BUGGED - Bloomsbury

 BUGGED: How Insects Changed History By Sarah Albee Teacher’s Notes SYNOPSIS: ‘This book is about how insects have changed human history, for better or for worse. We’re going to read about some of the most dangerous, coolest, and grossest bugs on the planet. And we’re going to read about how they contributed to some of the most interesting, deadly, and shocking episodes in human history.’ (p 1) It includes information about how bugs have both helped and threatened human beings ... and it is written in an extremely accessible style with lots of humorous asides to keep both teachers and students engaged. It is also based on solid research. Features included in this text are: TMI (Too Much Information) sections warning readers that they are about to read something really gross!; ‘Insect Asides’ are funny little anecdotes illustrating some of the serious research material in this book; Pox Boxes are ghastly facts about severe diseases; Vector Detectors are about those who have discovered a vector linking to a disease; the text concludes with a Glossary linked to words throughout the text which are printed in bold; Further Reading and Surfing; and Notes on Sources arranged chapter by chapter leading the careful researcher to the source of the vast array of facts presented in the text; the Index offers further access to the information contained in this wide-­‐ranging text. As the sub-­‐title suggests, this is a work about how insects have influenced history. It also reveals how other disciplines such as design, architecture, fashion, geography, biology, entomology, agricultural 1 science, medicine, health sciences, economics, trade and business have all been influenced by insects as well. What an incredible source of stories... is the tiny and yet powerful bug... ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sarah Albee says: ‘I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the fourth of four children. My parents were both professors. We moved from Cleveland to Burlington, Vermont when I was in fourth grade. My first big job after college was working as an editor at Children’s Television Workshop (the company that produces Sesame Street). I met and eventually married a high-­‐school history teacher, and after our second child was born, we moved from New York City to Connecticut, where my husband began teaching at a boarding school, and where we had our third child. Nowadays I’m a full-­‐time freelance children’s book writer.’ Find out more about Sarah here: <http://www.sarahalbeebooks.com/about/> THEMES/ACTIVITIES This book is a multi-­‐disciplinary non-­‐fiction text which might be used in relation to each of the KLAs in the curriculum. (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au) Examples include: English In this curriculum area various aspects of non-­‐fiction writing might be discussed. [See also Writing Style and BM2 Collective Nouns below.] Maths In this curriculum area students might study mathematical facts relative to insects: Activity: Maths can be fun when applied to insects. Have students count legs on a caterpillar. Find other simple activities online like the following: ‘Insect Theme Page’ EnchantedLearning.com <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/insects/math.shtml> Allison Rogers ‘Math Activities on Insects’ eHow <http://www.ehow.com/info_8574194_math-­‐
activity-­‐insects.html> Amanda Gronot ‘Math with Bugs for Kids’ <http://www.ehow.com/info_7913468_math-­‐bugs-­‐
kids.html> Science In this curriculum area several sub-­‐topics might be explored, such as entomology, biology, biomedical science, bio-­‐threats and forensic science. This text also raises various questions which might be investigated: Activity: What is metamorphosis? (p 4) Activity: Define an insect (p 5). Activity: ‘We can’t live without insects. They pollinate plants, recycle dead stuff, serve as food for other animals, till and enrich the soil, and perform all sorts of tasks most of us are entirely unaware 2 of. The benefits we get from the majority of insects far outweigh the harm done by the few destructive ones.’ (p 10) Choose any example here and research how a particular insect has benefited society, for example, the dung beetle. Activity: What is a scale insect? (p 18) Research some of them further. Activity: Research bee keeping, their products and the threat to them from other insects. (p 21) Activity: Scientific researchers both investigate the control of insects and also research insect behaviour for use in other disciplines. Visit sites such as CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/ to find out more about such research. Activity: Discover facts about insects by visiting sites such as ‘10 most Important Insects in the World’ by Martha Barksdale Discovery Communications <http://www.discovery.com/tv-­‐shows/curiosity/topics/10-­‐most-­‐important-­‐insects.htm> Activity: Research the work of scientists — Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch (p 110); Shibasaburo Kitasato and Alexandre Yersin (p 111); Masanori Ogata and Paul-­‐Louis Simond (p 112). Activity: Research the discovery of the malaria-­‐carrying mosquito and the scientists involved (p 117). Activity: Discuss the ethics of human experimentation such as that done to discover the origins of yellow fever. (p 119) Activity: Fire Ants (p 73) and (p 131) are mentioned and have been creating problems in Australia recently, as they were first discovered here in 2001, as an introduced pest. Read about this at ‘Red imported fire ant -­‐ Solenopsis invicta’ Australian Government Department of the Environment <http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/invasive-­‐species/insects-­‐and-­‐other-­‐
invertebrates/tramp-­‐ants/red-­‐imported-­‐fire> Research their various locations thoughout the world, and the treatment of them today. Activity: Mao Zedong ordered that sparrows in China be eradicated and this caused a huge imbalance in the insect population on which sparrows preyed, and thus many crops were destroyed. (p 134) Research this further. Activity: Conduct a unit on integrated pest management (p 136); you might even establish a school garden based on such principles. Activity: Low tech solutions to problems like moths are discussed (pp 137-­‐8). Engage students in choosing an insect which trouble human beings in their homes, and find a low-­‐tech, non-­‐toxic solution to its control. Discussion Point: Discuss biological controls (p 139) with your students. Activity: Guinea worms in human beings (pp 138, and p140) are another alarming fact of nature. Research the so-­‐called ‘Worm War’ and how this pest was tamed. Activity: Mealy bugs, parasitic wasps and their effect on cassava crops in the 1970s (pp 141-­‐3) form an intriguing section in this text. This seems an excellent example of a successful scientific intervention in restoring ecobalance, but you might wish to explore this further. eg As recently as 3 2009, a quarter million wasps were released in Thailand to eradicate mealybugs so the theory is still being tested. Activity: Four ghastly stories are told in ‘Too Much Information’ boxes (pp 143-­‐6). Students may be tantalised by these snippets of information, or they may give them bad dreams. Choose aspects of these boxes to share with your students. [See also Blackline Master 3] HUMANITIES/SOCIAL SCIENCES History In this curriculum area, various topics raised in this text might be discussed: Activity: ‘Bugs have affected the outcome of nearly every war ever fought, because bugs carry diseases, including typhus, plague, cholera, yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, and dysentery. These diseases have killed a lot more soldiers than swords and guns have. Insects influenced the rise of Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. They ended the Golden Age of Athens and helped topple the empires of ancient Rome, Byzantium, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon. As many as six of the ten plagues of Egypt in the Bible may have involved insects. Bugs have made nations rich and helped create vast empires. They’ve brought industries to a grinding halt, caused kingdoms to collapse, and set off widespread human famine. Insects even led to the invention of the gin and tonic.’ (p 8) Choose any one of these statements and trace the validity by doing some research. For example, research the role of insects in the diseases contracted in WWII. How did they end the Golden Age of Athens? Activity: In Chapter 6 (pp 42+) the text relates how the fiercesome Philistines were struck down by a possible plague and then relates the biblical story of David and Goliath which was symbolic of the victory of the Israelites over the Philistines (p 44). The defeat of the warring Assyrians by a possible epidemic is also mentioned (p 45) as is the defeat of Athens by Sparta (pp 45-­‐6). The rest of this chapter offers other examples. Research some of them or locate other examples of such links between historical events and insect-­‐related diseases. Activity: The Crusades is another era you might wish to explore since diseases killed many Crusaders (p 54). Activity: ‘The tiny flea took down mighty empires.’ (p 60) Research this further and conduct a debate on the topic. Activity: Research insects as food (pp 22-­‐3). Find other recipes like the one on p 23 to share with your classmates! Activity: There is an account of Columbus’s mistakes (pp 65-­‐5). Often such historical figures are revered, but here his achievements are called into question. Research his life and work further on sites such as: ‘Christopher Columbus’ About.com.Education <http://geography.about.com/od/christophercolumbus/a/columbus.htm> Activity: ‘One major epidemic of plague in northern Spain may have killed half a million people. This large drop in Spain’s population may be a big reason that Spain declined as a world power. 4 Meanwhile, the English were gaining ground in the New World.’ (p 77) This is a fascinating observation; research further what various historians have said about this decline. For example, read ‘Spain’s Political Situation in the seventeenth century’ SPAIN thenandnow <http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-­‐history/17th-­‐c-­‐spain-­‐overview-­‐
politics/default_114.aspx> or ‘Spanish Empire’ Wikipedia <http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-­‐history/17th-­‐c-­‐spain-­‐
overview-­‐politics/default_114.aspx> Discussion Point: Sir Francis Drake (pp 78-­‐9) is recorded as a great Elizabethan explorer but died from insect-­‐born disease like many of his men, because in his quest for gold, he failed to recognise the dangers of exposing them to the Isthmus of Panama. Sir Walter Raleigh (pp 79-­‐80) also ordered a group of settlers to embark on an ill-­‐fated voyage to America. Discuss the role that such explorers had in risking the lives of those under their command, due to a lack of understanding of the environments they would be exposed to. Activity: The history of ill-­‐fated British settlers in places like Jamestown and Charlestown prior to the successful settlement by the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 to establish Plymouth, Massachusetts is interestingly linked to insect-­‐born disease (pp 79-­‐81) and might be researched further. Visit sites such as: Caleb Johson’s Mayflower History.com <http://mayflowerhistory.com/pilgrim-­‐history/> or ‘The Pilgrim Fathers’ History Learning Site <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/The-­‐Pilgrim-­‐
Fathers.htm> Activity: It is noted that ‘Eight American presidents were descended from the fifty-­‐five survivors of the Mayflower voyage’ (p 81). Who were they? To find out, visit: ‘Notable Descendants’ General Society of Mayflower Descendants <https://www.themayflowersociety.com/about-­‐the-­‐
pilgrims20/notable-­‐descendants> Activity: The plague was brought to a small village in Derbyshire in 1665, via a bundle of clothing from London (p 83). This incident was imaginatively explored in Jill Paton Walsh’s novel A Parcel of Patterns (Puffin, 1983). A more recent Australian novel The Ratcatcher’s Daughter by Pamela Rushby (HarperCollins, 2014) explores the outbreak of the plague in Brisbane in 1900. Activity: The role of bugs in defeating the British (pp 86-­‐7) in the American Revolution (1765-­‐83) challenges notions of fighting strategies and skills. Research and discuss further by visiting sites such as ‘American Revolution’ History.com <http://www.history.com/topics/american-­‐revolution> Activity: We don’t hear much about yellow fever today but in the US a virulent strain appeared in 1793 (pp 89-­‐90). Research this further and find out when the origin of the disease was accurately diagnosed. Visit this entry to begin your research: ‘Yellow Fever’ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_fever> Activity: Even US Presidents suffered bug-­‐related diseases (p 88) and Washington died of them (p 90). Read further about their illnesses and how they were treated. Activity: What role did mosquitoes play in the fate of both Haiti and Louisiana in the US? (See pp 91-­‐
3 for background to your research.) Activity: Lewis and Clark’s expedition (pp 94-­‐5) seemed ill-­‐prepared and yet they survived. How did they do so? 5 Activity: Napoleon’s disastrous plan to conquer Russia led to his downfall and incarceration on Saint Helena. ‘But it had been typhus, not the British army, that put an end to Napoleon’s dream of world domination.’ (p 97) Research this campaign further. Activity: In the mid-­‐nineteenth century, ‘The average age of death in the city of Boston was only 21.4 years (due largely to disease caused by poor sanitation and overcrowding).’ (p 98) This is a shocking statistic which is attributed to over-­‐crowding and poor sanitation, and which might be researched further. Activity: The coverage of Chaga’s Disease in a Pox Box (p 98) is particularly horrendous. Read further about Charles Darwin’s possible infection (p 99). What other such poxes have you discovered? Activity: Kids are also likely to be interested in ghastly ways to die by insect (p 100). This could be a gruesome class activity to pursue! Activity: Research the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-­‐nineteenth century and the role that typhus and cholera (pp 101-­‐2) played in the further decimation of population and the mass emigrations of that time. For further background, Visit ‘Irish Potato Famine’ The History Place http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/ Activity: Florence Nightingale’s efforts to stem the spread of diseases amongst wounded soldiers, during the Crimean War (1853-­‐56) and to legitimise nursing as a profession, was a further historical event which originated with insect-­‐born diseases (p 103). (Remind students that this area is again becoming a source of international tension in 2014. Follow news coverage of the war today. Research the original conflict at ‘Crimean War’ Encyclopaedia Britannica <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/143040/Crimean-­‐War>) Activity: ‘The Civil War was the last major American conflict to be fought without people knowing how germs and bugs and microbes were related and how diseases were spread.’ (p 104) Trace the impact of this lack of knowledge on the fate of Confederate and Northern soldiers in the American Civil War (1861-­‐5). Activity: Research the life of the man who caused the spread of the gypsy moth in the US in the mid-­‐
nineteenth century. For basic facts, visit ‘Étienne. Léopold Trouvelet’ Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_L%C3%A9opold_Trouvelot> Activity: Locusts devastated vast areas of the American MidWest between 1874 and 1876 (pp 106-­‐
7). Research this event further by visiting sites such as ‘Rocky Mountain Locust’ Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_locust> [See also Writing Style – Collective Nouns below.] Activity: Research the origins of the Spanish American War (pp 113-­‐4) in Cuba. Geography In this curriculum area, insects and their role in geographical changes and human migration might be discussed: Activity: The role of insects in the settlement of Canada (pp 34-­‐5) provides a vivid example of the relationship between entomology and geography. Find other examples of such relationships. 6 Activity: The movement of human populations from being wanderers and hunter-­‐gatherers to settlers led to a growth in insect infestation and to diseases known as epidemics (pp 38-­‐9). Research the role played by human beings in causing such problems. Activity: Transport from port to port also played a role in the spread of insect-­‐born diseases (p 56). Research this topic further. Activity: For more than three hundred years, tens of millions of Africans were sent to the New World against their will.’(p 74) Many of them brought with them diseases and ships carrying them brought insects which would infect those in the New World dramatically. Yellow fever, malaria (pp 72-­‐6), sleeping sickness transmitted by the tsetse fly were some of the imports. Meanwhile European explorers and traders visiting Africa were dying of diseases that they had no immunity to. eg ‘another disease that occurs in tropical places and is especially bad in parts of Africa is called filariasis, also known as elephantiasis’ (p 76). There was a virtual ‘trade’ in diseases in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and this created havoc in populations for centuries to come. Research the relationship between the slave trade and the spread of diseases in the world. Activity: The building of the Panama Canal was an ambitious project which would alter the land and allow travellers to cross the world much more quickly (pp 120-­‐2). It took nearly twenty-­‐five years to achieve due to insect diseases. Research the building of this significant project (which is celebrating its centenary in 2014) by visiting sites such as ‘Panama Canal Museum’ <http://www.canalmuseum.com/> Activity: ‘The boll weevil reshaped American society and American agriculture.’ (p 126) ‘The boll weevil helped usher in the Great Depression.’ (p126) Research the scourge of this introduced pest which devastated crops throughout the American South from the late 1890s and influenced the transition of populations from sharecropping to northern cities. It also led to the establishment of ghettos of black people whose livelihood had been destroyed (pp125-­‐6). Business/economics In this curriculum area, the value of insects as generators or sources of products which generated wealth and trade might be discussed: Activity: The wealth engendered by the silk trade was a Chinese monopoly until Emperor Justinian sent monks to steal the secret (p 51), and thereafter Byzantium dominated the world trade. Find other examples of economic competition for insect-­‐produced products. Activity: The Dutch successfully overtook the Peruvians in the trade of cinchona (the source of quinine) in the late 1800s by planting in Java, Indonesia (p 116). Research the factors which gave them the upperhand in this economic contest. Later, we read that the Japanese seized these reserves during WWII which led to the deaths of US soldiers and also to the invention of substitutes (p 127). Civics & citizenship The Arts In this curriculum area, various forms of art might be discussed: Culture 7 Activity: Insects have been observed for their beauty and their symbolic properties as well as for their dangerous and useful properties (p 27). Research these examples and find others. Discussion Point: ‘Most of the information we have about the “barbarians” (people thought to be uncivilized, uneducated, and primitive) was written by Romans, who considered any non-­‐Roman to be uncivilized, uneducated, and primitive.’ (p 52) Discuss this point further. Activity: Fashion would not seem to be related to insect-­‐born diseases but the clothes worn by soldiers did determine their exposure to blights (p 55). Students may wish to research this topic further as well. Visual Arts Activity: This text includes drawings and photographs which might be interrogated further by students. For example, a photo (p 136) demonstrating how careless the application of chemicals around humans has been since pesticides were invented. Examine other photos in the book and analyse what the photo or drawing is telling you. Languages Activity: The scientific names of insects are often in Latin. Invite kids to test themselves with the Latin names and their English translations. eg Dactylopius coccus (Cochineal) (p 19). Health & PE In this curriculum area, the various benefits and the dangers of insects to human health and well-­‐being might be discussed: Activity: ‘And many other diseases—like malaria, bubonic plague, typhus, and yellow fever—are transmitted by bugs.’ (p 13) Research any one of these diseases. Discussion Point: ‘Scientists discovered that bugs can transmit diseases only about a hundred years ago.’ (p 15) How many deaths might have been avoided up until that time? Activity: Research insects as medicine (pp 24-­‐7) eg maggots. Activity: The role of insect ‘detectives’ or forensic entomologists in police investigations is mentioned (p 26). Students today are very interested in this profession (as a result of television programs featuring such characters) so this section might be developed into a class unit of research, with guest speakers such as police officers or forensic scientists. Activity: ‘Four bad-­‐news bugs in particular spread practically all insect-­‐vectored diseases: the mosquito, the fly, the flea, and the louse.’ (p 28) Research any of the diseases mentioned (pp 29-­‐33) Activity: The pain of an insect bite (p 36) is another topic likely to appeal to students. Discuss the bites they have received and how they might have relieved them. Activity: The terrible ‘cures’ used to treat diseases are described (p 62). Research topics such as blood letting via the use of leeches. You might be surprised to learn that the practice still exists. Read: ‘The Humble Leech’s Medical Magic’ by 8 Melissa Jackson BBC News 2 July 2004 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3858087.stm> Or “Leeches: Little Bloody Marvels by Kathy Riley Australian Geographic June 29, 2009 <http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/features/2009/06/leeches-­‐little-­‐bloody-­‐ marvels/> Activity: ‘How were so few Europeans able to conquer these huge populations of people? The Europeans had guns and horses, to be sure, but they were still vastly outnumbered. The main reason was that the Europeans were walking petri dishes. They infected the natives with their diseases, many of which were bug-­‐borne.’(p 65) Later Cortés’ conquering the Aztecs is described in the same terms (p 68), as are other explorers’ roles in introducing diseases (p 70). Debate this topic and relate it to Australian settlement as well. Activity: Charles Nicolle discovered that the louse was the vector which caused typhus (p 123). Research the Typhus Epidemic (1917-­‐23) and how that influenced the course of WWI, and its aftermath, in some countries. Activity: The widespread use of pesticides to eradicate malaria in the US (p 126-­‐7) culminated in the formation of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Discuss the dangers of using such chemicals. Read Ch 16 (pp 128+) which canvases these issues more fully. Activity: What do you know about arsenic? Read the information (p 130) and research further. Activity: Read about Rachel Carson’s role in protesting against the widespread use of DDT (pp 131). Activity: Alarming facts about DDT and other pesticides in air, food and our bodies are listed. (pp 132-­‐3) Activity: Malaria is on the rise again. (p 135) Why is that so, and what is being done to tackle this problem? Activity: ‘On huge industrial farms, the powerful pesticides they spray are absorbed deeply into the potato. The potatoes have to be stored for six months after they’re harvested to allow the pesticides to leach out until the potatoes are considered safe for people to eat.’ (pp 136-­‐70) This alarming fact might also be discussed in the context of the freezing of many fresh foods which we find in our supermarkets. Research and discuss the effect of pesticides on other fresh foods. Activity: The list of tips to stay healthy (pp 148-­‐9) might be used as the basis for a classroom activity. Invite students to add their own thoughts under each of these suggestions and develop a few key projects to work on together. Design and Technology In this curriculum area, the use of insects as a source of inspiration, or as models for human design and technology might be discussed: Activity: Research silkworms and the making of silk (p 17). Activity: The making of shellac is another interesting subject to research further (p 18). Activity: The uses of cochineal as a colouring agent (pp 19-­‐20) might be further researched 9 Apart from dye in clothes, what foods are still coloured by cochineal today? Activity: Scientists are observing locust behaviour in the hope that they may be able to use their findings to develop crash-­‐avoidance technology for cars. (p 109) What other scientific research on insects is being used in the design field? Activity: The ‘termite tower’ (p 147) was designed by architect Mick Pearce using nature’s model. Challenge students to choose an insect dwelling and then to design a model of that dwelling. For further ideas visit sites such as: ‘Eight Amazing Architects of the Animal Kingdom’ Popular Mechanics <http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/8-­‐ amazing-­‐architects-­‐of-­‐the-­‐animal-­‐kingdom#slide-­‐1> (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au) WRITING STYLE This text is an expository text exploring the subject of insects with amusing asides, and gruesome or surprising facts to engage the reader. It employs the following narrative strategies: • Word Play Activity: The text contains many examples of word play, for example, East Meets Pest (p 60); The Dung and the Restless (p 61); Globe Trots (p 69); The Reign of Spain Is Plainly on the Wane (p 77). Invite students to discover more of these examples and trace their origins as expressions, sayings or quotations. • Collective Nouns Activity: Locusts have been feared since biblical times and in fact a large group of them is referred to as a ‘plague’. Other collective nouns for insects have the same connotations eg Scourge of Mosquitoes. Invite students to make a list of collective nouns for some of the other insects mentioned in this book. [See also Blackline Master 2.] • Literary Quotations Activity: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” — Dalai Lama XIV (p 7); ‘Typhus killed so many millions of people during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution that Lenin (1870–1924), the Bolshevik leader, remarked, “Either socialism will defeat the louse, or the louse will defeat socialism.” (p 125) Teachers might find other statements like this, in this text. Students might also find other quotations about insects elsewhere, for example at ‘Quotes about Insects’ <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/insects> where the following quote appears: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis Then invite students to write their own ‘quotable’ statement about insects drawing on what they have read in this text. • Humour 10 Activities: Many of the asides in this book are funny. Find some other bug jokes by visiting websites such as ‘Bug Jokes’ Jokes4us <http://www.jokes4us.com/animaljokes/bugjokes.html> Make up your own bug jokes. TEACHER ACTIVITIES / NOTES 1. Conduct a unit of study and research on insects. 2. Read other fiction and non-­‐fiction books about insects. eg Mr McGee and the Biting Flea by Pamela Allen; The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle; Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Discover relevant texts by referring to those listed in Further Reading and Surfing and also by visiting sites such as ‘Insects and Spiders: a Literature-­‐Based Classroom Unit’ <http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/insectsspiders.html> Compare them to this title. Consult websites such as those listed in these notes as well. 3. Have you ever realised how many Rhymes, Poems and Songs there are about insects eg ‘Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me!’; Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home. (Pesticide companies have even recognised the appeal of a song in the jingle ‘Louis the Fly’, the popular Mortein commercial since 1957 <http://www.mortein.com.au/louie_the_fly.php> For further examples to share with your students visit websites such as ‘Insects Songs and Poems’ DLTK’s Crafts for Kids <http://www.dltk-­‐kids.com/crafts/insects/songs.htm> 4. Watch any video of insect life that you can uncover, to give students an insight into their strange bodies, habits and environs. 5. Many insects have strange skills. Research one which is not commonly known, and share it with the class in an illustrated talk. 6. Have fun with students creating a list of interesting ‘facts’ about insects. eg Spiders are not insects’. Visit sites such as ‘Fun Insect Facts for Kids’ Science Kids <http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/insect.html> eg Make up quizzes and test each other with some of the facts you’ve read in this book and on your further research. [See also BM1 and BM3 below.] 7. Discuss how one introduced insect has adapted to living in Australia. eg. ‘Invasive Bees’ Australian Government Department of the Environment <http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/invasive-­‐species/insects-­‐and-­‐other-­‐
invertebrates/invasive-­‐bees> 8. This book demonstrates that insect predators are often very necessary to the survival of other partners in an ecosystem. Research a particular insect and how it is essential to an ecosystem. 9. Which of the insects in this book was most of interest to you and why? 10. Create a three dimensional model or diorama of any insect depicted in this book. 11. Have a ‘Bug Day’ and dress up as insects and have an insect party. Make cakes and food which is inspired by insects. Invite insect ‘experts’ to give talks and to show their insects. 11 Decorate the classroom with aspects of insect habitats. See also Randall Museum’s ‘Bug Day’ <http://www.randallmuseum.org/bugday.aspx> 12. Create a classroom display of the materials generated in this unit, and include relevant books, photographs, maps, artwork, writing, and 3D sculptures or dioramas created by your students. 12 13. BLACKLINE MASTER 1 INSECT QUIZ TIME 1. What is partial metamorphosis? (Answer p 4) 2. Why is the term insect ‘bite’ inaccurate? (Answer p 6) 3. Which is the study of insects — entomology or etymology? (Answer p 8) 4. How is cochineal made and from what? (Answer pp 19-­‐20) 5. What is a scarab? (Answer p 27) 6. What is exsanguination? (Answer p 28) 7. Define the difference between epidemic and endemic? (Answer pp 38-­‐40) 8. What is the ingredient found in cinchona bark which cures malaria? (Answer p 82) 9. Name the poisonous secretion of a blister beetle. (Answer p 90) 10. Who was responsible for the spread of the gypsy moth in the US? (Answer p 106) 11. Which insect-­‐born disease was Charles Darwin said to have died from? (Answer p 99) 12. What is a mass streamaway? (Answer p 108) 13. How did the British favourite mixer, the ‘gin and tonic’ originate? (Answer p 115) 14. What illness does artemisinin provide a cure for? (Answer p 117) 15. Define the difference between a pesticide and an insecticide? (Answer p 128) 16. Where did hairspray originate, and how is it connected to insects? (Answer p 129) 17. What is a pheromone ? (Answer p 133) 18. Which insect carries the disease Leishmaniasis? (Answer p 140) 19. Define the difference between contagious and infectious? (Answer p 151) 20. Define a pathogen. (Answer p 152) Make up your own quiz based on the book and test your students with it. 13 BLACKLINE MASTER 2 COLLECTIVE INSECT NOUNS Write the collective nouns in the first column and then draw the insect in the third one. A Plague of ... Locusts 1. Flies 2. Mosquitoes 3. Bees 4. Ants 5. Grasshoppers 6. Cockroaches 7. Butterflies 8. Fleas 9. Caterpillars 10. Moths Answers: 1. Business (cloud/scraw/swarm/ Hatch). 2. Scourge of. 3. Cluster (Swarm/drift/ hive/erst). 4. Colony (Army, bike, swarm). 5. Cloud (Cluster, swarm). 6. An Intrusion. 7. A Flight . 8. A Swarm. 9. Army (Nest). 10. A Whisper. 14 BLACKLINE MASTER 3 NAME THE INSECT! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Answers: 1. Ladybird 2. Bee 3. Ant 4. Louse 5. Cockroach 6. Mosquito 7. Caterpillar 8. Wasp 9. Preying Mantis 10. Flea 11. Locust 12. Butterfly 15