Insect Intrigue

Transcription

Insect Intrigue

Fish Creek Provincial Park
INSECT INTRIGUE
A teacher-conducted field study program for Grade 2 students.
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre
[email protected]
www.fish-creek.org
i
INSECT INTRIGUE
A teacher-conducted field study program for Grade 2 students.
This curriculum-connected field study was developed to support the
Grade 2 Science Topic E: Small Crawling and Flying Animals and the
vision of the Plan For Parks.
Developed by:
Fish Creek Provincial Park
13931 Woodpath Road S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
T2W 5R6
[email protected]
www.fish-creek.org
2014 Revision
Insect Intrigue
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table of contents
1.0 Introduction..................................... 2
6.0 Field Study Activity Guide................. 22
1.1
1.2
1.3
Program Outline........................... 3
Program Objectives and
Curriculum Fit.............................. 4
Curriculum Connections............... 5
2.0 Environmental Education
Opportunities at Fish Creek
Provincial Park ................................. 6
2.1
2.2
2.3
The Fish Creek Environmental
Learning Centre........................... 6
Lunch Break Procedures............... 7
Outdoor Lunch Opportunities...... 7
3.0 Planning Your
Field Study Day in the Park............... 8
7.0 Lunch Break...................................... 41
8.0 Post Field Study Activity Ideas.......... 42
3.1 Planning Your Itinerary ............... 9
4.0 Class Discussion About the
Field Study....................................... 10
5.0 Preparatory Study
Activity Ideas.................................... 12
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
6.1 Colours......................................... 22
6.2 Creature Count............................ 23
6.3 Bug Boxes and Pooting................ 25
6.4 Temperature................................ 26
6.5 Lady Beetles................................ 27
6.6 Spiders......................................... 28
6.7 Creature Lasso............................. 30
6.8 Grasshoppers............................... 31
6.9 Under........................................... 32
6.10 Cities in the Soil........................... 33
6.11 Cities in the Trees........................ 35
6.12 Bark Beetle Tunnels.................... 38
6.13 Insects in Water.......................... 39
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
Student Learning Journals........... 42
Creature Count............................. 42
Creature Comparison................... 42
Temperature................................. 43
Post-Visit Test............................... 43
Important Invertebrates............... 43
9.0 Notes ........................................... 44
Vocabulary................................... 12
Vocabulary Assessment............... 13
Basic Needs................................. 13
Food Chains................................. 14
Classification of
Invertebrates............................... 14
Pooter Practise............................ 15
Preparatory and Post-Visit Test.... 15
Student Learning Journals........... 21
10.0 Maps ........................................... 45
Appendices
Student Learning Journal
iii
1.0 introduction
Welcome to INSECT INTRIGUE, a teacherconducted science program for Grade 2
students.
Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of Canada’s
largest urban provincial parks, stretching
from the western edge of the city to the Bow
River. The park has a strong vision within its
visitor services program plan to support and
foster environmental and cultural education:
This is a curriculum-connected, full day field
study with multidisciplinary preparatory
and post-visit activity support. The intent
is to offer a natural world experience for
students that reflects the outdoor field study
components of Topic E: Small Crawling and
Flying Animals from the Grade 2, Alberta
Elementary Science Curriculum and the vision
of Alberta’s Plan for Parks:
The park offers a dynamic Visitor Services
Program where participants are able to
connect to our rich natural and cultural
heritage through a variety of services and
resources.
This is accomplished through modern
facilities, competent staff, up to date
resources, environmental education and
public programs, research, partnerships
and being an active member of the Calgary
community and the Province of Alberta.
Alberta’s parks inspire people to discover,
value, protect, and enjoy the natural world
and the benefits it provides for current and
future generations.
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1.1program outline
Welcome to INSECT INTRIGUE, a teacherconducted program for Grade 2 students.
The program focuses on adaptations and
interactions of some small crawling and flying
creatures common to the Calgary area.
To conclude the process there are follow-up
activities to be done back at school that are
intended to reflect on and apply what the
students have learned.
There are also checklists for helping to
arrange and organize your field study along
with some assessment ideas and a student
journal to facilitate the experience. The
journal has a worksheet to complement
each activity. You may choose to have each
student complete a journal or work on one
journal within each small group.
INSECT INTRIGUE is a teacher- and parentled sequential program that consists of three
components. First, there are multidisciplinary
preparatory activities to be done at the
school. We strongly recommend you have
the class complete at least some of these
activities, or some of your own choosing,
prior to the field study.
This program was developed by the
Environmental Education staff at Fish Creek
Provincial Park in consultation with formal
and community educators.
This is followed by a full-day field study done
in the natural world that takes the students
through experiential activities focused on
invertebrates living in the Park. The activities
require the students, working in small groups,
to rotate through two ecosystems: white
spruce forest and grasslands. Within each
area, students first complete an exploration
activity designed to help them discover
many different creatures. Students then
complete activities that focus on specific
creatures - their physical appearance, special
adaptations and relationships with living and
non-living things in their habitat.
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1.2program objectives and curriculum fit
This field study program, and the school
based preparatory/post-visit activities that
complement it, have been designed to
address seven specific learner expectations
from Topic E: Small Crawling and Flying
Animals, (Grade 2) in the Alberta Elementary
Science Program of Studies:
SLE 6.
SLE 1.
Identify ways in which animals are considered
helpful or harmful to humans and to the
environment.
Identify and give examples of ways that
small animals avoid predators, including
camouflage, taking cover in burrows, use of
keen senses and flight.
SLE 8.
Recognize that there are many different kinds
of small crawling and flying animals and
identify a range of examples that are found
locally.
This field study program, and the school
based preparatory/post activities that
complement it, have been designed to
address the General Learner Expectation and
two Specific Learner expectations from Topic
D: Hot and Cold and Temperature (Grade 2)
in the Alberta Elementary Science Program of
Studies:
SLE 2.
Compare and contrast small animals found
in the local environment, including 3
invertebrates.
SLE 3.
SLE 1:
Recognize that small animals, like humans,
have homes where they meet their basic
needs of air, food, water, shelter and space;
and describe any special characteristics that
help the animal survive in its particular home.
Describe temperature in relative terms, using
expressions such as hotter than, colder than.
SLE 2:
Measure temperature in degrees Celsius (°C).
SLE 4.
Identify each animal’s role within the food
chain. Identify the animals as plant eaters,
animal eaters or decomposers and identify
other animals that may use them as a food
source.
SLE 5.
Describe the relationship of these animals
to other living and non-living things in their
habitat and to people.
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1.3curriculum connections
This program is primarily a science-based
field study but there are many other
curriculum connections with the Grade 2
program of studies. The following is a list of
other curriculum areas that are touched upon
during the program activities.
Communicating
SOCIAL STUDIES
MATH
•
•
•
•
•
•
Values and Attitudes: demonstrate care
and concern for the environment (2.1.1)
Skills and Processes:
o dimensions of thinking
o social participation as a
democratic practice
o research for a deliberative inquiry
o communication
•
•
•
Exploring
•
contribute to the development of
questions to guide their discussion
select and write on topics of personal
interest
•
•
Constructing
•
•
•
sort objects using one or two attributes
collect, display and describe data,
independently, based on first hand
information
construct and label concrete/object
graphs, pictographs and bar graphs
discuss data and draw and communicate
appropriate conclusions
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
LANGUAGE ARTS
•
contribute ideas and opinions to a
discussion
question or respond to others in
collaborative learning settings
•
use a variety of means to record, share
and reflect on personal learning
experiment with words and sentence
structures in their writing
classify or categorize information and
ideas
5
experience success and enjoyment
through participation in outdoor
activities
understand the use of clothing and
footwear appropriate to outdoor
activities
understand safety principles as they
apply to outdoor pursuits
cooperatively work in groups
2.0 environmental education opportunities
AT fish creek provincial park
Fish Creek Provincial Park provides the ideal
outdoor classroom to inspire your students
and bring your curriculum to life through
active iquiry, investigation and exploration.
Programs immerse students in the beauty of
the park’s natural and cultural heritage and
foster a sense of wonder and curiosity.
responsibility to count all equipment
and return it at the end of the day.
There is a fee charged for lost or broken
equipment.
3. Washrooms and water fountains are
located in the building. There are no
vending machines or coffee available.
Hot water urns are available upon
request. Please brings cups and make hot
drinks in the cups, rather than in the urn.
School programs are available for
kindergarten, elementary, junior and senior
high classes. They are cross-curricular and
based on Alberta Education’s Program of
Studies. Teachers can tailor programs to meet
their class needs and learning goals.
4. A short orientation (about 15 minutes)
will be provided to the entire group
upon arrival to welcome and introduce
everyone to the park, its rules, the
program for the day and what the
students may discover outside.
2.1fish creek
environmental
learning centre
5.Parent volunteers will have a separate
orientation (about 10 minutes). This
will introduce them to the equipment
provided, to a map of the activity area
(maps provided), to the general flow of
the day, and will answer any questions
that they may have.
The Fish Creek Environmental Learning
Centre, located at the west end of the
Park off of 37 Street SW, offers five indoor
classrooms, an outdoor picnic area and
access to an extensive variety of natural
ecosystems: an old spruce forest, grasslands,
riverine, creek and pond wetlands and
disturbed (urban) areas.
6. A washroom and snack break will take
place after the group orientation and
during the parent volunteer orientation.
Please ensure that the students are
supervised during this time.
The Fish Creek Environmental Learning
Centre offers you the following facilities and
services:
1. Each teacher will be given a classroom
to use as a home base for the day’s
activities.
7. There are NO indoor activities available.
Please bring your own activities and/
or DVDs when planning for inclement
weather.
2. Some equipment for the day’s activities
will be available at the Park. It is your
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2.2lunch break
procedures
2.3outdoor lunch
opportunities
Your class may eat inside the facility, within
their assigned room. Please ensure that the
students understand the following :
•
Students must be supervised by an adult
while they are in the buildng (classrooms
and washrooms).
•
Classes from other schools may be in the
facility at the same time. Please respect
them and keep noise to a minimum,
especially in the washrooms, hallways
and other common areas.
•
•
•
•
There is a picnic area just to the north of the
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre,
about two minutes walk up the trail, with
plenty of picnic tables.
There are several picnic tables and a fire
pit behind the Fish Creek Environmental
Learning Centre. This area is available on a
first-come, first-served basis.
When using the fire pit area be sure to:
Help us keep the classrooms clean. There
are garbage containers in the brown
cabinets by the classroom doors.
Recyclable containers go into the brown
cabinet labeled “Juice boxes, cans and
bottles”. Do the students know what
recycling is, how it conserves resources
and how it helps the environment?
Leftover fruit and vegetable materials,
such as banana peels and apple cores,
are collected in a white compost bucket
in each room. By composting we recycle
a large amount of nutients back into a
small garden at the east end of the park.
•
Provide your own roasting sticks and
firewood. DO NOT USE BRANCHES OR
DEADFALL FROM THE PARK.
•
Have a bucket of water nearby BEFORE
the fire is lit. Check that the fire is out
before you leave.
•
DO NOT FEED OR DISTURB WILDLIFE.
•
Remind students to clean up the fire pit
area of garbage and leftover food.
Classroom doors leading out onto the
pathways do not automatically close.
Please ensure that doors are closed after
you enter or exit the building.
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3.0 planning your field study day in the Park teacher instructions and checklist
Give every driver – INCLUDING THE BUS
DRIVER - a copy of the route map Make
sure all drivers know you are coming to
the west end of the Park, near Woodbine!
PREPARE THE ADULTS
• Please follow the recommended
ratios as outlined in your school board
regulations. Divide your class into
working groups.
• Review the park rules with the adults
(explained on page 10).
• Emphasize the following:
• Hats, sunscreen, insect repellent
• RUNNERS (not sandals).
• Dress in layers: the forest can be
cool in the morning.
• There is nowhere to buy anything
anything here, including COFFEE.
• The adults’ role is to lead the
activities with the same small group
of students all day. Photocopy the
activity instructions (make extras) and
send them to the volunteers several
days before the field study so the
adults can become familiar with the
activities.
PREPARE YOURSELF
• Read the teacher package thoroughly:
phone 297-7926 if you have any
questions.
• Modify the activities to fit your lesson
plans, students’ skill levels and length
of time you will be at the ark.
• Check student health forms, looking
for allergies to bee/wasp stings.
• Make the pooters (page 15).
PREPARE THE STUDENTS
• Review the park rules (explained on
page 10).
• Discuss the field trip, using the points
listed on page 11. Emphasize the
following:
• Hats, sunscreen, insect repellent
• RUNNERS (not sandals).
• Dress in layers: the forest can be
cool in the morning.
• There is nowhere to buy anything
here so bring plenty to eat and
drink.
• Complete some preparatory activities:
either the ones in the next section of
this package or some of your own.
Insect Intrigue
BRING
• A cheque made payable to the
Government of Alberta for $4.00
per student (no charge for adults).
Note that credit card payment is also
possible in person or over the phone.
• Student booklets, pencils, clipboards
• A few bandaids with each adult and
your first aid kit
• pooters (if doing this activity, page 15)
• ½ onion per small group (Cities In The
Soil, page 33)
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3.1planning YOUR itinerary for the field study day
Please consider travel time from your school to and from the park. If you are planning on modifying your
program, select your activities and timetable the day accordingly. Times should always be considered
approximate!
TIME
_______
Depart from school.
_______
Arrive at Fish Creek Provincial Park and settle into classroom. Participate in
a class orientation meeting and parent volunteer orientation with a park staff person. (30 - 40 minutes)
_______
Teacher and volunteer led morning program activities. (about 1.5 hours)
Write down the activities you are doing and what equipment and materials you need for each.
ACTIVITY
EQUIPMENT/MATERIALS
_________________
________________________________________________
_________________
________________________________________________
_______
Lunch is held either outside, weather permitting, or in your classroom area.
(30 minutes)
_______
Teacher and volunteer led afternoon program activities. (about 1.5 hours)
Write down the activities you are doing and what equipment and materials you need for each.
ACTIVITY
EQUIPMENT/MATERIALS
_________________
________________________________________________
_________________
________________________________________________
_______
Groups return to Learning Centre: washroom break, head count, inventory and return equipment borrowed from the Park, gather personal belongings. This should take place at least 15 - 20 minutes prior to the scheduled bus departure.
_______
Bus leaves the Learning Centre. (for full-day programs, usually 2pm)
_______
Arrive back at school.
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4.0 CLASS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FIELD STUDY
ALBERTA’S PARKS AND
PROTECTED AREAS
Alberta’s parks and protected areas belong
to all Albertans and contain many different
natural landscapes that are home to
numerous plant and animal species. The
province’s network of parks and protected
areas covers roughly 27,500 square
kilometres and includes more than 500
sites. This network helps to ensure that
Alberta’s biodiversity is preserved for future
generations.
Do not feed or disturb wildlife
Feeding wildlife is not necessary and is
potentially dangerous. The park’s ecosystems
provide all the food and habitat wildlife
require for their basic needs. Human food
does not meet their nutritional requirements
and can cause some species to come to
expect handouts. Quietly observe all wildlife
from a comfortable distance.
Leave only footprints
Take only pictures. Everything in the park,
living and non-living, is protected to help
preserve the complex living systems that
thrive in Fish Creek Provincial Park. Students
are welcome to share their discoveries but
must remember to leave everything as they
found it. Treat plants, insects and trees gently
to avoid unnecessary injury or damage.
Alberta’s Plan For Parks vision: “Alberta’s
parks inspire people to discover, value,
protect, and enjoy the natural world and the
benefits it provides for current and future
generations.”
Provincial parks exist to protect provincially
significant natural, historical and cultural
features. They contain a range of outdoor
recreation, interpretive and environmental
education opportunities, facilities and
services so that visitors can explore, learn,
understand and appreciate the natural world.
Pets on a leash
There are no off-leash areas in any of
Alberta’s provincial parks. This protects park
wildlife as well as domestic pets. Please do
not bring pets on the field study. They can be
distractions for students and pose a health
risk for those allergic to pets. Guide Dogs and
Assisted-Living Dogs are the only animals
permitted in park buildings.
Alberta’s parks are protected by the Alberta
Parks Act and it is through this legislation that
these landscapes have specific and important
guidelines to help keep them healthy and
vibrant.
Pitch in
Litter should be placed in the rubbish bins
provided or in a pocket. Human litter is
hazardous to park plants and wildlife.
The following is a list of rules that reflect the
park’s mission to protect and conserve the
natural environment.
Insect Intrigue
Fire in its place
Use only designated fire pits. The burning
of park vegetation is not permitted. Please
bring your own firewood.
10
Pre-Trip Discussion Checklist
___ Discuss how Fish Creek Provincial Park
is a wild environment. It is one of 500
parks that are protected as a provincial
system of natural environments.
Discuss the difference between wild
and tame animals and environments
(coyotes vs. pet dogs, Fish Creek
Provincial Park vs. school yard, etc.)
___ Discuss outdoor safety. Students need
to:
___ Discuss the purpose of provincial parks
and protected areas. Have the class
make a list of ways they can show
respect for living things during their visit
to the park. Possibilities include:
•
stay well back from the banks of Fish
Creek
•
leave ant hills, nests and rotting logs
alone and intact. They are animal
homes.
•
walk with care and mindfullness.
When leaving the trails to complete
program activities take care to
minimize your impact.
•
stay where an adult can see them at
all times
•
walk, do not run.
•
keep feet on the ground: no
climbing.
•
leave dead branches on the ground:
they do not make safe walking sticks.
•
stay well back from the banks of Fish
Creek
___ Discuss behavioural expectations.
Explain that the field study will be
another school day, just at a different
place. All the school rules apply.
Remember that classes from other
schools will probably be there as well.
___ Discuss the appropriate clothing
required for the season and the day’s
activities. Dress in layers.
___ Discuss the Park rules (page 10). These
rules reflect the provincial park’s
mandate to protect and preserve our
natural environment.
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Mornings in the shady forest will be
cool. Trails may be muddy and wet.
Several layers of clothing, including a
water resistant layer and a hat or hood
will provide the most comfort. Sturdy
runners provide more protection than
sandals when the students explore offtrail. Warm weather means sunhats,
sunscreen and insect repellent will also
be required.
5.0 preparatory field study activities
Preparatory activities are essential to
the success of your trip! The preparatory
activities described here will introduce the
field study day to your students and will allow
them to practise the skills to be used during
the field study day. If possible, invite the
parent volunteers into the classroom to also
experience these activities.
5.1vocabulary
Ensure that your students are familiar with
the meaning of the following terms.
adaptation - physical characteristic or
behaviour, which helps a plant or animal live,
successfully where it does.
Feel free to use your own activities and the
ones described in this package. Within the
activities you select and present to your
students be sure to:
camouflage - body colour or markings that
help an animal hide from its predators
(enemies).
Consider other curriculum areas and explore
how all subject areas can be connected to
your field study day.
decomposer - any plant or animal that gets
its energy by feeding on and breaking down
dead plants or animals into smaller pieces
that will become part of the soil.
TIP: Conduct some activities outside
in the schoolyard to get the students
familiar with outdoor classroom
management strategies and thinking
of school in an outdoor setting. Your
parent volunteers will thank you!
habitat - place where a plant or animal
naturally grows and lives.
interaction - relationship between two or
more plants or animals and the effects they
have on each other.
invertebrate - any animal that does not have
a spinal column (backbone).
physical characteristic - a quality or feature
(thing) on a body.
predator - animal that hunts other animals
for food.
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5.3basic needs
(ESSENTIAL)
5.2 vocabulary
assessment
Before the students can successfully discover
how invertebrates meet their basic needs,
the class must know what those basic needs
are. Have a class discussion about basic
needs. What do humans need to survive?
Are the students clear about the difference
between needs and wants? Humans need
food, water, shelter, space and air. We may
want a car or computer but we do not need
them to survive. Do the students’ pets need
the same things? What do house and garden
plants need to survive? Do wild plants and
animals also need the same things?
Ask the students to each draw a picture
as you describe an imaginary animal and
special things about it. Use as many of the
vocabulary terms as possible. You may use
the following example or you may wish to
create your own.
“This animal is an invertebrate. Its
physical characteristics include a soft
body with no covering, antenna and
many legs. Its habitat is the forest floor
and its colouring acts as camouflage.
Draw an interaction between our
animal and a small plant. Our animal is a
decomposer that cannot live in the snow.
Please add to your picture something
the animal would eat and the behaviour
adaptation it may use to avoid winter
cold. Its predators are birds. Please add
those to your picture.”
Pick an animal many of your students are
familiar with (e.g. sparrow, squirrel, rabbit)
and discuss with your class how this animal
meets each of its basic needs.
Spend some time in the schoolyard looking
for places that offer animals (including
invertebrates) opportunities to meet their
basic needs.
After the students finish drawing and
colouring their pictures, collect them from
the students and check to ensure that each
student has demonstrated an awareness of
the correct meaning of each vocabulary term.
Review with the students any terms that are
still creating difficulties for them.
13
5.4food chains
(ESSENTIAL)
5.5classification of
invertebrates
(ESSENTIAL)
Explain food chains to the class. Start with the
sun as the source of all energy on Earth. Next
are the plants. They are the producers, most
of them use energy from the sun to make
their own food. The plant eaters come next,
followed by the animal eaters. Depending on
the skill levels of your class, you may wish to
introduce the terms primary and secondary
consumers, respectively, instead of plant and
animal eaters. The decomposers come last as
they break down dead material by feeding on
it. The small pieces become part of the soil,
adding nutrients to help the plants grow (so
decomposers could be considered as the first
chain!).
Discuss how animals are the same or
different and how they can be put into groups
based on physical characteristics. Start by
putting all animals into one of two groups:
vertebrates and invertebrates. Then show the
students how invertebrates could be broken
down into smaller groups. If possible, have
pictures of one example from each group. A
simple classification might be:
Ask the students to select a favourite food
and then draw an energy chain for it. Plant
products, such as potato chips or apples, will
have a shorter chain than meat choices, such
as hot dogs or hamburgers.
Mollusks - unsegmented, soft-bodied animals
with an internal or external shell and a fold
(mantle) in the body wall that secretes the
chemical to make the shell.
Insects - 3 distinct body parts (head, thorax,
abdomen), 3 pairs of legs, one pair of
antennae and an external skeleton called an
exoskeleton.
Spiders -2 distinct body parts (head,
abdomen) and 4 pairs of legs.
Centipedes -at least 15 pairs of legs, one pair
per segment of body. Common in decaying
wood and leaf litter.
Millipedes -2 pairs of legs per body segment,
totaling at least 30 pairs. Common under
rocks, logs, bark.
Sow bugs - Crustacean like crabs and lobsters.
Slow-moving, heavily armoured creatures
recognized by their many legs and their
many-segmented shell of a body. Found
under logs, rocks and in other damp places.
Feed on decaying plants and animals.
All of these animals are invertebrates; they
lack a backbone. Fish, amphibians, reptiles,
birds and mammals are vertebrates.
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14
5.6pooter practiSe
***This activity (description on page 25) is
optional.
To collect an invertebrate, students will put
the larger straw end very close to the small
creature and put the small straw end into
their mouth. Carefully sucking air in will draw
the invertebrate up into the pooter. The
nylon will stop the animal from going into the
students’ mouths. As soon as the invertebrate
goes up the thick straw, students quickly put
a finger over the straw end and move the
straw to a magnifying cube. Removing the
finger allows the invertebrate to drop into the
container. If it doesn’t come out, students can
gently tap the pooter on the container side
or GENTLY blow through the straw until the
animal does drop out.
Invertebrates can be quite small and hard to
pick up without damaging them. A pooter
is a simple homemade device for collecting
invertebrates and placing them into a
container for closer study. To make a pooter,
you will need:
•
•
•
•
1 thick straw
1 thin straw
small piece of nylon stocking
material approximately 3 cm x 3 cm
tape
Be sure to put the students’ names on
the pooters. Students should NOT share
pooters. Have the students practise using
their pooters in the classroom, picking up
tiny pieces of paper (e.g. from the 3 hole
punch tray). If you take the students into the
schoolyard to practise with any invertebrates
found there, remember the best places to
poot are hard surfaces. Avoid letting the
students poot on surfaces covered with tiny,
loose particles of dirt or rock.
Cut both straws in half (you now have
enough to make two pooters). Place the
nylon over the end of the smaller straw. Slide
the thick straw over the nylon and thin straw.
Tape the straws together.
5.7preparatory and
post-VISIT test
Give the students a short quiz before
and after the field study to enable you to
accurately assess the learning achieved on
this field study. Use the following sample quiz
or develop one of your own.
15
INSECT INTRIGUE quiz
____________________________________
____________________________________
Name
Date
1. Circle the animals pictured below that are INVERTEBRATES.
a.
b.
e.
c.
f.
d.
g.
2. On the line beside each word print the letter of the description that best explains that
word.
_____
adaptation
a. plant or animal that feeds on and breaks down dead plants or
animals.
_____
decomposer
b. animal that hunts other animals for food.
_____
habitat
c. physical characteristic or behaviour that helps a plant or animal live
where it does.
_____
invertebrate
d. place where a plant or animal lives.
_____
predator
e. any animal that does not have a spinal column (backbone).
3. Circle the pictures that show the basic needs of all living things.
a. car
e. shelter
Insect Intrigue
b. food
c. water
f. space
16
d. computer
g. air
4. Name an invertebrate that is a plant eater and its habitat.
_________________________________ ___________________________________
5. Name an invertebrate that is an animal eater and its habtitat.
_________________________________ ___________________________________
6. Name an invertebrate that is a decomposer and its habitat.
_________________________________ ___________________________________
7. Draw a line from the invertebrate to the special physical characteristic it has to help it
survive in its habitat.
a. grasshopper
1. many eyes
b. spider
2. strong sense of smell
3. toe pads to help it climb
c. ant
8. Draw a grasslands food chain that includes the grasshopper. Start with the sun and end
with a decomposer.
___________
____________
___________
17
___________
____________
9. Listed below are ways invertebrates avoid predators. Name the invertebrate each describes
by using the following letters:
G = Grasshopper A = Ant
L = Lady Beetle
Some of the defense methods describe more than 1 invertebrate.
_____ sudden, bright flash of colour
_____ tastes bad
_____ camouflage
_____ plays dead
_____ hides
_____ moves fast
_____ stays very still
_____ long, high jumps
_____ hard shell
10. Ants use non-living material to meet their basic need for ________________________
11. Grasshoppers and spiders meet their basic need for food by eating which:
living or non-living things? ___________________________________
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18
Insect Intrigue quiz ANSWERS
__________________________________________________________________
Name
Date
1. Circle the animals pictured below that are INVERTEBRATES.
a, c, d, f
2. On the line beside each word print the letter of the description that best explains that
word.
__c___ adaptation
a. plant or animal that feeds on and breaks down dead plants or
animals.
__a___ decomposer
b. animal that hunts other animals for food.
__d___ habitat
c. physical characteristic or behaviour that helps a plant or animal live
where it does.
__e___ invertebrate
d. place where a plant or animal lives.
__b___ predator
e. any animal that does not have a spinal column (backbone).
3. Circle the pictures that show the basic needs of all living things.
b, c, e, f, g
4. Name an invertebrate that is a plant eater and its habitat.
refer to Creature Count Chart for possible answers
_________________________________ ___________________________________
5. Name an invertebrate that is an animal eater and its habtitat.
_________________________________ ___________________________________
6. Name an invertebrate that is a decomposer and its habitat.
_________________________________ ___________________________________
19
7. Draw a line from the invertebrate to the special physical characteristic it has to help it
survive in its habitat.
a. grasshopper
1. many eyes
b. spider 2. strong sense of smell
c. ant
3. toe pads to help it climb
8. Draw a grasslands food chain that includes the grasshopper. Start with the sun and end
with a decomposer.
____________
____________
__________
___________
____________
9. Listed below are ways invertebrates avoid predators. Name the invertebrate each describes
by using the following letters:
G = Grasshopper A = Ant
L = Lady Beetle
Some of the defense methods describe more than 1 invertebrate.
__G__ sudden, bright flash of colour
__AL_ tastes bad
__G__ camouflage
__L__ plays dead
_GAL_ hides
_GAL_ moves fast
_GL__ stays very still
__G__ long, high jumps
__L__ hard shell
10. Ants use non-living material to meet their basic need for _shelter_.
11. Grasshoppers and spiders meet their basic need for food by eating which:
living or non-living things? __living things__.
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20
5.8student journals
The student journal is the tool the students,
teachers and parent volunteers will use
throughout the day to record and reflect
on what they are learning through their
multidisciplinary exploration of the natural
world.
NOTE: the Pooting activity (Activity 6.3 - page
25 in teacher manual and page 3 in student
journal) is optional. If you are not doing this
activity, please omit it from the copies you
make for parent volunteers and for your
students.
Once you have selected the activities you will
do for the field study day, create a master
copy of the journal by photocopying the
appropriate pages from those included at the
end of this package.
Make one copy per student or one copy per
small group. You may also want to make a
few extras to replace any that are misplaced.
TIP: Introduce and go through the student
journal with your class BEFORE the field
trip. Read through it with them to help the
students understand what will happen during
their visit to Fish Creek Provincial Park.
21
6.0 field study activity descriptions
OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Introductory Activity: Colours
Setting:
anywhere along the trails as you first
start out
Throughout the day, all locations:
Temperature, Creature Count, Pooting
Activity description:
Distribute 1 colour sample card to each
pair of students. Ask them to look for these
colours in natural objects. Explain that the
match does not have to be exact; a close
match will be fine. The students are to take
the colour card to the object, not the object
to the colour card. This will prevent picking
and collecting. It will encourage caring for
environment.
Throughout the day, wherever located:
Spiders, Ladybugs
Grasslands:
Creature Lasso, Grasshopper Gaze
Forest:
Under, Cities in the Soil, Cities in the
Trees, Bark Beetle Tunnels
How many colours did the students find in
one location? Students may continue their
colour search as you move to other activities.
6.1colours:
Student Journal page 2
To complete page 2 of the Student Journal,
have the students print beside each box the
name of a colour from their card and write or
draw the object they found that matched that
colour. The six squares can be coloured later
to match their colour card.
Objective: COLOURS is designed to slow
the students down and sharpen their
observation skills. This will increase their
chances of discovering a wide variety of
small creatures in later activities.
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre:
1 colour sample card per 2 students
Equipment provided by the school:
student journals, pencils, pencil crayons,
clipboards
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22
6.2creature count:
Student Journal pages 6 and 7
Objective: Students will be able to identify
animals as plant eaters, animal eaters
or decomposers. Students will be able to
compare and contrast small animals found
in the local environment. Students will be
able to identify a range of small crawling
and flying animals that are found locally.
Each time the students discover a small
creature, they compare the creature to those
shown on the Creature Count sheet (the
page in the middle of their booklets). If the
students find their creature on the sheet, the
students can fill in the square by drawing a
small picture to show that creature’s home.
Time: throughout the day
Grassy area Forest
Water
1 large bug keeper per small group
student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: anywhere all day
Pictures should be small enough to ensure
there is room to add another one each time
the creature is found.
CREATURE COUNT is a bingo-like game to be
played throughout the day. The objectives
are to help the students identify some small,
local creatures by their:
•
physical appearance
•
homes (habitat)
•
role within the food chain
23
As your group is exploring, the students may discover a creature that provoke group debate
as to the creature’s identity. Some invertebrates look very similar. Have the students place
the creature in the large bugkeeper and take a close look at it. If the creature is listed on the
following chart, have the students look for the listed characteristics to determine the creature’s
identity.
Moths
Butterflies
· thin, feathery antennae
· wings beside the body
when resting
· usually active at night
· less controlled landings on or
into objects
· club or hooked antennae
· wings folded above the back
when resting
· active during the day
· soft, smooth landings on objects
· taste with mouth and with their feet!
Centipedes
Millipedes
· rusty orange colour
· each body segment has 1 pair of legs
· does not really have “100 feet”
as name suggests
· legs are set off to the sides
· antennae have 14 segments
· fast moving predator
· dark brown colour
· each body segment has 2 pairs of legs
· does not really have “1000 feet” as
name suggests
· legs are underneath the body
· antennae have 7 segments
· slow moving plant eater
Dragonflies
Damselflies
· eyes almost cover the head
· at rest, wings are held flat
and to the sides horizontally
· back wings broader than front wings
· thick body
· can flap all 4 wings independent of
each other: can hover like a helicopter
· eyes bulge out the sides
· at rest, wings are held upwards
and pointing to the rear
· both sets of wings are the same
· thin body
· can flap all 4 wings independent of
each other: can hover like a helicopter
Craneflies
Mosquitoes
· do not have a long proboscis:
cannot bite
· 8 - 65 mm long
Insect Intrigue
· long, sharp proboscis: bites
· usually less than 6 mm long
24
6.3 BUG BOXES AND Pooting: ***This activity is Optional
Objective: Students will identify a range
of small crawling and flying animals found
locally and compare and contrast them.
3. Put the smaller straw in own mouth.
Time: throughout the day
5. Put a finger over the pooter’s large end
after the creature is in the pooter.
4. Suck in air and “vacuum” up the
creature.
1 micro box per student
6. Open the magnifying box, remove the
finger and drop the creature into the
box. May need to gently tap the pooter
to have the creature drop out.
student journals, pencils, clipboards,
pooters (see page 15 for instructions)
7. Put the lid on the box and examine
the creature, especially physical
characteristics such as colour, number of
body parts, legs, wings, antennae, etc.
Setting: all day anywhere there is a hard
surface
8. RELEASE THE CREATURE WHERE IT WAS
FOUND.
POOTING is a special activity that enables
students to collect and examine small
creatures without harming them.
students can draw and colour, as accurately
as possible, the creatures they pooted.
Where to poot:
NOTE: If you are not supplying pooters,
students can still collect insects in their
micro boxes. Demonstrate how to treat the
creatures very gently so none are injured in
the collection process.
Best places to poot are hard surfaces such
as tree trunks, fallen logs, rocks, benches,
sign posts and paved paths. Avoid pooting on
surfaces covered with tiny, loose particles of
dirt.
How to poot:
1. Find a small creature.
2. Put the larger straw end of the pooter
very close to the creature.
25
6.4TEMPERATURE
Objective: Students will be able to measure
temperature in degrees Celsius (°C). Students
will practise forming ideas as predictions,
collecting data through direct observation,
following simple procedures and explaining
results.
Time: 5 minutes - at the beginning of each of
the other following activities
1 thermometer per small group
Setting: at each stop
1. Turn to the Journal page for that activity:
the page number is listed under each
activity title.
Guess as to whether the location they
are in feels warmer or cooler than the
last location. Have them record their
answer in the space provided on the
journal page.
Insect Intrigue
Measure the air temperature at waist
level and ground level. (Be sure they
leave the thermometer in place for at
least two minutes at each level to get
an accurate reading). Have them record
those temperatures on the journal page
in the space provided.
4.
Predict, based on the temperatures,
whether the invertebrates will be moving
slowly or quickly. Have the students
circle their prediction on the journal
page. When they have finished the
activity, have the students draw a box
around the phrase that best describes
the actual level of insect activity the
students observed.
Continue with the described activity.
Each time your group stops to complete one
of the activities complete this task. Each
student in the group should have a turn at
holding the thermometer and reading the
measurements. The entire group will record
the results.
2.
3.
26
6.5 LADY BeetleS:
the animal as plant eater, animal eater or
decomposer, identify its predators, identify
ways the animal avoids its predators,
describe its relationship with other living and
non-living things in the habitat and explain
how it meets its basic needs.
Next, have the children look carefully at the
physical appearance of the lady beetle: body,
legs and antennae. Is the lady beetle an
insect? (Yes, it has 3 body parts, 6 legs and a
pair of antennae - identifying characteristics
of an insect). Next have the students look
carefully at the lady beetle’s back. The
hardened front wings (elytra) fold over the
lady beetle’s back and meet in a straight
line down the middle of the insect’s back,
protecting the second pair of wings, which
are very thin. This is one of the physical
characteristics that means lady beetles are
actually beetles. In contrast, the front wings
of true bugs are thick and leathery at the
base and thin membranes near the tip.
Time: 15 minutes
1 large bugkeeper per small group
1 magnifying glass per small group
Setting: anywhere the group finds a
ladybug
Move your students to an area where
there are many dead leaves on the ground.
Complete the 4 steps of the Temperature
activity. Gently move the dead leaves, using
a stick. When your group finds a lady beetle,
put it into the large bugkeeper and work
through the following with the students.
Lady beetles have four ways to protect
themselves from the birds and lacewing
larvae (another insect) that try to eat them. If
running or flying do not work, the lady beetle
will fold up its legs and play dead. GENTLY
touch the lady beetle so the students can
watch it try this defense technique. Is there
any amber coloured fluid in the bugkeeper?
The lady beetle secreted this bad tasting fluid
from its leg joints. Birds may catch the lady
beetle but won’t eat it because of this taste.
Have the students count the spots on the
back and note the main colour of the lady
beetle. This will enable the children to
identify the lady beetle when they return to
the Centre. NOTE: The spots do NOT indicate
age or weather!
Continued on next page...
27
Lady beetles have four complete stages in
their life cycle. They start as tiny oval yellow
eggs laid in clumps on the underside of
leaves. They hatch into black and orange
larvae that feed on aphids and mites until
they turn into pupae. The adult lady beetles
also eat aphids and mites.
6.6Spiders:
describe its relationship with other living and
non-living things in the habitat and explain
how it meets its basic needs.
Time: 15 minutes
1 large bugkeeper per small grouip
Setting:
anywhere the group finds a spider
The adults will hibernate through the winter,
finding shelter and protection under dead
leaves or cracks in tree trunks and stumps.
When the group sees a spider
Have the students gently catch a spider
and carefully place it into the bugkeeper.
activity. Ask the students sit down close
together, pass around the bug keeper and
magnifying glass.
Ask the students to slide the thermometer
into a pile of dead leaves and leave it there
for several minutes before pulling it out
and recording the temperature. Depending
on the weather, there may not be much
difference between the air temperatures
and the temperature beneath the leaves but
the insulating value of the dead leaves will
help the adult ladybugs survive winter’s cold
temperatures.
Can the students see any of the following
physical characteristics that define a spider as
an arachnid, not an insect?
• 2 body parts: the front has the eyes and
legs, the second the internal organs and
glands
• 4 pairs of jointed legs: each leg has 7
segments
• most species have 8 eyes (some have
more) because spiders cannot move
their head or the eyes. Some eyes look
forward, some back and some sideways!
have the students number the pictures to
show the correct order of stages in the lady
beetle’s life cycle. They can add markings to
the lady beetle picture to make it match the
lady beetle they found.
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28
Wolf Spider: about 40 different species in
Alberta
Have the groups look closely at the spider
and the area it was found. When your group
is finished observing the spider, have the
students release it where they found it.
Appearance:
• up to 35 mm in length
• 8 eyes, uneven in size, arranged in 3 rows
• long legs have claws at the ends
• brown or gray colours help them blend
with the ground
Behaviour:
• most species live on the ground and hunt
at night
• most of the species of wolf spiders do not
spin webs
• some dig burrows in the ground and
under rocks
• female carries the egg sac around:
spiderlings ride on mother’s back
Is it one of the following common spiders
found in the Calgary area?
Crab spider: about 30 species of crab spiders
in Alberta
Appearance:
• very small (1.5 to 10 mm)
• 8 small eyes: 4 in each of 2 rows that
curve towards the back
• second pair of legs heavier and longer
than the others
Behaviour:
• sits in flowers and waits for insects to
come: does not spin webs
• can move forward, backward and
sideways quickly to catch prey or avoid
predators
• its colour helps it hide from predators
when the spider is on a flower
(camouflage)
All spiders are animal eaters (predators).
They have jaws that end in fangs. Venom
is produced in glands and empties into
the fangs. The venom paralyzes or kills the
spider’s prey. Venom produced by spiders
living in the Calgary area is NOT harmful to
humans.
Orb Weaver Spider: about 25 different
species in Alberta
Predators of spiders include mice, shrews,
other spiders, birds and spider wasps.
Appearance:
• up to 11 mm in length
• 4 eyes in each of the 2 horizontal rows
Behaviour:
• spins webs to catch insects: some species
make a new web every night
• spider hides from predators until a quiver
of the web lets it know an insect has been
caught
continued on next page...
29
When the group sees a spider web
In a natural grassy area, drop the lasso onto
the ground. Complete the 4 steps of the
Temperature activity. Have the students
gather around the rope circle to examine the
area within the lasso. They should be looking
for small crawling and flying creatures at
these levels:
Have the students look carefully at the shape
of the web. Different species of spiders make
different shapes webs.
Challenge the students to find the spider that
spun the web. Remind them that the spider
may be small, probably coloured to blend
with the plants so it will avoid predators, and
perhaps hiding under a leaf. If the students
do not find the spider, you can try GENTLY
touching the web. The spider may feel the
vibration and come scurrying out, expecting
to find its next snack caught in the web.
1. Sit for a few minutes watch for creatures
flying by.
2. Look at the tops of all the plants,
especially under leaves.
3. Move down, examining the entire length
of the plant.
4. Check the ground by gently moving the
plant stems to one side.
have the students draw either the spider or
the web that they found and list 3 words to
describe it.
Have the students look closely at each
creature they find.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6.7 CREATURE LASSO:
have the students draw the creatures they
found within their lasso.
Objective: Students will recognize that
small animals, like humans, have homes
where they meet their basic needs of air,
food, water, shelter and space.
Time: 20 minutes
1 rope lasso (circle) per small group
Setting: natural grasslands
Insect Intrigue
shape
colour
legs - how many?
wings - can you see through them?
antennae - smooth or hairy?
how does it move?
what is it doing?
30
Many animals eat grasshoppers. Predators
include:
• birds
• snakes
• rodents, like mice, shrews, voles, ground
squirrels, etc.
6.8 GRASSHOPPERS:
describe its relationship with other living
and non-living things in the habitat and
explain how it meets its basic needs.
Thinking carefully and closely observing the
grasshopper, can the students explain some
ways the grasshoppers avoid predators?
Share the following information with the
students.
Time: 20 minutes
Appearance
• most grasshoppers hide well because
they are the same colour as the
surrounding plants (camouflage).
• some grasshoppers show a sudden flash
of colour on their wings as they jump.
This surprises the predators, making
them lose both their concentration and
their meal. (Some grasshoppers found in
the Park show a reddish-orange colour
when they jump. These colour patches
are concealed when the grasshopper is
sitting still. Did the students see any of
these grasshoppers?)
1 bugkeeper per small group
Setting: grasslands
GRASSHOPPERS activity is to be completed in
a natural grassy area. Complete the 4 steps
of the Temperature activity.
Carefully catch and place the grasshopper
into the bug keeper. Ask the students to
sit down close together, pass around the
bugkeeper and magnifying glass.
Behaviour
• staying very still, relying on their
camouflage colouration
• sudden, long, high jumps
• biting small predators with their notched
jaws
• some species when caught, spit up a
brown liquid, which is bitter, stinging and
smells unpleasant
Can the students see any of the following
special characteristics that help the
grasshopper live in the grasslands?
• toe pads, between and in front of the
claws, that help the grasshopper climb
up plant stems
• notched jaws for biting plant leaves and
stems
• strong, circular-moving wings to fly long
distances to find food
• long powerful hind legs to hop over the
vegetation
31
Have the students locate movable natural
objects on the ground in the forest. Examples
include small branches/logs, pieces of bark,
rocks, piles of dead leaves (use a stick to
move these). Complete the 4 steps of the
Temperature activity.
have the students add the physical features of
their grasshopper (wings, legs and antennae)
and colour it. The students can then fill in
the illustrated food chain. The first space
should be filled with a plant; the second by
a grasshopper and the third by a predator
of the grasshoppers. The arrows represent
energy moving from the sun through the food
chain.
Ask everyone to sit or crouch down around
one object on the ground, then carefully
lift it up and move it away. Are there any
creatures? Students may use the magnifying
glass to examine the insects, millipedes,
centipedes, earthworms, slugs or spiders they
find.
6.9UNDER:
Discuss physical appearance (colour, shape,
number of legs if any, etc.) and behaviour
(feeding, resting, trying to escape by running
or curling up). Look under several different
objects for a variety of creatures. Remember
to check the Creature Count journal page
to see if any of the things found “under” are
pictured on that page.
Objective: Students will recognize that small
animals have homes where they meet their
basic needs of air, food, water, shelter and
space.
Time: 20 minutes
When you are finished examining each
location, remember to GENTLY RETURN THE
NATURAL OBJECT to its original location. The
creatures need the “roof” on their “home”.
Setting: forest
students can draw the natural objects they
moved and the creatures they discovered
under each one.
UNDER is a exploration of an often
overlooked small creature habitat. Many
living organisms seek food, moisture and
shelter underneath objects lying on the forest
floor.
Insect Intrigue
32
These mounds are loosely constructed so
they will drain quickly after rain and are
connected by passageways to the main part
of the nest, which reaches far into the earth.
6.10 Cities in the Soil:
the animal as plant eater, animal eater
or decomposer, describe its relationship
with non-living things in the habitat and
explain how it meets its basic needs (shelter,
locating food).
Early in the morning, worker ants carry the
colony’s developing eggs and larvae up
into these mounds, whose slanting walls
are heated by the sun. All day long, as the
sun moves across the sky, workers shuttle
the brood from one part of the mound to
another. In the evening, they retire with
the brood to their underground chambers,
where heat has accumulated during the day,
blocking all entrances to those chambers to
keep out the cool night air. The next morning
they open the entrances again and transport
the eggs and larvae back to their sun-warmed
nursery.
Time: 20 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
student journals, pencils, clipboards,
1/2 onion per group
Setting: forest
CITIES IN THE SOIL is a close examination
of an anthill found in the spruce forest.
Students will have no difficulty locating an
anthill as they are very large. Heights of 30 45 cm are not uncommon.
Background Information:
Most ants live underground. The familiar
anthills built by many kinds of garden and
meadow ants are composed of soil the
insects have excavated and are actually
extensions of their underground dwellings.
Beneath an ant hill, the ground is usually
riddled with dark twisting passageways and
chambers, which may extend for several
metres in every direction.
An entirely different kind of anthill is built by
some forest-dwelling ants. Instead of using
soil thrown out of the nest, they build domeshaped mounds on the forest floor by piling
up spruce needles, twigs and other debris.
Activity instructions on next page...
33
Activity Instructions:
1. Locate an anthill and complete the
steps of the Temperature activity.
2. Have the students each find their own
special ant and follow it. Block the ant’s
trail (with a small object or twig). What
does the ant do? Where does it go? (If
they lose their ant, find another one and
follow it). Use caution, don’t disturb the
ants too much with big rocks or sticks.
Observe their body structures and watch
them communicate with their antennae.
5. Move your group away from the anthill to
a nearby area with many trees. Ask the
students to close their eyes: no peeking!
Rub half an onion on the bark (at the
children’s nose level) of 5 or 6 trees that
are fairly close together. Put the onion at
the end of the trail and tell the children
that they will use their sense smell to find
the food - just like the ants do! Can they
follow the onion odour trail?
3. “What happens when an ant smells food?”
Explain that when an ant gets excited
(from smelling food or when it senses a
predator) it gives off a chemical (formic
acid). The other ants can smell it and
they follow the chemical trail to the food
or predator.
After your group has completed the odour
trail activity, return to the anthill. Shake the
ants off your pencil and quickly pass the
pencil around so all the students can smell
it. They will notice the vinegar-like odour of
formic acid. Explain that this is the smell of
the chemical that ants use to lay a trail.
4. “Can you smell the chemical trail?” Try this
experiment. Roll a pencil between your
palms so some of your scent and palm
perspiration goes onto the pencil. Place it
on the side of the anthill. Allow the ants to
crawl on it. The smell of your perspiration
will get them excited.
Insect Intrigue
Leave the pencil on the anthill while you
make an odour trail for the children to
follow, reinforcing the concept of ants
following an odour trail to find food.
have the students draw their special ant and
the trail it made AND/OR the eggs and larvae
seen on top of the hill.
34
6.11 Cities in the TREES:
Background Information:
Carpenter ants are Alberta’s largest species
of ants. They are usually black but may have
reddish tints as well. They range in size from
12 mm to 20 mm, depending on whether
the ant is a “minor” or “major” worker or a
“queen”. A colony matures about 3 to 6 years
after it is started. Then, winged reproductive
ants are produced. They leave the colony
and mate in flight. The males then die and
the females start new colonies in moist
or partially decayed wood. Following the
grain of the wood, they cut galleries in the
soft wood, leaving the hard wood as walls.
Shredded wood is deposited outside.
decomposer, describe its relationship with
living and non-living things in the habitat
and explain how it meets its basic needs
(shelter, locating food).
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Park:
1 large magnifying glass per small group
1 rope lasso (circle) per small group
Equipment provided by the school: none
Setting: tree stumps or trees with large holes
at the bottom
The female lays about 20 eggs, which take
about two months to develop from egg to
larva to pupa and then into workers. The
queen feeds this first generation with fluids
from her body. Following generations are fed
by the workers while the queen continues to
lay eggs. Carpenter ants are omnivores: they
eat both plant and animal foods. Their diet
includes: honeydew from aphids, plant juices,
fruit such as berries, and small insects and
other small invertebrates.
CITIES IN THE TREES is a close examination
of carpenter ant galleries found in decaying
tree trunks and an exploration of the
surrounding area. Students are unlikely to
see the carpenter ants as they are most
active at night. However, students will learn
how the ants meet their needs for food and
shelter and will discover why this species is so
important in a healthy forest ecosystem.
NOTE: termites DO NOT live in Alberta.
Activity attributed to them is actually the
work of carpenter ants.
35
Activity Instructions:
2. Ant Dinner Menu
Move your group to one of the carpenter
ant galleries. Complete the 4 steps of the
Temperature activity.
1. Ant Architects
Ask the students to look at the site the
ants have chosen: Is this tree living or
dead? Tell the students that carpenter
ants often used dead wood for their nest
but sometimes may use trees that are still
alive, because the living layer of a tree is
on the outside whereas the inner mass
is dead tissue (wood). Ask the students
to find the ants’ tunnels, chambers and
holes. These holes provide openings that
allow the ants to move freely among the
different chambers and tunnels. Direct
the students’ attention to any of the piles
of sawdust. Let them look at the fine
grains with a magnifying glass as they
imagine how many thousands of trips the
ants made to carry the small bits of wood
out of the galleries. The ants keep their
galleries very clean. The sawdust pile
may also contain bits left from food the
ants were eating. Point out that the ants
do not eat wood: they only build their
homes there.
Show the students the pictures below.
Explain that these are some of the
things carpenter ants might eat. Give
the students 5 minutes to look around
the area of the nest. Can they find any
of the things pictured? Carpenter ants
will move up to 100 metres (the width
of about 6 standard Calgary home lots)
away from the nest searching for food.
plants
scale insects
beetles
flies
spiders
berries
caterpillars
Insect Intrigue
36
3. Ant Senses
4. Ant Predators
Select one ant food item the students
found. Untie your rope circle and have
the students lay the rope on the ground
between an ant food item and the ant
nest. Ask the students to crouch down
and follow the rope as they imagine
they are ants moving from the nest to
the food source. What obstacles must
they move over or around as a small
ant? What senses might they use to
help them? When the students have
completed this, share the following
information with them.
“The ants use their senses to locate their
food and to find their way back to the
nest.
Smell: the ants leave a chemical trail as
they move. Their strong sense of smell
allows them to find and follow these
trails.
Touch: ants will use familiar grooves,
edges and lines to help them find their
way around their territory.
Sight: ants use landmarks such as trees
and bushes to figure out where they
are. Foraging at night is helped by the
position of the moon.”
Have the students look at the large, deep
holes drilled into the wood of fallen logs
and at the bottom of large trees in the
area. What do the students think make
the holes? (Woodpeckers! Specifically
the Pileated Woodpecker, which is
Alberta’s largest woodpecker.) How
do the students think the woodpecker
can find the ants when they are hidden
inside the wood? (By searching for food
mostly at night, the carpenter ants can
avoid being eaten by birds that use their
sense of sight to locate food. However,
the Pileated Woodpecker uses its sense
of hearing to locate the ants moving
around inside their nest during the day.)
5. Complete this activity by reviewing with
the students the value of carpenter ants
in a healthy forest ecosystem:
• They eat other insects that might
damage the trees.
• Building nests in decaying
wood helps it break down faster into
something other plants and animals
can use for shelter. The decomposing
wood also adds minerals and organic
material to the soil, something
growing plants need.
• Carpenter ants are an important
source of food, especially in winter,
for the pileated woodpeckers.
To complete page 11 of the Student Journal, have
the students add to the tree trunk features that
they saw e.g. galleries, tunnels, woodpecker holes
(round or almost rectangular), sawdust, etc.
37
6.12 Bark Beetle Tunnels:
describe its relationship with other living
and non-living things in the habitat and
explain how it meets its basic needs.
Students will recognize and then record,
using art, that natural forms can have
texture and make patterns.
Share the following information with the
students:
These tunnels were created by bark beetles, a
favourite food of woodpeckers
• The female bark beetle bores a hole
through the bark and digs an egg
tunnel in the wood. She deposits her
eggs in the little rooms she creates off
the main tunnel
• When the eggs hatch into larvae (the
wormlike stage of an insect’s life
cycle), they eat their way through the
wood, with the tunnels becoming
wider as the larvae grow.
• Each larva creates its own chamber
where it will pupate, emerge as an
adult bark beetle and then bore a hole
through the bark to fly away
• When the bark comes off the tree
because of woodpeckers feeding or
because the tree dies, we are able to
see what was happening under the
bark
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment provided by the Centre: none
Student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: forest
Find a tree trunk – upright or fallen – that has
bark beetle tunnels on it. (See picture below).
activity. Ask the students to examine the
intricate design of the bark beetle tunnels
in the wood of a fallen log. Encourage the
students to feel the pattern as well as look at
it.
Insect Intrigue
have the students take home a copy of
nature’s “artwork”. Have the students, one
at a time, place their Journal, turned to page
12, on top of the tunnels. Firmly holding the
paper in place, the student should then rub
the SIDE of their pencil lead back and forth
across the paper. The pattern of the tunnels
will appear on the paper.
38
6.13 INSECTS IN WATER:
***This activity is Optional
Put some water in the large bug keeper.
Gently capture some of the insects using
the plastic strainer and put them into the
water-filled the bug keeper for temporary
observation.
animals as plant eaters, animal eaters
or decomposers. Students will be able to
compare and contrast small animals found
in the local environment. Students will be
able to identify a range of small crawling
and flying animals that are found locally.
Watch the insects for a while. Note what
they look like, their size and how they move.
As your group is exploring, the students
may discover some creatures that provoke
group debate as to the creature’s identity.
Some invertebrates look very similar. If the
creature is listed on the following page, have
the students look for the listed characteristics
to determine the creature’s identity. If the
ctreature is not shown on the next page, have
the students draw a sketch and write down a
description so that park staff can help with
identification back at the learning centre.
Time: 15 minutes
1 large bug keeper per small group
1 small plastic strainer per small group
Student journals, pencils, clipboards
Setting: boardwalk along the orange trail
NOTE: This is an optional activity for times
when there is temporary water under the
boardwalk in the spring. Before your visit,
confirm with park staff about water levels
and the feasibility of this activity.
Some insects start their lives in the water as
larvae and then mature into adults which
fly in the air (for example, mosquitoes).
How do the water creatures differ from the
insects that the students find on land? How
do they move? How do they breathe? Are
they camouflaged to blend in with their
surroundings?
Spend some time looking into the water for
insects. These creatures can be very small
so you’ll need patience! For a close, look lie
down on the boardwalk and look over the
edge. Be careful to secure pencils, magnifiers
and other pieces of equipment beforehand
so they don’t fall in!
When you’re done observing, carefully return
the creatures to their water home under the
boardwalk. Gently tip the bug keeper and
allow the animals to swim away.
39
Aquatic creatures you may find in the temporary wetland under the orange trail boardwalk
Fairy Shrimp
Caddisfly Larva
·
·
·
·
use legs to swim, breathe and feed
eat algae, bacteria & microscopic animals
eaten by small fish & carnivorous insects
short-lived, complete their life cycle in
only a few weeks
· females produce two types of eggs:
thin-shelled egs that hatch
immediately, and thick- shelled
“resting” eggs called cysts.
· cysts lie dormant in dried mud
and can survive for over 10 years
until the next rainstorm fills the
wetland.
· build and live in cases covered with small
sticks or stones; head and legs stick out,
making them look like moving sticks;
· crawl along the bottom, dragging cases
behind them
· retreat into cases when danger threatens
· as larvae grow, cases are made larger
· eat algae, plants,
larvae, worms and
crustaceans
larva out of case
· eaten by fish (case
and all) and
predacious
example of larva case
diving beetles
actual size: 10 - 17 mm
actual size: up to 50 mm
Phantom Midge Larva
Daphnia or Water Flea
· eat underwater
debris, algae,
plants, and
fungal spores
· are eaten by other aquatic invertebrates
and by small fish
· crawl or wriggle, bring their front and back
ends together and then snap them apart.
· midge adults are often mistaken for adult
mosquitoes
· are crustaceans and not insects
· feed on algae, microscopic
animals and organic debris
· eaten by small fish
and carnivorous insects
actual size: 0.2 - 3 mm
· swim with jerky
movements using an enlarged pair of
antennae to propel themselves
Mosquito Larva
Mosquito Pupa
· hang upsidedown from the
water surface, but swim to the
bottom if threatened
· breathe through a tube (like
a snorkel) at the rear
· called “wrigglers” since they constantly
curl/uncurl/wriggle when they moves
· eat underwater debris, algae, plants
and fungal spores
· are eaten by fish and pradatory insects
like dragonflies
Insect Intrigue
40
· found just below the water
surface; swim to the
bottom when threatened
· called “tumblers” since actual size: 3 - 5 mm
they appear to tumble through the water
· pupae do not eat
· eaten by fish and pradatory insects
like dragonflies
7.0 LUNCH BREAK
1. The lunch break is an opportune time for
students to release some energy through
active outdoor games.
LADY BEETLES for groups of 15 - 20
students
In nature, when population exceeds
food supply, starvation occurs. This game
illustrates how part of a simple food
chain works and illustrates the balance
required to maintain several species.
When you give the signal to begin - live action
begins. Aphids cling to a tree. Once a lady
beetle eats an aphid it becomes part of the
lady beetle (one child attached to another
around the waist). The lady beetle continues
to hunt for food but also must beware of the
sparrows. A lady beetle is safe if it and the
eaten aphids are sitting on the ground for 10
seconds maximum.
Once a sparrow has tagged the lady beetles
they all become part of the sparrow.
Continue playing until the sparrows are fed
and reverse roles.
Though we may consider many insects
ugly or irritating, they are a vital link in
many food chains.
Some discussion questions:
• “What would have happened if
there were more lady beetles than
aphids?”
• “What if there were more sparrows
than lady beetles?”
• “Why is it important for aphids, lady
beetles and sparrows to exist?”
Make a lady beetle world by forming
a large circle. Discuss the type of life
found in the lady beetle world: its home
(trees), food (aphids), and predators
(birds, especially sparrows). Organize the
students into the following groups:
• 3-4 children can be lady beetle treesstand in centre of circle.
• 6-8 children become aphids (they
eat the leaves on the trees).
• 4-6 children become lady beetles
(tuck hands under their arms).
• 2 children are sparrows (hands
outstretched for wings).
Establish area boundaries and the players
must stay within their world.
41
8.0 Post Field Study Activity Ideas
8.1student learning
journals
•
each student uses only his/her data
or
1. Students may need class time to go
through the journal and ensure each
page has been completed as thoroughly
as possible.
•
compile the data for the entire class
and then each student completes a
graph
•
graph the approximate number of
each creature
2. Review with students the invertebrate
groupings described in the Preparatory
Activities section of this program package
(page 12). Have the students go through
their journal and label each creature
according to its group; using either a
letter or the complete word.
or
eg. I - insects Sp - spider
Mo - mollusk
C - centipede
M - millipede
S - sowbug
8.3 creature
comparison
Select two invertebrates that most students
found. Have the class compare and contrast
these two invertebrates: where they live, how
they move, how they meet their basic needs,
how they escape predators, etc.
8.2creature count
1. Review the results of the Creature Count.
Were there any creatures that no one
found? Where do the students think
those ones live? Why do they think none
were seen?
2. Have the students complete a bar graph
or pictograph of the results from their
Creature Count. Possible methods
include:
Insect Intrigue
• graph the number of creature species
found in each of the 3 ecosystems.
42
8.6important
invertebrates
8.4TEMPERATURE
Collate each group’s temperature data.
1. Through class discussion compile a list
of the many different ways invertebrates
affect the environment and people.
Some possible answers are:
Discuss:
• Predictions: how accurate were
the groups? Were they correct
in predicting which would be the
warmer places?
•
pollinate plants (including crops
that are important food sources for
people)
• Were there significant differences in
temperatures measured at waist level
and ground level? (This will depend in
part on the previous overnight low)
•
food source for many other animals
•
assist with decomposition of dead
plants and animals
• Was there a correlation between
the level of insect activity and the
measured temperatures? Do the
students know why invertebrates are
less active when the temperature is
low?
•
as scavengers they “clean-up” the
environment
•
provide honey and silk for people
•
are enjoyable to hear and watch
• Where were most invertebrates found
when the temperature was low? Can
the students figure out that hiding
is a method of defense when the
invertebrates are unable to move fast
to escape predators?
•
can carry germs and diseases
•
destroy crops and other plants
•
cause discomfort due to bites
2. Insects have a vital role in the
environment. Human efforts to eradicate
them can have far-reaching effects.
Review the concepts of food chains and
introduce food pyramids.
A picture of each invertebrate will assist
the students’ comprehension of each
idea.
8.5 POST-VISIT TEST
Re-administer the preparatory test as a postvisit test and compare the results to assess
the learning achieved on the field study.
43
9.0 NOTES
Insect Intrigue
44
45
Insect Intrigue
403-297-7827
403-297-7850
Environmental Learning Centre
Learning Naturally Coordinator
46
BARK BEETLE TUNNELS
Firmly holding the paper in place over the bark beetle
tunnels on the log, rub the SIDE of your pencil lead back
and forth across the paper.
TEMPERATURE:
Cooler
or
waist level: ________oC
Invertebrates:
Warmer
ground level: ________oC
moving slowly
12
Insect Intrigue
Insect Intrigue
moving quickly
Name: ____________________________
COLOURS
Name each colour from your colour card. Beside
the box, draw the object that was that colour.
Colour the boxes later.
CITIES IN THE TREES
Draw the animals you found on the tree.
CITIES IN THE SOIL
Draw your special ant and the trail it made.
Add any eggs or larvae you saw on the anthill.
TEMPERATURE:
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
2
Insect Intrigue
Warmer
moving slowly
11
moving quickly
UNDER
BUG BOXES AND POOTING
Draw the natural objects you moved and the creatures
you discovered under each one.
Draw and colour the insects you collected in your bug
box or by using your pooter.
TEMPERATURE:
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
moving slowly
10
Insect Intrigue
TEMPERATURE:
Warmer
moving quickly
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
Warmer
moving slowly
3
moving quickly
LADY BEETLES
GRASSHOPPER GAZE
Number the pictures to show the correct order of
stages in the lady beetle's lifecycle.
Add wings, legs and antenna to the
grasshopper and colour it.
Draw the lady beetle you found.
TEMPERATURE:
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
4
Insect Intrigue
TEMPERATURE:
Warmer
moving slowly
Complete the food chain by adding a plant, a
grasshopper and a predator of the grasshopper.
moving quickly
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
Warmer
moving slowly
9
moving quickly
SPIDERS
CREATURE LASSO
Draw the creatures you found within your lasso.
TEMPERATURE:
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
TEMPERATURE:
moving slowly
8
Insect Intrigue
Warmer
Draw either the spider or the web that you
found and list 3 words to describe it.
moving quickly
Cooler
or
Invertebrates:
Warmer
moving slowly
5
moving quickly
Insect Intrigue
6
7
Water Strider
Bark Beetle
Lady Beetle
Dragonfly
Snail
Spider
Ground Beetle
Bumblebee
forest
Animal Eaters
Butterfly
Grasshopper
Plant Eaters
grasslands
Creature Count
Cranefly
Slug
Fly
Centipede
Earthworm
Decomposers
water

Insect Intrigue

Transcription

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