What's Bugging You?

National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.nsta.org

Y

5

Teachers

Learning Processes; Preservice Teachers; Classification; Preservice Teacher Education; Entomology; Science Instruction; Elementary School Science; Science Activities

0036-8148

Collecting "bugs" is an authentic, engaging approach for students to learn about various arthropods and their habitat. Students are able to construct knowledge from field notes involving direct observation, drawing, and classification of these animals. This activity has continuously provided successful measurable content outcomes in which students move toward a greater knowledge of scientific classification, specifically the classification characteristics for the phylum Arthropoda and class Insectae. In this article, the author describes how she prepared her students, a group of preservice elementary teachers, for an insect-collection excursion using a 5E learning cycle instructional model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The modeling of this activity is equally appropriate--and effective--for middle to upper elementary students. (Contains 1 figure, 5 resources and 10 online resources.)

ERIC

2007

EJ758224