Location: Classroom. Group Size: Entire class. Estimated Time: Pre-visit: 45 min. Post-visit: 45 min.

Transcription

1 Activity #1 Spiders are Animals NC SCOS Curriculum Links: Grade 2 Science Competency Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of animal life cycles Observe that insects need food, air, and space to grow 1.03 Observe the different stages of an insect life cycle 1.04 Compare and contrast life cycles of other animals such as mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs Location: Classroom Group Size: Entire class Estimated Time: Pre-visit: 45 min. Post-visit: 45 min. Materials Needed: - Aaaarrggh! Spider! by Lydia Monks - paper egg cartons, cut into separate cups - black pipe cleaners - paint brushes and black paint - glue - string - google eyes or white paint for eyes Related Books: - The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle - I Love Bugs by Philemon Sturges Spiders and Insects both belong to the largest group of animals on Earth (arthropods) Insects have three body parts and six legs. Most have wings, antennae and compound eyes. Spiders have two body parts, eight legs, and many times simple eyes. Identify similarities and differences between spiders and insects Be able to create an insect and identify what it eats and where it lives.

2 Educator s Information: In this activity, students will investigate the similarities and differences between insects and spiders. They will look for signs of and observe the variety of insects and spiders living in Airlie Gardens. Before being able to complete this activity, students should already have understanding of the difference between simple and compound eyes, the different kinds of spiders, and characteristics of both spiders and insects. It will be necessary to instruct or review these ideas with the students before completing this lesson. Instructions: Before visiting Airlie: 1. Read Aaaarrggh! Spider! by Lydia Monks. How was the spider in the story misunderstood? 2. Explain that we will be visiting Airlie Gardens, home to many different kinds of animals, including several kinds of spiders. Where and how might we look for spiders? Discuss the different kinds of spiders (web-building and wandering) and their characteristics (two body parts, eight legs, simple eyes). 3. Create our own pet spiders using the egg carton as the body and pipe cleaners as legs. Provide each student with a cup from the egg carton with eight holes already punched through the sides. Instruct the students to paint their egg carton. Hold the cup upside-down and insert the four pipe cleaners (push one through a hole and poke it through the opposite side). Bend the pipe cleaners to become the spiders legs. Help the students glue the eyes onto the spider, and give each spider a jumping cord by threading it through the underside of the spider. Instruct each student to name their spider, describe where it lives, and what it eats. After visiting Airlie: 1. Did we see any spiders or signs of spiders? Review the characteristics of spiders. 2. Did we see any insects? Make a list on the board. 3. Discuss the characteristics of insects (three body parts, six legs, compound eyes, wings, antennae). 4. Create your own insect. Where does it live? What does it eat? What is its name? How does it grow? Illustrate the different morphological adaptations insects have: proboscis, wings, diversity of antennae, spiracles, tarsi, weird body parts, etc. 5. Using a Venn diagram, compare spiders to insects. How are they similar and different? (Be sure to stress the differences in their life cycles most insects go through metamorphosis whereas spiders do not.) Encourage students to refer to their pet spiders and paper insects to help recall differentiation while completing their Venn diagrams. 6. Play a game showing an insect in different life stages and play a matching game with the students to find what image belongs to what insect (e.g. this caterpillar turns into which butterfly? Give options)

3 Activity #2 Interview an Animal NC SCOS Curriculum Links: Grade 2 Science Competency Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and make observations to build an understanding of the needs of animal life cycles 1.01 Describe the life cycle of animals including: - Birth - Developing into an adult - Reproducing - Aging and death 1.02 Observe that insects need food, air, and space to grow. Location: Classroom Group Size: Entire class Estimated Time: Pre-visit: 20 min. Post-visit: 20 min. Materials Needed: - Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman and Becky Prange - Role of a reporter - Animals go through life cycles - Create a list of questions to be used in an interview - Use student generated questions to report on an animal or insect - Create a class newspaper

4 Environmental Education Curriculum 4 Educator s Information: In this activity students will choose an animal from a list of Airlie wildlife to interview. They will learn about the interviewing process as well as investigate different animal life cycles. It is important that the students have a good understanding of the role of a reporter and adequate access to class books which may aid in their research. Prior knowledge of animal life cycles may also be necessary. Instructions: Before visiting Airlie: 1. Read Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman and Becky Prange. These poems illustrate the variety of animals living in a pond as well as fascinating aspects of pond life. What were some of the animals we saw in the book? While visiting Airlie Gardens we will see many of these animals in addition to many others. Brainstorm a list of these on the board. Allow each student to choose one animal from this list. Explain that they will be interviewing this animal. Be sure to emphasize that students can be creative in this assignment (ex. investigating a spider for eating a fly or investigating a missing caterpillar). 2. Recall that each poem in the book was accompanied by scientific information about a plant, animal, or aspect of pond life. Explain that after visiting Airlie, we want to be able to write a similar report on our different animals and insects. 3. Before writing our report, we must first develop questions we would like to ask. Explain that this is why many reporters conduct interviews. As a class, develop a list of questions we would want to use in an interview of our animal. Be sure to include at least one how, what, where, and why question. List these questions on the board. It may also be beneficial to include the animal s personal history (life cycle). Instruct the students to record these questions to use on the field trip. 4. While at Airlie, the students will take notes as if the student is actually a reporter. After visiting Airlie: 1. Allow students to get into groups with other students who interviewed the same animal. The students can share ideas and information, and compare answers to the questions they chose to ask. 2. Use the information from the interview to create a newspaper article. Combine each student s (or group of students ) article to form a class newspaper. As a class, decide on a name for the newspaper and read the stories aloud. It may also be nice to share a copy of the newspaper with Airlie Gardens.

5 Environmental Education Curriculum 5 Interpreter s Information and Cheat Sheet Competency Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of animal life cycles Observe that insects need food, air, and space to grow 1.03 Observe the different stages of an insect life cycle 1.04 Compare and contrast life cycles of other animals such as mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs - Role of a reporter - Animals go through life cycles - Create a list of questions to be used in an interview - Use student generated questions to report on an animal or insect - Create a class newspaper In this activity students will choose an animal from a list of Airlie wildlife to interview. They will learn about the interviewing process as well as investigate different animal life cycles. Spiders and Insects both belong to the largest group of animals on Earth (arthropods) (phylum In layman terms, phyla is a grouping of animals with the same general body plan, e.g. having an exoskeleton vs. having bones) (arthropods this means segmented bodies what has segmented bodies? Shrimp, pillbugs, spiders, etc.) Insect adults have three body parts and six legs. Most have wings, antennae and compound eyes. Spiders have two body parts, eight legs, and often simple eyes. Spiders have two body parts, eight legs, and multiple (anywhere from 2-8) eyes. Identify similarities and differences between spiders and insects Be able to create an insect and identify what it eats and where it lives. In this activity, students will investigate the similarities and differences between insects and spiders. They will look for signs of and observe the variety of insects and spiders living in Airlie Gardens. Before being able to complete this activity, students should already have understanding of the difference between simple and compound eyes, the different kinds of spiders, and characteristics of both spiders and insects. Airlie on-site Activity: Discuss butterfly gardens and how to make them give info to kids so they take it home to their parents

6 Environmental Education Curriculum 6 Search for insects (too much like digging for decomposers?) Discuss the danger associated with brown recluse, black widow spider, and ticks emphasize that for the most part insects are dangerous (do you think that discussing harmful spiders is unproductive, or precautionary?) Go through the butterfly house with an interpreter Discuss life cycles Characteristics of insects/butterflies What butterflies need to survive Discuss natives vs. non-natives Potential On-Site Itinerary -Arrival -Butterfly Garden -discuss need for larval food plants, picky eaters -look for caterpillars (hibernaculum, frass, foliage eaten, etc) -Minnie Evans -look at hidden butterfly and discuss its anatomy Butterfly house & Tranquility Garden - discuss the characteristics of insects, Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly) - discuss life cycle -Butterfly Netting -Nature Trail -Water-Wise -Airlie Woods -Pergola -Bradley Creek Overlook -Dock -Airlie Oak