Featured Lesson

Featured Lessons: Invertebrates- Superstars of the Animal Kingdom

In his 2005 BBC television series, Life in the Undergrowth, Naturalist Sir David Attenborough made a dramatic statement regarding the importance of invertebrates: “If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if they (invertebrates) were to disappear, the land’s ecosystems would collapse. The soil would lose its fertility. Many of the plants would no longer be pollinated. Lots of animals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals would have nothing to eat. And our fields and pastures would be covered with dung and carrion.”

Fall weather provides an ideal opportunity for students to explore the outdoors for evidence of these animal kingdom superstars! Master Gardeners have developed a series of lessons to provide students with contextual information on invertebrates to support outdoor learning.

Grades TK-1: Friend or Foe? What is that creature in my garden?

Pre-School Life Science 1.1, 2.2; K-LS1.C; K-EES3.C; 1-LS1.A, 1-LS1.D

Grades 2-3: How Do Insects Grow? Observing insect life cycles in the garden

2-LS4.D; 3-LS1B; 3-LS3.B

Grades 4-5: A Close-up View of Insects: Exploring their structure and function

4-LS1.A, 4-LS1.D; 5-LS2.A

Grades 6-8: Invertebrate Classification: There’s a whole lot of phyla in the garden!

MS-LS2.C; MS-LS4.A

CTE AgriScience Pathway C12.1; C12.3; Ornamental Horticultural Pathway F4.1; F4.3

All lessons include:

Anchor phenomena
Guidance for developing an initial and final model
Science vocabulary that is supported with display cards for TK-1 and 2-3 lessons and is hyperlinked within lessons at grades 4-5 and 6-8.
Check for understanding questions
Additional video(s) to reinforce key concepts
Application activity exploring the phenomena outdoors
Extension activity providing further research opportunities
Option for teachers to provide lesson feedback to the Master Gardener Program

An additional Pest or Beneficial? Identification PowerPoint is also featured that includes bingo game cards to actively engage students in learning to identify common invertebrates found in the garden. This is designed so that it can be adapted for use at all grade levels.