Entomology Museum

Today was the final project of our insect unit! We designed and created 3-D insects and developed an identification manual to go along with each insect that detailed its habitat, life cycle, adaptations, benefits/detriments, and interesting facts. Check out photos of our excellent creations!

All of our insects had to have the appropriate physical characteristics - 3 body segments, six legs, exoskeleton, eyes, mouthparts, and wings (optional). After that, our Entomologists let their imaginations run wild! This one above by Brennen had excellent camouflage for its habitat!

Brooklyn's bug had multiple eyes as a defense mechanism.

Fernando's had VERY long legs!

We visited eachother's insects and made comments about parts we liked!

Today we also finished off our insect study by releasing our beautiful butterflies outside in the school yard. Malachi took the one butterfly who had underdeveloped wings home to care for it for the remainder of its lifecycle. Thanks, Malachi!

r


Here is also a cool video of one of our butterflies coming out of its chrysalis. Mrs. Pearson, Ms. Delplanche and I caught the end of it on tape!

Positive Pests

Today we learned about the symbiotic relationship between insects and humans. Last night we each took home a different article on the topic of how insects help or harm us. Some of us read about how humans affect insect populations, namely how scientists think climate change might influence bugs. We shared our articles today in groups, and each group developed a presentation to teach the rest of the class about our topic. Mrs. Furgison was so very impressed with our cooperative skills and our teamwork. We created posters and skits to share our information! Some of the things we learned:

1. Termites hurt us by destroying our homes, but they also help the environment by acting as decomposers in the forest to break down organic matter like old logs and leaves.
2. Insects have been used in medicine to study genetics, close wounds, and eat away infected parts of limbs. But they also play a major role in spreading disease and cause allergic reactions in some people. And don't forget annoying little LICE!
3. Insects are a major food source in some parts of the world! We also utilize them to make other products like silk, honey and beeswax.
4. Farmers find insects both nuisance and and an essential tool in farming. Some insects destroy farmers plants by eating the (like aphids), while other insects (like ladybugs) eat those harmful insects. Insects are also essential in pollination of crops!
5. Lastly, we discovered that global warming might affect insects (and as a result, us) in several ways. Tropical diseases (West Nile Virus, Malaria) usually confined to warmer climates are starting to spread North as temperatures rise. This is because the insects who carry such diseases are now able to live in climates that have been traditionally too cold for them. Scientists also expect insects populations in certain temperate regions to boom as a result of global warming. Insects like wasps, who usually die off during the cold season, will be able to survive and reproduce because of warmer winters. In addition, insect populations will need to eat more and more plants to meet their needs because plants will become less nutritious as CO2 builds up. This is bad news for farmers and us, because we need those plants to sustain us, too!

Overall, it was a great day! Here are some pictures of us working on our presentations:

The termite group!

The global warming group.

The insects as food and products group.

Insects in medicine group.

Termite group's poster. The bottom left picture shows a house before termites, while the pic above it is the same house after being decimated by termites. Sad.

Remember to bring in your 3-D insect materials by Monday (Tuesday at the latest!)

Outdoor Entomologists

Whew hew! Today was a super fun day! We did all of our insect lessons outside! We started by searching for insects in their natural habitats and identifying what things insects would need to survive in a habitat - mainly shelter, food and water. We also identified other arthropods in the same habitat as our insects, notably spiders and pillbugs. Here are some cool photos from our discoveries!





We also played an awesome habitat game where we talked about equilibrium between a species and their habitat. Ask your kids about this fun game and about how habitat naturally helps regulate insect populations!

I didn't have an opportunity to post yesterday but we did two neat activities on insect defenses. We played a game about insect defenses where a predator had to discover which of us would make an easy meal and a very engaging camouflage activity. For this last activity, we decorated our own butterfly cutouts to match and blend in with our classroom "habitat." Matthew's dad acted as our predator and tried to find as many butterflies as he could in the habitat. Most of our butterflies were VERY well camouflaged. We were able to see how insects with expert camo would be the bugs to pass on their excellent defenses to their young while ones with poor defenses would be eaten immediately and not be able to pass on their traits to their offspring. Eventually, insects with traits that do not serve them in survival will all die out. Here are some cool pictures of our camouflage butterflies. See if you can find them!



Remember to continue collecting materials for our 3-D insect creations that we will start next week! Also DON'T FORGET FIELD TRIP MONEY!

Build Your Own Insect

I mentioned it in the newsletter, but thought I would post another reminder on the blog. The students will have an opportunity to design and create their own 3-D insects starting next week. Students can use their imaginations as much as they would like in creating these insects, as long as they include the basic physical characteristics (3 body segments, 6 legs, two-four eyes, mouthparts, wings, etc.). They will also have to describe their insect's habitat, its defenses, its life cycle, etc, based upon the knowledge gleaned from the Imperative Insect unit.

Here is what I wanted everyone to be sure to do this upcoming week: start collecting materials for your 3-D bug. Things like string, bottle caps, egg cartons, fabric, sticks, etc can all be used. This is just a starting list - I am sure the kids can get even more creative! Start collecting now so you will be ready for this assignment!

Cricket Experiments

Today we conducted the cricket experiments we designed on Tuesday! They were so much fun! Five teams wanted to research whether or not our crickets were smart enough to make it through a maze to find food. The results from all five teams were inconclusive: most entomologists found that their crickets were able to make it through the mazes, but a few teams had “low performing” crickets who weren’t able to make all the way to the very end.





One team of scientists researched whether or not a cricket with a missing back leg could still jump like a cricket with two good legs. Luckily, we already had several crickets with missing legs to experiment on! They found out that their cricket could still jump! We realized that it was a very useful protective adaptation to be able to jump with only one leg.

Our last team tested whether or not crickets were afraid of other bugs. We used life-like bug models to test whether this was so (we didn’t want an actual insect fight going on!). We determined that we could tell if our crickets were afraid because they ran around quickly. We found that crickets were afraid of preying mantises and beetles but not afraid of ants and flies.
We had such a good time with our cricket experiments. We are truly thinking and asking questions like real scientists now!

We also made some excellent life cycle observations of our crickets today! Malachi noticed that one of our crickets had molted and left an exoskeleton behind. We were so excited! The cricket was pure white after he molted. What a cool example of incomplete metamorphosis!
We are also waiting patiently for our caterpillars (who have become fat and happy!) to form a chrysalis and metamorphosize. Everyday we wish for a change to happen! We will keep you updated!

Adaptation Centers

To get us excited about our cricket experiments tomorrow, Mixtli brought in this neat cricket maze he designed with his dad. How awesome! We are excited to see if and how the crickets are able to make it through the maze to find food. We'll let you know our results!


We also cycled through Adaptation Centers today for a whole hour and a half! Wow! We learned about insect mouth parts, eyes, communication and defenses, as well as watched an interactive video about general insect characteristics :) We learned that insects have crazy compound vision that is great at detecting motion and seeing things up close, but not useful for seeing detail or far away objects. We also learned that insects use sound, smell and touch to communicate with each other. We explored how and why insects have adapted to display different types of mouths and coloring. It was a long, but fun, day!

Watching our interactive video.

Exploring with compound eye lenses to see if insects can see well up close.

Reading our directions at the communication center to find out what activity to do next!

Hello Students and Families! Today we learned all about the physical characteristics of insects by building an insect out of ice cream, snack foods, and Magic Shell topping!

First, we used ice cream to represent the three sections of an insect's body - the head, abdomen and throax! We then used pretzels to represent the six legs of an insect and made sure to attach the legs to the thorax (middle section) of the insect! We also added wings to the thorax because most insects have wings!
Next, we added antennae to our insects...
We finished off our insect by adding two compound eyes, mandibles (or mouth parts) and an exoskeleton made from Magic Shell! Just like an exoskeleton, our Magic Shell topping covered our insects and hardened to protect its delicate insides!
It was a great (and yummy) day and we learned so much! We now know what to look for to determine if a bug is an insect or a different type of arthropod!

Reminder to kids:
Bring any materials you need for your cricket experiment (maze pieces, food, etc.) on THURSDAY. For those of you who need food for the crickets to lure them through your maze, Mr. Sauter's class reported that their crickets LOVE oatmeal!

Update to parents:
Your child might have an Entomology Journal prompt entitled "What Makes an Insect" to complete by tomorrow! Most were able to get it done in class, but some Entomologists needed more time! If your child brought it home, it needs to be completed! Thanks!

Imperative Insects Newsletter

Here is an online copy of the initial Imperative Insects newsletter we sent home to parents:

Dear Third Grade Parents,

I have had the pleasure of meeting most of you already, but for those of you whom I’ve missed, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and my role in your child’s schooling for the next few months. My name is Katie Furgison and I am currently in the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Pacific University. I have had the opportunity to work with your children on a part-time basis through the fall, and now have started student teaching full-time in Deb Delplanche’s third grade classroom. I will be slowly assuming all teaching duties over the next nine weeks, and I am so excited to learn more about and grow with your child!

In the next several weeks, third graders will have the opportunity to participate in a unit called Imperative Insects. The theme of insects will serve to introduce children to specific science concepts, support ongoing literacy, enhance technology skills, and encourage expression through art. In addition, this unit will expose children to insect adaptations, habitat, food chain, life cycle and the symbiotic relationship between insects and humans.

As part of the Imperative Insect unit, our class will be undertaking a scientific inquiry exploring butterflies. Students will have the opportunity to perform an experiment of their own design, as well as directly witness an insect’s life cycle as we watch our class caterpillars metamorphosize into butterflies. If you would like to learn more about butterflies yourself, or discover more about these special creatures with your child, I’ve found several websites that are detailed and informative. The first, a site on the monarch butterfly (http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm), describes the stages of a butterfly’s lifecycle through beautiful pictures and clear explanations. The second website, an online museum about butterflies (http://www.fieldmuseum.org/butterfly/) also offers wonderful, specific information to answer your or your child’s questions.

Towards the end of the Imperative Insect unit, students will be asked to show what they know about the insect life cycle, adaptations, habitats, role in the food chain, and relationship with humans through creating their own unique three-dimensional bug and writing a corresponding Identification Manual. To prepare for this learning activity, we are asking students to start collecting materials such as paper towel tubes, egg cartons, small boxes, feathers, string, bells, rocks, pipe cleaners, metal sandwich ties, small pieces of fabric, beads and any other non-toxic materials. We will let you know when it comes time to bring these items into the classroom!

To follow your child’s learning throughout the Imperative Insects unit, I have created a class blog (http://imperativeinsects.blogspot.com/) that will feature updates on the day’s learning activities, homework and additional supplemental websites or activities for you to enjoy with your child.

I am greatly looking forward to my time with your third graders. Each one is so vibrant and unique, and I know that I will learn as much from them as they from me. If you have any questions about me personally, my background, or this unit, feel free to visit my personal website at http://fg.ed.pacificu.edu/sweb/furgison/Site/Welcome.html. If you have further questions or are interested in participating in any of the Imperative Insect activities my personal email is katiekateosu@comcast.net. I hope to get to know each and every one of you more intimately as my nine-week stay progresses!
Sincerely,

Katie Furgison

Imperative Insects!

Welcome to Ms. Delplanche and Mrs. Furgison's third grade classroom blog! This blog will follow the third graders (and their teachers) as they explore the wonderful world of insects! Insects are some of the most fascinating and prevelant animals in the world. Check out this cool list of insect facts (borrowed from http://www.funshun.com/amazing-facts/other-insects-facts.html)!

• Many insects can carry 50 times their own body weight.

• If all the insects in the world were put on a scale, they would out weigh all creatures.

• For more than 3,000 years, Carpenter ants have been used to close wounds in India, Asia and South America.

• The longest insect is a walking stick that can reach a length of 33 centimeters.

• The eggs of walking stick insects are among the largest in the insect world. Some eggs are more than eight millimeters long.

• A scorpion can have up to 12 eyes.

• A caterpillar grows roughly 27,000 times its size when it first emerges as an egg.

• Locusts can eat their own weight in food in a day. A person eats his own body weight in about half a year.

• Monarch caterpillars shed their skin four times before they become a chrysalis, growing over 2700 times their original size.

• The common garden worm has five pairs of hearts.

• About 80% of the Earth’s animals are insects!

• There is only one insect that can turn its head -- the praying mantis.

• A flea can jump 130 times its own height.

• The fiddler crab can grow a new claw when it loses one of its own.

• The Jungle Nymph Stick is one of the heaviest insects. In Malaysia they are often kept by people who feed them guava leaves and use the droppings to make tea.