4: December
Features of a ladybug that aid in survival
Purpose
Building on last month’s focus on ladybugs’ roles and classification of organisms in an ecosystem, this month students will connect with features of their own schoolyards as they make sense of the relationship between ladybugs” survival features and the features of their habitat.
Start by asking students to think about the ladybug’s anatomical features they learned about in October. Then, ask students to consider the question, “How do ladybugs’ features help them survive?” Record student responses and classify them into categories (e.g. coloration, size, body shape, wings). Then, break students into groups to research each feature in more detail. Have groups share their findings with the class. Page 3 of the All About Ladybugs PDF resource explains the anatomy of a ladybug and this resource provides more information about ladybug vs. lady beetle classification.
Discuss with students areas of the school grounds where they have found ladybugs (refer to your school grounds map and record sheets). What do these areas have in common, or what makes them different from other areas where ladybugs have not been found? Give students time to consider location, pesticide use, types and amounts of vegetation, and other habitat features of these school ground areas. Recall that the entire school ground area is part of an ecosystem made up of living and non-living factors, whereas habitat features are specific to the school ground area. Ask students to discuss with a partner if these features also aid in ladybug survival. Share thoughts with the whole group. Suggestion: Students should compare their findings regarding where they observe ladybugs to the findings of others and attempt to identify common features or criteria that might help define those habitats that are
most suitable for ladybugs. Ask students what they could do to determine whether the features and criteria that they found define ladybug presence in their area at this time also apply at other times and in other places in the country and around the world. This is a common method used in science for improving understanding of organism behavior. These types of observations may be found using other sources including contacting other groups that are participating in the LLP.
Take the students to an area of your school grounds where ladybugs have been found previously. The intent of this activity is not to search for new ladybugs but to return to an area you have previously searched and found ladybugs in an effort to make connections between the discussions in class today and prior ladybug sightings. After recording any findings, ask students to think about what was discussed in class as they think about the ladybugs as survivors. If no ladybugs are found, ask students to infer, based on the information they’ve learned about how they survive, why there might not be any ladybugs present at this time or location.
Not finding ladybugs? Student morale may be low if your class has not been finding ladybugs. Refer to the Outdoor learning support for ideas on how to manage disappointment. In addition, there may be other reasons beyond where you are searching that affect ladybug sightings. Refer to the Extensions Support for information regarding pesticide use on your school grounds.
Standards + Practices
Science Standards:
LS.5.2.1 Engage in argument from evidence to compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems (including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands) in terms of their ability to support a variety of populations.
LS.5.2.3 Use models to infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.
Science Practices
SP 1: Asking questions (for science)
SP 6: Constructing explanations
SP 8: Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Resources + Supports
Using Collected Data
Based on everything you have learned so far about ladybugs and your observation data, what recommendations do you have for changes to the school grounds to increase ladybug sightings on your school campus?
Did your students see a change in the number of ladybugs they found this month compared to previous months? If so, considering where you found any ladybugs and what the weather has been like might help the class begin to address the overarching questions and revise their predictions. If students have struggled to find ladybugs this is also a good opportunity for students to consider different reasons that they have not found ladybugs based on what they have learned about ladybugs.
- Species variance: Do you see differences in the types and number of ladybugs of each type that you find throughout the school year within your local area?
- Geographic variance: Do you see the same patterns across locations throughout North Carolina?
Ladybug Adaptations
- Their small size allows for quick and easy hiding in leaves, grasses, and just about anywhere.
- Ladybugs have a foul taste and their bright color warns predators of this.
- Ladybugs have a hard outer shell known as the elytra. This outer shell is a special type of wing modified into a hard case that protects them and hides their inner wings. As a result, ladybugs can fly away to escape from predators or search for a new place to find food or lay eggs.
- Ladybugs lay their eggs on a plant that will provide a food source (usually insect prey) for their larvae.
A habitat is the environment in which plants and animals live and grow because they have what they need to survive: food, water, and shelter. An ecosystem is where living and nonliving things (e.g., water, air) interact within an area.
A ladybug’s survival is interconnected to the plants in an ecosystem. The plants provide food for the aphids they consume, shelter for protection, as well as a place to lay eggs. Without the plants in the ecosystem, the ladybug would not survive.
Mr. Jones’ Class Makes Inferences
As his class makes sense of their observation data (ladybug sightings and lack thereof) concerning where ladybugs have been found, Mr. Jones decides it will be an excellent opportunity to help students understand the difference between observations and inferences. Mr. Jones facilitates a discussion in which students share observations, which he reminds students are things that they can sense (in this case, see). He records these observations on the left side of a T-chart. He then asks students to consider why they observed ladybugs in these locations and how features of these locations supported their survival; Mr. Jones records these ideas in a column on the right side. After students populate the table, Mr. Jones labels the column “Inferences” and shares that inferences use your knowledge to make sense of your observations. He informs students that as they continue to observe and learn about ladybugs, their inferences may change. Still, he reassures them that what they have generated thus far are the best explanations based on the information they have.
Practice Overview: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Analyzing and interpreting data involves organizing and graphing collected data and making sense of it (e.g., finding relationships, patterns, outliers). Various tools can be used in data analysis, including spreadsheets and graphing tools. Observation and reasoning help scientists make predictions and form explanations based on the data.
The following video, intended for a teacher audience, provides additional information related to this practice. (0:00-2:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NkT-oYPkOA&feature=youtu.be
- Marking the top of the bar, rather than shading bars, facilitates class collaboration in graphing by allowing students to more quickly plot their point on the graph.
- Throughout these engagements, students will use a bar chart, as it is an appropriate representation of these data.
- A line graph with connected data points would represent change over time. Although ladybug counts change for each search, each search’s count is independent.
- If you plan to display a class graph in your classroom long term, consider having students go back and shade in to create bars when time allows.
More information on graphing can be found here (intended for teacher use, not student viewing): http://paul-andersen.squarespace.com/beginners-guide-to-graphing-data
Some possible strategies include:
- Emphasizing the importance of reporting and including all data, even zeroes.
- Emphasizing the importance of and providing opportunities for students to organize and make sense of data they have collected.
- Teaching students how to use appropriate scientific tools such as Excel or Google sheets, and graphing and statistical software.
Providing students with questions that help students attend to relevant parts of the data. See box below.
- What do I notice about how these data are displayed?
- Did we collect our data the same way (e.g., time of day, length of search, location, number of collectors) every time?
- What patterns do I see in the data?
- Are there data that stand out? What are possible explanations for those points?
- What can I infer based on these data?
- What predictions could I make based on these data?
- What questions do I have or what do I still need to figure out? What data would help me answer those questions?
Checking for Understanding
1. Based on what you know about ladybug characteristics and behavior at this point, where in your schoolyard or local area do you predict that you are most likely to find them? Use words, drawings, diagrams, and/or other representations to explain your thinking.
Teacher note: Potential ideas to look for in student work
- Because ladybugs are consumers, they tend to be located near their food sources (in areas of significant plant growth with aphids and pollen or higher up in trees near mites).
- Overwintering may lead ladybugs to be found under tree bark, in natural crevices, or even indoors. (More information is provided on the concept of overwintering in the science content support in January).
2. What environmental features could impact the ladybug sightings you have observed? Use words, drawings, diagrams, and/or other representations to explain your thinking.
Teacher note: Potential ideas to look for in student work
- Students may find it interesting that ladybugs are not found near certain areas of plant growth adjacent to the school building and may question pesticide use.
- Students may notice the amount of tree cover on school grounds and/or proximity of tree covered areas to school grounds.
- Student observations about weathering and erosion of asphalt or concrete on school grounds creating cracks and breaking apart materials.
- Students may notice the natural slope of land and the relation of the slope to areas where puddles form during/after precipitation events.
- Students may notice that ladybug sightings are related to the sunlight/shade and other weather patterns in various areas of school grounds throughout the day.
3. Based on where ladybugs have been found so far this school year, do you agree with the class prediction that [insert your class prediction related to overarching question 1 here]?
Teacher note: In student responses, look for examples pulled from class data that support students’ ideas. Use these responses to inform future class discussions about revising their predictions.
Not Finding Ladybugs?
Student morale about the project may be low if they have not found ladybugs on your school grounds. Try searching for ladybugs in a new section of your schoolyard, or consider visiting a different habitat mentioned in the submission section of the Lost Ladybug website (see screenshot).
Another idea to bring excitement back to the project is to laminate pictures of ladybugs and hide them outside (in appropriate locations) prior to taking your students out. Make it a game for students to find as many as they can in a certain amount of time and then have them practice identifying the ladybugs using the field guides introduced in October’s activities. Then, if time allows, have the students hide the ladybugs and have you find them or invite another class of younger students to join you outside and share students’ learning.
Not Finding Ladybugs?
One of the reasons ladybugs might not be found in your school yard is due to pesticide use by your groundskeepers. Ask your administration about who takes care of the grounds at your school, whether in-house or an outside source, and talk to/call/email to ask if pesticides are used, and if so, what kind is being sprayed and where. Encourage students who are particularly interested in this information to write a letter (1) to the school grounds keeper(s) to highlight their inferences about finding ladybugs on school grounds or (2) to a local master gardener for advice (https://emgv.ces.ncsu.edu/)
Pesticide use may affect the overall insect populations on your school grounds, which kills ladybugs and their prey. In addition, the chemicals in pesticides may pose risks to humans (Damalas, 2009), and children may be at greater risk for various diseases associated with pesticide exposure (Kim, et al., 2017). There are other ways to control weeds or invasive bug species, such as liquid soap solutions or integrative pest controls options (See the NCSU IPM for Schools resources for more information). This can all be explored in more detail by your students as a topic for final presentations in the culminating activity, if they show strong interest in this topic. You can also assess the option to establish a “no pesticide zone” or “pesticide-free zone” on your school grounds by fencing or marking off an area with signs for the groundskeepers to avoid spraying pesticides in those spaces.
Damalas, C. A. (2009). Understanding benefits and risks of pesticide use. Sci. Res. Essays, 4(10), 945-949.
Kim, K. H., Kabir, E., & Jahan, S. A. (2017). Exposure to pesticides and the associated human health effects. Science of the Total Environment, 575, 525-535.
In next month’s activities, students will be learning about a survival practice of ladybugs: overwintering (see Narrative for more information regarding overwintering and/or the Science Content support in February and the Outdoor Learning support for ideas for searching for ladybugs in winter months.). Students will analyze data previously collected to look for patterns in the types of ladybugs that have been found, whether native or non-native.