Let’s learn about insects!

What is an insect?

We find insects everywhere! All over the world, in every

country, in every town, there are insects.

There are even insects that can survive in Antarctica and

Greenland where it is really cold all year round!

There are insects right outside your house, in your

gardens, down the streets…maybe even a couple of

cheeky insects have crept into your house at some point!

In fact insects make up 90% of all the animals on earth!

Before we learn more about insects, set a two-minute

timer and see how many different sorts of insects you

think you know. You could draw them or write them down.

At the end we will see if all of the creatures you have

drawn can be classified as true insects.

So what makes an insect, an insect?

We will need to know some key vocabulary to talk about insects. When we use

these words again in the PowerPoint they will be in bold and underlined like

this. You can always scroll back to this screen if you need to check what the

word means.

Antennae – these are feelers on top of an insect’s head

Invertebrate – this means an animal without a backbone (without a spine)

Exoskeleton – a hard shell (like a skeleton) but on the outside of the insect’s body

Thorax – the middle part of an insect’s body

Abdomen – the last part of an insect’s body

So what makes an insect, an insect?

This wasp’s exoskeleton is black and

yellow. Insects do not have bones

like we do. They have a hard shell on

the outside.

It is an invertebrate because it has

no bones inside, not even a spine!

So what makes an insect, an insect?All insects have 6 legs. Can you spot them?

What colour are they? A wasp uses its

colours as a warning to other animals

telling them to stay away.

All insects have antennae which are used

to feel, smell and taste. Can you find

them on both pictures?

All insects come from eggs and do not look

like adults to begin with. They begin as a

larva or pupa and then change into an

adult

So what makes an insect, an insect?

All insects have three parts to their bodies. We

call this a segmented body (meaning it is made

up of different parts, like an orange).

The three parts of an insect’s segmented body

are called:

- The head where the mouth parts are located.

- The thorax where the muscles are for its legs

and wings

- The abdomen where the insect’s organs are

located.

Not all insects will have wings but many of

them do.

Can you find all the different body parts?

Have a look at this beetle. Did you

know 50% of all insects are beetles?

Can you find…

- The head?

- The thorax?

- The abdomen?

- All six legs?

- The antennae?

- Its exoskeleton?

Look back at your list you made earlier. Are all of

your animals insects? How could you find out?

So, which creatures are really insects?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zq3ygk7

Watch the video in the link above to find out more about which creatures are

really insects.

Remember, not all the creepy crawlies we are used to seeing in our gardens or in

the woods will be insects.

See if you can remember some of the things that all insects need to have…

Which of these do you think is an insect?

Make a prediction…

Answer time!I am not an insect. I have too

many legs and no antennae.

I am not an insect. I have too

many legs and too many body

segments.I am not an insect. I have too

many legs and too many body

segments.

I am an insect. I have 6 legs, 2

antennae and my 3 segments to

my body.

I am an insect. I have 6 legs, 2

antennae and my 3 segments to

my body.

I am an insect. I have 6 legs, 2

antennae and my 3 segments to

my body.

Bug sorting!

On the next slide you will see some

pictures of different creepy crawlies.

Lots of them you will find in a garden

or in the woods but not all of them are

insects.

You will need to look carefully and be

insect detectives to find the ones which

are truly insects.

When you think you have found them,

create a table to show your results. It

might look like this…

Or you could draw pictures of each creature

instead of writing the words.

Bugs to sort:

woodlouseearwig

centipededragonfly

ladybird

garden spider

worm

butterfly

Extension: Go for a walk and see what other

creatures you can find. Are they insects? How

would you know?

stag beetle

Answers:

woodlouseearwig

centipededragonfly

ladybird

garden spider

worm

butterfly

Extension: Go for a walk and see what other

creatures you can find. Are they insects? How

would you know?

stag beetle