I wonder where the Manduca came from...

Lesson Overview:  

The arrival of the tobacco hornworm in this country will be looked at and students will examine the economic and physical means that brought it into this country. They will also make their daily observations and learn the definition of frass.

Subject Area Focus: science & social studies

Objectives:

  1. make their daily observations
  2. learn the definition of frass
  3. trace the route of the hornworm into the United States
  4. identify and locate the countries discussed
  5. make speculations about the reasons the hornworm came to America.

Materials:

  1. First, teacher will define the word frass for the class. Frass is insect excrement or droppings. The more the Manduca eats the more frass you should see
  2. Teacher will hand out blank maps of North and South America and an atlas.
    << click on this link for a blank map template>>
  3. Inform the students that one report believes that Manduca came to this country from Nicaragua in around 1641. Have students use an atlas to locate Nicaragua on the map.
  4. Ask them:
    - Record in your journal who you think brought them, how, and why?
    - Was this a good idea?
  5. Inform them that the first Manduca appeared Nicaragua. Have the students trace a route from Nicaragua to Virgina. Label possible cities that may have been on the route from from Nicaragua to Virginia.
  6. Ask students:
    - Was there a country called the Unites States of America in 1640?
  7. After students have had time to consider and write about these questions bring the class together to discuss the events that lead up to Manduca's introduction to the United States.
  8. Teacher should inform the students that economic developments in our country lead to Manduca's introduction.
    -Tobacco was a great cash crop and new colonies needed a way to support themselves.
    -With the introduction of the tobacco plant came the introduction of pests on that plant.
    - Manduca was a pest who devastated much of the tobacco crop grown at the time.
  9. Ask students:
    - What precautions do we take today to control the flow of products, animals, pests, and materials into our country?
    -Why do we import some products instead of growing them here in the United States?
    -What sorts of things come into our country that we try to keep out? (malaria, drugs, diseases, other pests, to name a few)

    Teacher note: More historical and pest information can be found under the All About Manduca tab in the History section. Future inquiries will be dedicated to Manduca's role as pests, but this may be a great time to think about Manduca's environment and food source, the tobacco plant.