Teacher’s Guide
Water-Conserving Gardens
Welcome to the water-conserving gardens issue of WaterDrops! As part of the Splash! Water Resources Education
program, the Southwest Florida Water Management District
(SWFWMD) offers this water resources newsletter for elementary students. The newsletter is correlated to grades 3–5 of
the Sunshine State Standards and provides an interesting way
for students to increase their awareness and respect for our
precious water resources. To help you prepare your students
for testing, we have included WaterDrops Challenge, which
contains items similar to those that may appear on the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).
This issue of WaterDrops focuses on water-conserving
gardens. It includes fiction, nonfiction, writing and problemsolving activities, a crossword puzzle and web sites to explore.
All information and activities are designed to teach students
about Florida-friendly gardening and our water resources.
Let WaterDrops make a splash in your classroom today!
Many other free materials are available from the
SWFWMD and can be ordered online at WaterMatters.org/
publications. We also offer water resources workshops for
teachers. Please contact us if you have any questions or
suggestions about our water resources education programs.
Youth Education
Communications Department
Southwest Florida Water Management District
(352) 796-7211, ext. 4757
1-800-423-1476, ext. 4757 (FL only)
[email protected]
Page 1
Hello Readers!
Practicing water conservation outdoors is just as
important as conserving water indoors. Ask if any of your
students have gardens that don’t use a lot of water. Ask
students to explain how saving water today can provide us
with water later. Discuss the concept of butterfly gardening. Explain that butterfly gardens are filled with plants
designed to attract butterflies.
Pages 2 & 3
Feature Story
Read the story together. Have students describe
any visits they may have taken to public gardens. Ask
students to explain the difference between a traditional garden and a water-conserving garden. Emphasize that a water-conserving garden uses less water
and fewer chemicals. Help students develop questions
related to planning a water-conserving garden.
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2, LA.B.2.2, SC.D.2.2,
SC.F.1.2, SC.G.1.2, SC.G.2.2
Page 4
Take It Home
Prepare your students for the activity by viewing
several pictures of Florida butterflies. These may be
found in books, nature guides and on the Internet. Ask
students to read the directions and encourage them to
complete the activity at home. Ask students to share
their personal messages about butterflies.
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2, MA.B.1.2, VA.A.1.2
Page 4
Ask Water Cycle Wanda
Before reading this section, ask students if they
can guess how many species of butterflies live in
Florida. Then select two students to play the roles of
Conner and Water Cycle Wanda. Ask the students to
read their parts, then have students discuss how these
numbers may change if suitable environments for butterflies become smaller and smaller.
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.2, SC.F.1.2, SC.G.2.2,
SS.B.2.2
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Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.2, SC.F.1.2
So
It’s fun to learn facts about water. Ask if your students
have ever stood in a puddle. Then read about how butterflies are puddlers. To find out why they puddle, be sure to
read the feature story with your students.
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Page 1
S P L AS
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.2, SC.F.1.2, SC.G.1.2,
SC.G.2.2
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This information will be made available in accessible formats upon request. Please
contact the Communications Department at (352) 796-7211 or 1-800-423-1476
(FL only), ext. 4757; TDD only at 1-800-231-6103 (FL only).
Extended
Activities
Water in Our World
Page 5
(See page 3 of this Teacher’s Guide)
Read about the life cycle of butterflies. Discuss each
of the growth stages. Then have students identify the
stages in Bugsy the Butterfly’s life based on the statements that follow.
Number 1: A Butterfly’s Wheel of Life
Emphasize the uniqueness of the butterfly’s life cycle.
Number 2: Spread the Water-Conserving Word
Encourage students to come up with unique ways to let
people know about water-conserving gardens. Examples
could include creating an informative poster or brochure.
Answers: Stage #4, Stage #1, Stage #3
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.2, SC.F.1.2, SC.G.1.2,
SC.G.2.2
Number 3: Butterfly Collection Box
Have a contest to find out who can collect the most cards.
Water in Our World
Page 6
Number 4: Parts of a Butterfly
Encourage students to guess how the butterfly picture
should be labeled. Then compare the correct answers
with their guesses.
Answers: 1–head, 2–antennae, 3–forewing, 4–hindwing,
5–abdomen, 6–thorax, 7–legs, 8–proboscis
Discuss how Florida-friendly gardens can save our
water resources and attract butterflies. Read the information together. Then ask students to complete the exercise
and discuss their answers.
Answer Key: True, False, True
Challenge
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.2, SC.G.1.2, SC.G.2.2
(See page 7 of this Teacher’s Guide)
Games & Puzzles
Page 7
Gardens Crossword Puzzle
Items included in the Challenge are similar to those
presented on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
(FCAT). Make copies of the Challenge and distribute them to
students. Emphasize that taking the Challenge will provide
good practice for preparing for the FCAT. Students should be
allowed to use the WaterDrops issue, if necessary.
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Answer Key:
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Page 8
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Answers to multiple-choice items: 1-a, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d
Answers to extended-response items:
Question 1. Responses will vary. Students should be able
to demonstrate an understanding of the growth stages in
a butterfly’s life cycle (information presented on page 5 of
the newsletter).
Score 2 Points If ... The response indicates that the student has identified three of the growth stages. The student has provided a response that is accurate and complete.
Score 1 Point If ... The response indicates that the student has identified two of the growth stages. The student has provided a response that is incomplete and the information is too general or too simplistic.
Score 0 Points If ... The response is inaccurate, confused or irrelevant.
What’s Wet on the Web!
A lot of information about water-conserving gardening is available on the Internet. Use the sites listed as a
launching point to help your students learn more about
these subjects.
Page 8
Question 2. The response should demonstrate an understanding of the features of butterfly gardens (information
presented on page 6 of the newsletter).
Score 2 Points If ... The response indicates that the student has a thorough understanding of the features of butterfly gardens. The student has provided a response that is accurate and complete.
Score 1 Point If ... The response indicates that the student has a partial understanding of the features of butterfly gardens. The student has provided a response that is essentially correct, but the information is too general or too simplistic.
Score 0 Points If ... The response is inaccurate, confused or irrelevant.
Find the Hidden Water Message!
Discuss the importance of learning about our water
resources, then ask students to decode the hidden water
message.
Answer: A water-conserving garden can save water
and attract butterflies too!
2
Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2, LA.B.2.2, SC.D.2.2,
SC.F.1.2, SC.G.1.2, SC.G.2.2.
Extended Activity
Number 1
A Butterfly’s Wheel of Life
You have learned that butterflies have an amazing life cycle. Review the four stages of their life cycle
described on page 5 of the newsletter. Then use what you know about butterflies to create a wheel of life!
Materials:
• white paper plate
• pencil with an eraser
• crayons or markers
• ruler
• pin
Directions:
1. Write the title in the center of the plate.
2. Use a ruler and draw lines to divide the plate into four equal parts.
3. Label each stage of the life cycle.
4. Write a few details about each stage.
5. Draw a small picture for each stage.
6. Stick a pin in the center of the plate and attach the plate to the eraser on the pencil.
7. Spin the plate. When it stops spinning, describe the phase in the life cycle that is closest to you.
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Bu tt e
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3
Extended Activity
Number 2
Spread the Water-Conserving Word
It’s fun to be a Florida-friendly gardener. Florida-friendly gardens, also called water-conserving gardens, use
less water but still have a natural beauty. These gardens can also be designed to attract butterflies.
Use what you read in the newsletter to help others learn more about Florida-friendly gardening. Describe
some things you could do to tell everyone in your school about water-conserving gardens. What are the
best ways to spread the message?
Name four things you could do to help people learn more about water-conserving gardens.
1. ________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________________
Extra Challenge
Look around your school and describe an area that would make a good place for a water-conserving garden.
4
Extended Activity
Number 3
Butterfly Collection Box
In the newsletter, you learned that Florida has about 100 species of butterflies, including swallowtails,
whites, sulphurs and skippers. You can learn about the different types of butterflies in books, magazines
and on the Internet. Try to find out about several kinds of butterflies that exist in our state.
Use what you discover to make your own butterfly collection box!
Materials:
• shoebox
• colored pencils, crayons or markers
• supply of 3" x 5" index cards
Directions:
1. Learn about different butterflies by using the resources.
2. Use one index card for each type of butterfly.
3. Use the sample on this page to write information about a species. Be sure to draw a sketch of it so you can remember what it looks like.
4. Complete several cards and place them in your collection box.
5. Decorate the box with different pictures of butterflies.
Name of species:
Where it lives:
:
Its favorite plants
m:
the
When to see
What it looks like:
5
Extended Activity
Number 4
Parts of a Butterfly
Here is your chance to take a closer look at a butterfly. You will learn about the different parts that
make up its body.
Study the picture of a butterfly. Each part of the body is labeled with a number that matches the numbered description below. Try to match each word from the vocabulary box with a number and description.
Compare answers with your classmates.
2
Vocabulary
3
abdomen
1
forewing
thorax
proboscis
8
head
4
antennae
legs
hindwing
7
5
6
________________ 1. This is the top part of an insect’s body.
________________ 2. These help the butterfly keep its balance while flying.
________________ 3. A butterfly has two of them in the front.
________________ 4. A butterfly has two of them in the back.
________________ 5. This is the bottom part of an insect’s body.
________________ 6. This is the middle part of an insect’s body.
________________ 7. A butterfly is an insect so it has six of them.
________________ 8. This is a long tube used for drinking.
6
Challenge
Directions:
Let’s see how much you have learned about water-conserving gardens. Do your best and meet
the challenge!
Choose the best answer.
1. Butterflies can be found in all parts of Florida. About how many species of butterflies have been identified in our state?
a. 100
b. 160
c. more than 200
d. less than 50
2. Which term below describes a landscape that uses less water?
a. Florida-friendly
b. chrysalis
c. puddling
d. proboscis
3. Metamorphosis is the term used to describe how a caterpillar changes into an adult butterfly. What happens when the caterpillar sheds its skin?
a. It flaps its wings so they will become hard and dry.
b. It becomes bigger and often changes the color and pattern of its skin.
c. It moves quickly to pump blood into the veins of its wings.
d. It climbs back into the eggshell where it will turn into an egg.
4. Where should you look to find more information about water-conserving gardens?
a. in books
b. at public gardens
c. on the Internet
d. all of the above
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Challenge
1
READ
THINK
EXPLAIN
Describe three growth stages in a butterfly’s life cycle.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2 READ
THINK
EXPLAIN
Describe several features you would include in a garden if you wanted to attract
butterflies.
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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VISPT 01-09