Materials You'll Need: Copies of web.

Step 1: Get Ready!

• Explain to students that you'll be raising Painted Lady butterflies in your classroom, and learning all about them. Explain that this activity gives students a chance to talk about what they want to find out about butterflies.
• Draw two big blank webs on the board - one for "What We Know," and one for "What We Want to Know."
• Divide students into small groups, and hand out two webs to each group. Have each group designate a writer and circle "What I Know" in the center of the first web.

Step 2: Find out what you know

• Give students five minutes to come up with everything they know about butterflies.
• If a group finishes early, one student from that group (the designated writer) can write their responses on the board.
• Come together as a class and talk about your responses. Write all responses into the blank "What we Know" web on the board. Have students categorize their responses (ie: life cycle, food, habitat, etc. ) Use colored chalk to differentiate the categories.

• Have students circle "What I Want To Know" in the center of the second web.
• Give students five minutes to come up with everything they want to know about butterflies.
• Come together as a class and talk about the questions everyone came up with. Write all questions into the blank "What We Want to Know" web on the board. Categorize as described above.

Step 4: Make Predictions!

• Lead the class in making guesses, or predictions, about their butterflies. Remember to explain that predictions are ideas, not answers. Use the "What We Want To Know" web to guide you.
• Check the accuracy of your predictions as your Painted Ladies grow and change!
• Have each student predict the date s/he thinks the first butterfly will emerge from its chrysalis!

Step 5: Discover Learning!
Now that your students have generated their own questions, lead them in coming up with options for getting the answers. Ideas might include observation, research, reading, Internet browsing, or asking an expert.

As students become involved in their investigation, they will discover that one question often leads to another, and that new learning fosters new questions.

Activity Adaptations for Grades K-2:
1. Do this activity as a class instead of in separate groups. You can write children's answers on the board or on a big piece of butcher paper.

2. Work on only one web per day.

Other Adaptations :
1. This activity can be done in pairs, or individually.

2. Have students complete the webs again after you've finished the unit, to see how much they learned!