Buggy About Bugs!

Use these questions to check students’ understanding and stimulate discussion:

1.  Did Dr. Sammy always like bugs?
(No. When he was 7, he was scared of bugs.)

2. What helped Sammy start to like bugs?
(He read books about bugs at the library.)

3. What did Sammy grow up to be?
(an insect scientist )

4. Which insect in the issue is your favorite? Why?
(Answers will vary.)

 Go online to print or project the Reading Checkpoint.

Materials: clipboards; pencils, copies of the skill sheet (optional: hand lenses)

Overview: Like Dr. Sammy, students will observe an insect in nature and record their findings. (Alternative: observe a leaf or other item from nature, or use insect photos indoors.)

Directions:

1. Before you leave the classroom, tell students that scientists like Dr. Sammy observe insects to learn about them. Scientists write or draw to record what they observe.
2. Give each child a clipboard, skill sheet, and pencil. Head outside.
3. Look for insects in bushes, on trees, or under logs or rocks, where possible. What kinds of insects do you see? What colors are they? What are they doing? How do they move? Are they alone or in groups?
4. To model scientific thinking use statements beginning with “I notice” and “I wonder.”
5. Have students record their observations on the skill sheet. Back in the classroom, they can share what they observed with each other, like scientists do!