Three short parts make up this 3-page 1st grade insect check. Students circle the insects among eight pictures (a fly, a spider, a butterfly, a worm, an ant, a snail, a grasshopper and a centipede), label the head, thorax and abdomen of a bee, and answer three questions about how many legs and body parts an insect has and whether a spider is an insect. Page 3 gives the answers. It suits the end of an insect unit.
“Pick out insects from other small animals.”
Four of the eight pictures are insects. The spider, worm, snail and centipede are not.
“Label the head, thorax and abdomen of an insect.”
Part 2 uses a bee with three numbered lines and a three-word bank.
“Know that an insect has six legs and three body parts.”
Questions A and B ask for these two numbers, and question C applies them to a spider.
Eight named pictures in two rows of four. Students circle the four that are insects.
A bee with three numbered dotted lines and a word bank of head, thorax and abdomen. Students write one word on each of three lines.
Three answer boxes for how many legs, how many body parts, and whether a spider is an insect (Yes or No).
The four insects to circle, the three bee parts and the three fact answers, with the spider's 8 legs and 2 body parts as the reason.
End of unit
Give it out as a ten-minute check after your insect lessons. Parts 2 and 3 share page 2, so one look shows who can label a bee and who knows the facts.
Centipede and spider
After marking, talk about the centipede and the spider. Both have more than six legs, so they are a good reminder of the rule.
Read it aloud
Read the three questions aloud for students who are still building their reading. The word bank means nobody has to spell thorax from memory.
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