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MP-10: INSECT JEOPARDY
Materials List:
Jeopardy board
Four bells
Four dry erase boards
Dry erase marking pens
4 handkerchiefs to erase marks
paper towels
INSECT JEOPARDY
Update: Aug 2004
SOURCE: Dana Wright
MP – 10
OBJECTIVES:
To compare and contrast the relationship between insects and arachnids, to compare and contrast
the differences between insects and to reiterate student knowledge in a fun and effective manner.
SCIENCE THEMES:
T.b.a.
GRADE LEVELS: 2ND – 6TH
FOCUS WORDS:
Abdomen, arthropod, cephalothorax, chitin, exoskeleton, insect, invertebrate,
metamorphosis and thorax
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The invertebrate animals known as arthropods are not only the most abundant animals on earth (80%
of known species, approx. 1.25 million) but they are also one of the most important groups of animals.
They include insects, crabs, barnacles, sowbugs, shrimps, spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes and
millipedes, as well as many more. Arthropods may destroy some plants but in general they assist in
maintaining a balance in nature. These “joint-footed” animals were first represented 500 million years
ago by the now extinct trilobite.
The word Arthropoda is made up of two words, arthro (jointed) and poda (foot), the same roots as
arthritis and podiatry. The animals in this group (phylum) all have external skeletons (exoskeletons)
made up, principally, of a noncellular covering (cuticle) composed largely of chitin, material similar to
our fingernails. Because the skeleton is on the outside of the body there must be joints to permit
movement of appendages and other parts of the body (segments). Arthropods can grow only by
molting their exoskeleton and growing into a larger one. Hormones control the splitting and shedding
of a too small exoskeleton. The animal crawls out of the old one, inflates the new one with fluid and/or
air, usually hides until the new exoskeleton hardens, from a few hours to days, and repeats this process
until it reaches the adult stage, four to eight times in insects. Other arthropods like lobsters, which can
live 25 years or more, may continue to grow slowly and shed their exoskeletons as necessary
throughout their lifetime. Every single feature - every hair - is replicated in the new exoskeleton. All
arthropod bodies consist of three main parts: head, thorax and abdomen with some modifications. For
example spiders have a fused head and thorax. Arthropods with two or three body parts have ‘true
legs’ attached to the thorax region.
Class Insecta
Adult insects are characterized by having three body regions (head, thorax and abdomen), one pair of
antennae (feelers), biting-chewing or piercing-sucking mouth parts, three pairs of legs, and usually two
pairs of wings, although Diptera (flies) appear to have one pair, and some insects, like fleas and
silverfish have none. Insects live in almost every conceivable habitat. In general, they may have
complete metamorphosis, developing from egg to lava, then to pupa and finally to adults; or they may
have incomplete metamorphosis, hatching out of the egg as small creatures resembling the adult
except in size and sometimes wings. Some insects are aquatic, breathing with gills until they reach the
adult stage, then become air breathers, like mayflies and dragonflies. Land breathing insects have
spiracles, small holes located along the abdomen. “Adult” is defined as being sexually mature and
usually have wings and can fly.
Class: Arachnidae
The arachnids, the word means “spider”, include spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions, and similar animals.
Many people believe that arachnids are insects; they are not! They are characterized by four pairs of
walking legs, no antennae (feelers) and two body regions (cephalothorax and abdomen) except for
ticks, mites and harvestmen which have the cephanlothorax fused to the abdomen. Many posses
poison glands and “fangs” with which they kill insects and other small animals for food.
Most spider species have eight eyes in two or three rows at the front of the cephalothorax (head).
Spiders usually have eight legs and are very fast, light and fragile. All spiders produce silk, but not all
spin webs, some create a den of silk, or use a silk thread as a safety line, the egg sacs are usually silk.
ACTIVITY: (15min. or more)
This is a guessing game based loosely on the Jeopardy television game show. To start, divide
the children into three or four groups, or partners, that will be working together as a team. Flip a coin to
decide which team will begin by choosing a category. Once a category has been chosen, as well as the
point value, uncover the question and read the question aloud. Let the team who presses their bell first
answer the question. The teams confer quietly among themselves to decide on an answer. If the team
answers the question correctly, they may then call which category is the next to be used, as well as the
point value. Once a question has been uncovered, AND THE EV HAS READ THE QUESTION
ALOUD, all teams have the opportunity to ring in and answer the question first (Note: the children must
wait until the entire question has been read before pressing the bell, otherwise they tend to ring before
they hear or know the question/answer). If the team has answered incorrectly, then the team which has
pressed their bell second has the opportunity to answer the question. The team which has answered the
question correctly, always picks the next category.
After ten minutes “Final Jeopardy” may be played. Hand each team a dry erase board and
marker, select a category and point value but don’t uncover the question. Tell the students the category,
and have them decide as a team how much of their earnings they want to “bet” in this particular
category. They write their “bet” on the board. The question is then revealed, and the teams then discuss
QUIETLY, among themselves the answer to the question. When a team has decided on an answer, they
write it on the dry erase board where no other team may see. When all teams have decided on an
answer, the true answer is revealed by the EV and the children hold up their boards one by one. If their
answer is correct, the “bet” is added to the teams total score. If the answer is incorrect, the “bet” is
deducted from the total score. The team with the highest total score wins the game!