Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens
[email protected]
20 Miamiview Lane, Loveland, OH 45140
www.GrannysGardenSchool.org
513-324-2873
How Do Earthworms Live
Grade One
Lesson Summary
When to use this lesson
Use this lesson in early spring to observe earthworms.
Objective
Students will understand how earthworm body parts help earthworms live in their
environment.
Materials
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Collect earthworms
Compost thermometer to measure soil temperature
Air thermometer
Worksheet for each student
Clipboard for each student
Pencil for each student
Enough plastic plates or Frisbees for the number of groups you will have
A trowel for each student, optional if students will collect earthworms
Magnifier for each student
Estimated Duration
30 minutes
Ohio Curriculum Connections
Earth and Space Science
The sun is the principal source of energy.
 Sunlight warms Earth’s land, air, and water. The amount of exposure to sunlight affects the
amount of warming or cooling of air, water, and land.
Life Science
Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical
environment.
 Living things require energy, water, and a particular range of temperatures in their
environments.
 Plants get energy from sunlight. Animals get energy from plants and other animals.
 Living things acquire resources from the living and nonliving components of the environment.
Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs.
 Resources are necessary to meet the needs of an individual and populations of individuals.
Living things interact with their physical environments as they meet those needs.
 Effects of seasonal changes within the local environment directly impact the availability of
resources.
Activity
Revised 1/15 © 2015 Granny's Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to
fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source.
Page 1
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Collect earthworms in advance. Plan the number of groups you will have and have at least
one earthworm per group. If you have more than a 30-minute class, you may decide to
have students collect earthworms.
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Tell students that they will study earthworms to answer the question “how do earthworms
live”.
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Divide earthworms among the student groups. Use the worksheet as the basis for your
discussion.
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Have students draw a picture of an earthworm that appears on their group’s plate.
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Go through the body parts listed on the worksheet as a group to decide if an earthworm has
the part and how the part is used. Circle the word if the earthworm has the part. If an
earthworm does not have a part, cross out the word. When you note that an earthworm
does not have a part, discuss why it’s important to other animals and how the earthworm
compensates for the missing part. For example, eyes are used to see dangerous situations.
The earthworm relies on the ability to sense light and vibrations to seek shelter.
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As you discuss some parts, ask students if their diagram has them pictured. Students label
the segments, saddle, and hairs. Label the front and back ends of the earthworm.
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Refer to the table and earthworm facts to guide your discussion.
Earthworm Body Parts
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Skin
Must be moist for
earthworm to
breathe, but too
much water and it
will drown
Eyes
No eyes
Front end senses
light and
earthworm moves
away from light
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Slime
Helps earthworm
move
Allows earthworm
to breathe
Ears
No ears
Sense vibrations
around them
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Lungs
No lungs
Nose
No nose
Front end can
sense smell of
food
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Segments
The lines around
the body
The clitellum, or
saddle, looks like a
wide segment. It
has an opening
for baby
earthworms to
enter a cocoon.
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Muscles
Each segment has
a muscle for
movement.
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Hair
On the underside
Each segment has
four stiff hairs
setae (see’ tie) for
gripping and
movement.
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Bones
No skeleton
Mouth
Has a mouth, but
no teeth
Mouth has a flap
to push food into
mouth
Front end can
sense taste of
food
Heart
5 hearts to pump
blood
Wrap up: We know the earthworm lives in soil. Would its body parts enable it to live above
ground or on plants? Why or why not?
More Facts about Earthworms
More body parts and processes
 The front end of the earthworm has a tiny brain, 5 hearts.
Revised 1/15 © 2015 Granny's Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to
fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source.
Page 2
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The back end of the earthworm has the gizzard with small bits of grit to grind food and an
intestine to pass undigested food.
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The mouth has a flap on the first segment, the prostomium (prō stō’ mē ŭm). The earthworm
pulls food into its mouth and muscles move the food to the gizzard (like a stomach) which
has muscles and small stones the earthworm has eaten to grind the food. The food moves to
the intestine where it is digested. Large pieces of food are moistened to make them mushy
and easier to eat.
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The slime contains nitrogen for plants.
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The anterior and posterior parts are joined by the clitellum (clī tĕll’ ŭm), which is a lighter
colored band that is closer to the front of the earthworm. The clitellum is used to form a
cocoon from which 1 to 5 earthworms will hatch from eggs. The cocoon is yellow. Baby
earthworms are white. Young earthworms have no clitellum. Cocoons can be dormant for
years if the conditions are not right for hatching (like the soil is too dry).
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Earthworm poop is called castings. Castings add nutrients to the soil.
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An earthworm can probably grow a new tail if not so many segments are lost to damage
internal organs, but if the head end is eaten, the earthworm will probably die.
Where do earthworms live?
 Earthworms live in places that have food, moisture, and oxygen. Would sandy soil have
many earthworms? No, dries out too quickly. Earthworms come to the surface on wet days
to breathe if the soil pockets are filled with water and not air. Most earthworms live in the
top 18 inches of soil. Some burrow deeper if the soil is too cold or too dry, and then coil up
and sleep. When soil dries up and heats up in summer, most of the adults die.
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An earthworm helps break down dead plants and animals in the process that makes soil.
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The tunnels from earthworms add air in the soil and loosen soil.
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Earthworms pull food underground to eat. Studies have shown that earthworms have a
sense of taste. They have favorite leaves and leaves they won’t eat.
Earthworm facts
 Earthworms are segmented worms that live in soil. Other kinds of segmented worms include
leeches, flat worms, and round worms. Night crawlers are a kind of earthworm. One acre of
soil can have up to 1 million earthworms. There are 2,700 different kinds of earthworms.
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The largest recorded earthworm was found in South Africa measuring 22 feet long. The
Giant Gippsland Earthworm lives in Gippsland, Australia, and can grow to 12 feet. On the
other hand, some earthworms are so small that they are difficult to see.
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Ancestors of earthworms in the U.S. died with the Ice Age 10,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Scientists think earthworms came to this country with the European settlers in the 1600s and
1700s in the soil of the plants they brought with them.
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Worm fossils are hard to find because worms have no bones. Scientists examine holes in
fossils to make deductions about worms. Scientists believe they have fossil evidence that
worms lived at least 500 million years ago.
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Earthworms come in different colors like red, yellow, and even blue.
Revised 1/15 © 2015 Granny's Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to
fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source.
Page 3
Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens
[email protected]
20 Miamiview Lane, Loveland, OH 45140
www.GrannysGardenSchool.org
513-324-2873
How Do Worms Live – Grade One
Draw a picture of your worm.
Circle the body parts that a worm has.
Put an “X” on the body parts that a worm does not have.
bones
skin
eyes
ears
mouth
nose
segments
muscles
hair
lungs
slime
heart
In science, we learn that animals live in environments that meet their needs. Today, we studied
earthworms to understand how they are able to live in soil. Ask your student how earthworms
use their body parts. Email [email protected] to join us for our next gardening
experience!
Revised 1/15 © 2015 Granny's Garden School, Inc. We encourage you to use these lesson plans and change them to
fit your specific needs. We ask only that you credit Granny's Garden School as your source.
Page 4