Six Legs and Three Parts: All About Insects

Learning Objectives

• Name the three body parts of an insect: head, thorax and abdomen.
• Use features such as six legs to decide if an animal is an insect.
• Describe ways insects help people and plants.

How to Use This Resource

• Show the slides and look closely at an insect picture together.
• Use the flashcards to teach the body parts, then complete the worksheet.
• Use the quiz to check learning and send the insect hunt homework; answers are in the answer keys.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Build a bug: children make an insect from three balls of play dough, six pipe cleaner legs and two antennae.
• Insect or not? Show animal pictures; children stand up for an insect and sit down for an animal that is not an insect.
• Bug walk: children look under leaves and logs with magnifying glasses and record what they find (look, do not touch).

Differentiation

Support: give a labeled insect picture and a word bank for every activity. Challenge: children research one insect and explain how its body helps it live.

Assessment

The worksheet and quiz check body parts and classifying (answer keys included). Use the rubric for the labeled drawing and the insect hunt.

Teacher Tips

Count legs together every time. Six legs is the quickest way for children to decide if an animal is an insect, and it explains why spiders (eight legs) are not insects.

What's Included

• 10-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
• Key vocabulary list (7 words with meanings and examples)
• Student worksheet (5 activities)
• Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
• Homework practice page
• Printable flashcards: 7 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
• Assessment rubric (4 levels)
• Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
• Editable Word version of all student pages
• Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

• Lesson Slides (PowerPoint, editable) (PPTX)
• Editable Student Pages + Lesson Plan (Word) (DOCX)
• Flashcards (PDF, A5, one card per page) (PDF)
• Answer Key (PDF) (PDF)

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