Crickets and Isopods Life Science Learning Activities

Here is a great addition to your life science curriculum! If your upper elementary or middle schoolers are delving into the world of crickets and isopods, then this is the product for you. The pages of this packet have everything you need for your learners to gain a deeper understanding of habitats, adaptations, and food chains. As a bonus, there is also a money budgeting activity where learners will work within the given parameters to create a suitable habitat for crickets or isopods. This product has something for all types of learners, and it will give you the peace of mind knowing that they are strengthening skills in nearly all academic domains. As they work their way through each page, learners will be given the opportunity to read, watch educational videos, write, draw, and use critical thinking skills. The best part is, they will also have the opportunity to create real-world connections by observing cricket and isopods in their natural habitats and finding the pros and cons of purchasing new items versus repurposing/upcycling. With the amount of information provided and the variety of activities included, you can use this as a stand-alone product or in conjunction with your science curriculum. The activities can be done individually or in a group setting. Below are the details of each page within this product.

PAGES 1-2: Eight vocabulary terms found throughout the pages of the product. (color and b&w versions)

PAGE 3: learners will identify a synonym for each vocabulary term.

PAGE 4: learners will read about the various physical and behavioral adaptations of a cricket.

PAGE 5: learners will read about the various physical and behavioral adaptations of an isopod.

PAGE 6: learners will watch an educational video and list facts about a cricket’s appearance, behavior, and habitat.

PAGE 7: learners will watch an educational video and list facts about an isopod’s appearance, behavior, and habitat.

PAGE 8: learners will label the diagram of a cricket with the given physical adaptations/body parts.

PAGE 9: learners will label the diagram of an isopod with the given physical adaptations/body parts.

PAGE 10: learners will read clues and identify if the adaptations belong to the cricket or isopod.

PAGE 11: learners will complete an observation of a cricket or isopod in their natural habitats.

PAGE 12: learners will read two passages about the habitats and adaptations of crickets and isopods.

PAGE 13: learners will read the instructions for the “Build-a-Habitat” PBL activity.

PAGE 14: learners will list the items they’ll use to build a habitat and complete the corresponding budgetingform.

PAGE 15: learners will use the purchasing guide in their PBL activity.

PAGE 16: learners will use the upcycling guide in their PBL activity.

PAGE 17: learners will use the guidelines to draw a complete habitat for a cricket.

PAGE 18: learners will use the guidelines to draw a complete habitat for an isopod.

PAGE 19: learners will answer questions as reflection of their PBL activity.

PAGE 20: learners will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast crickets and isopods.

PAGE 21: learners will write a paragraph explaining whether or not crickets and isopods can co-exist in the same habitat.

PAGE 22: learners will complete a search-and-find activity of animals found in the woodlands habitat.

PAGE 23: learners will classify the woodland animals based on three different criteria.

PAGE 24: learners will create three food chains (cricket, isopod, learner’s choice)

ANSWER KEY