Nature’s Bug Zappers

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Brief Description: Students will learn about natural pest management to protect from overpopulation. They will be able to look at the advantages and disadvantages of different types of insects and learn about their life cycles. Students will also be able to act out different scenarios involving insects.

 

 Focus Areas: Pest Control: Biological; Science, Language Arts, Math

Focus Skills: observing, listening to gather information, creative dramatics

Objective

To recognize that nature provides natural predators to control overpopulation

Essential Question

How does the natural world protect itself from overpopulation of insect pests?

Essential Understanding

Nature provides many natural predators to control pest populations.

Background

There are more than 4,800 different kinds of dragonflies. In fact, dragonflies are among the oldest winged insects that live on the Earth. They have been around for more than 300 million years. That means that they were inhabitants of the Earth long before dinosaurs roamed the land. Their ability to survive might be partially due to the fact that they are fabulous flyers. They can fly fast, hover like a helicopter, and even fly backward. They feed on midges, mosquitoes, flies, wasps, and butterflies. While they feed on many insects, they are also food for many other creatures such as birds and spiders.

Vocabulary

dragonfly any of various large insects having a long slender body and two pairs of narrow, net-veined wings that are usually held outstretched while the insect is at rest

population all living things inhabiting a specific area

Logistics

Time: 30 minutes

Group Size: 2 to 30

Space: a classroom, carpeted area, or gym

Materials

Helpful and Harmful Insects Picture Card Set *

• Handout 1 “Dragonflies vs. Mosquitoes” *
• Overhead 1 “Biodiversity Pie” *
• Izzy puppet *
• book You Are A Dragonfly by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries *

Preparation

1.  Prepare copies of Handout 1, “Dragonflies vs. Mosquitoes.”
2.  Gather materials from kit.
3.  Preview Background and story.

Correlations to State of Maine Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction

ELA = English Language Arts,   HE/PE = Health Education and Physical Education,    MA = Mathematics,    SCI = Science,   SS = Social Studies,   VPA = Visual and Performing Arts

** Alignment possible only if lesson extension is done

Grade Span	Maine Learning Results
PreK-2	ELA – E.  Listening    E1.  Students use early active listening skills.             a. Ask relevant questions at appropriate times.             c. Follow one-step and two-step oral instructions.
Grades 3-5	ELA – E.  Listening    E1.  Students apply active listening skills.             a. Ask clarifying questions.             b. Attend and respond appropriately to classmates and                 adults.             c. Follow multi-step oral instructions.
Grades 3-5	SCI – A.  Systems    A1.  Students explain interactions between parts that make           up the whole man-made and natural things.             a. Give examples that show how individual parts or                organisms, ecosystems, or man-made structures can                influence one another.             b. Explain ways that things including organisms,                 ecosystems, or man-made structures may not work                 as well (or at all) if a part is missing, broke, worn                 out, mismatched, or misconnected.