CATALPA BIODIVERSITY PROJECT

Lesson Plan 10: Make Own Adaptive Caterpillar

Materials:

Overhead transparency sheets or acetate sheets, caterpillar paper template of basic caterpillar drawing with basic parts, overhead transparency pens, scissors, permanent markers.

Purpose:

Students will use their knowledge about camouflage and coloration to design a caterpillar which can survive in a specific environment.

Step One:

Make a template with multiple handdrawn caterpillar outlines with basic parts on paper. Make copies of this on acetate with a permanent marker or make transparency copies for the students to use as a guide to design their camouflaged caterpillar. By using washable overhead pens you can reuse the caterpillar sheets again. Cut out the caterpillars and give each student one.

Step Two:

Decide if you will allow students to pick their own environment or habitat of their caterpillar or if you will assign them to them. Try to come up with a variety of locations with varying color and plant life. Take the students to an area where you have set up boundaries and tell them to locate their habitat and make some observations about plant life and soil, etc.. (For older students you may want to use pairs of students and allow one student to observe and describe the habitat area while the other designs a caterpillar based on the description. This would increase observation and communication skills.) Students return to the room and are allowed to design their caterpillar camouflage pattern or coloration.

Step Three:

Count the number of caterpillars you have going out and record it on the board. Allow students to go place their caterpillars in the habitat for which they were designed. Students are to go directly to their location and return to the starting point and keep their backs turned. After students return tell them they are now predators or birds and may catch any caterpillar (prey) for food except their own. The birds with most food will go to the next round and get to search again. Repeat the exercise several times till there are only a few birds left. Ask students what other food could the birds use instead of caterpillars.

Step Four:

Count the total number of caterpillars returned and compare to the original number. Ask students to explain the difference or lack of difference. Have students look at the patterns or colors of the most captured caterpillars and to explain why these were easily found.

Step Five:

Take the caterpillars previously found and return them to a more appropriate habitat while students turn their backs and allow them to be predators again and count the results. Ask students to analyze the differences in the two trial caterpillar recaptures.