Marvelous metamorphosis

Most kids love insects. This integrated unit will enable students the opportunity to observe, identify, and describe the life cycle a mealworm goes through during his metamorphosis into a grain beetle.

A lesson plan for grade 2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Science

By Pam Maness

Learn more

• Mealworm Care how to raise mealworms
• Etymology Notes specifically about raising insects, including mealworms, indoors

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Related topics

• Learn more about biology and life science and science.

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Learning outcomes

• Students will be able to draw and label the life cycle of the grain beetle.
• Observations of the mealworm’s metamorphosis and summaries of class activities conducted will be recorded by the student in their science journal.
• Working in groups, students will sort and count all of the live larvae, pupae, adults and any dead found in the class mealworm/grain beetle population.
• Using calculators, the students will add the data collected. They will determine if the total number of each group is even or odd.
• The class will collect data five times. This will be done every two weeks for a period of ten weeks. The information will be recorded by the students on a class graph and timeline.
• As a class art activity, students will draw and paint a mural, showing the life cycle of a grain beetle.
• Students will write a story, either fact or fiction, about the life of a mealworm.
• Using an Alpha-Smart word processor, each child will type their story and then with the teacher’s help download it onto a computer. Working with the teacher, students will edit and print their story. .
• Each student will illustrate their published work (examples: 1 | 2 ).

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

10 weeks or more

Materials/resources

• mealworm stock culture
• bran meal and apple slices
• a two quart, clear plastic container/with lid
• small, clear plastic cups/with lids (one per student
• push pins and fine pointed permanent markers
• several hand lenses and a microscope (optional)
• calculators (one per student)
• student journals with blank, lined paper, and data collection sheets
• paint, brushes, and white bulletin board background paper

Technology resources

All of the following technology resources are optional but greatly enhance the study.

• overhead projector and overhead calculator
• digital camera
• television monitor
• computer and printer
• Several “Alpha-Smart” word processors. These are portable computer companions which are compatible with either Macintosh or PC computers. Students can type, edit and save text without having to be at a computer. The information can later be transferred to a computer (purchase information).

Pre-activities

• Discuss with the class the fact that we all change. Talk about how animals and plants also have life cycles. Ask pupils to name these different stages. Make sure they include being born, growing into an adult, reproducing young, and finally dying. Inform the students that there will be some insects in the room for several weeks. The students will be watching them grow and change. These insects are called mealworms.
• Together, students and teacher complete a K-W-L Chart about mealworms before beginning the study.
• Students look at and hold a mealworm. Do not insist that a child touch the mealworm. Usually after a student who is fearful sees his classmates handling the mealworms, they will try it. See the attached photo.
• Share background information and photos with the class. Make sure the students can identify each stage before asked to sort the colony.

Activities

Changes in the Mealworm/Beetle Population

1. Divide students into groups of five. Students decide who performs the following jobs within their group:
   • Materials Handler—Collects and returns supplies
   • Data Collector—Sorts and counts mealworm/beetles
   • Secretary—Writes observations and scientific procedures, records data
   • Reporter—Gives oral report of findings
2. From the mealworm population, give each group a half cup scoop of bran meal. Empty the scoop into a shallow pan. The data collectors sort the mealworm/beetle colony into four groups: larvae, pupae, adults and any dead. The group’s secretary writes the total number of each category on the tally sheet. The materials handler returns the bran meal and mealworms/beetles to the class culture container. When asked, the reporter from each group shares the data collected. The teacher writes the results on the board as each group shares their totals. Each student copies the class data on their science journal tally sheet and adds the totals of each group using a calculator. The teacher models the steps using an overhead calculator. The class decides if the totals for each group are even or odd numbers. Students record the data on their graph and the large class line plot graph. Every two weeks this entire activity is repeated. Data is collected five times over a period of ten weeks. Each time, discuss how the population has changed.

Hints:

Always count the colony on the same day of the week. It is important that students wash their hands prior to and after handling the mealworms.

Individual Study of a Mealworm’s Metamorphosis

1. Each student prepares a habitat for a mealworm in a small plastic condiment cup. They use a pushpin to make air holes in the plastic lid. See the attached photo. Using a fine point permanent marker students write their name on the bottom of the cup. Add one-quarter inch of bran meal in the cup and a thin slice of apple. Students pick their own mealworm. Using a hand magnifying lens or a microscope, students observe the mealworm. See the attached photo. They look for eyes, legs, and at the body segments. Next, the mealworm is laid in the cup. Then the lid is put on the cup and it is placed in an area out of direct sunlight. The student lists and describes how they made the mealworm’s home. Students observe the mealworm in its habitat each day and look for any changes. Daily entries are made in their science journals, where they write about how the mealworm looks, moves, and feels to the touch.
2. Each stage of the mealworm’s marvelous metamorphosis is documented, drawn and labeled. Students share daily their observations of the mealworm. A time line is kept as the changes occur. Not all of the mealworm/beetle population will successfully go through a complete metamorphosis. When a student’s mealworm dies, be prepared to discuss what might have caused it to die. The student can select a new mealworm to replace the one they lost, in order to continue the study. It is important to add this death the next time data is collected.

Art Activity

1. A few weeks into the study, the students take turns drawing a large mural on white bulletin board background paper. The scene depicts the mealworm’s life cycle. They complete the scene by painting their drawings.

Writing and Publishing

1. After observing and gathering data for several weeks, the students will be asked to write a story about “The Life of a Mealworm.” The teacher conducts prewriting activities with the class. Elements of a good story are discussed. Together the students and teacher complete a story web. The written work may be either fact or fiction. A factual story will contain information regarding actual events that occur during the mealworm’s metamorphosis. If the story is fictional, it may be told from the mealworm’s point of view.
2. Once the composition is on paper, a student may use an “Alpha-Smart” to type their story. Depending on the student’s ability and story length, this process may take twenty to thirty minutes. The student may wish to work on their word-processing for shorter periods over several days.
3. Next with the teacher’s help, the student transfers their story to the computer. Easy step-by-step directions for this are in the Alpha-Smart manual. The student is encouraged to proof read and edit their work.
4. Now the teacher assists the pupil with the final draft. All errors should be corrected.
5. If you are using Microsoft Word, highlight the text of the story. From the pull down menu, choose the speech feature. Allow the student to select the voice they like best. The voice will read orally the child’s story to them. If there are no corrections to be made, print the story. The teacher helps the child save their story.
6. The student may illustrate the published story. The published stories may be displayed on the life cycle mural as a bulletin board. When the bulletin board is taken down, put all of the stories into a class book. The book can be placed in the reading center for everyone one to enjoy.

Assessment

The teacher will assess each student’s understanding and mastery of the lesson objectives by the following measures:

• Reviewing the student’s labeled artwork showing the life cycle of the grain beetle.
• Observations made by the teacher, while the student is collecting data, using problem solving skills, and completing number computations.
• View the student’s graph, timeline, and journal entries. Discuss with them their interpretation of the data collected and the changes that occurred during the study.
• Reading the student’s story, which they published and printed using computer technology.
• Look at the student’s illustrations in their story and various drawings and diagrams in their science journal.

Supplemental information

Factual Information

Mealworms are harmless insects to use in the classroom for demonstrating life cycles. They are clean and odorless. The life cycle begins with a tiny white oval egg, which is invisible to the eye. The egg hatches in a week.
The larval stage lasts for about sixty days. The mealworm larva is cream-colored and has six legs near the head. The mealworm wiggles and molts, shedding its skin several times as it grows. Next is the pupal stage. It can last from one to two weeks. The pupa is shorter and wider than the larva. It is white and not very active. When an adult beetle comes out of the pupa case, it is still white. Then it will turn brown and last changes to black. The adult grain beetle lives a month or two. The female is able to lay hundreds of eggs before she dies.

After your observations and studies are finished, you may dispose of the mealworms by placing them in a plastic bag and freezing them. Now they can be discarded without the chance of infestation in the environment.

Purchasing Information

I have found that purchasing a mealworm stock culture, rather than mealworms, is best for studying the complete life cycle. These can be purchased at pet stores or ordered from science supply catalogs.

I order these materials from the following catalog supplier:

Nasco Science 2000

• Item SB07053 (LM)M Mealworm Food one pint bag for $1.30.
• Item LM00627M Mealworm (Tenebrio) Stock Culture one hundred assorted specimens for $5.95. A live materials handling fee of $3.00 is charged for shipping.

The book Critters published by the AIMS Educational Foundation has a wealth of information about mealworms and many hands on experiments.

Comments

Invite your parents to visit and observe the study. Students are eager to share their findings. Many parents are not aware of this marvelous metamorphosis the mealworm completes.