Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
Six legs and three body parts
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/insects/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/insects/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Insects have six legs, three body parts and two antennae.
- Some insects have wings and some do not.
- Spiders and other minibeasts are not insects.
- Insects help us, for example by pollinating flowers.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: name as many minibeasts as you can. |
| 10 min | Read the text together. |
| 20 min | Build an insect and a spider. |
| 5 min | Play Insect or not? or do the quiz. |
| 5 min | Compare the models: what is the same, what is different? |
Materials for the experiment
- Modelling clay or play dough (three colours if possible)
- Pipe cleaners cut into short pieces
- Paper for wings
- Picture of an ant or a ladybird
Safety: Keep clay and pipe cleaners away from mouths. Pipe cleaner ends can be sharp: an adult cuts them and bends the ends over.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| All minibeasts are insects. | Spiders, woodlice, snails and worms are not insects; count the legs. |
| All insects can fly. | Some insects, such as ants, have no wings. |
| The legs grow from all over the body. | All six legs are on the thorax, the middle part. |
Worksheet answers
- Drawing with head, thorax and abdomen, six legs on the thorax and two antennae on the head.
- 8.
- Any one: they pollinate flowers so fruit can grow; they are food for birds; they help break down dead leaves.
Quiz answers
- How many legs does an insect have? Six. All insects have six legs.[1]
- How many body parts does an insect have? Three. Head, thorax and abdomen.[1]
- Is a spider an insect? No, it has eight legs. Insects have six legs.[1]
- What does an insect use its antennae for? To smell and taste. Antennae sense the world.[3]
- How do bees help plants? They carry pollen from flower to flower. This is called pollination.[6]
Going further
Go on an insect hunt in the school grounds with hand lenses. Count the legs of each minibeast you see (look, do not touch) and decide: insect or not?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] What is an insect? (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History): reliability High
- [3] Insect anatomy (Museum of the Earth (Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca)): reliability High
- [5] Biology 2e, 28.6 Superphylum Ecdysozoa: arthropods (OpenStax (Rice University)): reliability High
- [6] What is entomology? (Royal Entomological Society): reliability High
- [8] Speaking up for the little ones: why bugs need our help more than ever (Natural History Museum, London): reliability Medium-high
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/insects/sources/
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