Label the insect

Insects are one of the largest and most diverse groups of creatures on Earth. There are more than a million known species, yet they all share common physical characteristics.

In this activity, students use online and/or paper resources to identify and label some of the characteristics using two well known native insects – the chorus cicada (Amphipsalta zelandica) and the tree wētā (Hemideina thoracica).

The activity provides practice with the science capability ‘Interpret representations’.

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• identify and label some of the key physical characteristics of insects

• use literacy skills to learn about the physical characteristics and associated terminology

• make comparisons between the cicada and tree wētā.

Download the Word file (see link below).