Italy High School

Introduction

It’s a Saturday afternoon in early fall.  You are out hiking along Chambers Creek and its surrounding meadows and woods.  You happen to see a very interesting insect fly by.  What could it be?  And what is that striped bug on that leaf?  After this biology project…you’ll know!

 Task

You will prepare a labeled exhibit of 50 insects or invertebrates.

 Process

1. Use the Big 6 research method or the Scientific Method to help in this project.

2. Brainstorm (write down) a list of possible places you can go to find insects or invertebrates.

3. Brainstorm (write down) a list of at least 10 orders of invertebrates using your text, the Turtox Key Card for Orders of Insects, or Checklist of Insect Orders  

4. Catch 50 different insects or invertebrates.  Tarantulas, praying mantises, and butterflies are not to be killed.  Mrs. Bridge will give you credit for a live tarantula or praying mantis that you bring in.  Butterflies are not to be caught or turned in at all.  You may have one colored picture of a butterfly pinned in your collection to represent their order. 

5. Mount the insects in the following manner:

   1. Mount beetles by pinning them through the right wing.  All insects which belong to the Order Coleoptera will be mounted in this manner.

   2. Insects in the Orders Hemiptera and Homoptera should be pinned through the “v” on their abdomens just posterior to their thorax.

   3. The wings of Order Odonata insects can be held down or flattened by placing a strip of paper along the wings and pinning it in place.  Do not pin through the wings. Remove extra pins and paper before turning in collection. 

   4. Soft bodied insects (such as ants, termites, etc.) should be preserved in 70% alcohol in clear glass or plastic bottles with tight-fitting lids.  Collection data should be placed inside.

   5. All extremely small insects should be glued to a small triangle of card stock.  The pin is then pushed through the paper.

   6. Arachnids (spiders, scorpions, and ticks) should not be pinned.  They should be glued to a slender piece of card stock (like a note card).  The pin should be placed through the card stock.

   7. Crustaceans (roly polys only) should be glued to a small piece of card stock and pinned through the card stock.

   8. Chilopoda (centipedes) and Diplopoda (millipedes) should be prepared using the same directions as arachnids and crustaceans.

   9. All other insects should be mounted by pinning them through their thorax.

   10. Remove extra pins and paper before turning in collection.

6. Each insect must be labeled by common name and scientific name.  Arachnids, crustaceans, chilopoda, and diplopoda are to be classified to order only.

7. Brainstorm (write down) a list of all possible sources where you could find the information for the labels for each insect.

8. Brainstorm (write down) a list of keywords to use in searching indexes, table of contents, OPAC, and the Internet.

9. In the library, look for these sources:

--in the reference section in regular and science encyclopedias

--in the nonfiction science section

--on the OPAC 

10. On the internet, use these suggested web sites:

11. Labeling instructions: Beneath each insect on the pin will be four small rectangles of paper.  This information should be written in pencil.  The paper rectangles should be small, and they should all be the same size.  They are to contain the following information:

    1. Collection date AND location

2. Collector’s name

3. Common name

4. Scientific name

11. Include a bibliography page at the end of the assignment citing all the sources you used to find the classification and the butterfly picture. Use NoodleTools to help with your works cited.  Under Free Tools, click on NoodleBib MLA Starter.  (Ask the librarian if you need help starting an account.)

12. Collections will not be returned.

13. Submit a self evaluation on how well you think you did on this assignment.  Include:

1. Number of insects or invertebrates.

2. Correct mounting.

3. Correct labeling.

4. Correct identification.

5. Neatness.