Name ______________________

Walk this Way Tour Activity

1. Label the five parts of an insect leg (Hint: Use the Trait wall with the legs on it).

2. Find and draw an insect in the museum. Pay special attention to its legs in your drawing.

3. Fill in the table about your insect.

Type of Insect

Habitat/Environment

Type of legs
(For this, use the Trait wall to figure
out which type is the closest fit to your
insect)

4. Why do you think the legs you drew are shaped this way?

5. How does this shape help that insect move around in its environment?

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 1

 Name ______________________
Walk this Way Insectigation

Robots are becoming popular tools in many different fields. They can power human
machines, operate medical equipment or explore outer space for us! Recently robots
have had wheels to help them get around, but wheels make it harder to walk on some
surfaces, like Mars for instance. It would be easier for a robot to walk around on six
legs like an insect. Having so many legs helps insects with their locomotion and
stability, so scientists are trying to make robots walk more like insects. To develop a
robot that can walk on different surfaces, scientists must understand the different
types of insect legs.
Over time, insects have adapted different shapes and sizes for their legs, depending on
their environments. An insect living in the water would need a different type of legs
than one who digs underground. Your job today will be to help scientists figure out
what kinds of legs robots can have in each type of environment, based on what type of
legs insects have. Once you choose the leg types, you will be constructing your own
robot! Good luck!

1. Use the clues to help you determine which kind of legs would be best fitting for the insects. Think about
how the animals move around and where they live. Draw a line from the insect to the type of leg it has.
Clue 1: Grasshoppers live in grassy meadows, and as their name suggests they jump to escape from
predators. Their leg has a powerful muscle to allow them to propel their bodies upwards.
Clue 2: Cockroaches scurry about in dark and damp places. Since they don’t rely on flight too much, they
can run quickly.
Clue 3: Praying Mantids are predators who must hunt for their food by grabbing it with their front legs.
Clue 4: Mole Crickets live underground and must construct the pathway to get to their homes.
Clue 5: Diving Beetles live in the water as their name suggests, and they swim around, using their legs to
propel them along.

2. Next, fill in the correct label for each of the leg types by writing it in the box next to the drawings of the
legs:
Running Jumping Swimming Grasping Digging

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 2

Name ______________________

Match the insect to the drawing of its correct legs., and then write the name of the type of leg in the box.

Insect Leg Type

Grasshopper

Cockroach

Praying Mantis

Mole Cricket

Diving Beetle

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 3

Name ______________________
Creating Robots
Work through the following tasks to create a robot with functional legs.

1. Write a sentence for each leg type describing what it looks like and where it can be found. Use examples
of insects that have these types of legs.

Running ________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Jumping________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Swimming_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Grasping________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Digging________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

2. Now that you have studied insects and their legs, you are ready to design robots. Brainstorm which type of
leg you would choose the following robots to have. Think about the function of the robots in the areas
where they are needed.

Robot on a rocky
Robot in the garden:
surface on Mars:
Leg type
Leg type
_____________
_____________

Robot to assist a
Robot Underwater:
doctor during surgery:
Leg type
Leg type
_____________
_____________

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 4

Name ______________________

3. Choose one of the robots from the list, and draw or describe what this robot would look like. Pay special
attention to the way it will walk around. Would your robot be able to fly as well? Use this space to plan
your robot. Get creative!

4. Now that you have made your robot, write a proposal to an engineering company. You have made the
best robot, and you want to sell your product. Write a persuasive argument that explains why your robot
design would work best.

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 5

Name ______________________

This activity was designed to help students see the importance of insects in current robotics and to help them see
how adaptations are used in different environments. As an extension to the field trip, this lesson focuses on
students creating their own robots for a certain function. If time permits, have them get creative and make it into a
group activity to create a robot.

Answer Key

Jumping

Running

Grasping

Swimming

Digging
Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 6
 Answer
Name ______________________
Match the insect to the drawing of its correct legs., and then write the name of the type of leg in the
box.

Insect Key
Grasshopper
Leg Type

Cockroach

Praying Mantis

Mole Cricket

Diving Beetle

Based on NGSS 4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2 4.2 7