The Winnetka Wire

Coming from Greek origins, the word metamorphosis refers to a dramatic transformation or change of shape, structure or form. One of the ways our teachers share and develop this concept with our primary students in Winnetka is through a comprehensive--and much beloved--study of butterflies. For several weeks, students assume lead roles as lepidopterologists, or butterfly scientists, as they explore the four stages of metamorphosis.

Observing classes during these units, one finds students deeply engaged in studying the qualities of, and habitat necessary for, healthy egg development (stage one). From here, students will learn about the feeding stage, where the larva, otherwise known as the (hungry) caterpillar, voraciously eats and stores food for later hibernation. Perhaps the most exciting and magical stages for our young lepidopterologists are the next two. The pupa, or transition stage, occurs once our very full caterpillar buries itself in a cocoon bed of silk for weeks. Then, finally, after much anticipation, our student scientists get to marvel at the emergence of a delicate and beautiful butterfly. In this adult stage, the butterfly will likely live only for a matter of days or weeks, with the sole mission of reproducing and starting this fragile circle of life over again.

Teachers in Winnetka utilize this particularly course of study, in part, because it operates on many levels with students. In terms of the content itself, it serves to demonstrate the significance of habitat, growth and development stages; threats, including predators; and, of course, the full life cycle. But, perhaps more important, this unit helps students to begin internalizing the scientific method and apply it broadly. At each stage of study, students are asked to observe, speculate, hypothesize, test and draw conclusions. They are also asked to extrapolate their findings and apply them to other situations, both in the natural world and in the greater scheme of their own lives.

In putting myself in the shoes of our students, I find my mind naturally gravitating toward the similarities and differences between the changes that I see in our butterfly classrooms and those that we are experiencing at the larger District and community level, where we are working arduously to build on our strengths while improving curriculum, processes and systems. Click here to continue reading....