Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: Grooming is a Good Thing

Length of sessions:

One 20 minute sessions
Five 30 minute sessions

Introduction Activity (20 minute session)
Read Old Black Fly by Jim Ayelsworth or A Fly Went By by Marshall McClintock and discuss what the class knows about flies. Teacher records on butcher paper.

Activity 1(30 minute session)
Review the earlier discussion about the fly story. Let the students know that each team will construct a fly trap (see Information Sheet). With this fly trap, they will be able to collect their own flies and observe them. In teams, have students construct fly traps step by step with the teacher. (Have a precut bottle, with holes punched and strings ready for students). If you use two or more kinds of bait to attract the flies, ask the students to predict which bait they think will attract the most flies. Put bait inside the trap and set them up outside to collect flies.

Activity 2(30 minute session)
Referring to the Fly drawing, the students will discuss and brainstorm ways that flies might groom themselves. Teacher records on butcher paper. Retrieve the fly traps and place a cotton ball in the opening. In teams, have the students observe the flies. Using the fly drawing, have the students color in all parts of the fly that they observe being groomed. As a homework assignment, ask the students to think about and discuss with their families what they observed the flies doing.

Activity 3(30 minute session)
Review Activity 2 by having each group share their drawings. Using the fly picture from Activity 2, have the students chart their observations to mark if the student saw the fly wash its head (face), legs (hands), body, etc. Brainstorm and compare predictions about why grooming is important to the fly. Teacher records on butcher paper. Lead the students into discovering why it is important for flies to groom (see Information Sheet). Flies taste, smell, and feel with the hairs that cover their bodies. (Compare this to how a child tastes, smells and feels.) The hairs on the fly's mouth parts and feet are used for tasting. Flies taste what they walk on. If they walk into something tasty, they put down their mouth and taste it again. ("How many of you have seen flies walking on food before? What are they doing? What do you think they 'tasted' before landing on your food?") Flies also use other hairs to tell them when they touch something. These hairs bend when touched. The eyes of a fly do not have eyelids to keep them clean so you might see a fly rubbing its eyes with its feet. The fly is not tired. It is keeping its eyes clean. ("How do your eyes stay clean?") A fly is always cleaning itself so that its hairs and eyes can do their job. (See drawing on Information Sheet.)

Activity 4(30 minute session)
Invite the school nurse to come in and talk about the importance of clean hair and combing hair. She could include a discussion about lice including prevention and eradication.

Closure Activity(30 minute session)
Brainstorm how we groom ourselves and why it is important. Compare and contrast this with flies. "What would happen if we didn't groom? What would happen if the fly didn't groom?" Discuss ideas for a good grooming habits chart to be kept at home, use the chart provided, (e.g. tooth brushing, hair combing, etc.). Write the students' ideas on the Good Grooming Habits chart (under What to Do) and make copies for the students to take home. Have the students use it at home with their parents and return it to school after a week to let them know, and remind them, that they do groom themselves and it is important.

Lesson Intro Set-up Lesson Plans Additions
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