Build a Bug

As my students finished up our Elements of Art (line, shape, color, value, form, texture) Unit and embarked with Principles of Art (specifically symmetrical balance), we bridged the two with animal kingdom content. This week we studied invertebrates through insect documentaries and articles. They learned about the parts of an insect (head, thorax, abdomen, antennae, six legs, wings, compound eyes, etc.)

Did you know that out of every 4 animals on earth, 3 are insects? There are 10,000 species just of ants and probably 10,000 more waiting to be discovered, each as different from each other as a tiger is to a rhino. Some are hunters, some scavengers, some farmers. But all are symmetrical. 

I had images and magnifiers for students with low vision and plastic insect models for my students who are blind to feel. A line of symmetry can be found on each insect.

Everyone wrote 5-10 insect facts to share before trying to build their own kind of bug. 

If they wanted to switch it up and do a spider, or add more legs, that was their choice. I had craft foam, pipe cleaners, egg cartons, clothes pins, puff balls, wood pieces, paint, markers, google eyes, buttons, tissue paper on hand for students to find their own solution.

The end product was not the display cases of tiny, original, detailed, jewel like insects I had hoped for, but special education is about process. And if they are more aware of insects and symmetry in the world around them, then mission accomplished.