I wonder what is this egg going to be...

Lesson Overview:

This lesson has two parts. First, students will attempt to answer questions posed by the teacher about Manduca's name and it's meaning for the insect, and also compare the actual insects before them to their initial perdictions when they were just little greenish eggs.

Secondly, they will formulate a way to determine how many insects would fit on a penny. This inquiry is being done in order to help students gain a concept of the insect's size in the initial stages, so that they will have a better understanding of how much the insect actually grows over the 2 month period of the project. Size will help students understand to outward characteristics of gluttony.

Subject Area Focus:  science & mathematics

Objectives:

  1. learn the name of the insect that has hatched
  2. speculate as to how it got that name
  3. record observations about the insect
  4. make calculations using the estimated size of their insect.

Materials:

Procedures:

  1. Students will get out their notebooks.
  2. Teacher should present the class with an image of the Manduca insect by either displaying it on a computer screen from our website or by printing the image prior to the lesson. The image is linked here <<newly emerged Manduca>> Or the teacher can ask the students to observe their own insect.
  3. Teacher should inform the students that they will be studying Manduca also known as the Hornworm.
  4. Teacher should ask:
    - Compare your insect (real or image) to what you predicted you would see. How are they the same? How are they different?
    - Ask students to record their thoughts in their journal. Along with any other questions they have about Manduca. The teacher could also have the class answer this a whole group and record the discussion on the board/overhead.
  5. Next the teacher should ask:
    - How do you think that it got its name?
    **Teacher note: This information is provided for you on the History section of the All About Manduca tab.
  6. Inform the class that the Latin meaning of Manduca is "glutton". Ask the students if they know what the word glutton means. If no one knows look the word up in the dictionary.
    Ask the students:
    - Do you think this definition tells us anything about our insects?
    - What are the consequences of eating a lot?
    -How big do you think our insects will get?
    -Do you think you could come up with a better name?
  7. Students should respond to the questions posed and be given the opportunity to come up with several of their own.
  8. Students and teacher can discuss other insects that seem similar to the ones in the classroom and try to predict what type of events will happen in this insects life, how long it will live, where it may be found, etc.

    ** At this young stage it is not a good idea for students to handle the insects.
  9. Teacher should place a penny on each student/groups desk.
    Ask the students: How many Manduca do you think could fit on this penny?
  10. Students can record their observations and calculations using a blank sheet of paper within their observation journal or if your class is using the journal entry sheet format, you can make copies of a page specifically designed for this inquiry.
    <<Click on this link for the Penny Inquiry Worksheet>>
  11. Teacher should ask students: Predict how many Manduca will fit on a penny in a week, two weeks, four weeks, or at five weeks?