I wonder what Manduca need to survive...

Lesson Overview:

The students will look at Manduca and think of materials and conditions that it needs to survive. They will draw parallels between human needs and those of other creatures and examine some of the strengths and weaknesses of both.

Subject Area Focus: science & social studies

Objectives:

  1. consider the basic needs for human survival
  2. consider the basic needs for the hornworms
    3. survival
  3. compare and contrast the two

Materials:  

Procedure:

  1. Students should record their daily observation.
  2. Teacher asks students to make two lists in their journal:
    - one of things Manduca needs to survive
    - one of things that humans need to survive
  3. When students have been given a sufficient amount of time the teacher can ask for voluteers to come up and help create a class list.
  4. After the list is complete the teacher can prompt a classroom discussion by asking:
    -Do the two lists have anything in common?
    - Were you surprised by what you found?
    - Do different people have different needs? When and why?
  5. A second whole class list can be constructed of things that influence human and insect survival (temperature, food and water sources).
  6. If you have time, let your students formulate questions and hypotheses about Manduca survival needs and then carry them out in mini experiments!
    *If students need prompting ask questions like: How long can Manduca go without food? How much light does Manduca need? Does it need water? How does it respond to cold and heat?
  7. A discussion about how people can manipulate their environment (pesticides, agriculture...) and what this means for animals that can not is a nice closing for the lesson. Students will be able to identify the fact that animals have less control over their environment and must learn to survive under many different conditions.
  8. Be sure to touch upon the different needs of people in different environments this concept can easily be related to Manduca and other animals.
  9. Each student should go home and look for one way man has influenced the world around him/her for the good or bad.