Last updated: April 6, 2020
Lesson Plan
Students will be able to draw and label a macroinvertebrate.
- Grade Level:
- Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- K.SL.5, K.W.8
- State Standards:
- NGSS Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and their environments.
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions.
K-ESS3-1: Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals and the places they li
Essential Question
What are macroinvertebrates and what are some of their physical characteristics?
Objective
Students will be able to draw and label a macroinvertebrate.
Background
This is to be completed after the lesson “What’s Living Around Me?”. Students will need to have visited several places around the school yard and record data about macroinvertebrates from each environment. Students will also need to know how to label a picture.
Preparation
Required Materials
- drawing paper
- clipboards
- pencils
- crayons
Materials
An explanation of macroinverebrates, as well as their characteristics, basic anatomy and habitats.
Download Macroinvertebrate Primer
Lesson Hook/Preview
This lesson will be used after students have looked at several environments and identified macroinvertebrates from these environments.
Procedure
1. Complete “What’s Living Around Me” lesson.
2. Talk about macroinvertebrates and the places they looked at in the previous lesson.
3. Review Vocabulary words. Keep them simple for kindergarteners to understand, but use the real terms.
4. Tell students they will be going outside to draw a picture one of the macroinvertebrates they visited in the previous lesson.
5. Show picture of a macroinvertebrate that is already labeled. Talk about the details needed in the picture. What did they see, was it aquatic or terrestrial? Did it have a head, thorax, abdomen, or was it segmented like a worm? Show details in the drawing.
6. Talk about their favorite places they visited during the previous lesson.
7. Review expectations about going outside.
8. Go outside and have students find their favorite spot and draw the environment they see.
9. After coming back inside let students share their pictures with the class then hang them on a bulletin board to share with school (this may be done at a later time depending on attention span).
Vocabulary
- Habitat: the place something lives.
- Environment: the surroundings in which something lives.
- Macroinvertebrate: any animal lacking a backbone and can be seen with the naked eye. Can be aquatic or terrestrial.
- Head: the head of a macroinvertebrate.
- Thorax: the midsection of a macroinvertebrates that bears the jointed legs and wings.
- Abdomen: the third main division of the body behind the head and thorax.
- Segments: sections of a macroinvertebrate.
- Aquatic: water macroinvertebrates.
- Terrestrial: land macroinvertebrates.
Assessment Materials
The drawings will be the assessment. Make sure the child drew macroinvertebrates and not animals. Make sure they used the word bank to label their picture. Did they label the macroinvertebrates correctly?
Supports for Struggling Learners
If the learner is struggling with the drawing, ask the student what they are trying to draw and what the different parts of the macroinvertebrate are and where they should go. If the picture is illegible, ask the student to describe it. Pay attention when the student is sharing the photo to the class how they explain it and make notes of the vocabulary they use.
Enrichment Activities
Student who quickly finish the picture of the macroinvertebrate and labeled it correctly can draw the environment it lives in and tell whether it is terrestrial or aquatic.
Additional Resources
Website that can be used in this lesson:
http://nwnature.net/macros/beetles.html#adult
Related Lessons or Education Materials
This is the second part in a sequence that begins with "What's Living Around Me?".
Contact Information
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Tags: macroinvertebrates habitats