I LOVE TEACHING IDEAS

GRASSHOPPER LIFE CYCLE
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE GRASSHOPPER LIFE CYCLE (WHEEL,CARDS,WORKSHEETS)

HOW TO USE

Print, cut out and laminate the printable a DRAGONFLY life cycle wheel. (or paste in a card stock for durability)

Show each stage to your students and explain to them the development in each stage.

Print and give your students a copy and let them do their own DRAGONFLY life cycle wheel.

For older students (DRAGONFLY life cycle wheel activity)

Divide the class depending on the number of students.

Decide which group goes first.

Have the representative from the group spin the spinner.

Note where the spinner indicator lands. ( eggs, nymphs, molt, dragonfly) and pose a question about that area to the group. If the group answers the questions correctly, award it a point.

Then have the next group turn the spinner and ask the group a related question. Give a point if the question answered correctly.

Give each group five chances. In case of a tie, choose a life cycle stage and ask a question. Each of the group participating in the tie breaker write down the answer. Give a point for each correct answer.

Recognize all the students for their participation.

DRAGONFLY CARDS

OBJECTIVE

Help the students visualize the life cycle of a dragonfly.

HOW TO USE THE CARDS 

These could be laminated back to back or individually. 

Show each card to your students and explain each stage of the dragonfly life cycle development.

DRAGONFLY LIFE CYCLE COLORING/ SORTING WHEEL

Learning objectives

To identify the stages of a  dragonfly life cycle.

To identify the correct sequence of the life cycle of a dragonfly.

To familiarize about the life cycle of an  dragonfly.

To develop coloring skill.

Dragonfly worksheet 1

Learning objectives

To identify the stages of a  dragonfly life cycle.

To identify the correct sequence of the life cycle of a  dragonfly.

To familiarize about the life cycle of a  dragonfly.

To develop coloring skill.

To develop writing skill.

HOW TO USE

Print and give your students a copy. Explain to your students the directions written in the worksheets. 

Monitor your students while doing the activity.

This could be a group or individual activity.

Dragonfly life cycle worksheet 2

Learning objectives

To identify the stages of a  dragonfly life cycle.

To identify the correct sequence of the life cycle of a  dragonfly.

To familiarize about the life cycle of a  dragonfly.

To develop coloring skill.

HOW TO USE

Print and give your students a copy. Explain to your students the directions written in the worksheets. 

Monitor your students while doing the activity.

This could be a group or individual activity.

GRASSHOPPER

The grasshopper is a flying animal belonging to order Orthoptera and class Insecta. About 11,000 species exists. They are herbivorous and commonly seen in autumn; a few appear in summer and spring. During mating, the male grasshopper deposits sperm into the female's vagina, which finds its way to the eggs through canals known as micropyles. An adult grasshopper goes through the stages egg, nymph and adult and has a lifespan of approximately one year.

EGG

This is the initial stage of a grasshopper's life cycle. The mother grasshopper lays fertilized eggs in mid-summer and they remain 1 or 2 inches under the sand or in leaf litter. She sprinkles them with sticky semisolid substance that sets to form an egg pod. Each egg pod contains 15 to 150 eggs, depending on the species. Normally a female grasshopper can lay up to 25 pods. The eggs remain underneath for about 10 months in autumn and winter before hatching into nymphs during spring or in the initial days of summer.

NYMPH

This is the second stage of the grasshopper's life cycle and the initial stage during which a young grasshopper sees the outside world. Nymphs look like adult grasshoppers, called molts, apart from the fact that they are wingless and lack reproductive organs. They undergo five sub stages known as instars before fully developing into adult grasshoppers; each instar is characterized by shedding of the cuticle skin and gradual growth of wings. In order to survive, nymphs starts to feed on succulent and soft plant foliage barely one day after hatching from the egg. This stage lasts for about five to six weeks before the young nymphs mature to adult grasshoppers.

MOLTING

Molting takes place during the nymph stage. The locust sheds its exoskeleton before maturing into an adult. Why the exoskeleton covers the nymph's body, providing it with protection against external injuries, it inhibits its growth because of its rigidity and inability to give room for expansion. The nymph has to shed it in order to achieve growth. It undergoes five to six molts in which it changes its structure and form before reaching adulthood.

ADULT/GRASSHOPPER

This is a fully grown grasshopper. It take about one month before the wings are fully developed. The mature grasshopper is more mobile than the nymph, a characteristic that help them to hunt and flee from predators. The reproductive organs are fully grown, so the females can lay eggs and the males can fertilize. However, female grasshoppers do  not lay eggs until they are 1 or 2 weeks old, to allow them to gain enough weight before they start laying eggs. Once she starts laying eggs, the female continues to lay eggs at intervals to 3 to 4 days until she dies. Adult grasshoppers live about two months, depending on the weather.

http://animals.mom.me/grasshoppers-life-cycle-6298.html