Overview
Age: 9-12
Topic: This activity allows children to discover and observe the ways that insects communicate with each other.

Background Information
Teacher should have the insect noises recorded beforehand.

Purpose
The student should be able to identify that insects use sound as a means of communication. The student should also discover the uses of communication between insects.
4.8 Adaptations Increase Survival of Members of a Species
A. The students are expected to identify characteristics that allow members of a species to survive and reproduce.

Materials
Tape recorder
Tapes
Taped insect sounds from nature or the computer

Motivate
Have students tell each other a joke. When they have finished, ask them how they communicated with each other. They should respond that one spoke while the other listened. The teacher should say that some insects use sound to communicate with each oth er as well.

Activity
Play an insect sound for the students. Have them try to identify which insect made the sound. If they can't figure out which insect made the sound, give them verbal clues. When the insect has been identified, ask the students to imagine what the insec t is saying, or if the insect is saying anything at all. (i.e. some insects are communicating, some sounds are byproducts of beating wings) Repeat with each insect noise.

Safety Tips
There are no known safety hazards.

Concept Discovery
The students should say that some insects make noises and do not really communicate and some truly do communicate with other insects. The students should have hypothesized about what the insects could be saying to each other. Some appropriate response s include: "Hi!", "Stay away!", "Wanna date?", "There's a bad guy nearby!", "Is there food around?".

Going Further
The teacher can point out the parts of insects that enable hearing. The students can figure out how certain insects make noises. The students can find other ways insects may communicate. The students can create their own language using only noises.

Assessment
The children should write down something they have learned during the day.

Connections
Language Arts: Journal writing
Science: Identify insect noises
Social Studies: Different ways people communicate

This lesson plan is complimented by the lesson plan Insects: Listen and Learn.

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