How to Use Live Insects in the Classroom

Using live insects in the classroom helps children learn.

Butterflies, ants, flies, caterpillars and crickets grab any student's attention. Use your state science standards and insects to bring the learning alive with children. Get them outside collecting the insects and bring them back in and start teaching. This is a way for students to be engaged in their learning. So take advantage of the outdoors, arm your students with a container and get them outside collecting insects and let the learning begin.

Things You'll Need

• Mason jar or baby food jar
• Poster board
• Markers
• Crayons

Instructions

1. Assign children a partner to work with. Take students out to the schoolyard and working in teams, collect an insect and place into a jar. Mason jars or old baby food jars work well.

2. Have the student teams identify what insect they caught. Have them draw it on a poster board and label the parts of the insect.

3. Have the teams research their insect and learn all they can about it. Get the students to list all the facts they learned about the insect on the poster board.

4. Have the student teams present their insect and everything they learned about it to the class. Prepare the teams to answer questions from their classmates.

References

• University of Kentucky Entomology; Using Insects In The Classroom; Stephanie Bailey

Resources

• teachnology: Insect Lesson Plans
• New Mexico State University; Let's Color Some Insects!; Carol Sutherland