Catrina Schworak
Grade Level: 5th grade
Content Area: Biology
Title of Unit: Insects in the Real World
Learning Goal: The goal of this unit will be to give students background knowledge
about different types of insects and their lifestyles. Students are by nature either
interested in insects or afraid of insects. I hope to give each student some insight
about insects and what they do of our world and what they do in our world.
Technology Standards:
1. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking,
construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes
using technology.
 Students create original works as a means of group expression.
 Students apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas,
products, or processes.
2. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and
environments to communicate and work collaboratively, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
 Students interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts,
or others employing a variety of digital environments and
media.
3. Critical thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use
critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects,
solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and recourses.
 Students plan and manage activities to develop a solution or
complete a project.
Technology Integrated:
1. Students will view videos
2. Students will take video or digital images of their own work and analyze
them
3. Students conduct research online
4. Students learn by using interactive web recourses (educational games)
5. Students give presentation using power point
Recourses:
1. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5867193301785656504# : Life
Cycles of Insects
Bus
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYawa4piO4k : Icky Insects by Silly
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrsOjxYJuuA : Insect Marco
Photography Video
4. http://www.pestworldforkids.org/games.html :Pestworld games
5. http://www.terminix.com/Information/teachers/larva.aspx : Word search
games
6. Access to computers
7. Access to cameras or video recorders
8. Note cards
9. Poster boards
10. Markers, pens, and art supplies
Unit Outline:
Day one:
 I will ask students to name as many insects as they can, while I list them on
the white board.
 Then ask students to categorize them by families (webbing)
 I will than ask students to label the three main body parts
 I will ask students what each insect does
 I will ask what insects look like (colors, size, features, ext.)
 I will than play videos for students that explain what a few insects are and
what they do.
 I will have students journal what they thought was most interesting today
and what insect they liked most and why.
Day two:
 I will ask students to tell me their favorite insect thus far, while I list them on
the white board, and ask why.
 I will go over how to use a camera or video recorder and the proper way to
hold and use the devices.
 I will split class into groups of 3 and have them brain storm insects they can
find in our community
 I will explain to them that tomorrow they will be using cameras or video
recorders outside on school property to capture images of insects they find.
 Have each group read and sign the rules and regulations of the technology
equipment.
 Allow students to look up insects on-line that might be found in their
community.
 I will have students journal what insects they might find outside tomorrow
or what they hope to find and why.
Day three:
 I check to see that each student has signed the Rules and Regulations
Handout

Ask students to share examples of proper ways to handle the technology
equipment (refresh their memorizes)
 Have the groups decide if they want to use cameras, video recorders, or both.
 Have students come check out one of the devices
 Once all groups have equipment we will all go outside
 Allow students 45 min. to look around for different insects or switch devices
if the groups would like to use both.
 I will walk around checking to see that all groups are handling equipment
correctly and sharing with one another.
 After 45 min. students will come inside and get hook-up cords from me to
connect devices to the computers.
 Once students have computers up and cords plugged in, I will model how to
get images from devices to computers and how to save them.
 I will walk around and make sure all students have images saved to the
computer
Day four:
 Now that students have images of insects they found saved to the computer,
have them look on-line to identify what insects they have found.
 Give them a handout that asks certain questions they need to find-out about
their insects. Ex.: Name, size, colors, habitats, food they eat, what they do for
the community, ext.
 Once students think they have figured out kind of insects they found, have
them play the educational games on-line about their insects.
 Have students journal information they find about the insects
 Allow students free time to look-up other insects they would find in different
parts of the world and journal information about those insects and why they
were interested in them.
 Allow students to play educational games about those insects.
Day five:
 Tell students that they will be making a power point to share with the class
about the insects they found outside. And they can include other insects their
researched on-line.
 Give out a handout that explains what is expected to be included in power
point. Ex.: 5 images, names of insects, where the insect lives, and what the
insect does, how it helps in the community. Ext.
 Allow groups to brainstorm what insects they want to include in their power
point, how they want to present their power point, and what information
they think should be included in the power point.
 Allow students more time to look-up information on-line they need to create
their power point.
 I will handout a step-by-step process to creating a power point.
 I will model how to create a basic power point, how to add images and text,
to add a new slide, and how to create special effects
 I will walk around to help groups as work on power points.

At end of work session, I will model how to save the power point on
computer.
 Have students journal what they have learned about making a power point
and if they felt it was easy or hard
Day six:
 Give students more time to work on power points
 Give students the option on creating another visual such as a poster if they
have completed their power point.
 Give groups time to decide how they will present and who will talk about
what. I will make sure class understands each student must present in some
way during presentation.
Day seven:
 Students will present
 Each student will write on note cards at least one good feed back for each
group to give to the group at the end of class.
 Have students journal what they learned in class, what though most
interesting, and if their was anything they would have changed or added to
the presentation and why.