All Kinds of Butterflies
Ms. Frizzle and friends traveled the world to bring you information
about some of the most interesting butterflies on Earth! Learn what
makes each species special.
Before-Reading Discussion
KEY WORD
species
STANDARDS
Science
••Characteristics of organisms
••Organisms and environments
RESOURCES
Set a Purpose for Reading
••Visit www
.foremostbutterflies.com
/butterfly_activities/ for
butterfly-theme games,
crafts, and coloring pages.
••From Caterpillar to Butterfly
by Deborah Heiligman,
HarperCollins, 1996.
VOCABULARY
FIND IT!
••Synonyms: Find
the word in the
pink box on page 2
that is a synonym for
frightened. (scared)
ANSWER KEY
Answers to back page:
1)People can see butterflies
at an exhibit; 2) Butterfly
exhibits can be inside botanical
gardens; 3) Come See the
Butterflies!; Brain Builder:
Answers will vary. Answers
to page 5 activity: 1) Possible
answers: Buckeye, 88, Dead
Leaf, Blue Mountain, or Gaudy
Commodore; 2) Eye spots
are round spots on the wings;
3) The dead leaf butterfly
uses camouflage; 4) No, it is
only orange if it is born in the
summer; 5) Answers will vary.
Answers to page 6 activity:
1) proboscis; 2) To soak up the
sun’s heat; 3) Help the butterfly
smell; 4) Six legs;
Brain Builder: Check will be
drawn on the number 2.
4
SCHOLASTIC NEWS
Show
ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
children
pictures of butterflies, or, if
unavailable, use the front cover of
the magazine. Ask children to name
the creature and tell what they know
about it. For instance, spark ideas
with questions such as, “Where have
you seen butterflies? What colors
were they? What were they doing?
How did they move?”
•
Read to learn about types of
butterflies from all over the world.
During-Reading Discussion
UNDERSTANDING TEXT STRUCTURES
Point out that each continent on
the map is a different color. After
reading where the buckeye butterfly
lives, ask, “What are some other
clues that the buckeye lives in North
America?” (The arrow points from
the paragraph about the buckeye
to North America on the map; the
article is in a pink box to match the
color of the continent.) Encourage
children to notice these features as
you read about each butterfly.
After-Reading Discussion
Use the
News
Flash story on page 4 for fluency
practice. Have children get into
groups of three to form broadcast
“news teams,” with each child
responsible for reading one
paragraph of the story. Have children
practice their parts at least three
times. Then let groups take turns
reading the News Flash “on the air”
(that is, in front of the class).
EDITION 2
FLUENCY/READ AND REREAD
•
MAY/JUNE 2009
Read-Aloud Background
➤Butterfly Questions and Answers
• How can you tell it’s a butterfly? A
butterfly is an insect, which means
it has three body parts, six legs, and
two antennas. Some insects, such as
butterflies, also have wings.
• Is it safe to touch a butterfly?
Butterfly wings have tiny scales on
them that fit together like shingles
on the roof of a house. If you touch
a butterfly’s wings, the scales could
rub off and hurt the butterfly.
• What do butterflies eat? Most
butterflies drink nectar, a liquid
inside flowers. But some sip liquid
from trees, rotting fruits, or mud
puddles. They use their long, hollow
mouth, or proboscis. It acts like a
drinking straw.
• How are butterflies different from
moths? Butterflies are out during
the day, while moths are out at
night. Butterflies are also usually
more brightly colored than moths.
Where
do butterflies sleep? At
••
night and in bad weather, butterflies
look for shelter. They might rest
under a leaf, crawl into a nook in a
rock, or go between blades of grass.
➤The Butterfly Life Cycle
The butterfly goes through four
main stages in its life. How a
butterfly grows from inside
an egg into an adult is called
metamorphosis.
••Egg: A mother butterfly lays many
tiny eggs.
••Caterpillar: Then the eggs hatch.
A caterpillar crawls out.
••Chrysalis: Next, the caterpillar
becomes a chrysalis. It is wrapped
in a covering.
••Butterfly: Last, the adult butterfly
comes out of the chrysalis. It
spreads its wings and flies!