MP-12A: AMAZING ARTHROPODS
MATERIALS LIST:
Arthropod "building board" with attachments;
a. spider & insect, body cut-out shapes
b. transparent insect head cut-out
c. transparent insect legs cut-out
d. transparent spider legs cut-out
e. transparent spider egg mass, insect egg mass cutouts
f. transparent wing cut-outs for butterfly, bug, fly, and beetle
Large color pictures of various arthropods
Word cards:
a. ARTHROPOD
b. SEGMENTED
c. METAMORPHOSIS
d. THORAX
e. ABDOMEN
f. ANTENNAE
Visual board, "ARTHROPODS IN MY BACKYARD" with pictures:
(visual board pictures are kept in a separate bag in the kit)
a. ANT
b. BEE
c. BEETLE
d. CATERPILLAR
e. EARWIG
f. FLY
g. GRASSHOPPER
h. LADYBUG
i. BUTTERFLY
j. SPIDER.
Soft-bodied, 3-dimensional parts for building a spider or insect
Plastic Models of different kinds of arthropods
Preserved arthropod specimens
Article on spiders (background)
Oak galls
Squiggly wiggly's surprise
Color treasury of insects
All color book of butterflies
Laminated posters (2)
Klutz: nastiest bugs in the backyard
Spiders, fangs and silk
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AMAZING ARTHROPODS
Update: Aug 2004
MP- 12 A (was NN-10)
OBJECTIVES:
Through this activity participants will be introduced to two kinds of arthropods, insects, and
spiders, as well as the special physical characteristics of insects and spiders.
SCIENCE THEMES:
Scale and structure
PROCESS SKILLS:
Comparing, relating, observing , categorizing
GRADE LEVELS:
K-3
NEW WORDS:
arthropod, segmented, thorax, abdomen, exoskeleton, antennae, cephalothorax, metamorphosis,
pedipalps, compound eye, grubs, maggot, pupae, nectar
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
When the moon will have faded out from the sky, and the sun shall shine at noonday a dull cherryred, and the seas shall be frozen over, and the ice-caps shall have crept downward to the equator from
either pole , and no keels shall cut the waters, nor wheels turn in the mills, when all cities shall have
long been dead and crumbled into dust, and all life shall be on the very last verge of extinction on this
globe,; then, on a bit of lichen, growing on the bald rocks beside the eternal snows of Panama, shall be
seated a tiny insect, preening its antennae in the glow of the worn-out sun, representing the sole survival
of animal life on this our earth, a melancholy ‘bug.’
W. J. Holland, The Moth Book, 1905.
The invertebrate animals known as arthropods are not only the most abundant animals on earth (80%
of known species, approx. 1.25 million) but they are also one of the most important groups of animals.
They include insects, crabs, barnacles, sowbugs, shrimps, spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes and
millipedes, as well as many more. Arthropods may destroy some plants but in general they assist in
maintaining a balance in nature. These “joint-footed” animals were first represented 500 million years
ago by the now extinct trilobite. Arthropods evolved from marine segmented worms. Fossils do not
reveal whether they evolved from different stocks or all from one group. Onychophorans, represented
by the many-legged, soft-bodied peripatus mainly of the Southern Hemisphere, are perhaps similar to
some ancestor.
The most worm-like arthropods are certain centipedes that consist of series of similar segments. In
other arthropods, groups of segments have become specialized. In insects, one group of segments
forms the head; another, the thorax; a third the abdomen.
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Two marine groups related to the arachnids are included in the subphylum, Chelicerata: horseshoe
crabs, which live only on the east coast of North America, and sea spiders, which are slow marine
creatures that feed on hydroids, anemones and other sea animals.
The word Arthropoda is made up of two words, arthro (jointed) and poda (foot), the same roots as
arthritis and podiatry. The animals in this group (phylum) all have external skeletons made up,
principally, of a noncellular covering (cuticle) composed largely of chitin, material similar to our
fingernails. Because the skeleton is on the outside of the body there must be joints to permit movement
of appendages and other parts of the body (segments). Arthropods can grow only by molting their
exoskeleton and growing into a larger one. Hormones control the splitting and shedding of a too small
exoskeleton. The animal crawls out of the old one, inflates the new one with fluid and/or air, usually
hides until the new exoskeleton hardens, from a few hours to days, and repeats this process until it
reaches the adult stage, four to eight times in insects. Other arthropods like lobsters, which can live 25
years or more, may continue to grow slowly and shed their exoskeletons as necessary throughout their
lifetime. Every single feature - every hair - is replicated in the new exoskeleton. All arthropod bodies
consist of three main parts: head, thorax and abdomen with some modifications. For example spiders
have a fused head and thorax.
The common arthropods are divided into groups called classes. Each class is made up of Order s,
which have many characteristics, common to one another. The number of legs, the presence or absence
of antennae (feelers), the number of body regions, and the shape of the body separate the classes from
one another. Arthropods with two or three body parts have ‘true legs’ attached to the thorax region.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
The adult insects are characterized by having three body regions, one pair of antennae (feelers), bitingchewing or piercing-sucking mouth parts, three pairs of legs, and usually two pairs of wings, although
Diptera (flies) appear to have one pair, and some insects, like fleas and silverfish have none.
Insects live in almost every conceivable habitat. In general, they may have complete metamorphosis,
developing from egg to lava, then to pupa and finally to adults; or they may have incomplete
metamorphosis, hatching out of the egg as small creatures resembling the adult except in size and
sometimes wings. Some insects are aquatic, breathing with gills until they reach the adult stage, then
become air breathers, like mayflies and dragonflies. Land breathing insects have spiracles, small holes
located along the abdomen. “Adult” is defined as being sexually mature and usually have wings and
can fly.
ANTS:
Ants (Order Hymenoptera) live in groups in underground tunnels. Each ant has a special
job to do for the group. There are many kinds of ants and they all eat many kinds of food.
Some ants eat plant matter, others eat other insects, and others eat our leftovers. The hardworking ants help us by cleaning up the environment and eating things left by others.
Remember how ants act at a family picnic.
INTERESTING FACT: An ant is so strong it can carry 50 times its weight. If a 70-pound
child could carry as much as an ant, he could lift and carry two grown men.
BEES:
Bees (Order Hymenoptera) also live in groups in a hive the interior is made out of wax.
We use this same wax for candles and waxing our floors and cars. Each bee in the hive
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has a special job to do. Worker bees (infertile females) collect nectar from flowers. They
also collect pollen from the flower and as the bee moves from flower to flower, she drops
some of this pollen in a new flower and this is what fertilizes the flower which in turn
produces fruit and seed. We also eat the honey that bees make from the nectar they
gather. The pollen left on the bee's legs is used to produce “bee bread.” Drones, fertile
males, impregnate the queen bee and then die.
INTERESTING FACT: Bees dance out messages for other bees when they have found a
new patch of flowers for nectar. The bee dance tells the bees the direction to go to find
the new flowers.
BEETLES: Are members of the Order Coleoptera and are the most successful Order of animals on
earth. Beetle species may number as high as 290,000 globally, approximately 28,600 are
found in the U. S. and 7,000 different species reside in California. By comparison, all of
the species of vertebrate animals--fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals--total
fewer than 44,000. At least three characteristics contribute to this unparalleled beetle
success. First, beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, progressing from a grub (larva)
to an adult winged form. These stages live in different places and eat different foods.
There are obvious advantages to living in different environments and eating different
foods. Certainly the earth could hold many more people if human children lived and
found food in the sea. Secondly, the front pair of the beetle's two sets of wings are
thickened into hard covers which fold back into an effective shield, protecting the soft
body beneath. Thus derives the technical name for the beetle Order Coleoptera that
means "sheath-winged." Most beetle species have kept their primitive mouth parts,
designed for chewing a variety of solid foods; others have mouths fit only for sipping
supplies of sap and nectar.
BUTTERFLIES: Adult butterflies (Order Lepidoptera) sip nectar and so spend most of their time around
flowers. They are very valuable to the environment in much the same way as bees. As
they gather nectar they also pick up pollen and transfer it from flower to flower. The
adults also add beauty and color to their surrounding environment.
Butterflies provide another benefit to the environment, the larvae (caterpillars) are an
abundant food source for a variety of animals. Caterpillars are one stage in complete
metamorphosis. The larvae that emerge from eggs are markedly different from the adult,
often live in different environments, and have different habits and food needs. The larvae
usually have chewing mouth parts, even though the adults may have siphoning or piercing
mouth parts. They lack their parents' compound eyes. They may possess additional pairs
of legs on the abdomen or they may lack legs altogether. Insect larvae have been given a
number of different names: those of the Diptera Order (flies) are usually called
MAGGOTS; beetle larvae are known as GRUBS; those of butterflies and moths are
called CATERPILLARS. But before any of them can become adults, they must pass
through an intermediate, resting stage called a PUPA
EARWIGS: Belong to the Order Dermaptera. An earwig has chewing mouth parts, movable forceps
on the tip of the abdomen and an incomplete metamorphosis. Adults are wingless, or have
rudimentary, leathery forewings. If winged, the hind wing is membranous and folded
when resting. Earwigs are nocturnal, resting in cool, dark damp crevices during the day.
Insects like the earwig thrived during the Jurassic period, 181 million years ago.
However, as with many other insects, because of their biodegradable body parts, few
fossils have been found.
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FLIES:
In their larval stage eat dead and decaying things, their Order is Diptera. Their scavenging
helps clean the environment . What would happen if all the animals and plants that died
were just left around, think of how that would smell and look. We see flies around
garbage and manure because that is where they lay their eggs.
INTERESTING FACT: Flies have suction cups on their feet. That is how they can stick
to walls and ceilings.
GRASSHOPPERS: Short-horned grasshoppers and locusts (Order Orthoptera) rub the inner side of the
leg, which has a scraper with 80 to 90 fine spines, across a thickened vein on the forewing
such as a violinist scrapes his bow across the strings. Their wings act as the resonators
much as does a violin's body. Katydids and snowy tree crickets are distinguished by their
elongated antennae. Their sound-making apparatus is a rough file at the base of each
forewing . Katydids’ hearing organs are located in the tibia of the front legs. The tree
cricket produces the most musical of insect sounds. "If moonlight could be heard," wrote
Nathaniel Hawthorne, "it would sound like that."
LADYBUGS: Ladybugs (or ladybird beetles) are not really "bugs," but are beetles - Coleoptera.
These members of the family Coccinellida are carnivorous, some species are great aphid
eaters. They help us by keeping plants free of garden insects and many gardeners buy
ladybugs to put in their gardens. Many species secrete an amber-colored liquid that is
very distasteful and sometimes toxic to predatory vertebrates.
INTERESTING FACT: When you see a ladybug fly, you will see the red and blackdotted back open up and two soft, transparent-like wings appear. When it lands, the soft
wings go back in under the hard outer ones and you see the spots again. Ladybugs migrate
in California. Here they live out the winter months hibernating in the Sierra foothills. In
the spring they will move to the Central Valley where they will mate, the females will lay
eggs and both males and females will die. In the fall, the mature offspring will migrate to
the Sierra foothills.
Class: Crustacea
The crustaceans are the arthropods containing some lime (Calcium carbonate) in the chitinous
exoskeletons which gives them their name, derived from Latin, meaning “crusty body coverings”.
They are characterized by five or more pairs of legs, two pairs of antennae (feelers), and usually two
body regions: a cephalothorax (head-chest) and an abdomen.
The adult barnacles are sessile (fixed) animals that do not readily show these characteristics. The crabs,
beach hoppers, crayfish, sowbugs, and shrimp are usually easily recognized as crustaceans. Their most
important habitats are found in fresh and salt waters. Most crustaceans are able to lose or amputate
their appendages (autonomy) and grow replacements.
Being aquatic, crustacea breath by means of gills, including the land forms, which are sowbugs and
pillbugs. Amphipods, such as the “beach fleas” scavenge on decaying seaweed and are flattened
laterally (side to side). They usually have longer legs in the rear (hence the name, amphipod, both-feet)
which help the beach fleas “jump”.
Order: Isopods which are flattened dorso-ventrally (top to bottom), are also mainly aquatic, but both
pillbugs, which can roll up into a ball with their legs inside, and sowbugs, which fold only into a “U”
shape with their legs sticking out the sides, are scavengers found in damp places on land. All their legs
are about the same length, hence the name iso-pod (same feet).
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Both amphipods and isopods, like most crustaceans, have a body divided into a cephalothorax (headchest) and an abdomen. Examine a pillbug or sowbug. The head segment is fused to a distinct thorax
of seven segments with a pair of legs attached to each segment. Then the abdomen consists of several
segments fused tightly together.
Order: Decapod animals lack a “crusty” exoskeleton or carapace. They are 10 legged (5 pairs of legs)
and include shrimp, crayfish, lobsters, and crabs. All of this group of crustaceans have a carapace
covering their thorax, all except the crabs have well developed abdomens, and most have one or two
large claws on the first pair of legs. Most of the decapods are carnivores or scavengers.
Barnacles are also crustacea. Like most of this class, they have free-swimming larvae. But the adults
are fixed in place on rocks, seaweeds, and even whales. They resemble shrimp glued by the backs of
their neck to the inside of the six plates they secrete around their soft body. They feed by waving their
hairy legs up through the top of their protective shells, capturing minute zooplankton, and licking off
these food particles. Most barnacles are hermaphrodite, contain both male and female sex organs, but
are not self fertilizing.
Miscellaneous There are several other groups of small crustacea including fairy shrimp and brine
shrimp, Daphnia (water fleas) and the one-eyed copepods, all with the identifying crustacean
characteristics, whatever their size.
Class: Arachnidae
The arachnids, the word means “spider”, include spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions, and similar animals.
They are characterized by four pairs of walking legs, no antennae (feelers) and two body regions
(cephalothorax and abdomen) except for ticks, mites and harvestmen which have the cephanlothorax
fused to the abdomen. Many posses poison glands and “fangs” with which they kill insects and other
small animals for food. To feed they inject venom into their prey, wait for the insides to liquify and
then suck out the fluids. Most kinds of spiders are not dangerous to man and do much to control
certain insect pests such as flies, moths, and grasshoppers. Scorpions have a large pair of pincer-like
claws to hold their prey and a stinger at the tip of their tail-like abdomens. The harvestmen (also called
daddy-longlegs) have a single compact body region and very long, thin, jointed legs and chewing
mouth parts. Mites are parasites of both plants and animals, while ticks feed on the blood of reptiles,
birds, and mammals.
Spiders have six pairs of appendages, the first pair, chelicerae, form the fangs, which are hollow to
permit venom to be injected into the prey. The second, the pedipalps, are usually small and help
manipulate the prey. All arachnids have four pairs of walking legs except the newly hatched young of
ticks and mites, which have three pairs until after their first molt.
Arachnids number some 50,000 described species with new species still being discovered. In fact,
spiders are still one of the least understood and described Order of all animals. Just in the amount of
insects they consume, spiders are very valuable to the environment; they are all carnivorous. Most
spiders produce silk from abdominal glands, but some mites from their mouths, and most spin it into
webs to catch their prey. Poison is excreted through modified mouth parts chelicerae. They live where
insects live which is usually around gardens and plants.
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Most spider species have eight eyes in two or three rows at the front of the cephalothorax (head).
Spiders usually have eight legs and are very fast, light and fragile. All spiders produce silk, but not all
spin webs, some create a den of silk, or use a silk thread as a safety line, the egg sacs are usually silk.
INTERESTING FACT: Some web making spiders create sticky strands, other strands will not be
sticky. The spider knows which strands it can walk on without getting stuck in its own web. Spiders do
not have internal methods for breaking down solid food so digestion is external. After injecting its
victim with digestive juice, the spider may wrap the trapped insect up in a case of silk waiting for its
victim to become edible.
Spiders and a few of their relatives have silk glands, which secrete fluids that are spun into silk by
spinnerets (glands at the tip of the abdomen.) The silk has many uses: capture of prey, making homes
(webs), lining of burrows, draglines for travel or “ballooning”, and construction of egg sacs The
strands may be sticky if used to trap insects or simple silk if used as a dragline or other kind of web.
The webs may be sheets, funnels, tunnel liners in soil, or orbs. Usually, the more complex the web, the
more highly evolved the spider. Spiders can be identified by their webs. All spiders are predaceous.
Several groups of arachnids resemble scorpions but are quite harmless. Of the 40 plus species of true
scorpions in the United States, only two have a possibly fatal sting, and both occur only in Arizona.
The stinger is a bulb-like device at the end of the abdomen, the venom usually being quite painful but
not fatal.
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Ticks and mites rival the insect class by their huge number of species and habitats. Many are parasites.
The free-living species may be predaceous, herbaceous, or scavengers. Many ticks carry disease
organisms that they pick up from the blood of one host species and inject into another host species.
They require several blood meals, chiefly from mammals, birds, or reptiles. (One alligator lizard had
about 20 ticks attached to the soft fold of skin on each side of its neck.)
Mites are usually very small, barely visible, and often parasitic. Almost any species of animal can be
infected with mites, even aquatic invertebrates. Mites also cause serious damage to plants by sucking
the plant fluids. Gall mites cause small galls to form on leaves or buds, injuring the plant. “Chiggers”
are the first instar (stage of development) of mites that cause considerable irritation and itching in
humans, especially in eastern United States. Mites also damage cheese, dried meats, flour, and seeds.
The spider mites, common in the Bay Area, look like tiny red dots on leaves of plants, where they
cause considerable damage.
Class: Chilopoda
Chilopoda (“lip-foot”, the fangs being modified legs) are the worm-like arthropods that have two body
regions (head and abdomen) and one pair of antennae. There is also one pair of legs accessory to the
mouth that are modified as poison claws and one pair of legs to each body segment that are flattened
dorso-ventrally (top to bottom). They are called centipedes. The centipedes play a part in nature as
predators on ground insects. Their bite is not considered to be serious but it is very painful.
Centipedes (100 legs) actually have 15 or more pairs of legs. Being predaceous, they move very fast to
capture their prey: insects, spiders and other small animals; biting them and injecting a paralyzing
venom. They usually hide under bark, in rotten logs and under rocks. The smaller ones around the Bay
Area are harmless to humans. But in the tropics, centipedes may reach 6 to 12 inches and inflict a very
painful bite.
Class: Diplopoda
Diplopoda (two or double feet) are the worm-like arthropods which are most easily recognized by their
rounded, elongated bodies, and their two pairs of legs on each body segment. They travel relatively
slowly, and when disturbed often roll up in a spiral or give off an odoriferous secretion. The gas
emitted is poisonous to some kinds of arthropods. Millipedes have no poisonous claws as do their
relatives, the centipedes, and they feed mainly on dead vegetable matter. They are probably more
beneficial than harmful because of their burrowing habits in the soil (litter).
Most millipedes (thousand legs) have 30 or more pairs of legs. They actually have one pair of legs per
segment, but the segments are fused together in pairs so it gives the appearance of two pairs of legs per
segment. They are mainly scavengers, hence have no need to move rapidly. They are usually found in
damp places, in the soil or under leaves and stones where vegetation is rotting. Their defense usually
consists of coiling up and giving off a foul odor into the face of an attacking bird or skunk or other
predator. The gas is ejected as two compounds from two separate glands, and combines in a chamber
at the posterior end of the animal. When the two compounds combine, they form a gas similar to
cyanide gas.
Most millipedes are a dull brown color, but the redwood millipede species is a shiny black, striped in
yellow and white, advertising its noxious qualities. It also moves fairly rapidly in plain sight.
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Other Arthropods not discussed here include:
Horseshoe crabs
Sea spiders
Extinct trilobites.
Source:
Editors:
Dr. Diane Conradson
Dr. Ros Edmonds & Karen Meisenheimer
Additional Facts To Ponder and Fling About:
Arthropoda — invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton found in all environments and
comprising approximately 80% of the total animal species on earth.
1998
Chitin — this is what the exoskeleton is made of and consists of a protein similar to that found
in fingernails.
Hemolymph — the blood of most insects, it’s green-yellow and like hemoglobin transports oxygen to
the animals’ cells.
Arachnids — spiders have two main body parts, the head and thorax are fused to form a
cephalothorax with eight legs and an abdomen. All spiders inject poison in to their
prey. The fluid they inject in to the victim liquefies its insides so they can
suck up their food.
Spiders have no chewing mouth parts.
Daddy Long Legs — these animals are not spiders, but are closely related. They belong to a group
called Phalangida. These shy and fragile arthropods have chewing
mouth parts.
Ancient Earth Dwellers — there is evidence of arthropods on earth as long ago as the Silurian
Period, about 400 million years ago.
Jerusalem Cricket, Potato Bug (Old Bald-headed Man) — these harmless insects are not crickets,
they belong to the family Stenopelmatidae. They are nocturnal, staying underground during the day
hours, and feed on roots and tubers.
ACTIVITY: TIME: 20 minutes (could easily be longer)
After discovering the term "arthropod" simply means an animal that has jointed legs and an outside
(exo) skeleton, we realize we know many arthropods, see them daily, and even have some pretty
strong feelings about most of our neighborhood arthropods.
The purpose of the Arthropod kit is to encourage children to discover the great variety of arthropods
that exist with us in our neighborhood environments. With the first acquaintance made through
pictures and graphics, both the teacher and children are more ready to step outside to discover the
whole world of arthropods. Collecting, watching and learning more about spiders and insects can
become a year-long activity and leads very easily from the introduction made in this kit.
SUGGESTED COMPANION ACTIVITIES: "Backyard Soil” or “Crustaceans Are Cute – Who
Are Sam & Pat?”
PREPARATION:
1. The teacher should pre-divide larger group into smaller groups of 8 or 10
participants.
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Place ARTHROPOD BUILDING BOARD or THREE – DIMENSIONAL SOFT
BODIED ARTHROPOD MODELS in center of group (flat on a table or floor) so all
can see and reach it.
3. Have transparencies ready to use. Or, use soft-bodied Models in the same manner.
Includes: butterfly wings, beetle wings (yellow, hard outer, white, soft inner wings),
spider.
4. Have visual board entitled, "ARTHROPODS IN MY BACKYARD" ready to use.
5. Also have arthropod pictures available to use.
6. You can choose the flat or 3-Dimensional Models. Make adjustments as needed for
the 3-D version. Begin with the 3-D version in separate pieces.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
1. Arthropod is the name of an animal group with an exoskeleton.
2. Spiders and insects are two different kinds of arthropods.
3. There are many types of interesting arthropods living in our neighborhoods.
DO: Have available a word card reading ARTHROPOD.
SAY: Let's say ARTHROPOD.
ASK: There are many kinds of ARTHROPODS. We are going to talk about two of them.
They are SPIDERS and INSECTS. Can you name or describe some spiders or insects.
SAY: SPIDERS and INSECTS are the kinds of ARTHROPODS that live in our backyards.
DO: Have available ARTHROPOD BUILDING BOARD, BODY CUT-OUT SHAPES,
TRANSPARENT BODY PARTS. Or, use the soft bodied, 3-dimensional Models.
SAY: Let's build an INSECT and a SPIDER ARTHROPOD and find out what makes them
different from dogs and cats, or birds or fish.
DO: Show INSECT BODY and SPIDER BODY CUT-OUTS (or 3-D Models).
ASK: Which body is an INSECT BODY?
ASK: How many parts does it have? All insects have 3 basic body parts, head, thorax and
abdomen. Show students the 3 body parts of the 3-D insect model.
DO: Show SPIDER BODY CUT-OUT or 3-D Model of the Spider. Have students discover
the two body parts.
ASK Whose body do you think this is?
ASK: How many parts does it have?
RESPONSE: Spiders have 2 parts (a head and fused thorax/abdomen-cephalothorax.)
DO: Show INSECT LEGS transparency, and SPIDER LEGS transparency,. Or use the 3-D
soft-bodied spider and insect models.
DO: Have a participant choose the cut-out that shows SIX LEGS or show the 3-D insect
legs.
ASK: Which ARTHROPOD do you think has SIX LEGS?
RESPONSE: The insect.
DO: Participants add LEGS TRANSPARENCY over the INSECT BODY, or attach 3 pairs
of legs to 3-D Insect Model.
ASK: How many PAIRS of legs do INSECTS have?
RESPONSE: Three pairs of legs.
DO: Show SPIDER LEGS transparency, or the 8 legs of the 3-D Model.
ASK: Whose legs are these?
RESPONSE: SPIDER LEGS
2.
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DO:
ASK:
RESPONSE:
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DISCUSS:
RESPONSE:
Participants add LEGS, either transparency or attach 3-D spider legs’ unit over the
SPIDER BODY.
How many legs does a SPIDER have?
A SPIDER has eight legs.
How many PAIRS of legs do spiders have
Four PAIRS of legs
What do you see that is the same about both of these ARTHROPOD LEGS?
They are jointed, they have more than we do, etc.
Show INSECT HEAD transparency or 3-D model. A student can attach the antennae.
Point to the ANTENNAE on the INSECT HEAD.
What are these on the INSECT'S HEAD?
They are antennae.
Hold your pointer finger, and the finger next to it and move them like antennae.
Have participants to move their fingers like antennae.
Why do insects move their ANTENNAE?
To smell for food, to smell for enemies, to smell the trail home, etc.
Help participant add the INSECT HEAD transparency, over INSECT BODY on board
or use the 3-D Models of the insect head and have a student attach it to the body.
Point to SPIDER'S HEAD (either version).
(NOTE: Spiders do not have a separate head like insects do. Their front part is called a
cephalothorax of which the head is a part. The head of the spider is already on the
BOARD attached to the SPIDER LEGS transparency.
Do spiders have antennae?
No, spiders do not have antennae.
Have available LARGE COLOR PICTURES or preserved specimens of various
insects that have wings.
Show a picture or preserved specimen.
What kind of insect is this? Continue with a variety of specimens.
As each arthropod is named, lay the picture or specimen flat on the table or floor so all
can see it.
Most INSECTS have one more body part we have not talked about yet.
Show one set of wings (either version).
What is this body part?
Wings.
What does the INSECT use its wings for?
To fly from place to place, to get food, to mate, to evade predators, etc.
Place a pair of transparent WING cut-outs over one of the color pictures of INSECTS,
or have participant add wings to the 3-D insect Models.
The different kinds of wings in each type of insect.
Encourage discussion of wings of three or four types of insects. (Use preserved
specimens or color photos to illustrate certain types.
(NOTE: The BUTTERFLY has two pairs of wings, each separate from the other and
easily seen. The FLY is an insect with just one pair of wings. The BEETLE has one
pair of soft underwings covered over by a pair of hard outer wings. The BUG (not all
insects are bugs!) has two pairs of wings, one of which is soft, and the other pair that
partially cover over the soft pair. Not all insects have wings.)
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Amazing Arthropods
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DO:
Have available INSECT EGG MASS transparency and SPIDER EGG MASS
transparency,.
ASK: Do you think SPIDERS AND INSECTS HAVE BABIES?
RESPONSE: Yes, they do
SAY: SPIDERS and INSECTS lay eggs like birds do to have babies. But SPIDERS and
INSECTS lay hundreds of eggs at a time
DO: Show INSECT EGG MASS.
SAY: INSECT moms lay their eggs in many places. They lay their eggs where the babies will
hatch out and have something to eat right away.
DO: Pin INSECT EGG MASS on BOARD near INSECT BODY.
SAY: SPIDER moms also lay their eggs in many places, but they do something even more to
their eggs. SPIDER moms spin a silk bag around their eggs and then, if they need to
they can move the eggs. The silk bag keeps the babies safe.
DO: Pin SPIDER EGG MASS on BOARD near SPIDER BODY.
DISCUSS: Places where participants have seen SPIDER EGG SACKS in their neighborhoods.
DO: Have available PICTURES of INSECTS and SPIDERS for visual board entitled,
"ARTHROPODS IN MY BACKYARD."
IF YOU HAVE TIME:
DO: Hand each participant a picture of an insect or spider that attaches to the visual.
ASK: (Each participant one by one) What is the name of your ARTHROPOD?
ASK: (Each participant one by one) What can you tell us about how it looks?
ASK: (Each participant one by one) What can you tell us about what he eats?
ASK: (Each participant one by one) What can you tell us about where he spends his time in
your neighborhood?
ASK: (Each participant one by one) What good things do you think he does for our
environment?
DO: After each participant finishes telling about his ARTHROPOD, it can be attached to
where he thinks it would be found.
OR, IF TIME IS LIMITED, GIVE EACH STUDENT A TURN PUTTING THEIR ANIMAL WHERE
THEY THINK IT WOULD BE FOUND IN THE BACKYARD
NOTE: The leader may have to help the participants tell about their arthropod, particularly how they
are beneficial to the environment.
When you are packing up make sure the legs are reattached to the spider’s body. This
prevents the Velcro from catching on other fragile fabrics.
RESOURCES:
INSECTS DO THE STRANGEST THINGS, Leonora and Arthur Hornblow, Random House, New
York, 1968
SPIDERS, Lillian Bason, National Geographic Society, Books for Young Explorers, 1974
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE SPIDERS, Sandra Markle, Bradbury Press, New York, 1994
EYEWITNESS BOOKS: INSECTS, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1990
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Amazing Arthropods
MP- 12 A (was NN-10)
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THE BIG BUG BOOK, Margery Focklam, Little Brown and Co., 1994
MINIBEASTS, Insects: Amazingly Adapted and Adaptable; San Francisco Insect Zoo
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Amazing Arthropods
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