Monarch Stem Process

STEM Process for this Project and H.O.T. Questions 

Ask:  There is a problem with Monarch butterflies. Their numbers are decreasing due to lack of milkweed, the only plant that Monarch caterpillars eat.

What can we do to help the Monarchs?

Imagine:   We brainstormed possible solutions. 

What are some possible solutions?

look for milkweed plants

feed the butterflies

plant milkweed

Plan:  Everyone voted and we decided to plant more milkweed so that there will be more Monarch butterflies.

Where do we get milkweed seeds?

How do we plant them?

What do milkweed seeds need to become a plant?

How do we help the milkweed plants live and grow?

Where can we transplant them? 

Create: We planted milkweed seed. We created a flow map to help us record, understand and evaluate the plan/process.

Is our flow map in order?

Does our flow map show every step in our plan/process?

Do our pictures illustrate each step?

Did we label and describe our pictures?

Improve:  We are currently observing and recording the plants’ growth. If the seedlings do not make it, we will need to do more research and try again. This is an ongoing project. We researched the stages of butterfly development to help us observe evidence of Monarch butterfly activity on our milkweed.

How will we know that the butterflies we see are monarchs?
How do we identify eggs on the milkweed?
What does a Monarch caterpillar look like?
How can we record our observations?
What did we learn from our project?
How could we improve our project?
How can we let others know about our project?