Access to https://paintz.zmyaro.com

• Access to a color printer

• X-Acto blade

• Scissors

• 1 Pipe cleaner

• School glue

• Sharpie

Make sure you have a solid, squishy, ball

Teacher Pre-Planning:

Pretend the ball is a clock. Cut a vertical slit at 10 and

2

Students and Teacher:

Practice inserting the

popsicle sticks into

the ball. Do the sticks

move when the ball moves?

Non-Digital:

Give 2 printed

copies of the Butterfly Template to

each student

Digital:

Students go to https://paintz.zmyaro.com/

and follow the “Designing Butterfly

Wings Online” directions

https://goo.gl/rAvYLz

Non-Digital

Color both butterfly

templates. The designs should be

symmetrical

Digital:

Students save colored design and print 2

copies.

“Designing Butterfly Wings Online”

directionshttps://goo.gl/rAvYLz

Everyone should now

have 2 copies of

their colored,

symmetrical butterflies

Cut-out the butterfly wings.

Put the sticks in the squishy ball

Get glue ready

Coat both sides of one of the sticks with school

glue

Stick on one of the wings

Cover the back of the wing with

school glue

Find the matching wing, and stick it to

the back of the wing on

the stick.

You now have one

completed wing.

Repeat previous steps and finish the

second wing

If you have any “extra”

white showing on your wings; trim it with the scissors.

You now have 2 totally finished wings!

Your work should look

something like this

Poke two holes in-between

your wings with either a sharp pencil (student) or X-Acto blade

(teacher)

Stick a pipe cleaner in

each hole to make

antennae for your butterfly

Using your scrap paper,

cut two small circles.

Use the black

sharpie to turn the

circles into eyes

Glue the eyes to the squishy ball

Use the sharpie to

draw a smile (optional) on your butterfly

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?

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

What grade would you give yourself?