Big Bug Eyes, Big Bug Eyes

We have started an Animal Unit!  The first animal group we studied was Insects.  We discussed how Insects have 2 antennae, 6 legs, have 3 stages (larva, pupa, adult), shed their exoskeleton, have compound eyes, are invertebrates, and have three main body parts.  I made up a song in the tune of "head, shoulders, knees, and toes," and it goes a little something like this:

-head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

-head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

-Feelers or antennae,  big bug eyes, big bug eyes

-head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

The students absolutely loved it, especially "big bug eyes!!" They hummed it throughout the rest of the work time.  They have also been asking me if they can sing it often.  To further the concept of all the parts of an insect we made ice cream insects.  Ingredients: 6 twizzlers for legs, 2 pretzels for antennae, 2 skittle eyes, magic shell for exoskeleton, 3 ice cream scoops for the three body parts.  I got this idea from another teacher.  I have 24 students and we went through 4 (7.5 oz smucker) magic shell containers and a gallon of ice cream.  Just so you have an idea of how much you'll need.

 

I read A Monarch Butterfly's Life By: John Himmelman.  Then I had students make their own butterfly life cycle using noodles.  I saw this idea on, http://www.somewhatsimple.com/category/school/ and modified it a tiny bit.  My students did not want the life cycle to go in a circle.  It made better sense for them to do it from right to left on the top and then move right to left on the bottom.  I told them they could do it in a circle or like the examples bellow, as long as they knew that a pupa came after a larva.

Here is what our display looks like! It's beautiful!