The Topic:  Insects

Easier - Insects are small creatures (animal kingdom) with three pair of legs, a body with three main sections, and tough shell-like outer covering. Insects do not have a backbone. Most have one or two pair of wings and a pair of antennae.

 

Harder - Insects first appeared on earth at least 400 million years ago. Today, they live almost everywhere, from steamy tropical jungles to cold polar regions. Entomologists (scientists who study insects) estimate that the average number of insects for each square mile (2.6 square kilometers) of land equals the total number of people on the earth. Scientists have identified and named more than 11/2 million species of animals. Of these, about 1 million are insects. Entomologists discover from 7,000 to 10,000 new species of insects each year. Some believe there may be from 1 million to 10 million species still undiscovered. In the world of entomology, there are still vast frontiers of knowledge still to be discovered.

 

All insects have three pairs of legs, a body divided into three main parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and an exoskeleton. The insect's muscles are attached to the inside wall of the exoskeleton. The exoskeleton does not grow with an insect; therefore in time, the exoskeleton becomes too tight and must be shed in a process is called molting. Most adult insects have two large compound eyes, made up of separate, sometimes thousands of lenses. Insects are the only animals besides birds and bats to have wings. Most adult insects have two (flies) or four wings (wasps). Their sense of smell is located chiefly in the antennae. A few insects, like ants, bees, and wasps, also have taste organs on their antennae.

 

Enchanted Learning Insect Printouts

http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/subjects/insects/printouts.shtml 

This early learning website contains lots of insects and great pages to print out.

 

Minibeast World of Insects and Spiders (Young Entomologists' Society) 

http://members.aol.com/YESedu/welcome.html

A website designed to help you learn more about the insect and spider world and about becoming an entomologist.

 

The Wonderful World of Insects 

http://www.toucansolutions.com/pat/insects.html

Some interesting Entomology links...

 

Bugbios 

http://www.insects.org/

Here is a shameless promotion of insect appreciation aimed at helping you really see insects for the miniature marvels they represent and to understand how intertwined our cultures have become with these alien creatures.

 

Make an Insect Collection. After visiting sites like Making an Insect Collection, Collecting Insects and Entomology for Kids,consider making your own insect collection. You can get lots of information about identifying and classifying insects at Minibeast World of Insects and Spiders. An alternate method from these traditional types of collections (catching and killing the insect) would be to photograph or sketch your insects. For examples of insect photography, visit Very Cool Bugs and Class: Insecta.   Complete an Insect Webquest. Follow or adapt the procedures found at one of these webQuests. 1) Incredible Insects WebQuest http://www.lisbon.k12.ia.us/elem/insectwebquest/insect.html 2) Bug Hunt http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/insects/bughunt.htm 3) Creepy, Crawly Critters http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/insects/insects.htm 4) Insects as Food http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/webq98/insects.htm 5 Wonderful World of Insects http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/WebQ97/BugsBugs.htm   Go on an Insect Safara. Visit Amazing Insects and Go On A Bug Hunt, then complete your own insect trek. You might also investigate what types of ants are out and about; get some good ideas at Invite Ants to Lunch. Observe, describe, and identify the insects that you encounter. Photograph them. Describe what you found in a chart or table. Share, display, post on a website what you discover and learn. Submit your findings to Amazing Insects.   Create Your Own Bug Art. For inspiration, first visit Very Cool Bugs and look at all the Bugs. Then create your own masterpieces. Remember you don't have to copy anyone else. Develop your own ideas. Get lots of ideas for bug crafts at Creepy Crawly Things.   Write Some Bug Poetry or Prose. Compose a poem or short story about a bug(s). Have fun. Post it for others to enjoy.

Bugs, Bugs, and More Bugs

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5767/

Information site about bugs!!

 

Amazing Insects 

http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/groveland/insect.proj/insects.html

Site promotes taking an Insect Safari where you observe, describe, identify the insects seen. You can send reports to share the information and report on local bugs.

 

AntBoy's Bugworld 

http://www.heatersworld.com/bugworld/

This links site helps find information about ants, bees, butterflies, roaches, spiders, and other bugs.

 

Book of Insect Records (Univ. of Florida) 

http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/

Ever wonder what insect is the fastest flyer, most tolerant of heat . . . its not that simple, but you can find some of the answers here.

 

Class: Insecta 

http://www.insecta.com/insecta/index.shtml

Examine cool photographs and information on many different insects from the Spencer Entomology Museum.

 

Entomology Image Gallery (Iowa State University) 

http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegallery/

Here you find pictures divided into the categories: lice; beetles; butterflies, moths, and caterpillars; cicadas and leafhoppers; flies and mosquitoes; grasshoppers and crickets; true bugs; ticks; plants; and plant diseases.

 

Get This Bug Off Of Me! (University of Kentucky Entomology Department) 

http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/rstories/hurtrnot.htm

This Site aimed at clearing up a few misconceptions and helping you distinguish several common insects and insect relatives that are or are not harmful.

Related Websection:

2) Where and How to Collect Insects http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/4h/unit1/whcolin.htm

 

Insects & Human Society 

http://www.ento.vt.edu/IHS/

Learn how insects have changed major battles, altered governments, and shaped human history.

 

Insects & Spiders - Entomology Sites 

http://www.chenowith.k12.or.us/tech/subject/science/bugs.html

This is a large links-site from the University of Kentucky Entomology Department & Extension Service.

 

Insects Hotlist (Franklin Institute) 

http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/insects.html

These links lead you to lots of insect information.

 

Summer Insect Sounds 

http://www.monroe2boces.org/shared/esp/insctsnds.htm

Here you can find lots of suggested activities involving insect sounds as well as links to two insect sound sites.

 

Virtual Insectary 

http://www.virtualinsectary.com

Provides images of some common insects and includes information on the foods which they eat as well as the habitats where they can be found.

 

World's Most Notorious Bugs 

http://www.denniskunkel.com/PublicHtml/Education05.asp

The FBIA (Federal Bug Intelligence Agency) seeks your help in locating a gang of notorious creepy crawlies!

 

Roach World 

http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/pg000095.html

Site includes a 'Day in the Life of Ralph Roach', roach anatomy, and amazing roach facts.

 

Teacher Site

Bugscope 

http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/

Bugscope is an educational outreach project of the World Wide Laboratory (Beckman Institute, Univ. of Illinois). The primary goal of the project is to demonstrate that relatively low cost, sustainable access to a scanning electron microscope can be made available to K-12 classrooms.

 

Honeybee Waggle Dance (Michigan Entomological Society) 

http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/MES/notes/entnote22.html

This article is about an active participation, role playing game.

 

Insects by Julie Parks and Eileen Sullivan (Grade 1-3) 

http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Insect.htm

Students explore the world of insects to expand their knowledge of ants, bees, butterflies, caterpillars and ladybugs.

 

Mini-Unit Topic: Insects by Ophelia R. Griffin (Grade 2-3) 

http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/Units/Mini_Units/94-95/Griffin.Insects/index.html

The children will explore insects in many fun ways learning aboutout insects in four subject areas: Language Arts, Science, Art, and Music.

 

Using Live Insects in Elementary Classrooms for Early Lessons in Life 

http://insected.arl.arizona.edu/uli.htm

The site houses a collection of twenty integrated lessons with science and math activities that use live insects.

insecta	bug	habitat	entomology	tarsus	compound eye
species	mandibles	ovipositor	migration	colony	mesathorax
butterflies	arthropoda	cockroach	mosquito	cocoon	antennae
cricket	beetle	maxilla	walking stick	hatch	stinkbug
'true bug'	mantid	camouflage	dragonfly	molting	nocturnal
exoskeleton	proboscis	molting	metamorphosis	nymph	pupa
larva	thorax	wings	abdomen	ladybug	bumblebee