Activity sheets:
"Walking on Ears" poem
When I...
Cricket Senses
Sense Chart
Teacher Preparation:
- Set up terraria or containers with crickets several days before class activities begin. Identify and prepare a place in the classroom for the insects to live. Avoid areas with direct sun, air vents or cold drafts. Care for the crickets can be given to students if you wish.
- Borrow a hot air popcorn popper to pop popcorn so that the students can hear it pop. If you use a microwave oven in the classroom, it will work as well, but the popping sound is quieter.
- Refer to the chart diagram in preparing the bulletin board for charting senses in Activity 5. One discussion is recorded on butcher paper (Activity 5). Prepare bulletin board space or other wall space for displaying charts and notes throughout the lesson.
- Cut construction paper into small squares enough for five per student plus extras for mistakes (Activity 5).
- Make preparations to invite parents or other classrooms for the presentations of the poems. Prepare juice and cups for Closure Activity.
- Prepare copies of the "Walking on Ears" poem for Activity 3 and Cricket Senses for Activity 4.
- Gather remaining materials and books (see Bibliography).
Materials:
- Crickets (5-10 per container)
- Terrarium (one per group of 7 or 8) or gallon jar with caps for food and water and an egg carton
- Popcorn
- Popcorn popper (if available)
- Individual student journals
- Butcher paper
- Juice and cups
- Thumbtacks or glue stick
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Aliki, My Five Senses; Eric Carle, A Very Quiet Cricket; Rebecca Caudill, A Pocketful of Cricket.
- Any supporting fiction and non-fiction literature which may not be suggested in the bibliography
Cricket Information Sheets
Cricket Rearing Sheets
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