University of Kentucky Department of Entomology - KENTUCKY BUG CONNECTION
Youth Entomology Resources | MIDDLE - HIGH SCHOOL
>PRESCHOOL - ELEMENTARY >4H RESOURCES

TEACHING RESOURCES
Entomology resources for parents and educators of Middle-High School students.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS Forest Entomology Leadership Program - Annual, week-long outdoor summer program for high school students

LESSON PLANS - With versions for Intermediate (grades 4-5) and Middle School (6-8), where appropriate.  Each lesson plan is aligned with KERA core-content and program of studies (PDF format).

Insects A-Z  4-5     Beneficial Bug Scavenger Hunt  4-5 | 6-8     Termite Trails  4-5 | 6-8     Field Guide to Schoolyard Insects  4-5 | 6-8     The Great Spider Debate  4-5 | 6-8

CURRICULUM GUIDES - These inquiry-based guides match entomology activities from popular sources (like Project WILD and Project Learning Tree) with grade-specific KERA core content and program of studies connections and compile them into units with specific themes (PDF format).

Insects in the Environment  4-5 | 6-8

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITY BOOKS The guides listed below contain many activities which can be used to teach the basics about insects and their relatives.  Although none of the guides below were created with KERA standards in mind, many of the activities within can easily be aligned with KERA core-content and program of studies.  Contact us if you have questions about whether a certain activity fits within KERA standards.  Ranger Rick's NatureScope: Incredible Insects (National Wildlife Federation). Contains many activities for younger students, grades K-4. The Pillbug Project: A Guide to Investigation (by Burnett).  Introduces students to science by way of the "pillbug," those little crustaceans that live around the foundation of homes and under rotten logs.  Produced by the National Science Teachers Association, this project book is designed for grades 1-6 and can be used as an entire unit to teach the basics of science investigation.  We have aligned a portion of this project to Kentucky core-content and program of studies in the curriculum guides listed on the Teaching Resources section of the Kentucky Bug Connection pages.  4H Cooperative Curriculum System Publications: Entomology Units 1-3 and Helper's Guide.  These units were designed by entomologists, 4H specialists, and educators, and provide a good introduction to insects and their relatives for young people in grades K-6.  Several of the activities in this series are aligned to Kentucky core-content and program of studies in the curriculum guides listed on the Teaching Resources section of the Kentucky Bug Connection pages. Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method (by Kneidel).  This book is packed with investigations that you can use with your K-6 students to introduce scientific investigations via insects, spiders, and their relatives.

WEE BEASTIES - On-line entomology newsletter for 4-H agents, parents, and teachers.     Winter 2006     Spring 2006     Fall 2005     Spring 2005     Fall 2004     Spring 2004     Fall 2003     Spring 2003     Fall 2002     Spring 2002     Fall 2001     Spring 2001     Fall 1999     Spring 1998     Fall 1998

USING TOY BUGS TO STUDY COMMON INSECTS: In 2004, The Department of Entomology worked with the Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment, the University of Louisville, and the American Printing House for the Blind to develope a Braille guide to common insects and other arthropods that are found on trees.  This guide allows students to use larger-than-life toy insects to study the body parts of several common insects and insect relatives.   We also have an on-line text version (PDF format), which can be downloaded below.  Use this guide to introduce your students in grades 5-7 to insects, especially if you are also studying trees and the organisms that depend on trees. Using Toy Bugs to Study Common Insects (and Thier Relatives) Found on Kentucky Trees

COMING SOON: FEATURED CREATURE TEACHERS!  Attention Kentucky middle- and high-school teachers: share YOUR experiences (and digital pictures) about the use of insects and their relatives in the classroom and we will post them here!  Send your story to blaken@uky.edu.

OTHER TOPICS     Using Insects in the Classroom: this guide includes general tips on classroom entomology     Classroom Mascots: how to keep pet insects (and their relatives) in the classroom.     Starting an Observation Honey-Bee Hive

LINKS

Kentucky AWAKE Kentucky AWAKE (All Wild About Kentucky's Environment) is a site devoted to Kentucky's animals, plants, and their ecosystems. This site contains lots of information and materials for science and natural resource educators.

Youth Entomology Resources | PRESCHOOL - ELEMENTARY
For preschool and elementary educational materials, please visit our adjacent site, KATERPILLARS.

Photos courtesy B. Newton and R. Bessin, University of Kentucky Department of Entomology.