Classroom Activities: Insect
These classroom activities are designed to complement the Insects topic on BrainPOP Jr.
State Insect
Find out what your state’s official insect is and learn about its appearance and behavior. What does it look like? Does it have wings? Where is it usually found? How does it stay safe in its habitat? What does it do during the winter? Research information about the insect online. Then go to a local park and have students try to find the insect. Make sure students understand they should not handle the insect or disturb it in any way. They can write down their observations or sketch pictures. They can also take photos. If students find other insects in their search, have them take notes and then look up the species at the library or on the Internet. Then have students share what they found!
Field of View
Review with students that compound eyes are made up of tiny parts that point in different directions. This allows insects to see more of their surroundings at one time. They have a wider field of view than humans. Demonstrate this concept by having students go outside to an open area with few obstacles. Have students work in pairs. One student can take two pieces of dark paper and hold them up to the sides of their eyes, like blinders. Have the student observe and describe their surroundings to a partner, who can take notes. What is the farthest thing to the left and to the right the student can see? Then have the pairs walk around carefully. Is it harder to navigate when the field of vision is limited? Why or why not? You may want to have other students come up behind the student with the blinders. At what point did the student figure out there was someone standing near them? Why might having a wide field of view be helpful?
Colony
Discuss ant colonies with your students. Remind them that each ant in a colony has a specific job. Some ants just care for eggs, while others collect food. Some ants only repair the nest, and the queen’s job is to lay eggs. Why might living in a colony be helpful for insects like ants? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? Then have students imagine their own human colony. What would it be like? How would people work together? Have them write a paragraph or draw pictures and then share their work with the class.
