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INTRODUCTION
TEACHER SECTION
STUDENT SECTION
HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY

 
TEACHER SECTION

 
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT:
    According to researchers in the field of curriculum theory, educators need to be aware of students' "multiple strengths and abilities and the multiple ways of thinking and learning---and that there are multiple ways of reaching Rome or finding the end of the rainbow" (Hunkins & Ornstein, 1998). This unit is designed to measure student outcomes in way that reflects consideration of individual student learning styles and capabilities. The specific learning objectives are assessable by means of the following true/false and multiple choice test entitled ANT-swers. While it is suggested that teachers use this test to measure students' understanding of ant morphology and habits, it is strongly urged that authentic methods of assessment are also considered in the evaluation procedure. This unit affords teachers multiple opportunities to assess students as they are actively engaged in the learning process. Students are required to keep a journal of their observations of the ants, produce an ant model, and an original piece that reflects their understanding of the content material. In addition, they are required to work cooperatively as well as independently. These components of the unit should also be considered in the assessment process. Teachers are urged to access the following web sites to learn more about how they can recognize and nurture the multiple intelligences that they are sure to encounter in the classroom:
  • Funderstanding's web site on the Multiple Intelligences Learning Theory
  • Growing Mind's Litmatics page on Multiple Intelligences
  • Integrating Technology Using the Multiple Intelligences Theory


    • TEACHER PREPARATION:

    The unit on ants requires a considerable amount of advanced preparation on the part of the teacher. There are three components necessary for this unit: an ant farm to be kept in class for direct student observation, access to a computer which will be used as an informational resource for both the students and teacher, and good weather.

    ANT FARM: If desired, the requisite ant farm may be created by the teacher. The following web site provides information on the construction of an ant farm: University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. While teachers may find the creation of ant ant farm to be an edifying experience, the insectarium may also be purchased from the a catalog or pet store. In order to demonstrate the multiple stages of ant development it is important that the ant farm contain a queen ant. This will allow students to see the creation and development of ants from the larval stage to adulthood and will give them a direct view of ant interactions within the colony.

    GOOD WEATHER : Good weather is also an important factor in this unit because students will be required to take a field trip to a local area to look for an anthill and observe the movement of ants to and from the colony. In this activity students will be afforded an "outside" view of ant behavior to supplement the "inside" view that they have gained in the classroom. The change of perspective will provide teachers with a direct means to assess the knowledge that students have gained from their in-class activities. Students should be encouraged to use their knowledge of ants to offer reasons for the ant behaviors that they encounter as they observe ant behavior and document these observations in their ant journals. Teachers may refer to these journals to assess student understanding and to guide further instruction.

    COMPUTER : The use of computers in this unit is designed to afford students with immediate opportunities to inform their knowledge of ant morphology and habits. Ever expanding its utility as an academic resource, it is important that students become aware of the wide variety of information available to them through the internet. Teachers must have ongoing access to at least one computer for this unit. Ideally, the computer should be located within the classroom. While it is unrealistic to expect third grade students who may have no knowledge of computer use to conduct independent internet searches, they can use a search engine such as Ask Jeeves to type in a question (or have the teacher type in the question). It is important that students are able to directly see how they can obtain information using the internet. In this unit, use of the computer to access these resources should be conducted like a library field trip. Just as certain rules of conduct are expected in a library setting, teachers should require that students exercise the same self-discipline in their internet searches. Prior to beginning the unit on ants, teachers should prepare a permission slip, such as the this one, for students to take home to their parents indicating that they will be taking "internet field trips" throughout the unit.
        Students should be encouraged to use the internet to find solutions to their ant questions, and may also use the internet as an alternative observational tool. Teachers are encouraged to use the "bookmark" tool in Netscape, or the "best of the web" tool in Internet Explorer, to index web sites that contain information relevant to the ant unit. Book marking these web sites will facilitate effective and efficient student use of the internet, and will allow them to become familiar with the basic "point-and-click" manipulations that are the basis of internet searches. This method of advanced indexing will allow students to find their own information while guiding them in the right direction.

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  In addition to these resources, teachers must obtain the information necessary to meet the specific learning objectives in the class. While teachers may find that a good encyclopedia article or the classroom text book provide the requisite information, the following are a list of web sites that may be accessed in preparation for the ant unit:
    Using Insects in the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to Six Legged Science
    Myremecology: The Science About Ants
    University of Arizona's Center for Insect Science Education Outreach
    University of Kentucky Department of Entomology
    Fire Ants, Armadillos, and Forid Flies; Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
    Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System's web page on ant trails

    Teachers interested in learning more about the world of insects can also take an on-line entomology course through the Virtual Entomology Teaching Library.

    The specific literary and educational materials needed for this unit are included in the lesson plans.


    Because this unit reflects an interdisciplinary approach to learning, Insect Antics: A Thematic Unit on Ants is designed to meet the Illinois Learning Standards on a number of levels. The following GRAPHIC ORGANIZER was created to illustrate how the specific objectives of this unit are to be achieved in the lesson plan as well as how they comply with the learning standards. While the specific learning standards may vary depending on the state in which you teach, they are included to reflect the fact that standards for sound educational practice should be a part of every teacher's agenda.

    THE LESSON PLAN:

    ACTIVITY 1 THE KNOWLEDGE POOL
        This activity is designed to introduce students the focus of their study---the ants. Teachers may wish to cover the ant farm before students enter the classroom. The unveiling of the ant farm is meant to engage student interest by introducing it with an element of surprise. Teachers may wish to ask students specifically if they have ever seen the inside of an ant's home. Other questions that may be asked include where they have seen ants, and whether or not they generally see single ants or ants in groups. These questions are designed to elicit student curiosity and gauge the present level of student knowledge. The teacher will inform students that they will be studying ants and should explain that ants are insects. After unveiling the ant farm the teacher should explain the concept of social insects in language appropriate to the students. The introduction to the concept of an ant colony should be expressed in terms of a community working together cooperatively. The teacher should explain the concepts of community and cooperation in a dialogue relating these concepts to classroom and students' home life. Students will be asked to write down one thing that they would like to know about ants and they will be instructed to find one piece of information relating to ants that they will share with the class. This assignment can be expressed in terms of ants leaving the colony to find food. Students should be given adequate time to find their "tasty morsels of information." Depending on whether or not the students have had access to a computer before, the teacher may also wish to inform students about their virtual library. If students have not had access to a computer in the classroom before, the teacher should wait to introduce them to their new resource until after they have completed the first activity.

        Note: Students should be instructed concerning appropriate behavior regarding the handling of the ant farm (e.g. no tapping on the glass). In general, students should be able to observe the ant farm without handling the insectarium. However, under supervision, teachers may wish to allow students to add food and water to the ant farm. This activity can be used to foster responsibility and help re-inforce concepts in the unit.

    ACTIVITY 2
        Students will be instructed to keep an ant journal in which they will record their observations and questions about the ants as the unit unfolds. The teacher should inform the students about the species of ant that they are studying and explain the diversity of ant species and habitats. The teacher should present pictures of this information to the students and have students place them on a bulletin board in the classroom. Examples may include fire ants, carpenter ants, leaf cutter ants and their habitats. In addition, the teacher will refer to the ant farm as a comparison.
        Students will label a picture of the species that they are studying which will be used as the cover for their journals. Students will color this model and may choose to add more descriptive details as the unit progresses. The teacher should point out that ants can come in different colors, such as a fire ant which is red. This zoology hand-out on ant species contains a labeled diagram of an ant which can be simplified to represent the parts of the ant that the students are required to know. Specifically, these are the head, abdomen, thorax, antennae, and mandibles.
        Students will be asked to look at the ant farm and record their observations on a daily basis. As the unit progresses they may be asked to include such information as the number of larva.

    ACTIVITIES 3
        The first part of this activity was excerpted from a lesson plan from the University of Arizona entitled My Family and Me. Students will read Families by Aylette Jenness or another story which illustrates concepts of family roles and cooperation, and Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros. The teacher will explain the various roles that ants play within the colony. The teacher will specifically point out the queen, workers, males, and larva and their roles in the colony. In particular, students will learn that all worker ants are females. Comparisons will be made between the individual role that each ant has in relation to the colony with the roles that students have in the within their families.
        Within the classroom context, a comparison should be drawn between the roles that students play in the successful learning of the class and the role that worker ants play in the success of the colony. Specifically, it should be conveyed to students that without their hard work and cooperation, a teacher's role is not unlike a queen ant without the colony. This example can also be used as a model for classroom management.
        Students will be asked to share their questions and pool the information that they have found on ants. The class will evaluate the information on the basis of which information provides facts or opinions about ants. This activity is designed to foster critical thinking skills and should be used to initiate student research on the internet. Students will write the answer to their ant question in their journals.

    ACTIVITY 4
        Materials needed: a package of plastic headbands, straws, tape, scissors
        The teacher will have students look at the ant farm to observe how the ants are using their antennae and mandibles. The teacher will ask students to compare human sensory mechanisms with  ants' use of their antennae and mandibles.The students will learn how ants use their antennae and mandibles, as well as how ants move. The teacher will explain how an ant uses its antennae as a sensory mechanism to feel and to communicate. Students will refer to their diagrams and point out these body parts. Students will create headbands with straws attached and will work in teams to learn how an ant uses its antennae. Students will take turns being blind-folded and will use their antennae to try and feel different objects.
        In addition, the teacher will show students how an ant uses its mandibles using a pair of scissors to illustrate (see Using Insects in the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to Six Legged Science). Students will be asked to compare the way an ant moves it mandibles, and the way humans use their jaws. This web site provides more information on ant mandibles.
        These activities will lead to the teacher's presentation on the ant's position in the food chain. Specifically, students will about what an ant eats, and how an ant eats. The teacher should illustrate how an ant eats by placing food in the ant colony and allowing students to observe. The teacher will also inform students that ants eat other small insects, in addition to the kind of food that they are fed in the class. The teacher will also explain that ants are eaten by other animals such as anteaters, spiders, as well as by humans. The teacher will provide students with pictures of the ant predators and students will draw their own picture of at least two of these predators in their ant journals. The teacher will have students put the pictures of ant predators and prey on the bulletin board.

    ACTIVITY 5
        The students will engage in a language arts activity in which they will read and compare two ant fables which relate to ant cooperation in the food gathering process. This activity is also included to emphasize the value of hard work and cooperation to the students. The activity was taken from a lesson plan entitled Comparing Ant Fables. The teacher should access this web site to print out copies of these fables to give to the students. The lesson plan includes a Venn diagram which students will use to compare the two fables. The activity can also be related to re-emphasize the difference between the functional roles of the workers and the queen ant, and provides another Venn diagram which students can use to express these concepts.
        The teacher should also use this activity to pose questions to students concerning what kind of food the ants in the first fable may be storing in order to re-inforce their knowledge of ant habits and food gathering.The first fable in particular, should be used to elicit discussion of how ants tend to the central role that caring for the larva plays in an ant colony. In addition, the teacher may use the feminzation of the ant in the second fable to re-inforce that worker ants are always female.

     ACTIVITY 6
        The students will learn how ants both positively and negatively impact the environment. The teacher will re-inforce student knowledge concerning ant habits in a review of ants role in the food chain. Students will construct a class diagram to place on the bulletin board which illustrates the interconnectedness between ants and humans. Emphasis should be placed on how what ants eat can both help and harm the environment.
        The teacher will show the students how ants gather their food by having the students model an ant trail. The students will assume the role of ants on a hunt for food. The teacher will play "The ants go Marching" during this activity to emphasize the order inherent in the process. One student will be chosen to represent a scout ant and will be directed to find the candy in the class. He or she will be given sunflower seeds to drop along the floor when returning back to the group. The other students will take turns following the seeds to the food and will bring a piece of candy back to the group following the seed trail until all of the candy is gone. The students will then share the candy with the rest of the class. This web site provides specific information on ant trails.

    ACTIVITY 7
        The students will take a field trip to a local area, previously scouted by the teacher, to view the outside of an ant colony. The teacher should encourage students to exit the class in an ant line. All students will be assigned to be scouts and find the anthill. The teacher should remind students not to disturb the anthill when they find it. After the anthill has been found students will observe the movement of the ants in and out of the colony. The teacher will ask students to note if the ants are carrying food or building material. The teacher will ask students write their observations in their journal. Students should be encouraged to speculate about what they think the ants are doing once inside the colony. Specifically, the teacher will ask students to identify what kinds of ants they see (specifically workers). The teacher should ask if the workers are male or female in order to re-emphasize that workers are female.

    ACTIVITY 8
        Materials needed: egg cartons, pipe cleaners, various coloring materials, tape, white paper, wooden sticks, leaves, and wrapped candy
        Students will  use their prior knowledge of ant morphology to construct an ant model. The teacher will divide the students into various groups to make ant models that re-inforce their knowledge awareness of ant diversity. The ant models should be constructed of three connected egg carton compartments. Students will attach six pipe cleaner  legs and  two garbage fastener "antennae," to their ants. In addition, each student will attach either a leaf, a piece of wood, color their ant red, or attach wings, to illustrate the leaf cutter, carpenter, fire ant and the queen. The teacher will inform students of their field trip to see ants in action outside the colony. Students will fill their egg carton ants with candy which they will take on their final "ant picnic." The teacher will instruct students to place their models in an ant line and students will discuss the various types of ants that they have made.The student who played the role of the scout ant in the previous activity should place their ants in the front of the line to remind the class about the structure of ant lines.
        In addition, the teacher will relate the student's activity to ants positive effects on the environment by explaining how the materials used in the construction of the ant model help to recycle material that would otherwise be wasted.

    ACTIVITY 9
        Students will engage in a writing exercise derived from Debby's Unit Factory entitled An Ant's Point of View. Student's will think about a variety of items from an ant's point of view, and then write the human translation. The activity is used in this unit to engage students to take the perspective of ants. The activity has been included to afford students with the opportunity to use creative thinking skills. This web site contains an activity sheet which the teacher can print out and distribute to the class. However, teachers should require students to think of atleast three additional examples of  objects that an ant might encounter and describe them in their journals from an ant's point of view. The teacher should emphasize how obstacles can be great for some individuals while very easily overcome by others.
        The students will be assigned to write a story in their journals in which they take the perspective an an ant and describe a day in their life. The teacher should encourage students to choose a specific ant role, such as scout, worker, queen, and include the importance of that role in the story.

    ACTIVITY 10
        The students will finish their on-line ant information searches. The teacher will play "High Hopes" and teach the song to the class. Students will engage in a discussion about the meaning of the song and relate it to their preparation for the final quiz and to their hopes for the future. Students will share their stories with the class and share their final ant facts. In conclusion, students will give their final opinion of the ant unit to the teacher. This can be done by placing anonymous notes in a box and can be used to inform future instruction. Students will be asked to explain the information on the bulletin board as a final review.

    ACTIVITY 11  THE CULMINATING ACTIVITY
        After taking their ant quiz, students will turn in their journals and take a field trip to the same location to have an ant picnic. Each student can bring a treat to the picnic in addition to the ant model treats provided by the teacher. After the picnic, students will be encouraged to, as a group, leave a small offering of food for the ants.