Organisms
Lesson 9
Observing Pill Bugs
In this lesson students shift their focus to the woodland habitat and two representative animal organisms that could be found in this type of habitat. The objectives are similar to previous lessons only the focus is the pill bug.
3. Lesson set up and Management
INQA Scientific investigations involve asking and trying to answer a question about the natural world by making and recording observations.
INQC Scientists develop explanations, using recorded observations (evidence).
INQD Scientists report on their investigations to other scientists, using drawings and words.
INQF All scientific observations must be reported honestly and accurately.
SYSA Living and nonliving things are made of parts. People give names to the parts that are different from the name of the whole object, plant, or animal.
LS1B All plants and animals have various external parts.
LS1C The parts of a plant or animal appear different under a magnifier compared with the unaided eye.
LS2A There are different kinds of natural areas, or habitats, where many different plants and animals live together.
LS3A Some things are alive and others are not.
LS3B There are many different types of living things on Earth. Many of them are classified as plants or animals.
LS3C External features of animals and plants are used to classify them into smaller groups.
- Student will observe, draw and describe pill bugs to understand characteristics of animal organisms.
- Students will develop an understanding of what pill bugs and other animals need in order to live
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
- The pill bugs will eat any green plant material. Keep plenty of green leaf or lettuce matter in the terrarium to discourage the pill bugs from searching out the seedlings for food.
- If you want more pill bugs in the terrarium, they are usually abundant in yards and gardens. They can be found under plant matter and rocks in flower beds and vegetable gardens.
Pill bugs will roll into a ball when
threatened or disturbed.Pill bugs are not insects as they don’t
have three distinct body parts and have
more the six legs.
Student Management:
- Students can touch or hold the pill bugs. This should be student choice, but encourage them to do so. The pill bugs will roll up into a ball initially to protect themselves.
- The pill bugs move fast when they finally come out of their protective ball. Prepare students for this when they hold them.
Pill bug move quickly.
- Many students will be familiar with the pill bug and know it as a roly-poly. Pill bugs are arthropods and are part of the group of arthropods called isopods. Pill bugs are not insects, contrary to common misconception. They are invertebrates with an exoskeleton of chitin. They molt, or shed this exoskeleton to grow. They like to nestle under the leaf litter and moss and will eat plant matter, including, on occasion, the tree seedlings.
- Focus students on what the pill bug needs to live. They eat plant matter. This discussion directly addresses GLE 1.3.8
Writing Support:
- There are blackline masters provided in the Organisms Teacher's Guide of each of the animals. Their suggested use is to color two and staple them together and stuff them with paper towel or batting. These "stuffed pill bugs" can make great classroom mobiles. Add lines and they become great creative writing or poetry writing paper.
- Be sure to have students write about and draw a labeled diagram of the pill bugs in their science notebooks.
- Brainstorm words for how the pill bugs move. This is good practice for using stronger verbs.
Reading Support:
- Share a book of poems that show the world from the bug’s point of view, such as When It Comes to Bugs by Aileen Fisher
Math Support:
- To work on the concept of symmetry have students try drawing the pill bugs with both sides the same. Be sure to have them count the number of legs (14), antennae and segments.
- Pill bug moms carry up to 200 eggs in a brood pouch under the front end of the body. Have students use brown beans to symbolize the eggs and group them in 10’s to make 200.