Pre-Visit Activity: Art Talk

Please view the two reproductions with your class and lead a discussion using the following questions as guidelines.  There are no “right” answers.  The questions are meant to guide the group discussion.
Students will revisit and discuss the original works at BAM.  The vocabulary in this packet will aid discussion.

Research and experience have shown that students feel more comfortable when they can connect with something familiar once they arrive at the Museum.  The students are excited to find “their” works of art while they are at BAM.  They enjoy sharing their insights from the classroom discussion with the docent and making valuable comparisons between the textbook-like reproductions and the original works of art.

Specimen

This tour focuses on the art and science of bugs and the relationship between humans and insects. Student will view and discuss works of art in two exhibitions, Catherine Chalmers: American Cockroach and Charles Lindsay: Upstream, Fly Fishing in the American West, and will create bug-related artwork in the studios.

Vocabulary
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Curricular Connections
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Careers/Technology

• Have each student design a business card, logo and stationery for a selected insect. The materials should reflect the students’ research and knowledge about the important jobs of their selected insects and ‘sell’ what they do.
• Have students use a software program such as Word to create a table comparing and contrasting human senses and insect senses illustrating how they are the same and different.
• Have students find out what it takes to become an entomologist and what their job duties include.
• Have students research other jobs in the bug field to find out what is available.

Social Studies, History, Geography

• Discuss communities and how cockroaches function similarly to and different from human communities. Do they live alone or in groups? Do they work together or alone?
• Have students research other cultures and their perceptions of cockroaches and other insects. Why are there differing perspectives? What influences individual and cultural perception? Why is a butterfly perceived differently than a cockroach? Why are cockroaches revered in some societies?
• Have students learn about the lifespan of a cockroach and other insects as well as the length of time they have been on Earth. How does this compare to other animals?
• Have students research where cockroaches are found. Have them place indicators on a map and hypothesize why they are found in certain areas and not in others. What about the geography and the environment make some places ideal and other places not suitable for cockroaches?
• The idea of empathy can be extended to character education and developing understanding that results in empathy for others. Visit http://gc2000.rutgers.edu/GC2000/MODULES/CIVIL_WAR/reorganizing.htm for a lesson plan.
• Using the quote from To Kill A Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…”, have students explore the role of perspective in narrative. This lesson can be used even if students have not read To Kill a Mockingbird by using the empathy quote as a springboard for the activity. Go to http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=265.

Reading and Writing

• Have students make bug journals. Have them record their insect observations, draw pictures and speculate about what insects might hear, feel, see, etc.
• Have students research different bugs and insects and write letters from bugs' and insects' points of view to humankind.
• Have each student write a short story from the point of view of an insect. Their writing should take into account the different ways insects perceive the world.
• Have the class create an insect trivia book. Have students contribute to it as they research insects and learn more about them. Have them add facts such as ‘there are over a million species of insects in the world,’ or ‘caterpillars have strong jaws for chewing.’
• Select insect poems such as Honeybees from Joyful Noise (listed in the bibliography) for dramatic readings.
• Throughout the classroom bug unit or studies, have bug question of the day posted on the board, such as ‘Which bug do you think has the cleverest defense?’ ‘The most gruesome attack?’ ‘Which bug has been on Earth for the longest time?’ etc. Have students write their speculations and their justifications and then have them read and research to find the answers.
• Have students select an issue and create both a photo essay and a written essay presenting both sides of the issue and supporting one side convincingly.

Math

• Have students cut a piece of paper the length of a selected insect. Then choose a variety of items for them to measure with their insect lengths as their units of measure. Outside, select items such signs, leaves, bicycle racks, shoes, benches, etc. Indoors, choose books, pencils, desks, tables, shelving, etc. Have them chart their measurements.
• Go to http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/activities/math-code/ to find insect-related questions with problems that require addition or subtraction to break the codes and find the answers.
• Have students explore math concepts by learning about the reproduction and birth rate of cockroaches, the ratio of their body size to the amount of space they require, as well as the ratio of insects to other animals on Earth, the scale of the insect from smallest to largest and the distance the insect can travel in a short amount of time as well as through migration. Have students graph and chart the information.
• Butterfly's wings can be symmetrical. This means that both wings have the same pattern and colors. Have students draw a butterfly that has symmetrical wings.
• Use a bag or two of small plastic ants (can be found at dollar stores). Cut about 4 shapes of picnic foods 1-4" in size from construction paper, e.g. chicken leg, cookie, strawberry, and a watermelon slice. Using the plastic ants, have students estimate how many ants it takes to cover each food and record their answers.
• Have students try to perform a task for a period of time (like 100 beats per second) and relate this to the rate at which some insects flap their wings, etc. For instance, have students flap their arms, hop on one foot, etc. while one of their peers takes down observations and times.

Science

• Have students name as many different kinds of insects as possible. Have students describe where the insect lives, what it eats (prey), what eats it (predator), what it does during the day and during the night, how it hides, how it defends itself. How do humans benefit from this insect? Create a chart with the information from each student and display it in the classroom.
• Take students on an insect observation outing. Have students try to determine the type of insect they are observing and then choose an insect to draw or photograph. Back in the classroom, students can use source materials to identify their insects. Have students share their drawings or photographs and explain what insect they found, where they found it, what they observed it doing and how they identified it. Create a montage of the drawings or photographs with their identifying information.
• Have students learn the parts of an insect (there are lessons on www.orkin.com) and create their own unique insects making sure to include all of the necessary parts and describing any special adaptations that make their insects unique.
• Have students sort and classify pictures of insects into categories based on their similarities. Have students explain why they sorted the images into particular categories. Then have students sort the images into the categories you choose, such as insects, arthropods, etc.
• Adopt a hissing cockroach at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Visit nationalzoo.si.edu/support/AdoptSpecies/AnimalInfo/HissRoach/default.cfm for more information.
• Contact your local extension agent, entomologist, or garden nursery about doing a program on garden bugs. They can discuss which are harmful, which are beneficial and the pros and cons of various ways of dealing with them.
• Invite an exterminator or a city inspector to do a program on insect pests common to your area that are typically found at home.
• Help students recognize the importance of insects in the web of life by having them construct a web of life and discuss the insects' role in the ecosystem. What factors change the ecosystem
• Have students research how cockroaches and other insects have been used to benefit humans (food, make dyes, help with military operations, and to encourage the cocoa plant to grow, etc.). Arts
• Have students look critically at digital photographs, line drawings and cartoon images to understand the differences between exact and exaggerated or imaginary representation. Have students look at actual photographs of insects and compare and contrast them with drawings and cartoons to develop their skills of observation and analysis, as well as to recognize the differences between scientific fact and artistic stylization.
• Have students sit in difference places around the room and draw from a bug’s perspective. Have students share their drawings. Using a Google image search, type in ‘bugs eye view’ to get images to print out and share with students as examples.
• Listen to music inspired by bugs such as La Cucaracha, A Day in the Life of a Mayfly & Other Chamber Works (performed by Jane’s Minstrels conducted by Roger Montgomery), or Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov. Have students discuss how the music describes the respective insects.
• Insects don’t make sounds with their mouths. Instead they use parts of their bodies such as their legs and wings. Have students form small groups to come up with a method of communication that uses only sounds made by using parts of their bodies other than their mouths. Have student perform their sounds as a class of insects.
• Have a movie day/night with bug-related movies such as The Ant Bully, Bee Movie, A Bug’s Life, Charlotte’s Web, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, How to Each Fried Worms and James and the Giant Peach, or for teenage students Arachnophobia, The Deadly Mantis, Eight Legged Freaks, Empire of the Ants, Mothra, Spider Man, Tarantula, Them and The Swarm.

Related Web Sites

Video/DVD

Post-Visit Activity: MAKE IT!

To extend the museum experience and connect the tour to your curriculum, please consider using or adapting this suggested lesson

3D Camouflaged Insects

Introduction
Students will design and create their own 3D insect models to blend into a specific type of habitat. Each students will write a description of an insect’s camouflage and explain how size, shape and color help an insect survive.

Materials

• Construction paper (green, brown, gray, black)
• Modeling clay
• Straws
• Paint
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Pipe cleaners
• Craft sticks
• Tape
• Glue
• Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
• Thin craft wire
• Hand-held magnifying glasses
• Instant camera and film or digital camera
• Miscellaneous craft supplies including egg cartons, newspapers, foil, leaves and twigs, tissue paper, craft moss, foam and other recycled materials
• Insect resources and books

Instructions
The word camouflage comes from the French word camoufler, which means ‘to disguise.’ Camouflage helps many insects. Not only does it help them avoid being detected by predators, but it helps insects sneak up on prey.

As a class, study information about insect camouflage. Look closely at the way insects blend in with their habitats. Some disguises are so detailed that the only way to detect the insect is by its movement. Look at the variety of insect habitats. Name some of them (e.g., bark, lichen, branches, leaves). For example, there are beetles whose coloring helps them blend in with the forest floor. They are dark and mottled like soil. Look through other resource materials and on the internet for more examples.

Have students choose an insect that uses camouflage to avoid its predators. Explain that each student is to create a 3D model of the insect they choose. Have students research actual insects and create life-like models. They can use any of the craft supplies you have provided. Encourage creativity and attention to detail. The closer the colors and textures match the insect’s habitat, the better the disguise. If you have hand-held magnifying glasses, encourage students to really study the insect’s habitat; this may mean heading out into the school yard or a local park.

Have students share their models with the class and discuss their camouflage features. Discuss whether the insects would blend well with their surroundings. Are the disguises successful? How could they be improved?

Evaluate the students’ 3D models for creativity and accuracy. As further evaluation have each student write an explanation of his or her insect’s unique adaptations. Ask each student to identify the parts of the insect that help it to blend in with its environment. Make sure that students discuss size, shape and color when writing about their insects’ adaptations.

Advanced
Challenge students to create dioramas that show their insects in their natural habitats.

Invite parents to a ‘Bug Museum’ displaying the 3D insect models.

This Make It! lesson plan was adopted from www.orkin.com for educational purposes.

Bibliography
Specimen

Preschool/Primary
Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Ladybug. HarperCollins reprint, 1996.
Caudill, Rebecca. A Pocketful of Cricket. Henry Holt & Company, 2004
Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a Spider. HarperCollins, 2004
Dobkin, Bonnie. The Great Bug Hunt. Children’s Press, 1993.
Facklam, Margery. Bugs for Lunch. Charlesbridge, 1999
Foley, Cate. Find the Insect. Chjildren’s Press, 2000
Greenberg, David. Bugs! Little, Brown and Company, 1997
Horowitz, Ruth. Breakout at the Bug Lab. Dial, 2001
Lionni, Leo. Inch by Inch. HarperCollins, 1995
McDonald, Megan. Insects Are My Life. Orchard Books, 1995
Palatini, Margie. The Perfect Pet. HarperCollins, 2003
Sturges, Philemon. I Love Bugs! HarperCollins, 2005

Grades 4 to 6
Amato, Carol. Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home. Wiley, 2002
Elliott, David. The Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle. Candlewick Press, 2004
Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia. Harcourt, 1998
Johnson, Jinny. Simon & Schuster’s A Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders. Simon & Schuster, 1996
Kneidel, Sally. Pet Bugs: A Kid’s Guide to Catching and Keeping Touchable Insects. John Wiley & Sons, 1994
Llewellyn, Claire. The Best Book of Bugs. Kingfisher, 1998
Rhatigan, Joe. The Kids’ Guide to Nature Adventures. Lark Books, 2003
Winner, Cherie. Everything Bug: What Kids Really Want to Know about Insects and Spiders. NorthWord Press, 2004

Junior High/High School
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Bantam Classics, 1989
Kuper, Peter, adaptor. The Metamorphosis. Three Rivers Press, 2004
Lockhart, E. Fly on the Wall. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2006
Purser, Bruce. Jungle Bugs. Firefly Books Ltd, 2003
Turpin, Tom. Flies in the Face of Fashion, Mite Make Right, and Other Bugdacious Tales. Purdue

Adult/All Ages
Eisner, Thomas. For the Love of Insects. Harvard University Press
Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. HarperCollins, 1988
Marquis, Don. Archy and Mehitabel. Anchor Books, 1990
Menzel, Peter; and Faith D’aluisio. Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects. Ten Speed Press, 1998
Rukeyser, Muriel. The Gate, 1976 (includes Ode to a Cockroach)
Schiller, Pam. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! 21 Songs and Over 250 Activities for Young Children. Gryphon House, 2006