Gulliver's Story

Authors:

Marilyn E. Ruggles Unified School District 497 Lawrence, KS

Orley R. Taylor Department of Entomology University of Kansas Lawrence, KS

INTRODUCTION

It is our intent to make the story that follows an active rather than a passive learning experience. In a passive learning environment, the student is the "receiver" of knowledge and the teacher is the "giver". They listen, we "teach". The environment is generally textbook/lecture driven. Facts are given via lectures and texts to be assimilated and repeated by students on examinations. This is how most of us were educated and it is natural for us to perpetuate these teaching methods. If we were lucky, we had a course or two in high school or college in which the instructors used a different approach and really challenged us to integrate, create and think. These courses were often threatening but also more interesting, exciting and rewarding than the typical curriculum. What methods were these instructors using to get our attention and to get us to think? In most cases, they were asking us to apply our knowledge to solve hypothetical or real problems. If the instructors were really good, we became engaged in the process, interested participants rather than passive assimilators. The method used by these instructors has been called active learning. There is nothing new here, the basic idea was first promoted by Socrates.

Most of us practice some form of active learning in the classroom but how often are we challenging our students to not just remember, but to think? Many educators and critics of the US educational system profess that we don't challenge our students to think often enough.

The perception that we need to improve our ability to reach students is summarized in the new National Science Education Standards. A general thesis of the Standards is that knowing an infinite number of facts is far less important than knowing how to use one's knowledge to solve problems. The Standards emphasize the need for stronger inquiry based learning in which the students gain first hand knowledge by working in groups to solve problems. This is active learning at its best but many of us don't have the opportunity or training to engage students in this manner. Nevertheless, we can still bring active learning to the classroom.

How can we create an active learning environment? The first step is to develop a knowledge base from which to draw. Without some basic knowledge, none of us can understand what we don't know, apply what we don't understand, or do higher level thinking. In other words, we need to do a little passive learning before we move to the active learning phase. To move on to active learning, we need to develop a series of questions which are derived from, but not specifically answered in the lesson. To obtain answers to these "surprise" questions we should use the collective knowledge and imaginations of the group. Together with our students, we can form a think tank and we can learn together. Our role as instructors is to provide structure and direction by asking probing questions and rephrasing questions and answers for clarification when necessary. The goal is to help the students "discover" they can derive reasonable answers to questions which at first glance seem impossible to answer.

Many of us aren't comfortable with active learning. We have been conditioned to believe that we must know the answers before asking the questions. After all, how can we maintain our authority (or illusion of it) if we don't know the answers. Yes, we should have some of the answers but we don't have to know all the answers to act as a facilitator and co-learner with students. To students we become more human when we acknowledge our limitations by saying, "I don't know. Let's find out together."

One of the main goals of education should be to encourage students to question everything, thus encouraging a life long habit of inquiry. Early in their school experience many students become reluctant to ask or answer questions. As educators, we often inadvertently kill their desire to participate in classroom discussions. With active learning, we can create a non-threatening atmosphere in which students can feel free to not only answer but to also ask questions. In active learning, the focus should be on the responses of the group rather than those of certain individuals. Your ability to respond positively to questions and answers and to be able to deal effectively and positively with what appear to be dumb or naive questions is key to keeping the discussion open and non-threatening to the participants. Dumb questions are often not as dumb or naive as they seem; you can often use them to clarify a problem or issue and prevent mistaken conclusions later on.

Once you and the class have acquired a basic understanding of the fundamentals of the biology of Monarchs, you can begin by asking a variety of questions. What do we know? What are the facts? Are they really facts? Do we have evidence to support the facts? The fun begins when you discover what you don't know and begin figuring out how to answer novel questions. This is the essence of active learning.

So how does active learning work and how might you proceed?

1. Have students read or you read the story to them.

2. When you're finished with the story, ask students if they have any questions about the story. If the questions are good, then active learning begins.

3. If you get no response, read a paragraph to them again in which we've highlighted the text. Each highlighted section serves as the basis for a question. Choose a question/paragraph you are comfortable with.

4. Begin asking questions. Then begin to work with the students' answers to facilitate a clear understanding of the question being discussed.

Example: How does a female Monarch find a plant upon which to lay eggs?

a. list the facts you know pertaining to this

b. clarify what you know to make sure everyone understands

c. define or talk about what you don't know

d. engage the group in a brainstorming session about how to get answers to what you don't know.

(As you will see, this question can be used to get the students to "discover" the senses used by the butterflies to find their host plants).

We have identified 15 questions, which are not answered directly in the text, that can be used to promote reasoning and problem solving by your students. To give you an idea of how to proceed, we will coach you through two example questions. You can then pick and choose from among the other questions - or develop your own questions - to further the active learning experience.

Please provide us, and your fellow teachers, with some feedback concerning your successes and failures with this active learning exercise. You can send your responses to monarch@ku.edu

A few suggestions:

Perhaps the most important quality we need to develop to achieve an active learning environment is patience. The importance of patience cannot be stressed enough. It is natural for most of us to attempt to "keep things moving", and in so doing we too often answer our own questions. This will defeat active learning. Studies show that teachers answer about one-third of the questions they ask and rarely allow sufficient "wait time" when questioning. How long should we wait for a student to respond after asking a question - 4,5,6 seconds? Twenty to thirty seconds may seem like a very long time but waiting this long may be necessary if we want the whole group to think before responding. Such delays are also important for students who need more time to process information. If there is no response, or an answer is given which misdirects the line of inquiry, then we need to rephrase the question. By rewording to clarify the question, by giving additional information (often by asking another question), we usually can redirect the thinking of the group.

As you work through the questions, or perhaps later after some reflection, you should take notes on what worked and what didn't. Perhaps it would be helpful to tape record a session or two. This way you can remain an active participant in the process and not be distracted trying to record responses. Once you've listened to the tape you will be able to figure out what did and did not work

No two classes will respond the same way. Because of this, the material will be a new adventure each time you use it and notes on previous successes and flops could be very helpful. Remember, be patient! As you become more familiar with the process, we are confident that classes will become more enjoyable for both you and your students.

2. ENDINGS

As the sun went down, a cool breeze began to blow across the damp meadow. The solitary Monarch needed to find shelter for the night. She could not stay in the open until morning.(1) She found a resting place under some broad green leaves. They would keep out the cool night air. Slowly, quiet settled over the meadow as many of nature's creatures went to sleep for the night. The Monarch had work to do and only a short while to do it. But, for now, she could do nothing more. She would begin her work again tomorrow.

The beginning of a new day was announced by the creatures around the Monarch. The meadow came to life as the sun peeked over the horizon. As soon as the rays of the sun broadened their reach and their warmth found her resting place, she spread her wings and absorbed the energy of the sun before she fluttered out into the bright morning.

The Monarch's body was heavy with the eggs she was carrying and she needed to find them a home. She could smell the sweet flowers in the meadow. They would provide her with strength for the day's work ahead. As she flew from blossom to blossom sucking up the tasty nectar, her energy was renewed and she began her search for a place to lay her eggs.

She twisted and turned as she flew about the sunny meadow. She observed a small girl below following her about. Fascinated, the girl watched as the Monarch floated across the meadow. The child reached for the Monarch several times with a net but she flew rapidly away with bursts of speed and slow glides. Her flight was too quick and erratic and the girl soon gave up the chase and watched the Monarch go.

The Monarch flitted from plant to plant, touching down lightly for a second and then, like a leaf blown in the wind, was off again until finally she discovered a patch of milkweed.(2) This seemed to be a promising place to begin her contribution to the next generation.

Sitting in the bright morning sun she was a brilliant sight. Bright orange flashes of color contrasted with the dark veins on her wings like a stained glass window.

Having found the milkweed patch she began searching for places to lay her eggs. She stopped on a plant and quickly tapped it with her first pair of legs.(2) She curled her abdomen under the edge. There she deposited an egg on the soft fuzz of the leaf's underside. It was a small item no larger than the head of a pin and it sparkled in the daylight like a tiny jewel. Each cone-shaped egg the Monarch laid on the leaves was stuck to a leaf so well it would not roll off or even blow away.

It was important for the Monarch to move from one milkweed patch to another to deposit her eggs. She darted about fluttering higher and slowly gliding down again on a new leaf. As she was busy laying her eggs, she was observed by a predator. A young bird, just learning what to feed upon, swooped down upon her and grabbed her by her wings but just as quickly released her from its grasp as if she was distasteful.(3) Whew! It had been a close call. Her wing had been badly torn in the encounter but she managed to continue on about her work. She was preprogrammed for this job of reproducing more of her own kind.

As the week came to an end, dark storm clouds rolled across the meadow and a fierce wind began to blow. Without warning huge drops of rain began to fall, beating against her paper thin wings. Tired, the Monarch found refuge under the overhanging branches of a small bush. The bushes were whipped by wind and hail as the storm raged through the night.

When morning came, the cool, damp meadow began once again to greet a new day. The solitary Monarch stirred slightly, she had been knocked to the ground by the hail and her fragile wings - once bright with color- were wet and battered. Every movement required great effort. Where was the sun? She needed it now more than she ever had. Her wings did not want to work. She could struggle no more. Her wings closed for the last time as the solitary Monarch slipped off the leaf and fluttered helplessly to the damp earth below.

3. BEGINNINGS

It was the end of July and the next several days were warm and sunny. Across the meadow, on some nearby milkweed plants, things were beginning to happen. It was time for the next generation of Monarchs to come out of their eggs and the cycle to begin once again.

A tiny caterpillar poked his head through a hole he had eaten in his eggshell. Once out, the barely visible speck made a first meal of his empty eggshell. Gulliver's adventures were about to begin. Searching around for more of his kind he found nothing because his mother had only laid one egg on the leaf. But having finished his eggshell he did not have to go far to continue feeding. His mother had chosen a succulent and nutritious plant upon which he could feed.

Like most caterpillars, Gulliver was very particular about what he would eat. However, his mother had solved that problem for him and he had a built in supply of food right were he was. His mother was a good botanist. The principle business of his life right now, which was eating, could begin. Gulliver started up the leaf, eating all the way. He loved to eat leaves and so all day he ate the succulent milkweed leaves that surrounded him. As the day came to an end, when the temperature dropped and the air around him cooled down, he stopped eating temporarily and remained still in his place under the leaf.

In the early morning, when the sun came up, Gulliver was hungry and crawled up on top of the milkweed leaf. He now found that he had lots of company on the milkweed plant. The leaves around him were covered with other specialized insects brightly colored with contrasting patterns, such as himself, with one mission in life- gluttony. There seemed to be plenty for everyone and they must eat enough to nourish themselves for now and later.

Some of the eggs Gulliver's mother had laid in the milkweed patch never hatched and others were eaten by mites, ants and other insects. Even so, at first there were many Monarch caterpillars but some of the new caterpillars were found and eaten by predators such as spiders, wasps, stink bugs, and earwigs. Others were parasitized by flies and wasps. The milkweed patch was a dangerous place but Gulliver managed to escape detection by these predators and parasites and he continued to feed and grow.

After two days of eating, Gulliver stopped. He had gotten very fat from eating almost constantly. His skin did not fit him any more. But that did not matter. He simply burst out of himself and there was a newer, larger, looser one underneath the old one.(4) He was almost twice as big as he was before. Now he had lots of room and could begin eating again. The first thing he ate was his old skin. Having done that he started eating the milkweed leaves once again. He and the other caterpillars ate and ate until a few days later when, as before, he needed to shed his skin again

Soon, Gulliver was in his fourth new skin. Each time this happened he stopped eating briefly, molted, and then began to eat again. There were even fewer caterpillars around now than there had been earlier. He had seen some of the others fall victim to larger things that flew and crawled around the milkweed plants. He had been one of the lucky ones and had escaped harm so far.

Late one afternoon, as Gulliver was busy eating away, the air around him began to bend and twist the leaf he was on and the light around him seemed to disappear. It was no longer warm and sunny. Was it time to stop for the day? It was cool now and the sky had gotten very dark. Strange. He was not through eating for the day. What was happening? There were bright flashes of light and loud noises he had not heard before. The world around him seemed to tremble. Gulliver and the other caterpillars seemed to sense a change was coming and began to move to the undersides of the milkweed leaves. He found a large leaf near the bottom of the plant and quietly waited.

Large wet drops began pelting the milkweed plant and Gulliver remained very still in his hiding place beneath the leaves. The rain was everywhere and it seemed like it would never stop. Suddenly he felt himself surrounded by water. It had reached his hiding place and was rushing past him tugging at his leaf. He hung on but soon lost the battle and was swept away. What's happening? Where was he going?

Wet and weary, Gulliver finally came to rest. It had been a tiring trip. He crawled up the stem of a nearby plant and fell asleep for the night. When Gulliver awoke the next morning, he was alone. There were no other caterpillars around. Where was everybody? Where was he? He had never left his plant before and he had no way of knowing where it was. This place was not familiar. However, he was not hungry anymore and did not feel like eating. He had become solid and heavy. Gulliver was fully grown and instinct told him it was time for something else to happen. He began looking for a "special" place. He wandered restlessly for a short distance.

Finally, he crawled to a high, sheltered spot underneath the edge of one of the logs in an old wood pile. He moved back and forth lifting his head occasionally as if he were trying to determine the best spot. With each movement of his head, he lay down a silken thread from his spinneret. At last he chose a spot and began to spin a tiny white button to which he hooked his two back legs. Slowly, his remaining legs let go, a pair at a time, until, finally, he swung his body head-downward. He was very still and looked like a black and yellow striped "J". The long black filaments, or feelers, behind his head hung limp.

What he once had been was changing. He was no longer a caterpillar but was becoming something else. It was time to remodel and get a new look.(5) In about a day, Gulliver was ready to molt for the last time. He began stretching his body and gradually his old skin split at the top of the thorax just behind his head and was slowly pushed off little by little as he had done four times before. This time, however, he would look completely different. His black and yellow stripes began to disappear and he became a wiggly green blob turning and twisting like an acrobat until at last his old skin dropped to the ground. There it lay looking like a dead leaf.

Gradually, the soft green blob became smooth and hard. Gulliver was now surrounded by a very pretty pale jade-green case called a chrysalis. It was marked with tiny golden spots like beads that glistened in the summer sun. There was no more movement. All was still but much was about to happen.

4. ON THE WING

One morning about ten days later, the beautiful jade-green case began to change to a teal blue and then gradually became darker. Within hours, orange wings were becoming visible in the now transparent case. Gulliver began to stir and the now frosty cuticle of the chrysalis soon broke open. Fragile black legs and a head with two antennae emerged first. The short, fat antennae he had as a caterpillar were now long and elegant.

After a short rest, Gulliver emerged the rest of the way. His body, which had once been yellow and black striped, was now very large and black with tiny white spots on it. His soft, crinkled wings were very small and damp, with a brilliant orange with black pattern. Gulliver hung from the empty chrysalis slowly moving his wings in the sunlight. Within minutes his large, fat abdomen got smaller and his wings had expanded to full size revealing a background color of bright orange. In contrast to the orange, black lines followed the veins which radiated from the base of each wing. Because he was a male, Gulliver had a small, but distinctive, black pouch along a vein on the upperside of each hindwing.(9) The wings were covered with a fine powder and some of the powder and color was lost whenever Gulliver rubbed against an object.(6) He clung to the frosty shell for almost an hour gaining the strength he needed for flight.

Gulliver was indeed quite different from the caterpillar who had spun himself a silken button under the log in the old wood pile about ten days before. His full beauty was now evident and he was a splendid sight. He no longer had the strong jaws for chewing leaves that he once had. They had been replaced by a long, black coiled tongue called a proboscis that would enable him to take in the nutrition his body would require for energy. The simple eyes which had barely allowed him to distinguish between light and dark were now huge, complex and specialized for seeing while in flight. The five pairs of legs on the abdomen of caterpillar used to cling to leaves were now missing. On the thorax he had long, elegant black legs, six to be exact. However, he only used two pair of legs to cling to flowers and other vegetation. The first pair of legs were very small and hidden from view.(2, 7)

At last, Gulliver's wings were ready for flight and he needed his first meal as a butterfly. He was ready to live his new life floating on the breezes. He lifted off and sailed effortlessly across the field.

There were other Monarchs like himself in the field as well as other butterflies and insects. Soon he could smell the sweet scent he had been searching for.(2, 8) He spread his glorious wings in the sunshine as he flew from blossom to blossom sucking up the sweet nectar. Like his ancestors before him he was not here just to grace our world with his beauty and spend his life drinking nectar from flowers. He and the other Monarchs also performed a necessary service to the flowers they visited.(9) As they moved from plant to plant, they carried pollen from one flower to another pollinating these flowers and assuring the production of seeds for milkweed for the next generation of Monarchs. The field was alive with color and movement. Butterflies and insects were everywhere and it looked like a painting in constant motion.

Gulliver's parents and grandparents had spent their entire brief lives in the field and the surrounding area. It was the only world they had known. But this was not Gulliver's destiny. He was part of the last generation of Monarchs to hatch for the summer, the migrant generation, and would be going on a great adventure that we humans find ourselves in awe of- the great Monarch migration to Mexico.(10) Gulliver would not mate at this time since his reproductive system was not fully developed. Rather, he would spend his days gathering nectar and his nights sleeping.

The days were beginning to get shorter and cooler. The flowers in the area were gradually disappearing and the leaves on the trees began to change. Gulliver had spent much time feeding on the nectar of flowers to provide energy for his flight southward. The extra nectar was converted to body fat which was stored in his abdomen. He would need energy to make the long flight to the roosting areas in Mexico and would need this body fat to survive the winter at the roosts.

Soon Gulliver was compelled to leave the meadow and the warm September heat. The days were getting shorter and it was time for Gulliver's adventure to begin. Up to now he had lived his life in a solitary fashion but soon would become a part of a large flight of others like himself, all instinctively aware that a bad time was coming and they needed to move on. Where was he going? How did he know how to get there? Certainly his parents and grandparents had not imparted this knowledge to him. They had never been there nor were they even alive when he was born. How mystifying!(11)

Toward the end of the first week's flight, when the sun began to redden and the temperature dropped, Gulliver again found a tree where he could spend the night. He often clung to a branch on the southeast side or in a place where the last sun of the day hit the trees, On this particular night, Gulliver found that scattered around the branches were Monarchs like himself who were also roosting there for the night in preparation for the next day's flight. He had never been with so many others like himself. With wings folded in, they looked like dead leaves hanging from the limbs. Their natural beauty was now hidden from view.

As the sun rose the next morning, a warm breeze blew from the south. By nine o'clock the rays warmed the place the Monarchs had spent the night and one by one they left the branches to begin their journey once again. Each went in search of nourishment and took deep drinks from the nectar in the flowers they found. Throughout the day other Monarchs joined them. Unlike birds, however, they seemed to fly more separately. Each chose his own path and stopped wherever and whenever they wanted.

By the end of the day some went further on and a few descended into a nearby group of pine trees for the night. The pine needles were easy for them to hang on to. Maples and willows were also good choices for roosting sites. Each night there were often a few new Monarchs that arrived to roost with the others for the night. However, there were still so few that they could not easily be seen by humans.

Some days nature afforded Gulliver and his fellow travelers with the gift of wind from a favorable direction and with its help they could easily fly great distances.(12) However, for the most part, his was still a solitary journey and he was forever alert to motion close to him. Indifference to danger could quickly bring an end to his journey.

Gulliver had been flying for several weeks always in a Southwest direction. It had been an arduous journey and the weather was an important contributing factor to the success of his journey. There were headwinds, crosswinds and storms to contend with in addition to calm days. On windless days he could only travel about six miles an hour since it required a good deal of effort on his part and used up more of his reserves. But with good side winds from the Northeast or Northwest he could go much further. And, if he flew up to ten hours a day, he made real progress.

Gulliver and the other Monarchs would often rise and soar like birds in the thermals, columns of warm rising air. At the top of the thermals, the Monarchs, with their wings outstretched, began long gliding flights in a South or Southwest direction until they found the next thermal. Other times they flew rather close to the ground apparently aware of their location relative to their destination. Temperature and sunshine were also important. If it was too cold or too warm or windy they made little progress causing Gulliver and his fellow Monarchs to take shelter. When they were unable to feed on flowers they had to obtain energy from the fat reserves stored in their abdomens.

The long journey had begun to take its toll on Gulliver. One of his wings was slightly torn and his color was not as intense as it had once been. He looked more fragile but he was still very strong and unless he met up with some cruel trick of fate he would make it to his winter home in Mexico.

Finally, one day in mid December, Gulliver reached his destination. His trip had been successful and he would overwinter in the Oyamel fir forests in the transvolcanic mountains West of Mexico City with millions of others like himself. They, too, had been travelers on the wind risking their lives to make the long journey.(13) For the next several months Gulliver and the others would spend their days roosting in the Oyamel fir trees, basking in the sun. When temperatures permitted they would search for nectar and drink water from the nearby stream. They had earned this well-deserved rest.

Gulliver had begun this flight in the first week of September and arrived at his destination in Mexico two and a half months later having flown 2,600 miles. This is indeed a long journey. What would this mean in human terms? Can you think of something equally as difficult for us?

5. THE RETURN

In mid February, the weather in the central mountains of Mexico began to change and the impulse in the overwintering colonies to fly north began to occur.(14) The sun was higher in the sky and the warmer temperatures brought about a renewed activity in the Oyamel fir forest. While many of Gulliver's fellow Monarchs had not lived through the winter, Gulliver had survived.

One morning, after catching some rays of the early morning sun, Gulliver flew a short distance to a stream for a much needed sip of water. Scattered along the forest floor were the bodies of hundreds of Monarch less fortunate than he. These would provided necessary nourishment for small creatures who roamed the forest floor at night in search of a meal.

Gulliver was about to begin the last chapter of his great adventure. He had work to do. Gulliver needed to engage in the serious business of finding a mate. Because the cooler climate had kept him inactive, he had used little of his fat reserves over the winter months, so he did not need to spend his time and energies building up more fat reserves.

Gulliver's migratory instinct was once again taking over. It was time to move north. He also needed to engage in his most important mission which was to mate. He was a large fellow, still bright orange and quite strong. These were characteristics he would need for mating.

During the next several days, Gulliver mated several times. The sense of urgency that had driven him earlier was not as noticeable now. He was free to fly along at a slow pace feeding along the way as needed and, when conditions were favorable, to ride the winds and thermals that came his way. He also could travel much further each day than the females which he continued to seek. Within a few weeks, Gulliver's offspring from females he had mated with would begin their journey Northward. The females had work to do. They would need to spend much of their time and energy stopping to lay eggs along the way and replenishing their energy supplies. They would soon be too weak to continue the journey north and would die. Many, however, would have journeyed for hundreds of miles. But the mission of insuring that a new generation of Monarch would be born had been completed.

Meanwhile, Gulliver continued to move steadily northeastward. He had traveled hundreds of miles and he was quickly losing the fat reserves he had been relying on.(15) In addition to water, he fed on nectar from the early spring flowers he found along the way. It did not matter whether Gulliver continued on his course northeast or not. He had fulfilled his job as a Monarch having mated several times. His wings were very faded and tattered and his abdomen was thin. But despite this, Gulliver continued on his journey.

One day late in April, in the Flint Hills of Kansas, having lived almost nine months, Gulliver could fly no more. His wings were still. His had been a very eventful life, having made the trip south to Mexico and back. And, like his mother, he had been driven to mate in an attempt to assure that he left some offspring. Is this the wisdom of nature? How can we explain this drive or genetic programming? What a magnificent journey and what a magnificent life!

EPILOGUE

If future generations are to continue to enjoy the timeless beauty afforded by the Monarch, we must take our stewardship of the Monarchs' natural habitats and overwintering sites seriously.

Extinction of species and populations is increasing at an alarming rate. Our admiration for the Monarch butterfly's elegance and beauty will not be enough. Unless we all work together to preserve the Monarch's summer and winter habitats, the number of Monarchs will decline and the migration will disappear. Despite efforts to protect them, the special places in Mexico called "magic circles" where the Monarchs overwinter are in danger. The people who live in the area are poor and the land and trees where the Monarchs gather are valuable. The trees are a major source of income for these people. While the Mexican government has taken steps to protect the Monarch roosting sites, poaching of trees continues and the forest areas are diminishing. If the magnificent migration of the Monarchs is to continue, a way will have to be found to balance the needs of the growing human population in Mexico with the needs of the Monarch. The future of the Monarch is in our hands.

6. ACTIVE LEARNING EXAMPLE 1

Below is a possible scenario that could develop as you and your students try to answer the question posed.

Text

The Monarch flitted from plant to plant, touching down lightly for a second and then, like a leaf blown in the wind, was off again until finally she discovered a patch of milkweed.

Process:

Teacher: Try to imagine the problem the female Monarch faces as she flies over the meadow. looking for a place to lay her eggs. She has to find a few milkweed plants in a sea of grasses and weeds. How does she find these few plants? This is a "Where's Waldo" sort of problem.

Student: She sees them.

Teacher: Okay, but if she sees them then why does she land on many wrong plants. Why doesn't she always land on a milkweed?

Student: She makes mistakes. Maybe there are many plants that look like milkweed.

Teacher: If that is true, how might we explain why they look alike to her?

Student: Maybe she can't see very well.

Teacher: That's right. Her vision is not very good. So, if she can't see them then how does she find them?

Student: Maybe she smells them.

Teacher: Where is their sense of smell? Do butterflies have a nose?

Student: No.

Teacher: What do butterflies use to smell with? (You are probing for organs of smell.) If there is no nose, then what else is there? Lead them to the fact that the sense of smell on most insects is on the antennae. Go through a process of elimination to do this. Tongue? Antennae? Eyes? Feet? Then ask- Does the Monarch use antennae to smell? Is that what the story said?

Student: No. It said she touched down.

Teacher: Then if smell works, maybe it's because she is close to the plant. Any other possibilities? What about taste? How would a butterfly taste plants? Are there organs of taste on a butterfly?

Student: They have a tongue or a proboscis.

Teacher: Okay, but do they use this for taste? The story said that the Monarch only lands on the plant with her feet. Any other possibilities?

Student: Wings?

Teacher: Did the story say that her wings touched the plant?

Student: No.

Teacher: What does touch the plant?

Student: Her feet touch the plant.

Teacher: That's right. That's all we know. Is it possible that Monarchs can taste the plant with their feet? (If there is a live Monarch available, ask students how many legs they have.)

Student: Only 4, I thought insects had six legs.

Teacher: That's right. So there must be another pair of legs and if we look closely we can find them. The first pair of legs is pulled up just below and behind the head. See them? (You have now led them to the conclusion that the Monarchs taste with their feet. and have given them information that was not revealed in the story.

So, you see when the female Monarch lands on a plant she extends these front legs and rapidly taps the plant . At the end of these legs are special spines than have chemical sensors. By pushing the spines into the plant she can taste the plant. If you have access to the internet, there is a picture of these on the Monarch Watch website.

SUMMARY PROCESS

Teacher:

Let's try to summarize what we have learned about how Monarchs find milkweed plants. The first sense we thought they might use was vision. But we decided that couldn't be the only way because Monarch land on many plants that aren't milkweed. Then, someone suggested that maybe Monarchs smell the milkweed plants. Since we know that butterflies don't have a nose, we decided that maybe it is possible that when they get close enough to milkweed plants they might be able to sense the odor in some way. Finally, we remembered that the story said the Monarch touched down on the plant so her feet must be connected to finding the milkweed plants. Then we discovered that she had a special pair of legs and the story said that she extended these legs and rapidly tapped the plant. While we may not be totally accurate, what we discovered as a group is also what scientists think is true and is based on their current knowledge of Monarchs.

HOW TO SECTION

Sometimes even basic knowledge beforehand will not lead the students to the correct conclusion. In this case, try to think of an analogy that they can relate to. Here is an example:

Tell the students that you are going to send them to the store to find apples. When they get there they will first be allowed to look at all the fruit. Then, they will be blindfolded and sent back to the fruit section. Once there, not only will they not be able to see the fruit but they will also not be allowed to touch the various fruits. However, they can smell the fruits. Do they think it would be possible to find apples?

The purpose of using an analogy related to something the students know can then be related back to the Monarch and her search for milkweed. Remember, there could be 100 different plant species in a field but she still manages to find the milkweed without landing on every plant. Monarchs must be using some general information. In fact, they probably use three different senses- vision to locate possibilities, smell to help narrow the search, and taste to know where to lay eggs.

7. ACTIVE LEARNING EXAMPLE 2

Text

Meanwhile, Gulliver continued to move steadily northeastward. He had traveled hundreds of miles and he was quickly losing the fat reserves he had be relying on.

Process

Teacher: Why does Gulliver need a supply of fat?

Student: Energy?

Student: So he can fly?

Teacher: Okay, that's good. We all need energy no matter whether we are sleeping, sitting in a chair, etc. But if we really want to understand why Monarchs need fat we need to know how they spend the winter. How do Monarchs spend their winter?

Student: They hang in trees in Mexico.

Teacher: Right! This is called roosting. Do you think this requires a lot of energy?

Student: Not as much as flying around.

Teacher: What do they do each day in Mexico? How warm is it? How cold is it? (This may require some research on the part of you and the group) Now that we know the temperature never warms up much, do you think the Monarchs move around much?

Student: No. They stay still and use stored fat for energy like hibernation.

Teacher: What is hibernation? Can you think of an animal that hibernates?

Student: Bears.

Teacher: Right. They are very inactive and they sleep through the winter and for energy they live off their fat. How about Monarchs? Not all Monarchs are the same size or have the same amount of fat. Which ones are most likely to live through the winter?

Students: Fat ones.

Teacher: Okay. That's a good hypothesis. (Depending on the level of your students, you might ask how they might test this hypothesis.-- You could look at Monarchs that start and finish the winter. If you're right which ones should still be alive at the end of the winter?) The story seems to say that Gulliver started the winter quite fat. Where did he get this fat?

Student: He ate a lot.

Teacher: What did he eat or feed on?

Student: Flowers?

Teacher: Does he eat the flowers or get something from flowers?

Student: Pollen?

Teacher: Yes, but they can't suck up pollen so they can't eat it. So, what else can they get from flowers?

Student: Nectar

Teacher: What's that? What does it taste like?

Student: It's sweet.

Teacher: It's like sugar. If a Monarch only eats sugar and gains weight how does it get fat? Would you get fat it you mostly ate candy?

Student: Yes and you'd get cavities too.

Teacher: That's right because your body coverts sugar into fat and fats are converted back into energy. Now that we know this, here is some more interesting information. (Factoid: Among all the species who migrate, the Monarch is one of the few that gains weight during the migration. Birds and others are just the opposite. They start fat and get skinny.) So, Gulliver goes all the way to Mexico and he gains weight. How does he do this? What is the difference between a Monarch and a bird?

Student: One is bigger than the other.

Teacher: Right. Offer this hint: What's your normal body temperature?

Student: 98.6

Teacher: Do insects always have the same body temperature?

Student: No, because they are cold-blooded.

Teacher: What does that mean?

Student: Their temperature changes with the environment around them.

Teacher: What takes the most energy- maintaining the same temperature all the time or changing with the environment?

Student: Maintaining the same temperature all the time.

Teacher: So , if it takes more energy to maintain a high temperature how is it that the Monarch gains weight? What happens if you eat more food than your body needs?

Student: You'll get fat.

Teacher: Okay. Now let's go back to birds. Why do they lose weight?

Student: Because it takes a lot of energy to fly and they use more energy than they take in feeding.

Teacher: Right, and Monarchs can save energy in ways that most birds can't. What do they do that might conserve energy? Do they flap their wings all the time like most birds?

Student: No. We learned that they can catch thermals, and glide, and soar.

SUMMARY PROCESS

Teacher:

That's exactly right. We learned about how Monarchs use thermals to assist them in flight before we read the story about Gulliver. So now let's summarize what we have also learned about how Monarchs store fat for energy. We know that Monarchs feed on nectar which they store as fat and use later for energy. During the winter they gradually use some of this stored fat while they are roosting in Mexico. We also now know that the reason Monarchs can gain weight while they are migrating is because they are efficient fliers and this is one of the things that makes them very unique.

8. QUESTIONS BASED ON GULLIVER

1. Why is it important for the Monarch to seek shelter at night?

2. How does the female Monarch find the milkweeds upon which she lays her eggs as she flies over the meadow? (see also 7,8)

3. Why did the bird let her go?

4. How does Gulliver break out of the pupal cuticle? Why does the larvae have to shed its skin or cuticle? How does it do this?

5. What is metamorphosis?

6. What are the ridges or veins in the wings? What are they used for? If you rub the wings of a butterfly, the color will come off and your fingers will seem to be covered by a fine powder. What is this dust? How is it attached to the wing?

7. What do these changes allow the adult to do that the caterpillar can't do?

8. How do butterflies and caterpillars smell their host plants?

9. Why is pollination important?

10. Why fly to Mexico? Why not stay in Wisconsin? Most insects do not migrate.

11. How do the Monarchs "know" when to migrate? How do they find their way to Mexico? How does Gulliver know what direction to take?

12. How does Gulliver use the winds to minimize the cost of flying and how does he avoid poor weather conditions?

13. What is special about the roost areas in Mexico?

14. What information does Gulliver get from the environment that stimulates him to begin his flight to the north in March?

15. Why does Gulliver need a supply of fat?

OTHER QUESTIONS NOT REFERENCED

How does Gulliver expand his wings?

How many of Gulliver's brothers and sisters survive?

Why not mate and migrate in the fall?

How does Gulliver spend his winter? i.e., How does he spend each day?

Monarchs appear to be brightly colored, a color which is thought to advertise that they are distasteful because of the poisonous chemicals consumed by the larvae as they feed on the milkweeds. But, in the trees at the roosts, they often look like dead leaves. Could their color and pattern work both as a warning coloration and as a camouflage?

Why do Monarchs choose to roost in certain trees and not others?

Do the Monarchs fly directly to Mexico or do they zig-zag across the country?

Why do Monarchs have to be aware, in some broad sense, of where they are relative to where they want to be in Mexico?

How does the female Monarch glue the egg to the underside of the leaf?

Why do female Monarchs usually only lay one egg per plant?

Why do the larvae eat the egg shell after emerging from the egg and before they begin eating leaves? Also, why, after each molt, do the larvae eat their newly molted skin before they start eating leaves again?