2nd Grade Insect Unit Plan
Rationale: Insects are all around us. It is important for students to know and understand what insects
do, whether they are harmful or not, and what they look like.
Goals:
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What is an insect
What are the parts of an insect
What do insects do
Are insects harmful or hurtful to people and the earth
PA/National Standards:
S.K-2.B.1.1.2: Identify a plant or animal based on a given life cycle stage.
S.K-2.B.1.1: Identify living things and their life processes.
CC.1.2.2.A: Identify the main idea of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs
within the text.
CC.1.4.2.A: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic, and convey ideas and information
clearly.
CC.1.4.2.B: Identify and introduce the topic.
Content Outline:
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VI.
Week 1
a. What is an insect?
Week 2
a. Ants
Week 3
a. Bees
b. Start Raising Mealworms
Week 4
a. Ladybugs
b. Mealworms
Week 5
a. Butterflies
b. Mealworms
Week 6
a. Helpful/Harmful
b. Reports
Unit at a Glance:
Lesson 1- What is an insect?
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KWL Chart
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Read Aloud: Insects By Carolyn Maclulich
Make Notebook
Sing Insect Song
Lesson 2-Insect or Not
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Cards
Jar Activity
Lesson 3- Ants
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Reading Curriculum: Read Ant
Ant Model: Take it apart and look at parts with a magnifying glass
Life Cycle
Lesson 4- Hey, Little Ant
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Read Aloud: Hey, Little Ant By Hannah Hoose and Phillip Hoose
Students write ending (to squish or not to squish)
Lesson 5- Bees
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Bee Picture (students label)
Students read and make Bee Book
Main Idea/Supporting Detail Activity
Honey Bee Speaker
Read Aloud and Discuss: Ants, Bees, and Other Social Insects By Kris Hirschmann
Lesson 6- Raising Mealworms
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Each student will raise their own mealworm
For the first day students will learn how to care for them
Observe what they look like
Record in Notebook
Mealworms will be cared for every other day
Observation and recording will be done once a week
Lesson 7- Ladybugs
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United Streaming Video
Life Cycle
Poem
Read Aloud: Ladybugs and Other Insects Created by Gallimard Jeunesse & Sylvaine Peyrols
Lesson 8- My Favorite Insect
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Students will describe and write about their favorite insect without telling what that insect is
Craft
Lesson 9- Butterflies
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What does it start out as?
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Book
Diagram: Label and highlight
Lesson 10- Helpful/Harmful
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Discuss the insects we have covered the past several lessons
Have students work in small groups to list reasons each is helpful or harmful
Finish KWL Chart
Reports/Presentations
Evaluation:
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Students will be formatively assessed through each lesson to check for understanding
The notebooks that students make will be looked at to make sure they have all the components
Insect Reports and Presentations
Resources/References:
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Composition Notebooks
FOSS: Full Option Science System: (School Curriculum)
Journeys Reading Book
United Streaming (videos online that the district subscribes to)
First Discovery: Ladybugs and Other Insects Created by Gallimard Jeunesse & Sylvaine Peyrols
Insects By Carolyn Maclulich
Hey, Little Ant By Hannah Hoose and Phillip Hoose
Ants, Bees, and Other Social Insects By Kris Hirschmann
Sue Clouser, Honey Bee Speaker