Traditionally illustrated children’s book
Plus three interactive worksheets
Will meet multiple NJ DOE CPI # standards for:
Science
Language Arts
Visual Arts
For 1st to 3rd grade (~ages 7-9)
Riverside Elementary School children’s interest in bugs
Termite playground
Compost piles
Butterfly activities
Worm lesson
Merge of environmental studies, visual arts, literature, & childhood
education/development
Background in bug identification
Relevance to food growth
Science in early childhood books (Smardo, 2005)
K-3 teachers spend avg. 17 mins on science a day
Isolated group taught with books improved vocabulary, grasped
science concepts, and asked questions
Insect science curriculum (Annual Review of Entomology, 1997)
Lists 30 successful, educational, & often used insect books
Trend in books coupled with scientific method & field study
Success of “bug book” genres
The Hungry Little Caterpillar (Carle)
Charlotte’s Web (White)
Miss Spider’s Tea Party (Kirk)
“An understanding of insects is
in a sense a prerequisite to a
broader understanding of life.”
~WJ Fischang
A child who hates bugs meets an ant
Ant introduces 3 groups of insects:
Pollinators (bees & butterflies)
Decomposers (worms & termites)
Protectors (ladybugs & spiders)
The life cycle is highlighted
Learns how important bugs are for food
growth
Learns to respect animals and the
environment
Standards (Science Practice & Life Science)
“Handle and treat organisms humanely, responsibly, and ethically.”
“Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and
their habitats in order to meet basic needs.”
Worksheet
Draw a diagram of the life cycle.
How are decomposers and pollinators a part of food growth?
Which insects are helpful to humans or food?
Which ones are hurtful?
Standards
“Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of
words and phrases in a text.”
“Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they
are writing about.”
Worksheet
What is real in the story and what is fake?
Vocabulary & spelling words
Write about which bug in your book is your favorite and why? How
does this bug help or hurt the food that grows in the garden?
Standards
“Use symbols to create personal works of art based on selected ageappropriate themes, using oral stories as a basis for pictorial
representation.”
“Create works of art that are based on observations of the physical
world.”
Worksheet
Can you identify this bug?
Draw what is missing on this bug.
Draw your perfect garden and what bugs would live there.
Teachers of many subjects can use book in collaboration
Hope to spread to other schools beyond Riverside
Does not necessarily need a garden
With garden, hands-on activities could be created
Could potentially lead to a series of garden adventures
More lesson plans created for this book (other curriculums)
Model replicated if successful
“Teaching a child not to step on
a caterpillar is as valuable to the
child as it is to the
caterpillar.” ~Bradley Millar
Carle, Eric. The Very Busy Spider. New York: Philomel Books, 1984.
Gibbons, Gale. The Honey Makers. New York: Harper Collins, 1997.
Hovanec, Erin. I Wonder What It's Like to Be an Ant. New York: Powerkids Press, 2000.
Matthews, Robert W., Lynda R. Flage, and Janice R. Matthews. “Insects as Teach Tools in Primary
and Secondary Education”. Annual Review of Entomology. Department of Entomology, The University
of Georgia: Athens, GA. 1996. Vol. 42: 269-289.
Pranis, Eve. “Insect Appeal: Getting to Food by Studying Bugs”. KidGardening.Org. Web.
<http://www.kidsgardening.com/Dig/DigDetail.taf ?ID=1119&Type=Art>
Smardo, Frances A. “Using Children's Literature to Clarify Science Concepts in Early Childhood
Programs”. The Reading Teacher. International Reading Association: 2005. Vol. 36, No. 3. 267-273.
State of New Jersey – Department of Education. “New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards”.
Web. < http://www.njcccs.org/search.aspx>
“ ‘Teacher’s Pests’ Lessons Plans”. Terminix Insect Education. Web.
<http://www.terminix.com/Information/Teachers>
University Games. Do I Bug You: A ‘Who am I?’ Book. University Games: 2007.
University of Washington Botanic Gardens. “Garden Insect Identification”, Web.
<http://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/resources/hort_web_sites/plant_id.php>