Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum - A sample lesson from the 6-lesson curriculum guide for Kindergarten
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Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum A sample lesson from the 6-lesson curriculum guide for Kindergarten
Author: Kelly Larson Editors: Beverly Baker, Angelique Harhsman, Rebecca Shankland, and Sue Watts Layout & Design: Claire Roybal of Claire Roybal & Associates Ltd.
Lesson 2: Marvelous Mini Beast Hunt
Investigating Insects
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
What are insects?
OVERVIEW OF LESSON
What kind of insects can
we find in our schoolyard? In this activity, students will learn about the different
parts of an insect and how to identify them when observing
TIME CONSIDERATIONS:
a variety of bugs outdoors. They will identify and record
Pre-Activity: 15 min. their findings, and will then use their newly discovered
Outdoor Investigation: knowledge to invent their own insect.
20 min. STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Discussion: 10 min.
• Students will be able to identify an insect based on its
MATERIALS NEEDED: characteristics (body parts).
The Great Bug Hunt by • Students will be able to identify similarities and
Bonnie Dobkin, The Bug differences between insects.
Book by Kathy Kranking,
Insect parts picture,“My BACKGROUND
Bug Hunt” handout,
“Insect or Not?” handout, What is an Insect?
magnifying lenses, • Insects are small animals with 6 legs. Insects use their
clipboards, pencils, legs to run, walk, jump, dig, and even sing!
colored pencils, crayons, • There are approximately five million different kinds of
recycled containers (to
insects in the world (that we know of!).
observe found insects),
• Insects wear their skeletons on the outside of their
popsicle sticks or
bodies. This exoskeleton protects an insect’s body
tweezers, “Create a Bug
Pattern” handout like a suit of armor.
• All insects are cold-blooded, meaning they are
VOCABULARY: heated or cooled by temperature outside their
bodies.
o Insect o Thorax • Most insects live short lives. Some adult insects only
o Antenna o Abdomen live a few hours!
o Head • Insects do not have noses; they smell with their
antennae.
STANDARDS: • Insects communicate with each other in a variety of
1.1.1, 2.2.1, SL.K.1, SL.K.3, ways. Some insects flash lights, sing, dance, or use
SL.K.4, L.K.5A, K.CC.4A, smelly chemicals to signal each other.
K.CC.4B, K.CC.4C
FOR A DETAILED LIST REFER
TO PAGE 35
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 6
VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS
Insect: an animal with three body parts and antennae
Antenna: thin attachments on an insect’s head that it uses to smell
Head: part of an insect’s body with eyes and antennae
Thorax: middle part of an insect’s body
Abdomen: last part of an insect’s body
PRE-ACTIVITY
Classroom Discussion
1. Read The Bug Book by Kathy Kranking
2. What kinds of insect have you seen? (The answers may not all be about
insects in particular, but don’t correct the students at this time.)
3. Show the “Insect Parts” picture (p. 10).
4. How many body parts does an insect have? Guide them to refer to the
picture. Count them together – body parts, legs, antenna.
ACTIVITY
Insect Investigation
1. Students will use their observations of different mini-beasts to develop a firm
understanding of the parts of an insect and discuss whether the mini-beast
caught is a true insect or not.
2. Take the group outdoors (in small or large groups), with clipboards, “My Bug
Hunt” handout (p.11), magnifying lenses, popsicle sticks or tweezers, crayons
or colored pencils, and recycled containers. Help them learn how to use the
lenses (put the lens close to your eye and move the object back and forth).
3. Define the boundaries of the search area.
4. Explain and demonstrate the proper use of all materials before sending them
out on the hunt.
5. Students should look at and then draw three of the bugs they find. (The bugs
can be observed on the ground or gently placed in containers until they’ve
been drawn.) Encourage students to include all the details they notice (legs,
body parts, wings, etc.)
6. If students are unsure if something is an insect, they should still draw it on their
observation form. At first it may be hard to tell.
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 7
7. Encourage the children to look closely and use their popsicle stick (or
tweezers) to turn over leaves, small rocks, and pieces of bark. As students
are observing, ask the following questions:
a. What color is it?
b. How many legs does it have?
c. How does it move?
d. Where did you find it?
8. What might it eat? What is your evidence for this?
9. When students are finished hunting for insects, gather around in the shade
and discuss what was found.
POST-ACTIVITY
Classroom Discussion
1. Discuss student observations.
2. Ask children again what makes a bug an insect.
3. Based on the drawing from their “My Bug Hunt” handout, which bugs that
the students observed and recorded were indeed insects? Which were not?
4. Questions that can be used during this discussion include:
a. How many different insects did we find today? Use tally marks to
create a total and count them.
b. Were they all alike?
c. In what ways were they alike?
d. In what ways were they different?
e. What questions do you have about insects after our investigation?
ASSESSMENT
• As a class, show the students several pictures of bugs, “Insect or Not”
handout (p. 9). Handout includes local species. Have them identify by
giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down whether it is an insect or not. This
activity can be used as a Pre/Post Test.
• Have students use their new knowledge about insects and invent their own
insect. Remind children of the rules (3 body parts, 6 legs, 2 antennae).
(Insect legs are attached to the thorax, as some children will have noticed.)
EXTENSIONS
• Small viewing jars with insects in them can be shared with children with
limited mobility as well as any child in the classroom—use hand lenses.
• Turn a student question asked during the activities classroom discussion into
a separate investigation.
• Math: Insects can be sorted by size or other characteristics.
• Language: A small book can be written which tells about the bug hunt. In
their journals, they can draw a picture of an insect and label the parts.
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 8
Insect or Not?
From top left: Desert Millipede, Tarantula, Darkling beetle (Stink bug), Velvet Ant (actually a type
of wasp – don’t touch!), Pleasing Fungus Beetle, Western Swallowtail, Whip-Tail Scorpion (not a
true scorpion – no stinger); Not insects – millipede, tarantula, Whip Tail scorpion)
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 9Insect Parts
ANTENNA
LEG
www.wpclipart.com
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 10My Bug Hunt
Look what I found on the bug hunt!
3 Things:
www.uen.org
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Lesson 2 Page 11Learning Standards
Lesson 1 Tromping Through Nature: A Nature Scavenger Hunt
New Mexico State Standards
Science 1.1.1
• Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict,
interpret, and determine reasonableness of data.
o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings
with classmates.
o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or
symbols.
Science 2.2.1
• Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and
habitats
o Identify major structures of common living organisms
o Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of
the same kind.
Common Core Language Arts Standards
• SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and
larger groups.
• SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or
clarify something that is not understood.
• SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with
prompting and support, provide additional detail.
• L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a
sense of the concepts the categories represent.
Common Core Math Standards
• K.MD.3 Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of
objects in each category and sort the categories by count.
Lesson 2: Marvelous Mini Beasts – Investigating Insects
New Mexico State Standards
Science 1.1.1
• Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict,
interpret, and determine reasonableness of data.
o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings
with classmates.
o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or
symbols.
Science 2.2.1
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 35
!• Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and
habitats
o Identify major structures of common living organisms
o Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of
the same kind.
Common Core Language Arts Standards
• SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners
about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and
larger groups.
• SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or
clarify something that is not understood.
• SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with
prompting and support, provide additional detail.
• L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a
sense of the concepts the categories represent.
Common Core Math Standards
• K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities;
connect counting to cardinality.
o When counting objects, say the number names in the standard
order, pairing each object with one and only one number name
and each number name with one and only one object.
o Understand that the last number name said tells the number of
objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of
their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.
o Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity
that is one larger.
Lesson 3 Meet at Tree – Investigating Trees
New Mexico State Standards
Science 1.1.1
• Use scientific methods to observe, collect, record, analyze, predict,
interpret, and determine reasonableness of data.
o Ask and answer questions about surroundings and share findings
with classmates.
o Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or
symbols.
Science 2.2.1
• Know that living things have diverse forms, structures, functions, and
habitats
o Identify major structures of common living organisms
o Observe that differences exist among individual living organisms of
the same kind.
Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 36
!Additional Resources Books & Movies Animal classification. Schlessinger Media, 1998. Film. Aston, Dianna H. A seed is sleepy. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books, 2007. Print. Bingham, Caroline, and Ben Morgan. First nature encyclopedia. London: DK, 2006. Print. Cole, Henry. On Meadowview Street. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2007. Print. Driscoll, Laura. Apples : and how they grow. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2003. Print. Dussling, Jennifer. Bugs! bugs! bugs!. New York: DK Pub., 1998. Print. Fowler, Allan. From seed to plant. New York: Children's Press, 2001. Print. ---. It's a good thing there are insects. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1990. Print. Ganeri, Anita. From bean to bean plant. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2006. Print. ---. From seed to apple. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2006. Print. ---. From seed to sunflower. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2006. Print. Hurwitz, Johanna. PeeWee's tale. New York: SeaStar Books, 2000. Print. Johnson, Donald B. Henry hikes to Fitchburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print. Katz, Karen. The colors of us. New York: H. Holt, 1999. Print. Kuskin, Karla. City dog. New York: Clarion Books, 1994. Print. Ljungkvist, Laura. Follow the line around the world. New York: Viking, 2008. Print. Lobel, Gillian. For everyone to share. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2008. Print. Lowery, Linda. Earth Day. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2004. Print. Micucci, Charles. The life and times of the ant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Print. Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 40
Pascoe, Elaine. Animals with backbones. New York: PowerKids Press, 2003. Print. ---. Plants with seeds. New York: PowerKids Press, 2003. Print. Pyers, Greg. Why am I an insect?. Chicago: Raintree, 2006. Print. Solway, Andrew. Classifying birds. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. ---. Classifying insects. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. ---. Classifying mammals. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. Spilsbury, Richard, and Louise Spilsbury. Classifying amphibians. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. ---. Plant classification. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. Strauss, Rochelle. Tree of life : the incredible biodiversity of life on Earth. Tonawanda, NY : Kids can Press: s.n., 2001. Print. Tomecek, Steve. Dirt. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2002. Print. Voake, Steve. Insect detective. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2010. Print. Wallace, Holly. Classification. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2001. Print. Ward, Jennifer. The seed and the giant saguaro. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Rising Moon, 2003. Print. York, Penelope. Bugs. London: DK, 2002. Print. Ziefert, Harriet. Bugs, beetles, and butterflies. New York: Viking, 1998. Print. Websites A Bug's Life. n.d. Web. 26 July 2012.
Home Range. n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. . Insect Hunt. n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. . Inside a Seed. n.d. Web. 22 February 2012. John Burroughs Was Born. n.d. Web. 7 August 2012. . Kinder Garden. N.d. Web. Kindergarten Kindergarten Science Notebooks. N.d.Web. 26 April 2012. Kinder Nature Activities. n.d. Web. 2012. Learning Games for Kids. n.d. Web. 7 August 2012. . Observing Wildlife. n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. . Minibeasts. n.d. 2012 Mud Songs. n.d. 17 August 2012. Pajarito Plateau Field Science Curriculum Kindergarten Page 42
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