Spring is definitely here and this is the perfect time of year to teach your little learners about insects! I love how our science standards help us tackle this, but I also thoroughly enjoy integrating it in reading and writing! These insect activities will help you engage students, teach standards, and reach every learner.
We always start science units with reading about them. Usually, we read short, non-fiction texts with real-life photos. The kids are GLUED to the images!
Using read alouds during science can help build background knowledge, provide visual support, and expand academic vocabulary. You can read more about using science read alouds and get a free printable list of read alouds for every science topic we cover for the year, including insects. Check it out HERE.
Fresh air is always good for everyone, so grab a hand lens and head outside to find some insects. My young scientists always love any opportunity for hands-on activities. After your bug hunt, head back to the classroom and let students record their learning in their science notebooks.
Writing about science is a great way to let students share their learning, integrate science throughout the day, support ELLs in the classroom, and allows students to streamline their thinking and ask questions that come up.
Play-Doh is always a hit with my students! It’s like Christmas when I pull it out for us to use! Have your students build a variety of insects and label their parts.
You can then have students draw and label these in their science notebooks to record their learning or as an assessment.
I was able to do this once with my kindergarten class and it was a total hit!! You can order a kit from Monarch Watch HERE.
Then, you’ll easily be able to teach all about the butterfly life cycle as the caterpillars grow right in front of your students’ eyes. The All About Insects unit includes life cycle teaching posters and a cut-and-paste for students to show their learning.
Animals and insects are the perfect time to teach research with your little writers. They are high-interest topics and my students were always eager to get started every day! It’s an easy way to integrate technology into your lessons, too.
For younger students, you can use fact sheets like I have in my Insects Unit. All of the facts needed are right there for students to read (or have them read to them). Then, they can fill out the flipbook. Students can easily glue them into an interactive notebook.
The All About Insects unit not only has everything you’ll need for science for the week, it also has literacy components like a mini-reader, read aloud suggestions, shared reading poem and lesson plans for the week, and a writing craft.
Grab your All About Insects unit to be totally set for the week. It includes:
You’ll have everything you need to teach science at your fingertips. The unit teaching plan that’s in the unit makes lesson planning a breeze. Do you have any favorite insect activities to do with your students? I’d love to hear about them!
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I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
