Life Cycle of the Butterfly / El ciclo de la vida de una mariposa

I can explore traditions and customs in other countries as related to butterflies. (Cultural)

I can describe the life cycle of a butterfly in Spanish. (Science)

I can follow simple commands in Spanish. (WL Language Proficiency - Novice low-mid listening comprehension)

I can identify and name common items used in the classroom. (WL Proficiency - Novice low listening and speaking comprehension)

Hola! Today we are going to learn about butterflies in Latin America! In Mexico the Monarch Butterfly is a symbol in Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The video shows how the monarch butterfly flies to Michoacan, Mexico yearly at this time as part of a mysterious migration that scientists are still learning about. 

The word "Panama" , is believed to mean "many butterflies" in one or several of the indigenous Amerindian languages that were spoken in the territory prior to Spanish colonization. We will explore an indigenous group known as the Kuna Yala and their craft of the "MOLA". This is the practice of layering fabric to create a design for their clothing. Here we will do this with paper to represent the Monarch Butterfly!  

The Kuna Yala of Panama and the art of the "MOLA" 

To create a symbol of the monarch butterfly, we will follow the craft of the Kuna Yala and how they create beautiful designs in their clothing. Normally, this is done with fabric. Check out the Kuna Yala of Panama in the following video. 

Let's create our mola with anaranjada (orange), blanca (white) y negra (black) paper. 

1. a butterfly has been precut, this will be glued to the center of the orange paper

2. trace the butterfly on the orange paper and cut it out.

3. glue it on the white paper as a yet another layer and cut it out again!

4. Now use the scraps to decorate the and design the monarch butterfly as seen below.