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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...
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Flour Beetle
Students observe the life cycle of the common flour beetle and make observations of its life stages. They also design and implement an investigation on food preference for the beetle and record data over a period of several months....
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A Bugs Life: Diary of an Insect's Metamorphosis
Students play games to learn about the life stages and metamorphosis of different insects. In this insects lesson plan, students discuss the life of insects, and then play matching, vocabulary, and memory games.
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Life Cycles
Third graders investigate the stages of animal life cycles. They examine an egg and compare it to an inanimate object, read a booklet about the life cycle and define key vocabulary terms, and observe a mealworm. Students then design a...
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Bug Work
Learners explore the life cycles of insects and how they interact with each other in the prairie to create a healthy ecosystem and viable food chain. They list animals or insects in their own community that are similar to the prairie...
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How Do We Know These Beetles Are Safe to Use?
Students evaluate the impact beetles have on plants. In groups, they select plants to expose to leaf-feeding beetles and place those beetles on the caged plants. They observe the beetles and discuss the insect and plant interaction...
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Flour Beetles
Students observe life stages in flour beetles and graph the results. They write a summary report.
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Cycles of Life
Students explore the metamorphosis of an insect as it changes from an egg to pupa to an adult. the process of change is observed, recorded, and transformed into a life cycle picture.
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Beetle Rearing
Students investigate plants and the effects beetles have on the plants. In small groups, they collect plants and observe the beetles as they interact with the plants. They record the conditions including temperature, cloudiness, length...
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Conservation in Small Spaces: Butterfly Life cycles
Students discuss ways that butterflies and moths change during their lifecycles, observe caterpillars, and explore how their different body parts work.
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UV Radiation and the Developmental Stages of Red Flour Beetles
Students perform an experiment to compare the sensitivity of the various developmental stages of Red Flour Beetles to ultraviolet radiation. Larvae, pupae and adult beetles are exposed to a source of UV-B radiation. In groups, they...
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Beetle Infestation
Seventh graders investigate the consequences of insect infestation of trees over a period of time. this instructional activity can tailgate a segment on the life cycle of beetles and lead off a environmental instructional activity.
University of Florida
Unhealthy Forests and the News
Everyone knows a tree makes a sound when it falls, but what do we know about dying trees? Class members learn background information about Laurel wilt disease from a teacher-led presentation. Team members work with partners to read and...
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Appositives
Third graders use the text about a beetle life cycle to identify unknown vocabulary words. In this appositives lesson plan, 3rd graders define the words on the worksheet they are given.
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I've Got You Under My Skin
Students examine bark beetle galleries, discuss interdependence between insects, trees, and people, and research to determine causes of other tree damage.
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The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals
Students create instruments to capture different types of insects. In this The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals lesson, students compare the attributes of certain insects and record the data on a chart. After catching...
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Complete Metamorphosis
Students use a map and colored pins to plot the migration path of Monarch butterflies. They use data found at the Journey North website. Commas are also used in the activity to show how they are put in a series of words using butterfly...
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Animals: Ladybugs
Students use the Internet to study the ladybug. They examine their life cycle, anatomy and their habitat. They participate in interactive games and view photographs.
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The Very Clumsy Click Beetle
Second graders determine what it means to be clumsy before listening to Eric Carle's, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle. They examine the part where the click beetle does flips before drawing three frames that show the beetle flipping. For...
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Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife
Young scholars examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
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Who's Been Eating the Oatmeal?
This lesson involves students observing the life cycle of a mealworm (beetle) from egg, larva, pupa and adult stages. Student groups receive a plastic container with fresh oatmeal and two to three mealworms. They fill out a chart...
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Mealworm Metamorphosis
Students observe offspring (mealworms) that do not initially resemble their parent organism (darkling beetles) throughout complete metamorphosis. They also create and maintain an appropriate habitat for the mealworms.
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Lucy the Changing Ladybug
Students listen as the teacher reads "Lucy the Changing Ladybug." Students use construction paper to create a large leaf which they divode and number four sections. Each section will be illustrated to represent one stage of a ladybug's...
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Aphids and Ladybirds
Students record observations of ladybird beetles and aphids. They develop questions concerning the behavior of ladybird beetles and aphids that are testable by a classroom experimentation. Students develop an investigation.