The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: K–8
Curriculum Focus: Life Science
Lesson Duration: Two class periods
Program Description
How do spiders and other arachnids differ from insects? Travel around the world with Jeff Corwin
to learn the answer. You’ll visit Spain for a look at the dung beetle, Morocco to view scorpions, and
Ecuador to observe leafcutter ants.
Video Index
Segment 1: Ecuador (8 min.)
Description
Travel to Ecuador and meet some interesting spiders and insects. Watch leafcutter ants construct
a colony, check out a strange-looking cricket, and see a group of spiders work together.
Pre-viewing question
Q: Can you think of any unique insects or arachnids?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: How do social spiders differ from most other spiders?
A: Most spiders live alone, but social spiders live in a group as big as 50,000. They spin large,
interconnected webs that are effective in catching prey.
Segment 2: Arizona (1 min.)
Description
Observe the walking stick in the Arizona desert. See how it mimics a stick as an effective defense
against predators.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What do you know about animals in Arizona?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: How does the walking stick protect itself?
A: The walking stick mimics a stick so predators ignore it.
The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
2
Segment 3: Morocco (4 min.)
Description
Check out the black scorpion in Morocco. Watch Jeff and a colleague milk the scorpion of its
venom, which is used for antivenom and other medications.
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why do scientists extract venom from animals?
A: Students may mention that the venom is used for medical purposes.
Post-viewing question
Q: How are scientists going to use the black scorpion’s venom?
A: Scientists will use the black scorpion’s venom to make antivenom and medications to treat
cancer and prevent post-transplant organ rejection.
Segment 4: Thailand (1 min.)
Description
Take a look at the whip scorpion that lives in caves in Thailand. Observe its two-segmented body
and watch it climb in its environment.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What does the term “nocturnal hunter” mean?
A: Some students will know that the term refers to an animal that searches for food at night.
Post-viewing question
Q: Where does the whip scorpion live?
A: The whip scorpion lives in caves.
Segment 5: Tasmania (5 min.)
Description
Learn about the Tasmanian spider, which is genetically linked to a spider in Chile. Observe the
forest millipede’s undulating legs and ants swarming near an acacia tree.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What is the difference between a spider and a millipede?
A: Answers will vary, but may include that a spider is an arachnid with two body sections and
eight legs, and a millipede is an arthropod with a highly segmented body and many legs.
Post-viewing question
Q: How is the Tasmanian spider linked to a spider in Chile?
A: Until about 200 million years ago, spiders lived on a single landmass. When the landmass
separated, spiders with a similar genetic background ended up in present-day Tasmania and Chile.
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The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
3
Segment 6: Madagascar (2 min.)
Description
Meet the katydid of Madagascar. Observe how closely it resembles a leaf and has can blend into
its environment.
Pre-viewing question
Q: How does camouflage help an animal survive?
A: Students may know that camouflage helps animals blend into their environment, which makes
it more difficult for predators to see them.
Post-viewing question
Q: How does the katydid blend into its environment?
A: The exoskeleton of the katydid is leaflike, so predators often mistake it for a leaf instead of a
possible meal.
Segment 7: Spain (2 min.)
Description
Observe the giant dung beetle roll balls of scat across the sand in Spain’s Doñana National Park.
Find out what the ball is used for.
Pre-viewing question
Q: What do you know about the giant dung beetle?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What is the purpose of the giant dung beetle’s ball of scat?
A: The female giant dung beetle deposits its eggs into the ball, and the growing embryos feed on
the scat.
Segment 8: Brazil (4 min.)
Description
Watch the flying cockroach feed on roots and leaves. Meet the venomous tarantula, which can melt
prey with its nasty bite.
Pre-viewing question
Q: Do you think that it’s unusual for a cockroach to be a vegetarian?
A: Answers will vary, but students may know that most cockroaches eat almost anything, so a
cockroach with a limited (vegetarian) diet is unusual.
Post-viewing question
Q: What happens to an animal after the venomous tarantula bites it?
A: The bite victim dissolves so that the tarantula can drink the remains.
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The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
Segment 9: Venezuela (3 min.)
Description
Observe the large ticks on an anaconda lying on the ground. Find out what happens to the ticks
when Jeff returns the anaconda to the water.
Pre-viewing question
Q: Have you ever seen ticks?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What happens to the ticks when Jeff returns the anaconda to the water?
A: The ticks die, which is beneficial to the anaconda.
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
•
Learn about different kinds of insects and arachnids.
•
Work in pairs to create flashcards for each animal featured in the program.
•
Test other students’ knowledge of the animals.
Materials
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The Jeff Corwin Experience: Insects and Arachnids
•
Computer with Internet access
•
Newsprint and markers
•
Poster board
•
Paper and pencils
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Crayons and colored pencils
•
Scissors
Procedures
1. Show The Jeff Corwin Experience: Insects and Arachnids and explain that students should keep
a list of the animals featured in the program.
2. As a class, list on a sheet of newsprint the featured animals, noting if each is an insect or
arachnid. The animals are noted below.
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4
The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
INSECTS
• Leafcutter ant
• Cricket
• Ant
• Katydid
• Giant dung beetle
ARACHNIDS
• Social spider
• Black scorpion
• Whip scorpion
• Tasmanian spider
• Tarantula
• Tick
3. Divide students into pairs and assign each pair an animal. Explain that the pairs will create
a flashcard: The front will show a picture drawn of the animal, and the reverse will list the
following information:
• animal name
• insect or arachnid
• where animal lives
• one or two interesting facts
4. Give students time in class to work on their flashcards, or assign as homework, if necessary.
5. During the next class create larger student groups that include three student pairs. Have each
pair test the other pairs by showing the front of flashcard and challenging them to identify the
animal. Suggest that students keep score, such as one point for correct identification of the
animal’s name and additional points for other details found on the reverse of the flashcard.
6. After students have finished the game within their groups, reshuffle the pairs into new groups
to continue the games. Continue to reshuffle the groups until students have played the game
with everyone in the class.
7. Conclude with a class discussion. Ask students: What are the differences between insects and
arachnids? What adaptations did students find particularly interesting?
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The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
6
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students were highly engaged in class and small-group discussions; developed
creative, accurate flashcards for their animals; interacted effectively within large groups
during the game.
•
2 points: Students participated in class and small-group discussions; developed satisfactory
flashcards for their animals; interacted reasonably well within large groups during the
game.
•
1 point: Students participated minimally in class and small-group discussions; did not
complete the flashcards for their animals; did not interact will within large groups during
the game.
Vocabulary
adaptation
Definition: A body structure or behavior that allows an animal to survive in its environment
Context: An effective adaptation of the walking stick’s appearance is that predators may
overlook it.
arachnid
Definition: Animals with two body sections, eight legs, and no antennae
Context: Spiders, scorpions, tarantulas, and ticks are arachnids.
insect
Definition: An animal with three body sections, six legs, and one pair of antennae
Context: Insects share three common characteristics, even though they may look quite different.
leafcutter ant
Definition: An insect in Ecuador that collects leaves and makes fungus
Context: Leafcutter ants make their own food by collecting leaves and making a fungus.
scorpion
Definition: An arachnid that produces venom to catch its prey
Context: Thailand’s whip scorpion comes out of its cave at night to hunt for food.
Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences provides guidelines for teaching science in grades K–12 to
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The Jeff Corwin Experience
Insects and Arachnids
Teacher’s Guide
7
promote scientific literacy. To view the standards, visit this Web site:
http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/html/overview.html#content.
This discussion guide addresses the following science standards:
•
Life Science
o K-4—The characteristics of organisms; Organisms and environments
o 5-8—Populations and ecosystems; Diversity and adaptations of organisms
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
•
Science: Life Sciences—Understands relationships among organisms and their physical
environment
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Language Arts
o Viewing—Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
o Writing—Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.