Extracurricular activities “The World of Insects” for elementary school students
Development of a lesson on the topic “The World of Insects” in the interest association “Entertaining Biology”
DESCRIPTION: Classes on the topic “The World of Insects” were held in the interest association “Entertaining Biology” for more than one year. The children enjoyed learning about insects and their way of life and completing interesting tasks. This publication presents a development that can be carried out both in the classroom of environmental and biological circles (90 minutes), and by reducing the material (taking into account the age and preparation of the children), it can be used when organizing extra-curricular activities in elementary school (45 minutes). Teacher: Danilchenko Oksana Anatolyevna, additional education teacher of the State Educational Institution “Slutsk Ecological and Biological Center for Students”, Slutsk, Minsk region, Republic of Belarus. Composition of the study group: 12 students, 8-10 years old Duration of the lesson: 2 academic hours (45 minutes each) Place of the lesson in the training course: lesson with students of the 1st year of study, section “These mysterious animals”, lesson No. 3 Purpose of the lesson: introducing students to the diversity of insects and their role in nature Objectives: Educational - to promote the formation of ideas about the distinctive structural features of insects, their diversity and beauty. Developmental – to promote the development of cognitive interest in the world around us by attracting entertaining material and creating problem situations. Educational – to promote a caring attitude towards nature, a willingness to follow the norms of environmental behavior. Specifics of the lesson: educational and developmental Form of organization of the educational lesson: individual-group, practice-oriented. Teaching methods used in the training session: verbal, game, practical. Material and technical support for the educational lesson: illustrations of insects, paper, colored pencils, materials for an environmental workshop, crosswords, riddles and assignments on the topic, collections of insects, pens. Preliminary preparation of students for the lesson: remember the insects of the Republic of Belarus.
Lesson structure
1. Organizational stage Welcome. Introduction to the topic of the lesson. 2. Indicative and motivational stage 2.1. Game "Who is bigger?" 2.2. Conversation “General characteristics of insects” 3. Operational-cognitive stage 3.1. Physical exercise “Butterfly” 3.2. Riddle competition “World of Insects” 3.3. Task “Appearance of insects” 3.4. Mini lecture “Individual representatives of the Belarusian fauna” 3.5. Puzzle “Meeting at the anthill” 3.6. Ecological game “World of Insects” 4. Control and correction stage 4.1. Mini-lecture “The importance of insects in nature and in human life” 4.2. Ecological workshop “Insects around us” 5. Reflection 5.1. Reflection “Three faces”.
Contents of the lesson
1. Organizational stage
Hello guys!
Today our lesson will be devoted to the six-legged inhabitants of our planet. There are countless varieties of them, The sizes are small, but they exist, Three pairs of legs, eyes and wings, Sometimes they cause irreparable harm. They can annoy animals, destroy all vegetation, Well, I see you recognize them, Their name is insects. (Leonov V.)
The goal of our lesson is to get acquainted with the diversity of insects in the Republic of Belarus and their role in nature.
2. Indicative and motivational stage
2.1. Conversation “General characteristics of insects” Teacher: Guys, please name the types of insects known to you. Students take turns naming insects, and the teacher writes them on the board. Teacher: Look how many little inhabitants of our planet there are. How many species do you think there are on Earth? Student answers. Teacher: Scientists have described about 1 million, and in total there are from 3 to 5 million. Look at the illustrations of insects and tell me what they have in common? Illustrations of insects are shown.
Student answers. Teacher: The body of all adult insects consists of three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Also, all insects have six legs and most have two pairs of wings. The word “insect” itself comes from the word “incise” and means “animal with notches.” All adult insects have notches. It looks as if the insect's body is divided into separate joints. Illustration of a beetle on display
Guys, what do you think the children of insects are called?
Student answers. Teacher: They are called larvae. Insect larvae illustration.
We know the butterfly larvae best.
They are also called caterpillars. Each type of butterfly has its own caterpillar. Caterpillar illustration
Insects are amazing animals.
Their larvae emerge from eggs, and when the time comes to become adults, they turn into pupae. The adult insect is also called the “imago”, and the larva is called the “nymph”. Demonstration of the developmental cycle of a fly, beetle and butterfly.
Some insects do not have pupae.
For example, in grasshoppers and bedbugs. Demonstration of the development cycle of a bug and a grasshopper.
If insects have a pupa, then its development cycle is called complete; if not, then it is called incomplete.
Demonstration of the development cycle of a bee and a dragonfly.
Assignment “The development cycle of insects”
Purpose: to consolidate students’ knowledge about the development of insects. Students receive diagrams of the development cycles of a grasshopper and a cockchafer. They need to sign all the stages of insect development, and determine what development cycle it is, complete or incomplete. (The development cycle of the cockchafer is with complete transformation, and the development cycle of the grasshopper is with incomplete transformation.)
Teacher: Guys, tell me, at what time of year can you see the most insects? Student answers: In summer, late spring and early autumn. Teacher: What do you think insects do in winter? Student answers: They sleep or die. Teacher: Try to explain why there are no insects in winter? Student answers: There is no food, it’s cold. Teacher: Most insects find secluded and comfortable places and hide there to hibernate. For example, mosquitoes, flies. Illustrations of a mosquito and a fly are shown.
Many adult insects simply die with the onset of cold weather, and their eggs or pupae overwinter in crevices, under fallen leaves.
Examples include grasshoppers (eggs overwinter), dragonflies (larvae overwinter), and many butterflies (pupae overwinter). Illustrations of the white butterfly, dragonfly and grasshopper are shown.
And there are also insects that, like birds, fly south. These are admiral and burdock butterflies. In the first autumn days, flocks of thistles fly south. They winter in Turkey, Iran, and Africa. They return to us in June. After laying eggs, thistles die. At the end of summer, young butterflies appear. In the fall they set off on a long journey. Admiral butterflies fly in the Republic of Belarus from the beginning of June to the end of September. In the fall they migrate south for the winter and some of them return in the spring. Illustrations of the admiral butterfly and the burdock are shown. Admiral
Painted lady
Teacher: Guys, tell me, what do insects eat? Student answers Teacher: Insects have very different taste preferences. There is nothing surprising here, since science currently knows over 1 million species of six-legged inhabitants of the Earth. There are four main groups: carnivores, herbivores, omnivores and those that feed on dead organisms. Assignment “Types of nutrition of insects”
Purpose: to contribute to the acquisition of knowledge about the types of nutrition of insects. Students are offered illustrations of insects, which must be divided into 4 groups depending on the type of food. Suggested insects: rocker dragonfly, white butterfly, chafer beetle, dung beetle, house fly, ladybug, gravedigger beetle, red ant.
Teacher: Guys, explain why you divided the insects this way? Student answers: The rocker dragonfly and ladybug feed on other insects, so we classified them as predators. The white butterfly and the cockchafer prefer plant foods, which means they are herbivores. House flies and red ants eat both plants and animals, as well as dead parts of plants. These are omnivorous insects. Animals that feed on dead organisms include the burying beetle and the dung beetle. Teacher: We figured out the nutrition of insects, now we need to find out who eats them. To do this, complete the following task. The task “Who eats insects?”
Goal: learn about animals that eat insects.
Students are asked to fold and glue into a picture puzzles of animals that feed on insects. Name them. Offered tit, tree frog, sand lizard, hedgehog, spray fish, dragonfly, spider. Note: Students are divided into pairs and each receives 1-2 puzzles. Then the pictures are shown and the result of the work is discussed. Teacher: Thus, other insects, spiders, many species of fish and birds, frogs, lizards, and insectivorous animals feed on insects. And there are also plants that are not averse to being eaten by insects. This is, for example, sundew.
3. Operational-cognitive stage
Teacher: And now I suggest you take part in physical education 3.1.
Physical exercise “Butterfly” The flower was sleeping and suddenly woke up, (torso to the right, left) Didn’t want to sleep anymore, (torso forward, backward) He moved, stretched, (arms up, stretch) Soared up and flew, (arms up, right, left) The sun just wakes up in the morning, the butterfly circles and curls.
(spin around) Teacher: Guys, let's look at the board and try to tell you what we know about the insects you listed at the beginning of the lesson. Student answers. The teacher makes his own additions as the students answer. Teacher: And now we have a riddle competition “World of Insects” 3.2.
Riddle competition “The World of Insects” Purpose: to expand students’ knowledge about the diversity of insects.
Rules: Students are divided into three groups. Cards with riddles are placed on the table with the text facing down. Players take turns taking the riddle, reading it out loud, conferring as a team, and giving an answer. If the answer is correct, the team gets a point; if not, the teacher announces the answer. Riddles: 1. Measuring step by step, it rushes through the water. Everyone knows that bug! What, answer me, is she called? (Water strider) 2. Lives in water for many years, serves as food for fish. And on land it’s only day, circling in a round dance. (Mayfly) 3. It will dig a little under the dung cake, store food for the larva, and crawl away somewhere. (Dung beetle) 4. A formidable beetle on thin legs rushes along the forest path. Hey booger, watch out! You can pay with your life! (ground beetle) 5. She lives underground and digs like a mole. She often gnaws on roots. And her name is... (Medvedka) 6. She put on a warm fur coat and flew for nectar. And in the ground the family is waiting for him to store food. (Bumblebee) 7. A hill grew by the road from grains of sand and needles. There are a lot of bugs living in it. Whose house is that? (Ant) 8. On a dark night by the road - Lights like coals. Place your feet carefully - Here they sparkle... (Fireflies) 9. These cows are sitting on the grass. They will drink some juice and fly off into the distance. (Aphids) 10. On white wings, like daisies, these insects flutter over the garden bed. And their bad gray children ate the cabbage and radish leaves. (White butterfly) 11. Now I’ll ask you a question: Who gnaws birch leaves? Who flies over the earth at night with a menacing buzz in May? He lives in the ground for three years and is free for only a month. (Chafer bug) 12. He has a naval rank, but does not give honor when meeting. He doesn’t know how to serve in the navy, but goes on a flight. (Butterfly Admiral) 13. In a green tailcoat, the maestro flies over the meadow in bloom. He is the pride of the local orchestra and the best high jumper. (Grasshopper) 14. Wings as if made of mica And huge eyes. Hovering near the water. Who is she? – (Dragonfly) 15. The golden craftswoman flies through the gardens with a song. It rings above the sunflower, It stores pollen in the house... (Bee) 16. I didn’t ask permission, He flew up and bit me! (Mosquito) 17. It flies all day, gets boring for everyone, Night will come, then it will stop. (Fly) 18. Winged fashionista, Striped dress. Even though he is small in stature, if he bites, it will be bad. (Wasp) 19. They turned off the lights in the house - There is still no peace. Ru-chu-choo and ru-chu-chok. Who is this? ... (Cricket) 20. I like to bother everyone, wiggling my mustache. I crawl under the bed, I share the shelter with you. (Cockroach) 3.3.
Task “Appearance of insects” Purpose: familiarization with the appearance of individual representatives of insects. Color the insects:
3.4. Mini lecture “Individual representatives of the Belarusian fauna.” Illustrations of insects are shown throughout the lecture. Teacher: Now it’s time to get to know the three types of insects in more detail. Swallowtail Who, guys, can guess what kind of butterfly this is: There are “tails” on the wings. A pattern on a yellow background. And the caterpillars dine on dill. (Swallowtail)
The name of the butterfly Swallowtail goes back far into history, during the existence of the ancient country of Troy. According to legend, the doctor Machaon lived in this city. He was engaged in healing wounded soldiers. In one of the battles, the warrior doctor dies. And his soul became a butterfly with soft yellow wings and an elegant black pattern on them. This is such a legend. Demonstration of a swallowtail caterpillar, pupa and imago.
A video of the complete development cycle of a swallowtail is shown.
Adult butterflies live for about 20 days, and then only if they do not become someone's lunch.
And there are many who want to eat it. These include spiders, birds, and ants. And the butterflies themselves feed on nectar and at the same time pollinate flowers. Swallowtail is a diurnal butterfly. During her short life, a female swallowtail manages to lay 100-200 eggs, from which caterpillars emerge that feed on the leaves of dill, parsley, caraway and other umbrella plants. Stag beetle Coleopterous, bow-legged, dark, smooth, large-horned, without a tail and without mustache, crawls among the oak trees. It takes off from a tree in the night, flies clumsily than anyone else... And hides its offspring in a stump... Who, tell me? ... (Stag Beetle) Demonstration of a female and male stag beetle.
This is the largest beetle of all living in the Republic of Belarus.
The body length of the male beetle, including horns, varies from 4 to 8 centimeters. The most notable feature of this beetle is its pair of curved brown horns with several serrations on them. In fact, these are modified upper jaws. In flight, they outweigh the beetle's chest and abdomen, so it has to fly holding its body in an upright position. A video of the flight of a stag beetle is shown
Males use their antlers to fight other males. Females are deprived of such spectacular decoration.
It is curious that with such a developed jaw apparatus, these beetles do not eat solid food at all, preferring to drink tree sap.
The active life of the stag beetle is very short - about a month. But the larvae live from 4 to 8 years. Demonstration of the development cycle of a stag beetle.
The female chooses a rotting tree and gnaws holes in its trunk, into which she will lay up to 20 eggs.
After two and a half months, the eggs will hatch into larvae that will feed on the rot of the tree. Depending on whether it is in the larval stage, it can grow up to thirteen centimeters in length. It is noteworthy that the larvae can only live in dead, rotting trees. The length of the horns and body size of the future beetle directly depend on the quality of nutrition of the larva. The larvae work as a kind of invisible forest orderlies, recycling deciduous trees. When the larva is ready for rebirth, it digs itself a cave in the dust of its tree, showing some forethought - future males compact more space for themselves, leaving room for antlers. In the fall, the larva pupates to emerge in the spring in the body of a handsome stag beetle. Stag beetles serve as food for forest birds of prey and bats, but the greatest danger to them, which is rapidly reducing their numbers, comes from people cutting down oak forests and removing rotting trees, thereby depriving the stag beetle of a home. Red ant Who doesn't know a strong man? He carries the load without grumbling. For him, there is a path everywhere: Both the path and the blade of grass, Can carry you down and up; He is the best worker. (Ant) Demonstration of an illustration of a red ant.
Among many peoples, ants are considered the embodiment of hard work.
These amazing creatures created their own civilization with a strict hierarchy, division of responsibilities and huge underground cities riddled with branched underground passages. Demonstration of an anthill illustration.
Scientists believe that ants are capable of carrying objects 5,000 times heavier than themselves.
And they hear by catching the vibrations of the earth with their feet. Each ant colony has its own scent. The queen ant does nothing but lay eggs. Taking care of them is the responsibility of worker ants. And there are also soldier ants, food-getting ants, and those who repair the anthill. Ants are able to form “living bridges” from their bodies to cross water or plant barriers. Ants also communicate very well with each other; for this they use sounds, smells and gestures. 3.5.
Puzzle “Meeting at the anthill” Purpose: to get an idea of the sign language of ants Rules: Using the “Language of Ants” key, read the text. Key: Text
Answer: One ant met a stranger near his anthill.
And he asks him: “Who are you?” “I’m from the neighboring forest. Now I crawled to your anthill. Let me eat!” - he impudently demanded from the owner of the anthill. “Yes, it’s a foreign smell,” the first ant was convinced. “Hey, friends! Attention, alarm! - he yelled. “There’s a stranger in our anthill!” “Oh, well, then be careful!” - exclaimed the named guest. “I’m not afraid of you!” To battle! And a fight began. passes the ball to the player on the right, he must name another insect and pass the ball in a circle. If the player cannot name, he selects 3.6.
Ecological game “World of Insects” Purpose: to consolidate students’ knowledge about the diversity of insects. How to play: Students stand in a circle. One of the students picks up the ball and starts the game. He names any insect and leaves the game. The game lasts until one player remains. He is considered the winner.
4. Control and correction stage
4.1. Mini-lecture “The importance of insects in nature and in human life” Teacher: Today we got acquainted with the world of insects, learned a lot of new and interesting things. Tell me, what do you think will happen if some type of insect disappears? Student responses . Teacher: Everyone is familiar with the mosquito, which few people like. Many people have often thought about how good it would be if mosquitoes disappeared from the planet. Is this really so? Let's watch the video "What will happen if mosquitoes disappear?"
In conclusion, I would like to note that any disruption of the food chain can lead to a catastrophe on a planetary scale, therefore all living things, even the smallest ones, play an important role in the life cycle of the entire planet.
4.2.
Ecological workshop “Insects around us” Goal: to consolidate the basic external signs of insects. The teacher invites students to make one simple insect fake of their choice.
5. Reflection
5.1.
Reflection “Three faces”. The teacher shows students cards depicting three faces: happy, neutral and sad. The children are invited to choose a drawing that matches their mood.
Expected outcome of the lesson
Students should know and be able to: - recognize insects in riddles, from drawings; - give examples of insects; - compare body parts of different insects; - use the characteristics of insects to determine whether an animal belongs to a given group; - work in pairs and groups, using the information provided to gain new knowledge; — master ways of solving problems of a creative and exploratory nature; - master the logical actions of comparison, analysis, classification by characteristics; - understand the important role of insects on the planet.
We recommend watching:
A story for primary schoolchildren. Ghost Insect: Ladybug Stick Insect. A story for primary schoolchildren.
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