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DESCRIPTION

The rain forests of Costa Rica have an enormous biodiversity of life that includes many varieties of butterflies. After presenting facts about rain forests, the viewer learns about the characteristics, anatomy, food, and life cycle of butterflies. Also warns that the world's rain forests are shrinking at an alarming rate.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Subject Area: Science

• Standard: Knows about the diversity and unity that characterize life

§ Benchmark: Knows that animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that serve specific functions for survival (e.g., digestive structures in vertebrates, invertebrates, unicellular organisms, and plants) (See Instructional Goals #1 and #3)

§ Benchmark: Knows that plants and animals progress through life cycles of birth, growth and development, reproduction, and death; the details of these life cycles are different for different organisms (See Instructional Goal #2)

Subject: Geography

• Standard: Knows the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth’s surface

§ Benchmark: Knows the physical components of Earth's atmosphere (e.g., weather and climate), lithosphere (e.g., landforms such as mountains, hills, plateaus, plains), hydrosphere (e.g., oceans, lakes, rivers), and biosphere (e.g., vegetation and biomes) (See Instructional Goal #4)

• Standard: Understands the characteristics of ecosystems on Earth’s surface

§ Benchmark: Knows plants and animals associated with various vegetation and climatic regions on Earth (e.g., the plant and animal life supported in a midlatitude forest in North America, the kinds of plants and animals found in a tropical rain forest in Africa, animals and trees that thrive in cities) (See Instructional Goal #4)

§ Benchmark: Knows ways in which humans can change ecosystems (e.g., clearing forests, widening channels of waterways, draining wetlands, wetting or suppressing fires) (See Instructional Goal #5)

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

1. To identify the physical characteristics of butterflies. 2. To examine the stages in the life cycle of butterflies. 3. To describe various natural defense mechanisms during different stages of a butterfly’s life. 4. To identify the physical characteristics and locations of tropical rain forests. 5. To present the issue of the destruction of rain forests and suggest possible courses of action.

VOCABULARY

1. biodiversity 2. tropics/tropical 3. species 4. Lepidoptera

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5. external skeleton 6. thorax 7. abdomen 8. proboscis 9. pupa

10. larva 11. molting 12. ocelli 13. chrysalis 14. canopy 15. understory

BEFORE SHOWING

1. Locate the equator, the tropics, and Costa Rica on a globe or world map. Compare the size of Costa Rica to the size of West Virginia.

2. Introduce the term biodiversity. Explain that biodiversity describes an environment with an enormous biological variety of plant and animal species.

3. Generate a list of facts already known about rain forests. 4. Review the four stages in the life cycle of butterflies.

DURING SHOWING

1. View the video more than once, with one showing uninterrupted. 2. Pause during the various scenes showing natural defenses and camouflaging. Locate the insects. 3. Pause during the scene showing the parasitic wasp larvae on the caterpillar’s body. Identify the wasp

cocoons on the caterpillar. Clarify the relationship between a parasite and a host.

AFTER SHOWING

Discussion Items and Questions

1. Where are tropical rain forests located on the earth? 2. Discuss what makes a perfect incubator. 3. What does biodiversity mean in a rain forest? What kind of biodiversity exists in the local area? Which

area has a greater biodiversity? Why? 4. What do the scales on butterflies and moths determine? 5. What do butterflies eat? How do they consume fluids? How do butterflies taste their food? 6. List the four stages in the life cycle of butterflies in the correct order. Describe each stage. 7. Explain the process of molting in caterpillars. 8. Describe various natural defense mechanisms of caterpillars, chrysalides, and butterflies. 9. Why is the butterfly very vulnerable to predators at the time of emergence from the chrysalis?

10. List the butterfly’s various natural enemies. 11. Discuss some things people can do in their local area to help save the rain forests.

Applications and Activities

1. Review rain forest statistics and butterfly information presented in the video. Complete the worksheet. (See INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS.)

2. Compare average rainfall and temperature statistics in the local area to those of tropical rain forests.

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3. Compare natural defense mechanisms of butterflies, including camouflage, to those of other animals. 4. Locate and report on other examples of parasites. 5. Make a chart to compare the life span of various animals, including butterflies. 6. Research and report on various species of butterflies. Include habitat, predators, physical descriptions,

and any special features. 7. Calculate the number of acres of rain forest that are destroyed in a day, a month, an hour, a minute, and a

second. Chart the findings. 8. Research the world’s rain forests. Construct a chart to compare: location, size, wildlife, human

inhabitants, natural resources, and rates of destruction. 9. Create posters to persuade people to help save the rain forests. Include specific suggestions of things

people can do to help. 10. Research various possible local action plans. Develop an action plan for the school or local community.

Implement the plan and monitor its progress. 11. Contact national groups active in the preservation of the world’s rain forests. Report on their activities.

Encourage participation in the local area. 12. Discuss the reasons humans have been destroying rain forests. Debate the value of using the rain forests’

natural resources versus the environmental impact of the destruction. 12. Create a diary for a butterfly in the Costa Rican rain forest. Write entries for each of the stages in the life

cycle of a butterfly.

INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS

• RAIN FORESTS AND BUTTERFLIES

RELATED RESOURCES

Captioned Media Program

• Butterflies #2457 • Monarch Butterfly Story, The #2502 • Insects . . . Body Structure and Function #2400 • Swallowtail Butterfly, The #2531 • Monkey Rain Forest #2574 • At Home in the Rainforest #2451 • Buying a Rainforest #3016 • Ana in the Rainforest #3003 • Orang-utan: The Man of the Forest #3064

World Wide Web

The following Web sites complement the contents of this guide; they were selected by professionals who have experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally relevant, and “kid-safe” sites. However, teachers should preview them before use. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and are not responsible for their content.

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• THE BUTTERFLY FARM OF COSTA RICA http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr

This site is designed for ages 8 and up. It includes information about habitat, life cycle, defense mechanisms, and predators. It also has a large glossary and information about butterfly farming.

• CHILDREN’S BUTTERFLY SITE http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/butterfly/Butterfly.html

This site provides a life cycle coloring page, a gallery of photographs, references to butterfly books, videos, and other Web sites. There is a question-and-answer section that allows users to ask an expert.

• RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK http://www.ran.org

This site focuses on social action campaigns for saving rain forests. It includes current campaigns and alerts, news stories, what you can do, teacher resources, and a great kid’s section.

• WHAT’S IT LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE? http://www.mobot.org/MBGnet/sets/rforest/index.htm

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s Web page for kids on rain forests includes types of rain forests, locations, general information, and exploration of a tropical rain forest’s plants and animals.