|
12.08.2009
Collect and categorize different species of bugs, beetles and other insects. Watch and study the insects and how they adapt to moving in the racecourse. Practise measuring time during the races. Learn to talk about sizes, shapes, numbers and sequences (for example bigger/smaller, longer/shorter, thin, round, heavier/lighter, etc.)
Grade: Kindergarten to Grade 2.
Purpose
The pupils will:
Collect and categorize different species of bugs, beetles and other insects.
Watch and study the insects and how they adapt to moving in the racecourse.
Practise measuring time during the races.
Learn to talk about sizes, shapes, numbers and sequences (for example bigger/smaller, longer/shorter, thin, round, heavier/lighter, etc.)
Preparations
You shoud produce a circular racecourse with a diameter of between 50 & 60 cm. The racecourse can be cut from a board of cardboard, linoleum something similar - but should be made from relatively thick (1 cm +) durable material.
You shoud produce a circular racecourse with a diameter of between 50 & 60 cm. The racecourse can be cut from a board of cardboard, linoleum something similar - but should be made from relatively thick (1 cm +) durable material.
The racecourse must be white, so you might have to paint the board. The centre of the board marks the starting position of the small insects that are to race. Draw a circle with a radius of 6 to 7 cm around the centre of the board, and then paint this circle another colour.
The perimeter of the circle must be painted with a 1 cm thick coloured line. This is the goal of the course. You can also choose to mark the halfway point with a thinly drawn line.
Let the pupils help with the measuring of the board - they'll have great fun! They should use needles, thread and a pencil to mark the starting point and the goal area. You should do the cutting yourself, as you have to use a sharp knife.
Preparations in the forest
You can choose to catch the insects by hunting or by using traps.
You can choose to catch the insects by hunting or by using traps.
If you want to go hunting, then separate the pupils in pairs. Each pair gets a metal spoon and a glass container (such as a jam jar). The spoons are not for digging but should be used by the pupils in their search for insects in the forest bed. Tell the pupils that they should avoid getting earth or other things than the insects into the glass containers.
The small racing insects are most readily found beneath stones, branches or leaves on the forest bed and underneath the bark of old treetrunks. Please remember to replace the stones and pieces of wood after you have been searching for insects. Prevent the pupils from dissembling human built stonewalls!
Falltraps: If the pupils want to catch the insects with the aid of traps (submerged glass containers), then you have to set these traps on the day previous to the race. Try placing traps in different types of forests.
Remember you may need to obtain a permit to dig in the forest bed.
It will of course be best if the pupils can set the traps themselves. It is important that the rim of the glass container is exactly level with the forest bed (see drawing):
Compress the earth lightly around the rim of the glass container and avoid too much earth getting into the container. In order to prevent rainwater draining into the container (and drowning the insects) you can build a simple roof by using a board and four 3 to 4 cm tall supporting pillars.
Potato-traps:
The pupils could also make potato-traps. Some big potatoes are cut in halves and subsequently hollowed with a metal spoon or likewise. In the top half you should cut two entrance holes with a knife, and then you rejoin the potato with two 7-inch nails. The potato should then be placed at a selected place in the forest with the entrance holes placed at ground level.
Experience has shown that falltraps yields the best results.
Important: remember to clearly mark the location of the traps, so that you can easily find them again. The traps must be emptied on the day following their placement so that the insects do not perish.
What to bring
-
A circular racecourse.
-
Stop watches, preferably one per group of pupils. Digital watches will be easier to read, but normal stop watches can also be used. Train the pupils in the use of the watches before you go to the forest.
-
Falltraps: Jam glasses with holes punched through the lid (so that the insects can breathe), timber-board for roofs over the lids and large metal spoons (small shovels) for the digging of the holes.
-
Potato traps: Big potatoes, metal spoon, knife and long nails.
-
Insect hunting: Metal spoons and glass containers (alternatively you can use plastic containers). Remember to punch breathing holes through the lids of the containers.
-
Deep white trays, one per group of pupils and 6 to 8 extra trays in reserve.
-
Identification sheets with the names of small insects in the forest (see pdf files below).
-
Sourcebook(s) on smaller animals and insects of the forest.
-
Pencils and paper.
-
Reference sheet for the race: list the races in the columns (race 1, race 2, race 3 and so on) and the groups (group 1, group 2 and so on) of pupils in the rows. In every box you can then write which insect raced and who the "owner" was. You could possibly also write the name of the insect (the rocket, the cruel centipede, the killer snail, etc.) and of course also the time in which the race was finished.
How long should this activity take?
This activity should take about two lessons (including the capture of the insects) and two visits to the forest, if you want to set traps. The race itself takes one lesson.
This activity should take about two lessons (including the capture of the insects) and two visits to the forest, if you want to set traps. The race itself takes one lesson.
How to do it
The pupils should be split into small groups to catch the unsuspecting insects (alternatively they could set their clever traps in the forest). Set a specific time for this exercise. They should be told to look for "turbo-insects", but you don't have to specify this further! Each group should catch at least one insect per pupil preferably more.
The pupils should be split into small groups to catch the unsuspecting insects (alternatively they could set their clever traps in the forest). Set a specific time for this exercise. They should be told to look for "turbo-insects", but you don't have to specify this further! Each group should catch at least one insect per pupil preferably more.
When the pupils return you'll all look at the insects together and sort them into groups. You could for example sort them according to expected speed. The slow ones should be in one group, the medium-speed in another group and the fast ones in the last group.
The pupils should then split the insects between them, so that each pupil has one insect. Surplus insects should not be set free just yet, but kept in reserve. The surplus ones are likely to be the slowest of them all, and can thus also serve as examples for description of slower insects. Ask the pupils to describe the differences between the different groups of insects.
It is important that the pupils get the opportunity to explain how they sorted the insects and why they chose to sort them as they did. They should be encouraged to describe the insects, and why they think that some will be faster than others.
The pupils should also describe: where they found the different insects, what they think the insects eat and maybe also give their chosen insect a name. Use the indentification sheets below which can be downloaded as pdf files.
 |
|
|
| ID Sheet 2 | ID Sheet 3 |
The race!
The race itself is held in the forest. A pupil from each group races his/her insect against an insect from each of the other groups.
The insects that should race are each placed on the starting position in a glass container placed "bottom-up" in the centre of the course. When all are ready the pupils will say "Ready, steady, GO" and one will lift the glass. The "owner" of the insect will handle the stop-watch and follow the insect visually. Each "owner" must be able to recognise his/her group's insect, even though several examples of each species may take part in the same race.
Pupils will stop the stopwatches when their insect reaches the goal in the perimeter of the circle. The time (in seconds) is referred to another pupil, who will note the timing of all insects in the group on the notesheet that has been prepared for the event (see above).
The winner can be the insect that passed the racecourse in the shortest time. Alternatively the winner can be the insect that won all its races - including the final race!
If you want to end with a final race, then you have to catch the winners of each separate race, while the losers are set free. Note whether the insects are as fast in the finals as they were in the original race.
You could also determine which group had the fastest insects in total - for example as measured by the total timing for all races. Do the calculation in seconds, and you could use a pocket calculator.
When you're back on the school premises you can calculate the results in minutes and seconds on the chalkboard.
After all the competitions are over the pupils should release the insects carefully.
On your return to the school you could prepare a diagram depicting the results of the races including names of the insects, groups, timings and so on.
Background
This is normally a very exciting activity that will engage all the pupils. There are good opportunities for all pupils to express their experiences from the race in spoken language - both during the sorting of the insects and during the description of the insect by the pupils.
This is normally a very exciting activity that will engage all the pupils. There are good opportunities for all pupils to express their experiences from the race in spoken language - both during the sorting of the insects and during the description of the insect by the pupils.
The speed of the insects
Many of the predators are adapted to active hunting of prey. Some can move fast on the forest bed (Ground Beetle, Hunting Spider). Others have a flat body (Centipede), so that they can squeeze underneath bark and stones to get to their prey.
Many of the predators are adapted to active hunting of prey. Some can move fast on the forest bed (Ground Beetle, Hunting Spider). Others have a flat body (Centipede), so that they can squeeze underneath bark and stones to get to their prey.
Prey like Millipede and Woodlouse move relatively slower - note the coordination of the legs of the Millipede.
Even though an insect has adapted to fast movement across the forest bed, it doesn't necessarily win the race. Experience how the race develops yourself - and see who the little winner might be?
