Let's Talk About Insects

Empowered Learner

Overview

Students learn about insects through the Illinois Extension website. Many beneficial and harmful bugs are listed, with information about each. Management of the insects is listed for both home gardeners and commercial gardeners. The students can use this helpful website to research insects.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Understand and learn about insects, how they live, grow and help the environment.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words:

Species: A species is a unique group of living things.
Arthropods: Arthropods have limbs with many joints that bend in many directions.
Exoskeleton: An exoskeleton has rigid skin on the outside of the body.
Thorax: The thorax is the middle part of the body of an insect.
Abdomen: An abdomen is the last of the body section of an insect.
Antenna: Antenna are a pair of long, thin sensory appendages on the heads of insects.
Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis is the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.
Larva: Larva is the active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa.
Pupa: A pupa is an insect in its inactive immature form between larva and adult
Nymph: A nymph is an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows.

Pre-planning

To prepare for this lesson:

The teacher should preview the Insect website.
Watch the following videos:

Accommodations

See the Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources.

Steps

Directions for this activity:

Students log onto the Insect website.
Have the students choose an insect that is beneficial or a pest to do their research on.
Have the student do a short report using a slide presentation.
Choose what you would like the students to include in the report.
1. Name of insect.
2. Beneficial or pest?
3. Where do they dwell?
4. If it is a pest, which types of plants do they eat and destroy?
5. How a pest is managed?

Assessment Options

Different options for assessing the students:

Observations
Check for understanding
Class Observation.
Insect Kahoot.
A teacher-created assessment.
Exit tickets.
Group discussion.

MITECS COMPETENCIES & ISTE STANDARDS

MITECS: Michigan adopted the "ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Empowered Learner
1a. Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
1b. Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
1c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
1d. Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.