Insect Lab
Crickets in the Classroom
First Grade
Introduction:
Did you know that there are several different kinds of “bugs” but only certain “bugs” can
be called insects? Is a spider an insect? What about a slug or a snail? How do
insects move from place to place? How does an insect see, hear, or taste the world
around it? Today we will find answers to these questions.
We are going to be a special kind of scientist called an Entomologist. An entomologist
is a scientist that studies insects.
Insects are bugs that have 6 legs and 3 body parts called the head, thorax, and
abdomen. They might have wings and antennae but they don’t have to have these
parts to be an insect.
Did you know that insects are even in the Bible? In Proverbs 6:6-8 is says, “Go to the
ant, consider her ways and be wise.” What do you think this means? “For we are
God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the
good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 “Doing wrong is fun for a fool,
while wise conduct is a pleasure to the wise.” Proverbs 10:23
What are some facts we know about crickets?
Using the diagram attached make an insect on the board from bulletin board paper.
Label the three parts, what we know, what we want to learn and what we learned.
Brainstorm the answers with the children and complete each section.
What is a cricket?
A cricket is an insect. Insects have three main body parts, six legs and antennae. A
cricket has two pair of legs that it can walk with and the last pair is longer for jumping.
Unlike its cousin, the grasshopper, it tends to be dark brown or black. Crickets also tend
to be more active at night, although, may be seen during the day. Some males like to
call from burrows which they defend, while other males and females move from one
place to another. Other features include; exoskeleton, ears on front legs, laying eggs
one at a time, breathing through spiracles, they do not fly, and they eat insects, plants,
and apples.
How do you distinguish between males and females?
One way to identify the sex of a cricket is to look for a long structure coming out of the
tail. This structure is the ovipositor that is used by the female to push eggs into the
ground while laying her eggs. Another way is to look at the wings; female wings are
smooth with the wing veins running straight down the back. A look at male wings
reveals a wrinkled effect. There are ridges on the wings that form a scraper and a file.
When the wings are rubbed together at high speeds a species specific song is produced.
Only females can be seen pushing their ovipositor into the soil. Only males sing and
fight. Males also defend territory around their burrow. A male calls for two reasons. One
is to call in females who are flying around searching for males. Another reason males
call is to signal other males to stay away from his territory. Show the female cricket card
from Abeka.
What kind of life cycle?
The cricket has incomplete metamorphosis. This means that when the tiny nymph (baby
cricket) hatches from the egg, it already looks like a cricket. It does not have wings yet,
but its body structure is very similar to the adult, only smaller. The cricket does not
make a chrysalis. Show life cycle cards from Abeka.
How do you determine whether or not a cricket is an adult cricket?
The best way is to look for wings, only adult crickets have fully grown out wings. Male
and female behavior is also different.
Activity One – Identification
Items Needed: blank diagrams of the cricket, 6 in rulers, crickets in individual Petri
dishes, magnifying glasses and pencils
Procedure: Using the diagram, label the parts of the cricket, measure the length of one
cricket, and then answer the questions below.
1. Is the cricket an adult or immature? _____________
2. Is the cricket a male or a female? __________________
3. How many legs does the cricket have? ___________
Activity Two -Light and Dark Experiment
Items Needed:
Four clear Sterlite tubs, paper half white/half black cut to fit on the bottom of the boxes,
crickets in Petri dishes
Procedure:
If using a larger cricket in a plastic box with half the bottom covered in black paper and
half in white, place the cricket in the middle of the box with the Petri dish over it.
Carefully remove the Petri dish and replace the top of the box back on. Watch for one
minute intervals and record what side the cricket preferred by placing a tally mark next
to the side selected. Repeat this experiment five times.
Name _________________________
Group _______________
Tally Chart
Cricket Light Preference
Side
Tally
Total
Preferred
Light
Dark
Bar Graph
Cricket Light Preference
Light
Dark
The cricket preferred the
_______________ side.
Activity Three - Recording Crickets behavior
Items Needed: crickets in containers, measuring device, pencils, fishing line
Pick a particular cricket in the observation container and watch it for five minutes.
Record behaviors that you see the cricket doing.
1. How does it move?
2. Is there a behavior that only females do?
3. Is there a behavior that only males do?
4. What happens when you stroke the antennae with fishing line?
5. What happens when you stroke the abdomen?
6. How does it eat?
7. What does it do with its antennae?
8. How does it sing?
Activity Four:
1. Tape a six foot piece of masking tape on the floor. Draw a line each two feet.
Have the students jump like a cricket jumps, every two feet.
2. Feed the crickets to Spike, the lizards, or the frogs.
3. Have a cricket for a pet raffle. Draw names to find out who gets the male cricket.
Provide a care sheet and an experiment sheet to the winner.
Bibliography
Insects by Friends at the Mailbox
www.cricketsintheclassroom.com
Abeka insect classification cards
Parents,
We use the Scientific Method in Explore Lab. Ask the students
guided questions that enable them to think and explore.
The Scientific Method
1. Ask a question
2. Gather information through observation
3. Make an educated guess or hypothesis about the answer to your
question
4. Design an experiment
5. Evaluate the results