Let’s talk about the monarch butterfly migration! Every fall, the monarch butterfly migrates from the northern U.S. and Canada, down to Mexico. You can use this in your lessons in many ways – cross curricular with science, sharing about the cultural elements as it ties into Day of the Dead, and more. Today I wanted to share some resources you could add to your monarch butterfly migration lesson plan for Spanish class!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Videos on the Monarch Butterfly Migration
Below, I’ve linked several videos of varying length. These are in a mix of Spanish and English so you can pick what best suits your level!
- Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 4k Michoacán México Santuario Phantom DJI
- Monarch Migration (Part 1 of 2)
- Monarch Migration (Part 2 of 2)
- Mexico, Monarchs and Misinformation I NOVA I PBS
- Señorita Mariposa by MISTER G (Ben Gundersheimer) Read Aloud Picture Book + Sing Along
- One Strange Rock Day of the Dead
- Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Ecosystem Services
- Watch a Breathtaking Monarch Butterfly Swarm
Websites for Monarch Butterfly Migration
Here are a few websites you can use for information!
- Journey North
- Realtime Map of Migration Sightings
- Cuéntame Podcast Episode Las mariposas monarca – Transcript
- Monarch Butterfly – The King of Butterflies and His Royal Family
If you’re the kind of person who likes to go all out when you teach a lesson, or you want to really set the tone, it might be fun to do a simple costume! I think the set of wings like the one pictured above but with black pants and a black shirt would be easy to wear and not get in the way while you’re teaching!
You could DIY it, like this blog post, or you could grab one already made for you on Amazon here.
Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class
There are a few resources you can download and use for your lesson plan! Let me share a few of them with you here:
- Mariposas Butterfly Life Cycle Theme Activity Pack & Spanish Printable Minibook
- Mariposa Monarca / Monarch Butterfly Migration – Story and Activities
- KidWorldCitizen Monarch Butterfly Art
- Monarch Butterfly Stick Puppet Craft
- Infographics
Monarch Origami
Jaimie Hudson shared the image below on Facebook and posted the resources she used for her lesson. Thank you, Jaimie, for giving me permission to repost here!
Jaimie said she showed this video about their significance during Day of the Dead celebrations, and then did an origami project with her students following this tutorial video.
For supplies she mentioned she used a thin orange card stock (see an option here), Sharpies, and Wite.out to make the white dots. She said her office had the bottles in supply, but mentioned that the pens like these might have been easier!
Download the freebie!
Sign up with your email address below to grab a free foldable craft you can use with your students. This would be great to pair with any of the videos I linked above, or you could even give them a list of videos and websites to explore, then have them complete the foldable on their own for a sub plan!
