Curriculum Work:
Lesson Plan: “Aquatic Bugs”
Name: Barry Lawrence
School/Program: Art, Environment and the Child- HEAT Program
Date: 2/26/2006
Location: Lab I Room 1037
Grades: Preschool- 8th grade
Title: “Water Bugs”
Goal: To show the different life cycles of aquatic bugs (macroinvertebrates)
Learning Objectives: Students will have an opportunity to:
- Identify the various aquatic bug species
- Discover the functions, life adaptations and life cycle of a typical aquatic bug
- Recognize the importance of small creatures
Learning Activities:
- Color a picture of an ecosystem
- Draw a picture of aquatic bugs
- Make their own aquatic bug
- Search for and observe aquatic bugs in a local stream
Purpose / Rationale:
Prior Teacher Preparation:
I will have to collect material for students to complete this activity (contact Mylee). I will have snacks and drinks for break time.
Materials:
- Pipe cleaners
- TP rolls
- Glue
- Glitter
- Markers, paint, craft material
- Aquatic Bug charts, pictures and related material
Procedure:
-I plan on asking a few questions in order to evaluate the level of experience the children’s have with water bugs.
-I will then discuss what the functions, life adaptations and life cycle of a typical aquatic bug.
-I will pass out the color picture cards displaying the various aquatic bugs. I will then explain the different features and parts of the bugs.
-I will hand out some coloring pictures of wildlife habitat and aquatic bugs.
We will then draw some pictures and make their own “aquatic bug”
-We will conclude the lesson by conducting a search for and observe aquatic bugs in our local stream at the Longhouse Center Garden. We will then meet up the garden group and help out with some gardening activities.
Assessment:
-I will determine if content and process were understood by the answers the students give me to my questions and by their drawings
-I will assist those who did not get it by giving more examples and explaining it differently
-I will ask for feedback from my peers
Self-Evaluation:
Areas to improve on:
-Being prepared in toning down the level of instruction to a diverse age range of the children.
-Preparing larger pictures of the bugs.
-Being more confident in myself and my ability to interact with the children in a less ridged fashion
Areas that I thought went well:
-Bring mircoscopes and samples of aquatic bugs
-Allowing interaction between the children and myself (ie. drawing answers out of them to questions concerning the bugs)
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Presented class on 2/26
Barry Lawrence
"Water Bugs"
I started off giving a brief background on the bugs, to include;
habitat, life cycle, feeding techniques and specific body parts.
We started looking at samples of macroinvertebrate taken from Beatty Creek under microscopes. I think the children had the most fun discovering and identifying the "aquatic bugs".
We then walked down to the Longhouse Garden Center to look in the creek for "bugs". Unfortunately, it started raining and we had to return to the classroom.
Once in the room, they started coloring pictures of wetlands and streams. They had an opportunity to construct their own bugs.
