Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class

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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!

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Why the Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class Matters

Let’s be honest. It is not always easy to find science-based topics that feel meaningful and culturally rich for Spanish class. That is what makes this Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class so powerful. You are not just teaching vocabulary or grammar. You are helping students connect language with the real world in a way that feels relevant, inspiring, and beautiful.

The monarch butterfly is more than just a science topic. It is a story of movement, survival, and culture. Students get to explore migration patterns, the importance of conservation, and even the cultural significance of monarchs in places like Mexico, especially during Día de los Muertos. This Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class gives you a chance to blend environmental science, culture, and language all in one unit.

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!

Websites for Monarch Butterfly Migration

Here are a few websites you can use for information!

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:

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!

Build a Whole Unit Around the Monarch Butterfly

If your students are engaged with this Monarch Butterfly Migration Lesson Plan for Spanish Class, take it a step further. Add in videos with Spanish narration, short readings from authentic sources, or even a simple research project where students compare migration patterns in different countries.

You can also include creative activities like labeling the butterfly life cycle in Spanish or writing a short story from the perspective of a monarch on its journey. These kinds of activities are easy to scaffold across different proficiency levels, and they work beautifully in both middle and high school classes.

By the end of the unit, your students will not just remember the Spanish words for butterfly or travel. They will understand a real-world issue, connect it to Latin American culture, and build meaningful vocabulary while doing it. Now that is a lesson that sticks.

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!