Waxworms

Life Cycle
4-6 weeks as larvae 1-2 weeks as pupae adult female lays eggs and dies eggs hatch 4-5 days later

Session 1: setting up the habitat and initial observations
 * Learning Target: I can list what insects need to survive.

Session 2: observational drawing

 * Learning Target: I can make a detailed and accurate sketch of a waxworm.
 * I can revise my sketch so it looks more like a real waxworm.

For this lesson, demonstrate careful sketching and writing. Students each get a cup and a waxworm, and sketch and write their observations. Remind them to label body parts.

Use this powerpoint to talk about how to change your sketch as you do new drafts: [|Natalie Grasshopper.ppt]

Students do one draft, share a few, make a list of characteristic of good sketches (zoom in, look for shapes, even the tiny details, make it look realistic, etc.) Model it after this lesson.

Session 3: observational writing
Learning Target: I can describe what I observed in writing so someone else can understand it.

Students observe and talk about their observations with a partner. (Think it, Say it, Write it). Talk about complete sentences and writing so someone else who has never seen a waxworm can understand. They write observations.

Session 3: Waxworms' bodies

 * Learning Target: I can describe what waxworms' bodies look like, and name some parts of their bodies.

Session 4: Waxworm experiments: light or dark?
Learning targets:
 * I can reason about why I think a waxworm prefers the dark or the light.
 * I can collect data for an experiment.
 * I can explain what I learned from an experiment.

Use the booklet attached here to do a whole-class experiment. [|waxworm experiments.doc]

Explain that we are doing an experiment together as a whole class so they can learn about science experiments and how to do them. Then they will later get to design their own.