This unit is a smorgasbord of ideas to use. Pick those ideas relevant to your level/class. Integrate them with the relevant curriculum area and learning outcomes you desire.
The Skills Checklist Levels 1-4 relates to the skills/activities mentioned
Comparisons between different ways of finding information
Using ICT skills as selected from below
Comparing adaptive features
Asking questions and finding information and presenting conclusions
Specific Information Skills:
Investigation Questions
Try to get pupils to brainstorm these and others themselves as part of the information process. Here are some to get you started.
What adaptive features help insects to survive?
What are the common adaptive features that insects have?
How many insects are there in the world?
How do insects affect humans (positive and negative)?
What books have been written about insects? (Insect myths, fiction etc)
Make up amazing insect questions like... What is the smallest? What insect can carry the most? What insect is the fastest (land/air)? The most mean? Most dangerous? Lives the longest/shortest? How do some insects walk on water? (can lead to science experiments),
Wordprocessor
Example skills: getting to know keyboard, put picture on, make bold, use styles/fonts, saving, using spellchecker
Write bug riddles
e.g. On netted wings, long and sleek,
I daintily FLY beside the creek.
I'm a DAMSEL long and thin
Compared to my dragon kin.
For me, slow and low flight satisfies,
While high and fast the DRAGON FLIES.
You may call me BEETLE, bug or bird,
Which may seem to be absurd.
But give me "LADY" as title of address,
Then that will help clear up the mess.
Write a bug poem focusing on adaptive features. Underline the features
llustrate work (i.e. draw adaptive features), edit what you have written and improve 5 words/sentences- go back to computer and change
Write an insect definition: illustrate, make font changes etc. Highlight important parts in bold. "An animal with 3 body parts, 3 pairs of legs and generally, 2 pairs of wings"
5 Great facts about some insects on a page. Use borders, pictures to present. Could also use bullets.
Art & Design
Example Skills: Using paint progs, combining clipart, talk about use of white space, flow of the eye etc.
Use KidPix/Painting program to create your own bugs/insects (use symmetry in it, shapes and patterns)
Design a bugs calendar
Logo Design a logo to represent your pest control business
Bug poster. Single words, rotate them use different fonts. What makes a good poster?
Create bug outlines of your own mythical bug.
Animate a bug… use KidPix or movie software to make a talking bug story… write script etc. and storyboard before starting. Limit it to only a few scenes
Look for Insect/bugs in the stamps in KidPix or Clipart. Combine these to make a new picture. What habitat could they be put in? Choose a suitable background.
Animate using animation (moopies/movies in KidPix, Imagination Express Series) or other software
Spreadsheets
Example Skills: Entering Data, graphing, answering questions/theories using data collected
Example questions: What type of bugs will we find mostly around the school/home? Where are they more likely to be found? Are bugs more likely to bite boys or girls? What insects are the most abundant?
Graph number found within a certain area
Graph adaptive features
Graph number of times boys/girls bitten by a bug or type verses number of times bitten
Databases
Example skills: Entering info in database, graphing, sorting data into sets
Example questions:
Fields such as: Name, classification, size, leg number, adaptive features (winged?, sting? Proboscis? hard shell? etc), habitat
Internet (see Other IT below)
Search on keywords on the WWW for information, to find answers to questions, to look at other classes’ sites on insects, to view insect art. Try these questions: "What insects are found in other countries but not here?" "Are there any insects that are common all around the world?"
Presentation Software (Edmark, PowerPoint, Claris)
Skills Examples: Recording voice, editing recorded sounds, putting sounds into a ‘talking book’
Record statements about bugs: the way they live, creative statements, bug dialogue
Record poetry
Using Other CD's
Look up CD’s for information (NZ Encyclo, Encarta, Kingfisher Micropaedia (has two reading levels) etc)
Other Forms of IT
Listening/watching post
Listen to bugs or insects stories on tape/video. You may even decide to tape parts of journals/stories or your own ideas/poems or record bugs music (based on environmental sounds i.e. comb)
Watch ‘Bugs’ the movie. Look at how camera angles are done. Examine animation
Digital Camera
Take photos of insects found. Create captions for them.
Take close-ups... create an "Identify the Bug Board"
CT Technology (Communications Technology)
Skills comparing different types of CT. Compare the ways of finding information to discuss the strengths/weaknesses of each. Continue over the year to send E-mails, faxes, have conference calls with a pen-pal class. Either as individuals/groups/ whole class.
Fax to bug/insect expert ~ drawn or written or both
end a fax with questions
Conference Phone: Carry out a similar process to above.
E-Mail: one of the schools who already have researched bugs with questions. (See links below)
Away from the Computer
Paper mache bugs
Origami bugs
Colour outlines of bugs designed on computer
Animation cartoon flick books. small pages stapled together with a simple figure that changes slightly on each page. Flick through them and the figure moves
Game: Give children a couple of staws or pipe cleaners. Blindfold. Get them using their "anttenae" to try and work out through touch a series of common objects
Make origami insects http://www.paperfolding.com/
Create an insect from maths shapes http://www.educast.com/arc/lp/sci/9804067s.pdf
Resources
Keywords for this unit
Entomology, Entomological, insect/s, bug/s, beetle/s, specific insect names, pest, arachnid/s, biology, pet/s, pest control
Places to find info or organisations
Internet, museum, conservation dept, yellow pages, firms that manufacture insect repellant, pest contol, zoos
