Curated OER
Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Ladybugs
Those lovely ladybugs are so cute, and so very useful! Use a short unit to explore insect anatomy, the ladybug life cycle, and the help ladybugs provide organic farmers. The unit is comprised of four short thirty-minute lesson plans that...
Curated OER
My Insect Report
Is your class writing a report on insects? If they are, you have to check out this great set of worksheets. It provides a well-scaffolded system they can use to organize their research findings in order to compose a well-structured...
Curated OER
Insect Anatomy
A wonderful lesson plan on the many benefits of having spiders and bugs around us. Learners discover how important these bugs are to our ecosystem. The lesson helps young biologists see the differences between spiders and caterpillars,...
Curated OER
Feeding Frenzy
Young biologists take a look at the myriad of ways that animals increase their chances of surviving in the wild. The adaptations help animals hide, hunt, and attract a mate. This lesson plan specifically explores how insect mouth parts...
Curated OER
Edible Bug Project
Students recognize the characteristics of insects. In this edible bugs instructional activity, students observe the body parts of an insect. Students create an edible insect using a grape, carrot sticks and sorrel stems and...
National Wildlife Federation
Pollinator's Journey: Grades K-4
Mimic the struggle of migratory pollinators. Pupils learn about the threats to pollinator species. They go on to enact a play demonstrating the hazards migratory pollinators experience. To finish,...
Rainforest Alliance
Colombia Biodiversity
How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading...
Scholastic
Minibeasts
Lead young scientists to discover insects outdoors. After investigating, students will record observations, learn about these fascinating creatures, craft, and role play.
Curated OER
Did You Know?
What would happen if you woke up one day and had become a housefly? What kinds of things would you do? Use the facts at the top of a worksheet to write a paragraph or short story about being a housefly.
Curated OER
Egg Carton Buggy Mobile
Craft paper, string, and clean egg cartons are used to create super cute bug mobiles. Included are instructions and images to assist you in guiding your class through the process of making these very cool mobiles. The project would be a...
Curated OER
Insects A-Z!
Alphabet insects! Who has ever heard of such a thing? Get ready because your class is going to research insects that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. In small groups, they'll use the Internet and reference texts to locate...
Curated OER
Beneficial Bug Scavenger Hunt
Going on a scavenger hunt sounds like a great way to spice up any lesson plan. To better understand how beneficial insects are, the class goes outdoors to search for and observe a bug that has big benefits. Included in the lesson are...
Curated OER
Field Guide to Schoolyard Insects and Their Relatives
Sometimes all you need to complete your perfect lesson plan is an awesome hands-on learning experience. Here is an extension activity that is sure to excite your learners. They'll head outside to observe the local insect community. When...
John Lentine
Butterflies and Bugs
Symmetry, line, shape, art, and math are all connected through a fun hands-on craft. Included are instructions to a classic activity, where learners create butterflies to show symmetry in nature and then discuss symmetry in math. It is...
Curated OER
Torn Insect Art
Sometimes the best way to drive home a concept is through an art project. Here is a quick and easy activity that can help learners remember or become more familiar with the parts on an insect's body. They tear brightly colored paper into...
Terminix
Amazing Insect Facts
Insects are like little aliens living all around us. Explore fun and interesting insect facts by having the class read a short informational paragraph. The paragraph focuses on how we are similar and different to insects and includes...
Curated OER
The Dragonflies of Summer
The best thing about dragonflies is that they make great topics for informational texts. Get those readers excited with a fun and interesting insect-related text passage that can help them increase their comprehension skills. As children...
Curated OER
Mealworms
Crawl into the world of the darkling beetle with this scientific investigation. Watch as the insects move through the larval, pupal, and adult stages of life, recording observations along the way. Discuss the necessities of life as young...
Terminix
The Pollinator
What do bees and children have in common? They both love their sweets. Decorate a flower pot or bucket to look like a brightly colored flower and fill it with wrapped candy and cheese puffs. Have learners reach into grab the candy,...
University of Kentucky
Beneficial Bug Scavenger Hunt
Many people think of bugs as annoying pests to be squashed, but most insects and spiders are beneficial, eating the actual pests or pollinating plants. After reviewing some of the common bugs in your area (they may differ from those...
Curated OER
If the Forests Could TAlk
Third graders research insects using the internet sites provided. They research the role of insects as pollinators for plants, and the impact they have on our ecosystem. They participate in various activities/centers utilizing the facts...
Curated OER
Bug Detective
What happens when a living thing dies? After reading a paragraph of background knowledge on the life cycle of bugs, third and fourth graders work through four clues to figure out which bug is which. When they finish, they can study the...
Curated OER
What Flies?
Young learners consider what flies and what kinds of sounds airplanes, animals, etc. make when they fly. They also get to generate a brainstorm list. Children discuss what the categories should be once the list is completed. Some really...
Curated OER
Bug Me While I'm Eating!
Students explore nutritional value of insects as food, and compare the nutritional value of insects with that of their favorite foods by completing a table.