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The Behavior of Ants
Daily Plan
Day 1
- For three minutes, have students, in groups of three, individually
write everything they know about ant behavior in their own journals.
- As the groups finish, each group discusses and then chooses three
of their ideas and writes them on a piece of butcher paper posted
in front of the classroom. Groups should not repeat ideas already
posted.
- Briefly clarify students' ideas so that everyone understands all
the statements posted on the butcher paper. Do not judge, correct
or talk about the content of the statements in any way.
- For three minutes, students write in their journals what they would
like to know about ant behavior.
- As the groups finish, each group discusses and then chooses three
of their ideas and writes them on a different piece of butcher paper
posted in front of the classroom. Groups should not repeat ideas already
posted.
- Again, briefly clarify students ideas so that everyone understands
all the statements posted on the butcher paper. Do not judge, correct
or talk about the content of the statements in any way.
- Now have students write the following statements in their journals:
- Not all ants look the same!
- Not all ants have the same behaviors!
Tell students that their first assignment of this
activity will be to make some observations about ants. They should
start by describing the physical aspects (color, size...etc.) of
one ant and then go on to describe some of the behavioral observations
they make.
- The class will then go outside to look at two separate ant colonies
for the remainder of the period. Students should record everything
they see/observe for the ants until they fill at least one side of
a sheet of paper.
Additional resources
for class 1
Questions
What do you know about ants?
Possible student responses:
- ants bite
- ants live in the ground
- they fight with each other
- the bigger ants win fights between two ants
- they come in different colors
- ants walk in long lines following each other
- they can pick up things bigger than themselve
Possible incorrect answers:
- All ants live in the ground
- All ants will fight with ants from different ant hills
- Ants eat the same things
- Ants live in the little mounds they build
What would you like to know about ants?
Possible responses:
- Do ants eat their dead?
- How do they know to follow each other in lines?
- Do ants communicate?
- What do ants see with their eyes?
- What are the different types of ants?
- Do ants have sex?
Students should not be corrected or directed to give specific answers
during any part of this activity. It is purely for interest development
and to get the students thinking a little bit about the lesson to come.
They will be making observations outside, and they need to start thinking
about physical and behavioral aspects of ants.
Before going outside on Day 1:
- Assign students into groups structured to include a highly motivated
or high achieving student, a medium motivation or achieving student,
and a low motivation or achieving student.
- Instruct them to write the following statements off the board and
into their journal.
- Not all ants are the same!
- Not all ants behave the same way!
- Tell students that they are doing observations to familiarize themselves
with ant behavior and structure and that the best way to get them
familiar with ants is to spend time watching them.
When you actually go outside
When you actually go outside, some of the students will be confused
as to what they are supposed to do. They should be able to begin looking
at physical characteristics such as color, number of legs, size, parts
of the body (head, thorax, gastor).
If they need more direction because they can't begin to see physical
characteristics, you could ask:
Teacher: "Do ants look like people?"
Student: "No".
Teacher: "What do ants have that people have?
Student: "Legs".
Teacher: "Do ants and people have the same number of legs?"
Student: "No"
Teacher: "Well, write down on your observation sheet how many legs
there are on an ant and anything else you see that is similar or different
from people. Then keep going and start writing down what the ant is doing
while you are watching her."
Student: "Her?"
You should now walk away to another group. If a student asks how long
he should make observations, your reply would be, "Make as many observations
as possible before the end of the hour."
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