Monarchs in the Classroom (MITC) History
Monarchs in the Classroom began in 1991 when Karen Oberhauser brought 10
monarch larvae into her daughter Amy's kindergarten classroom. Since then, it has
grown to include a wide variety of materials and professional development opportunities
for teachers throughout the US. Two groups of behind the scenes people work together
in a unique partnership to make this program successful: classroom teachers and
scientists committed to sharing their expertise with the K-12 community. All of
our programs reflect this partnership, combining real science with techniques that
work for teachers and students, and promoting classroom practices in which students
learn science in ways that reflect the inquiry methods used by scientists to understand
the natural world.
Why monarchs? Monarchs are familiar, well-loved insects that provide students and
teachers with a comfortable, non-threatening experience with living organisms. Their
easily-observed life cycle brings diverse and exciting science concepts to life,
and their large size makes it easy for students to handle all life stages. Working
with living organisms in the classroom engages students and allows them to practice
observation, measuring, hypothesis-making and evaluating skills. Using monarchs
is especially appealing because it captures the interest and attention of all students,
not just those with an "aptitude for science."