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Teacher’s Guide To: “Where Does It Live?”
Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to introduce students to the basic characteristics of insects through
guided inquiry and observations of lubber grasshoppers.
Concepts/objectives/standards
The following concepts will be addressed:
-General characteristics of insects including feeding, molting, mating, and reproductive
strategies.
-Adaptations to specific niches.
These are the objectives:
TSWBAT:
-Use a field guide to classify an insect.
-Describe the basic characteristics of insects.
-Compare and contrast male and female grasshoppers.
-Graph obtained data regarding the grasshopper’s weight.
-Explain the adaptations the grasshopper has developed due to its niche.
-Diagram a grasshopper’s main mouth parts (4 palps).
These are the Illinois State Learning Standards that align with the lesson:
-Stage H, 12A 4: Apply scientific inquiries or technological designs to explore social and
environmental responses of organisms, describing learned and inherited behaviors and
responses across kingdoms and between/among phyla, explaining cyclic behaviors and
responses in various species, or examining social behaviors of insects and vertebrates.
-Stage I, 12A 1: Apply scientific inquiries or technological designs to explain metabolic
processes within cells and between organisms and their environment, explaining gas
exchange, food processing, transport, excretion, locomotion, body regulation, and
nervous control, investigating enzyme actions in various reactions, or describing the
applications of the polar nature of water and the pH index in biochemical reactions.
Materials/preparation guide (including what should be at each lab station)
-Attached hand out for each student
-Station 1:
-Textbook with taxonomic information that will help students classify the insect
-1 or 2 grasshoppers for the students to observe
-ruler
-Tape to table “Station 1” listing on page 3
-Station 2:
-5 female grasshoppers
-5 male grasshoppers
-scale
- Tape to table “Station 2” listing on page 3
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-Station 3:
-Preferably 1 or 2 sand containers with a female who is ready, or is already laying eggs.
If this is not possible, an example of eggs that have already been laid will do.
-2 or 3 molted exoskeletons
- Tape to table “Station 3” listing on page 3
-Station 4:
-2 or 3 grasshoppers feeding on lettuce (do not feed day prior so they are hungry!)
- Tape to table “Station 4” listing on page 3
Time/length of lab
This lab includes a 5 minute introduction/pre-lab, 7 minutes at each station, and a 5 minute
discussion and closure, for a total of 38 minutes.
Safety issues
Some students may be scared of the grasshoppers, but the teacher should assure them that
they will not hurt anybody. They do have chewing mouthparts, so they may nip at students’
fingers, but this will NOT be painful or break the skin.
They are toxic insects and should not be ingested (although it would take eating at least 10 to
cause sickness!)
Always hold grasshoppers between thumb and forefinger at upper abdomen, grabbing or
holding them by their legs will cause their legs to fall off.
Prelab Discussion Guide
-Show students the lubber grasshopper and ask them what kind of insect they believe this to be.
-Tell students that the grasshopper is native to one area in the U.S., and their mission is to use
the 4 stations to determine which area.
-Discuss all safety issues as listed above.
Postlab Discussion Guide
-Address any questions from the handout that students could not answer.
-Discuss where the students believe the grasshopper’s native habitat is, and whether or not
their hypothesis was correct.
A diagram of the lab set up
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Station 1
1. Record general observations on handout/answer corresponding questions.
2. Use the field guide provided to taxonomically classify this organism to Genus.
Station 2
1. Record the weight of 5 females and 5 males on the table given in handout.
a. You can tell the difference by the presence of shovel-like structures
on the posterior end of females.
2. Complete a bar graph comparing the two sexes; answer corresponding
questions.
Station 3
1.
Observe the female laying eggs in the container of sand if possible. If not
possible, observe the container that has eggs already laid in it; record
data/answer questions on handout.
2. Examine the specimens on the blue paper and answer corresponding
questions on handout.
Station 4
1.
Place organisms on lettuce and observe their feeding behavior; record
data/answer questions on handout.
2. Using the diagram on handout, identify the mouth structures.
3. Place the insect on your sleeve or a piece of cloth, and turn your arm so the
insect is upside down; record data.
4. Place the insect on a smooth surface and turn it so the insect is upside down;
record data.
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Name___________________
Partner__________________
WHERE DOES IT LIVE????
Observe the insect the teacher is showing the class. Walk around the room and look at
each station very briefly. Now make a hypothesis as to where this insect’s native habitat
is:
STATION 1
1.
Record Observations:
2. Use the field guide to identify the grasshopper:
a. Kingdom_________________
b. Phylum__________________
c. Class____________________
d. Order____________________
e. Family___________________
f. Genus___________________
3.
What do you notice about these grasshoppers that make them different from
other ones you have seen before? How big are they? What do their colors look
like?
4. Is your hypothesis confirmed/rejected/neither from this station?
STATION 2
1. Find 5 female insects (presence of shovel-like structures on their posterior ends,
ask teacher if you cannot tell them apart) and 5 male insects. Weigh them and
record your data on the following table:
5
Female Weight in Grams
Male Weight in Grams
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2
3
4
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AVERAGE
2.
Make a bar graph comparing the female and male average weights. Label the x
and y axis appropriately.
3.
Can you make a general statement about the size difference?
4.
Is your hypothesis confirmed/rejected/neither from this station?
STATION 3
1.
What do you think the insect uses sand for?
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2.
What would happen if there was no sand in this insects’ environment?
3.
What is located on the blue piece of paper? What is its purpose?
4. While the insect is growing (called “nymphs”) in captivity, they cluster around
light bulbs at the top of the cage…Why?
5. Nymphs are black in color, how is this related to keeping them warm? How is
this different than the way mammals keep themselves warm?
6.
Is your hypothesis confirmed/rejected/neither from this station?
STATION 4
1. Mouthparts of insects can be divided into 2 categories: sucking or chewing.
Which kind of mouthparts do you think the grasshopper has and why?
2. The diagram on the next page shows the mouthpart structures of the insect, try
to identify them on one of the insects.
3. Do grasshoppers have bones? If not, how do they keep the same shape? Feel
the outside of the grasshopper and tap on different places of its body with a
pencil to help answer this question.
4.
Place the grasshopper on your sleeve or a piece of cloth. How does it hold on?
Try putting it on a smooth surface and turning it upside down. Does it hold on
to this surface the same way? How do they do it?
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5.
Is your hypothesis confirmed/rejected/neither from this station?