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Mystery Activity for Grades 2-6
Standards Science: Abilities to do scientific inquiry; understanding about scientific inquiry Life Science: Characteristics of organisms Materials Two bessbugs. Optional: magnifying glass. Safety Tips for Handling Besssbugs Bessbugs don't bite! Bessbugs travel slow! Wash your hands before and after handling bessbugs, for your safety and for theirs. Lift bugs by their abdomens (back section). To keep them from running off, lay bugs belly up in a shallow box. Be gentle. Don't rush. You might enjoy how a bessbug feels walking in your hand. Steps: The Mystery 1. Review the basic definition of an insect: an air-breathing animal with two antennas, six legs and three main body parts—head, thorax and abdomen. 2. Remove a bessbug from its container and take a close look at it. Where is the thorax? Where is the abdomen? 3. Are you sure? Where do the legs seem to be growing? Are you sure. Do you know that in all insects, the six legs grow out of the thorax? Now where do you think the thorax and abdomen are? 4. Turn your bessbug over onto its back. Locate the base of each leg. 5. Now answer the questions: Where is the thorax? Where is the abdomen? The Mystery Explained! When the bessbug is standing right side up, you see what might appear to be head, thorax and abdomen. Actually, these parts are the head, pronotum and elytra. The pronotum is a hard covering that protects the second and third segments of the thorax. You can see the segments of the thorax from the underside of your bessbug. The elytra are two leathery fore wings. They hide and protect a pair of fragile hind wings. Elytra and hind wings grow from the thorax. A single fore wing is called an elytrum. All beetles have two elytra. To locate the bessbug's abdomen, turn it over and look for a division behind the third pair of legs. In this beetle species, the abdomen is much shorter than the thorax. Here is the definition of beetle: an insect with (1) a complete metamorphosis and (2) elytra. These two facts set beetles apart from all other insects and from all other animals. The next time you find a ladybug, also called a lady beetle, you might want to examine it to see if you can locate its head (tiny!), thorax and abdomen, pronotum, elytra and hind wings. (Also, see Ladybug Anatomy in the ladybug section.) |
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