Overview:
The students will participate in an activity that will demonstrate what they have learned about insects and their orders. It will not only review what has previously been taught, but will let them see the insects up close and personal. The activity will take approximately one hour and is designed at a third grade level.
Purpose (Objective):
The students will be able to correctly match insects to their correct insect order based on
the characteristics of the insects given.
* Science 3.2 c
Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and
laboratory investigations. The student is expected to analyze and interpret information to
construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence.
Materials:
A variety of insects (one per pair of desks)
Magnifying glasses (one per pair of desks)
Worksheet with the characteristics of the
insects and their corresponding insect order
Getting Ready (Background Information):
This activity will be a culminating activity to follow what the students have learned about insects and their orders. The teacher will need to either order the insects, go out and collect insects or get pictures of a variety of insects from many orders. Some of the orders that may be particularly easy to find specimens are Collembola, Odonata, Orthoptera, Blattaria, Mantodea, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera. Some of the characteristics to look at are number of wings, coloration, type of eyes, shape of body, and mouthparts.
Motivation (Engage):
Oh, No! You want to know what happened this morning? When I took out the insects, I discovered that the names were not with the insects. All I had was a long list of the insect orders and the characteristics of the insects. What I need you all to help me do is find out which insect falls in which insect order.
Activity (Explore):
What I have done is place an insect and magnifying glass on each desk labeled with a letter. I have a worksheet with the characteristics for each insect for each of you to use as you inspect each insect. As you view each insect, you should be trying to identify which insect order each one belongs in. When you think you know which insect order the insect falls into, write the corresponding letter on your worksheet by the insect order. The characteristics you will look at are metamorphosis, wing description, mouth parts when active, and minor characteristics. (Review each of the characteristics with the students and ask for examples.) You will be working in pairs and have about two minutes at each station before I tell you to switch. When everyone has observed each insect, your group and another will discuss your findings.
Safety Tips:
None applied.
Concept Discovery (Explanation):
This activity is designed for us to use the prevlous information we have learned about insects in applying it to the characteristics of insects. You are taking the characteristics we have looked at and using them to categorize the insects by their characteristics. How are some of the ways you explored the insects? By touching them, looking at them through magnifying glasses, matching their body parts to order name, and by the process of elimination. Were all the characteristics able to be studied? Maybe not the mouthparts.
Going Further (Elaboration):
Discuss the importance of having orders and why they are important to insects. What would happen if we did not classify them? What are some other characteristics we could use to classify insects? At home, either inside or outside, look for spiders, insects, or butterflies and try to decipher their Order.
Closure:
Discuss with the students what they observed with the insects and their characteristics.
Assessment (Evaluation):
The students will be evaluated on their interaction with their peers as they investigate the insects with the description pages and later discuss their findings with other groups. Their worksheets will also be taken as a grade for correct matching of each insect to its characteristics and insect order.
Connections (Integration with Other Content Areas):
Art and Language Arts-
Have the students make up a new insect order and describe what the insects
characteristics might be. Then, have them draw a picture of an insect that would fit into
that order. They may build an insect if they wish with the art supplies.
Mathematics-
Have the students make a chart with the insect orders and the different characteristics to
see the commonalties and differences among the orders. How many of the insects share
a particular characteristic? Can any of the orders be identified based on only one or two
characteristics?
Return
to Lesson Plans