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Adult Insects and Their Adaptations
After a classroom discussion of the characteristics of several orders of insects, this middle school lesson from Clemson University calls for a field trip to a natural area, where students locate, identify, and classify insects, analyze their distribution in various habitats, and explain the adaptations these organisms have developed to survive over time. Students also observe the differences in insect structures in the different habitats sampled. Teacher tools include an insect fact sheet, which contains detailed illustrations and descriptions of the insects under study, and a field activity supplement that provides instructions for collecting and preserving insects. A PowerPoint presentation displays the body shapes, colors, and characteristics of the diverse insects that students are likely to encounter.
Orthoptera
Insects in the order Orthoptera have hind legs that are good for jumping, as this slide from the activity's PowerPoint presentation shows.
Media: Powerpoint
Student Activity
Middle schoolers learn how to use a dichotomous key, a tool to help them determine the identity of insects in the natural world.
Media: PDF
Teacher Supplement
Teachers can use this example of a graph to show students how to display and analyze the number of insects in each order found in different habitats.
Media: PDFProgram Director: Barbara Jean Speziale, Ph.D.
Award Years: 1998, 2002, 2006
Summary: Clemson University is a public research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Its HHMI-funded initiatives include:
- Interactive research communities for undergraduates from Clemson and three historically black colleges and universities;
- Extensive professional development opportunities, including graduate-level courses in bioengineering, bioinformatics and other topics, and summer and short-term courses on natural history, for middle and high school teachers;
- Two CD series that aid students and teachers in learning about various components of South Carolina ecosystems: the SC LIFE Image CD Series, consisting of hundreds of images of invertebrates and vertebrates, and the SC LIFE Interactive CD series, which explores the diversity of flora and fauna in the five physiographic regions of the state; and
- Programs, including laboratory field trips, for middle and high school students to improve their knowledge and understanding of biodiversity and natural history using multidisciplinary curriculum materials that are also available online.