NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Overview: Students explore the difference between different arthropods: spiders and insects. They also learn their benefit to us. An activity from the Environmental Volunteers Program Area: Nature in Your Neighborhood Grade Level: K-­‐2 EV Learning Objectives: 1. Insects have three body parts and six legs (head, thorax, abdomen) 2. Spiders have two body parts and eight legs (cephalothorax, abdomen) 3. Arthropods have jointed legs and exoskeletons 4. Arthropods can be helpful to people EV Sustainability Principles E. Understanding the beauty of our planet, the elegance of natural systems, and the interconnectedness of all its parts. MATERIALS LIST •
Insects parts drawn on transparencies (head, thorax, abdomen, 6 legs, antennae, on separate sheets) •
Spider parts drawn on transparencies (cephalothorax, abdomen, 8 legs, pedipalps) on separate sheets •
Base for building spider/insects (small binder) •
Photos and diagrams of insects and spiders •
Vocabulary word cards (Arthropod, head, thorax, cephalothorax, abdomen, antennae, pedipalps) •
Visual with discussion questions. CALIFORNIA EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS All standards are for science unless otherwise noted. 1 Kindergarten • 2a Students know how to observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals (e.g., seed-­‐bearing plants, birds, fish, insects). • 2c Students know how to identify major structures of common plants and animals (e.g., stems, leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs). Common Core • M.K.CC.B.5 -­‐ Count to answer "how many?" questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-­‐20, count out that many objects. • E.SL.K.2 -­‐ Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. First Grade • 2a Students know different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places. EEI Learning Objectives • 2a-­‐2. Provide examples of the external features of plants and 1 Note about EEI Learning Objectives: this learning station supports these objectives of the Education and the Environment Initiative’s Environmental Principles and Concepts. As the learning objectives do not have their own numbering convention, the one used here show the number of the standard before the dash and the number after the dash is the bullet point from the list of objectives for that standard. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 1 Last Updated 2/17/16 animals that help them live in a particular environment and obtain the resources they need to survive there. Common Core • E.SL.1.2 -­‐ Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. Second Grade • 2a Students know that organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind and that the offspring resemble their parents and one another. • 2b Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals, such as butterflies, frogs, and mice. EEI Learning Objectives • 2a-­‐1. Recognize that reproduction is essential to the survival of a species. Common Core • E-­‐SL.2.1 -­‐ Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. • E.SL.2.2 -­‐ Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. ACTIVITY INTRODUCTION (Time required: 2 minutes) ASK: Can each of you think of the name of a bug? RESPONSE: Students will share their ideas. At this point don’t evaluate their ideas as long as it is something creepy crawly (e.g., worms is an acceptable response at this point.) EXPLAIN: We are going to learn more about some of these bugs – the ones that are part of a group called Arthropods-­‐specifically insects and spiders ACTIVITY 1: Anatomy of an Arthropod (Time required: 10 minutes) 1. Exoskeleton ASK: What would your body be like if you didn’t have any bones? RESPONSE: Students will share their ideas of a body with no structure or an ability to sit, stand, walk, run, etc. ASK: Where is an insect’s or spider’s skeleton? RESPONSE: Students will make their guesses. Perhaps students will know bug’s skeletons are on the outside of their body. EXPLAIN: Most bugs have an exoskeleton. Exo-­‐ means outside. So, an exoskeleton is a skeleton that is on the outside. It is kind of like armor; it’s not made of bones like our skeletons, but it gives the insect its shape and it protects it like our skeletons. 2. Building Arthropods DO: Give each pair of students two envelopes with arthropod parts (one insect, one spider), two pieces of white paper and two bases for building their arthropod. Students will work together on the two models. ASK: Find the pieces that show legs for both your spider and your insect and place it on your base. DO: Help the students all find the right piece and see how it fit on the base. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 2 Last Updated 2/17/16 ASK: Find the piece that shows the head. For a hint, what do we have on the front of our heads? Eyes? Look for the pieces with eyes. DO: Help the students find the right pieces. ASK: Notice how the spider’s legs are attached to it’s body now. Can you find a piece that will let the insect’s legs attach to it’s body? DO: Help the students find the right piece. ASK: Both your insect and spider have one more body section. Can you find it? DO: Help the students find the right piece. ASK: In people we call this part of our body our tummy or belly. Do you know of a good science word that also means tummy or belly? RESPONSE: Students may or may not already know the word abdomen. ASK: There is one more piece for both of your arthropods. Put them on your base. 3. Spiders vs. Insects EXPLAIN: Now you are going to work like scientists and you are going to study your insect and spider. You are going to talk about two things. 1) Find at least one way they are the same. (More is ok.) 2) Find at least one way they are different. (More is ok.) 3) Find one way you are the same as these arthropods. DO: Give students a little time to discuss the questions with their partners. ASK: Who would like to share some of the things you talked about? DO: Responses may come up in any order. Just make sure the following key points are discussed: • The insect has 6 legs and the spider has 8. Both have joints. Arthropods also all have jointed legs (just like people, but we don’t have exoskeletons.) • Spider legs are attached to the “head” but the insect legs are attached to the next section. Insects have a head and a thorax (the second section). But spider’s heads are combined with their thorax. So the spider’s front body part is called a cephalothorax (cephalo-­‐ means head) • Insects have antennae that help them sense their environment. • Spiders have pedipalps. They can be many shapes and sizes. Some almost look like another pair of legs. They can help sense the environment like antennae, but they can also be used almost like a pair of hands. ASK: Can you think of any missing body parts for your insect or spider? RESPONSE: Some insects have wings EXPLAIN: Many insects have wings, although the insect in our diagram does not. Notes: •
Keep this section moving so you don’t “lose” the students. •
After students finish this section have them put the arthropod transparency pieces back into the envelopes to they’re ready for the next group. ASK: Think of the names of bugs you shared at the beginning. Who shared an insect? RESPONSE: Students raise their hands. ASK: Who had a spider? RESPONSE: Students raise their hands. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 3 Last Updated 2/17/16 ASK: Who had something else? RESPONSE: Students will remind you of their bugs. ASK: Does that bug have an exoskeleton? Does it have jointed legs? If so, it is also an arthropod but from a different group. (The ones you will most likely encounter is crustaceans (pill bugs and sow bugs), centipedes and millipedes.) If not, they are something else entirely (worms may be a common one here. They are in many different groups depending on the species). ACTIVITY 2 How arthropods are helpful to people (Time required: 5 minutes) DO: Give each student a photo. ASK: Why are arthropods important to us? Take a look at your photo. One at a time, you will show the group your photo and share with us what is happening in the photo. EXPLAIN: As each student shares their photo, contribute the information listed under each photo to add to what students say. Honey bees make honey that we can eat. We often learn from arthropods. Example: spider silk is very strong. We study it to help us make strong materials. We learn about how very small things fly and use that to make tiny flying robots. We can also learn a lot about biology and medicine. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 4 Last Updated 2/17/16 Pollination, which is the way pollen from the male part of the a flower gets to the egg in the female part of a flower to form a seed. A lot of our food comes from plants that are pollinated by insects. Some arthropods, like termites help with decomposition, or breaking dead things down and returning it to the soil to help new things grow. Termites will eat a dead tree in the forest. Arthropods are very beautiful and many will inspire artists. spider eating insect pest Spiders work to keep the insect population in check by feeding on just about anything with more legs than you. ladybug eating aphid Insects and spiders help us in our garden by eating pests (e.g., ladybugs eat aphids, which can destroy leaves of plants such as roses by sucking on them) TWO-­‐MINUTE WARNING (Time required: 2 minutes) NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 5 Last Updated 2/17/16 ASK: Where do insects and spiders live? Why? ASK: What do arthropods need to survive? ASK: How are arthropods helpful to us? ALTERNATE SCRIPTS None HELPFUL HINTS GLOSSARY •
Abdomen – the rear body segment in an insect or spider. •
Arthropod – insects and spiders belong to this phylum; they are invertebrates with jointed appendages, exoskeletons, and segmented bodies. •
Antennae – sense organs found on insect heads. •
Cephalothorax – head and thorax fused together; in spiders it is the front body segment and it is where the legs attach. •
Exoskeleton – a hard outer shell that serves as the animal’s skeleton. •
Head – the front segment of an insect body. •
Pedipalps – an appendage at the front of a spider that can help a spider sense its environment or to hold or move things around. •
Thorax – the middle body segment of an insect. This is the body segment where the legs attach. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 6 Last Updated 2/17/16 SCIENCE BACKGROUND {1-­‐2 pages similar to a section of the subject guide} EV SUGGESTS – Tips, Tricks, and News The following is a list of resources, recommended readings, etc. that you may find useful in learning more about the topic of this kit. OTHER REFERENCES This is a list of all references used in writing this script and its background information. NN-­‐04: Amazing Arthropods Page 7 Last Updated 2/17/16