Week 2: ELD Insect Pre-teaching

Length of Lesson: 30 minutes (small group lesson)

Purpose:
1) Build familiarity with vocabulary term “insect”
2) Practice describing insects with different sentence frames

Learning objectives: At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify similarities and
differences between different insects.

Language objectives: Students will be able to say and write sentences describing insects.

Indiana Academic Science Standard(s):

2.LS.2 – Compare and contrast details of body plans and structures within the life cycles of plants
and animals.

Materials and resources:

paper
crayons/colored pencils
Indiana insect photo cards (printed, laminated and cutone “deck” per partner groupchoose from
4-H list in Appendix C)
Mexico insect photo cards
post-it notes
Large white board
anchor chart

Strand Connections
Strand
Collaborative group work
Nature of science
Culturally responsive practices
Placed-based practices
Lesson application
Students work with partner to sort pictures then share with small
group
Students ask questions about insects and their habitats
Connect to insects found in Mexico
Included insect cards are examples of species native to central
Indiana

Procedure:
Attentional prompt:
Before lesson, have paper and coloring materials out.

Recall previous learning/lesson: (10 minutes)

Have students sit at small table or in a small circle. Who remembers what a habitat is? To start off
today, you are going to draw a quick picture of a squirrel’s habitat! Allow 5 minutes for
drawing/coloring. Share your picture with your neighbor. What details did you include in your
habitat pictures? If we finish our lesson early, you can finish your pictures!

Words used to tell the children the purpose of the lesson:

Today we’re going to study pictures of different insects.
Words used to tell the children the objective of the lesson:
At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to tell me ways different insects are the same and different.

Practice Together (20 minutes)

 Photo Sort—With your partner, take these insect cards. Make a pile of pictures that are the
same and different. Make sure you and your partner can explain why!
o Have partner teams take turns explaining their two piles—answers will vary—the
language and explanation are the focus
o Bring all students back to table/circle. Let’s focus on the insects in the pictures. How
are all of these insects the same?
 Possible guiding questions:
 How many legs do they all have?
 What do their mouths look like?
 How do they move around?
 What are they eating?
 Record answers on white board.
 Practice describing similarities with sentence frame(s)
 “Insects have _____.”
 “Insects can ______.”
 “Insects eat ______.”
o These are all insects from Indiana. Do you think insects are the same all around the
world? What is another country you can think of? (Mexico)
o Study insect cards from Mexico—What is the same? What is different?
 record answers on white board

Closure:
Use your post-it note and the phrases on our white board to write a sentence about one way insects
are the same. Read your sentence to your partner!

Continuing connections:
Remember investigations begin with questions. What questions do you have about insects and their
habitats?
 Record questions on anchor chart

Assessment:
Use Post-it © notes to formally assess student use of vocabulary and sentence frame.

Supports for WIDA levels:

Level 1-2  Point to…

 fill in the blank sentence frames
 word bank on white board
Level 3-4  sentence starters
 model answers in complete sentences, have students repeat with own answers
 word bank on white board
Level 5  answer questions in complete sentences
 partner with teacher for sorting activity—justify sorting with advanced
language descriptions (because, etc.)
Jumiles (stink bug)

Chicatanas (giant winged ants)

Chapulines (grasshoppers)