In this unit, students learn how to classify and identify arthropods. Students examine the similarites and differences between creatures with which they are familiar in order to develop an understanding of arthropod classification. They will use the seven major categores of classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family and Genus).

Biodivesity, Scientific Classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family and Genus), Plants, Adaptation, Ecosystems, Growing Seasons, Models, Organisms.

Use physical characteristics of various plant specimens to classify them. Identify rules for classification of plants. Apply seven major cate- gories of classification. Determine the reasons why scientists classify plants and animals. Determine relationships between plants and their local ecosys- tems—considering growing seasons, rainfall, temperatures, other creatures in the system and other critical elements they identify. Demonstrate understanding of major concepts with final portfolio project. contents at a glance

T E A C H E R S T R AT E GIES RE A D INGS

This timeline offers a day-by-day plan for CE N T E R F O R B I O D I V E RSITY AND CONSER- using all the components in the unit, including VAT IO N R EA DINGS suggestions for supplementary readings, dis- http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/n cussion questions, homework assignments and ewsletter/webletter.html readings for further study. Assessment strate- gies include portfolio assessment and day-to- "W hat's the Buzz? The Bee Workshop at the day accountability for students working both So u t h western Research Station." Spring, 200 0 . individually and in small groups. "The Invertebrate Laboratory: Bugs Under Glass." Fall, 1999. AC T I V I T I ES "The Little Known World Underfoot." Summer, 1999. Prepare Your Investigation: Identification & Classification "Butterfly and Moth Workshop." Fall, 1998. Students use their prior knowledge of classifi- cation to frame their investigation of scientific I N T E R V IEW WITH SCIE N T IS T S classification systems. They learn seven major Profile: Barrett Klein categories of classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Barrett Klein, a display maker at the Ame r i c a n Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) and Museum of Natural History (AMNH), describes apply those categories to organisms whose his path to entomology, which began with a love common names they know. of art.

Research on the Web: Identify & Classify Profile: Sally Goodman Insects Sally Goodman, Curatorial Assistant at the Students conduct Web research to examine AMNH, describes her discovery that her artistic common and scientific names, images and skills could find a place in the Museum's descriptions of insects in every insect order. Entomology Department. They investigate a classification key (including Profile: Eric Quinter images of insects, once identified) for insects Eric Quinter, Senior Scientific Assistant in that feed on tomato plants. In the process, they AMNH's Entomology Department, describes learn about how scientists identify insects the influence of his countryside boyhood on his using a classification key. decision to become an entomologist. Quinter stresses the excitement of new discoveries, and Classroom Activity: Name That Critter the possibility for even amateurs to discover Students work cooperatively to investigate a new species. group of "mystery creatures" in order to discov- er the shared characteristics of arthropods. Profile: Kefyn Catley They may then use their discoveries to create Kefyn Catley, National Science Foundation mystery entries for a jeopardy game in which Research Fellow at AMNH's Entomology teams compete to identify arthropods. Department, describes his roundabout route into science after a long music career. Classroom Activity: Arthropod Jeopardy Students use their research on arthropods to design questions for a class Jeopardy game. This activity can be adapted for use with any unit in the Explore Biodiversity curriculum. contents at a glance RE A D INGS

CO N T E N T R EA DINGS “Arthropods at a Glance” This overview of arthropods includes a discussion of their physical fea- tures and a list of some of the more common arthropods.

SUPP L EME N TAL REFERENCES: Arthropod Related Web Sites

www.insects.org/entophiles/index.htm This site has great images of insects listed by order and includes a sec- tion of other arthropods.

http://ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/arthropoda.htm

http://ag.arizona.edu//tree/eukaryotes/animals/arthropoda/arthropo- da.htm Take a look at a tree that shows the relationships of all living things. t e a cher strategi e s NA T I ON A L S T A N D A R DS t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

This is a suggested timeline for the unit So Many Kinds of Creatures: Learning to Classify. This timeline is designed for classes with 45–55 minute-periods. The timeline uses all components in the unit; pick and choose to customize your unit if you wish. Suggestions are made here for using the readings; you can also give out the readings at the beginning of the unit, along with the portfolio sheet, and tell students that they are responsible for complet- ing the readings on their own time by the port- folio due date. If possible, return collected group worksheets and other assignments the day after they are completed, or, in the case of group work, on the next day that groups meet.

The unit, and each individual activity within it, is designed to encourage the development of habits of mind. Students not only learn how the physical characteristics of arthropods can inform the ways in which they are classified; they also develop their skills in scientific inquiry by examining what they already know to frame an investigation, developing hypothe- ses and designing tests for those hypotheses. Readings supplement hands-on investigations, and students record their observations and findings in research journals before preparing a final project. This final project corresponds to the publication stage of scientific research. Suggestions for structuring this final project are found on the student handout, Putting It All Together. t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

B E F ORE DAY 1 Before you begin the unit, ask students to answer “Questions to Explore” from the first section of Prepare Your Investigation: Identification & Classification. This is an excellent homework assignment for the night before or as an in-class activity before starting the unit. Ask students to read "What's the Buzz: The Bee Workshop at the Southwestern Research Station" and "The Invertebrate Laboratory: Bugs Under Glass" and write a response for each.

DAY 1: Prepare Your Inve s t i g a t i o n Each unit in the Explore Biodiversity curriculum includes cooperative learning activities, some of which may be adjusted for individual work at home or in class. Keep in mind that many students do not yet know how to work effectively in groups. Spend some time discussing effective coopera- tive learning before you ask students to work cooperatively.

If you are using only one unit in the curriculum, begin the first day with a writing task that asks students to think about effective group work, e.g.: When you are working with other students, what makes you want to par- ticipate? What makes you feel reluctant to participate? How do you help your teammates take part in discussion? What might you do that could make it difficult for others to participate? Ask a few students to share their written responses in order to generate a discussion of effective cooperative learning practices before starting the group activity.

If you are using more than one unit in the curriculum, you will not need to repeat this discussion with each new unit, though some or all of your stu- dents may need refresher discussions as you proceed. Substitute the follow- ing writing task to help your students prepare for the activity to come: How do you know that a coat is a coat and a sweater is a sweater? As students write, circulate and either collect homework (responses) or sim- ply mark that students have completed the assignment and reserve a more detailed check for a journal collection date. Ask a few students to share their writing responses. Use their ideas to open a discussion about the way we classify things. Students then complete the second portion of Prepare Your Investigation: Identification & Classification.

After groups have completed the activity, gather together as a class. Create a class list of key classification concepts and terms.

HOME WORK : Read Profile: Barrett Klein and Profile: Sally Goodman and write a response for each. t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

DAY 2: Research on the We b If all of your students have access to the Web, use Research on the Web: Identify & Classify Insects as an out-of-class assignment, with or without groups/partners. If not, use class time for students to use the interactive program. As you circulate, either collect homework (responses) or simply mark that students have completed the assignment and reserve a more detailed check for the portfolio collection date.

Regroup as a class after the Web investigation to discuss the day's findings and to generate a class list of findings.

HOME WORK : Read Profile: Eric Quinter and Profile: Kefyn Cateley and write a response for each.

DAY 3: Classroom Ac t i v i t y No t e: You may need to provide field guides, textbooks or other resources for this activity. Decide in advance if you want students to depend on prior knowledge or to conduct research in order to complete Classroom Activity: Name That Critter. Make sure that your preparations don't give away the discovery point of the activity, where students realize that shrimp and spi- ders and ants and crabs are all part of the same phylum.

Start the day with a short writing task: How can you tell when two people are related? As you circulate, either collect homework (responses/write-up) or simply mark that students have completed the assignment and reserve a more detailed check for the portfolio collection date.

Have a few students share their writing responses. Discuss how we identify members of a family by their shared physical characteristics. (You may even want to talk about the dangers of classifying people by their physical characteristics.) Then turn to the identification and classification of other creatures and explain the day's activity. Distribute and discuss the handout and distribute and resources you want students to use. Discuss your expec- tations before setting students to work.

Reserve time at the end of class for a discussion of the day's activity. Create a class definition of this group of creatures. Include some of the character- istics listed here, as well as other relevant information, such as habitats or interactions with humans (including as food!), etc. t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

Arthropods have segmented bodies pairs of jointed appendages bilateral symmetry chitinous exoskeleton

HOME WORK : Read "Arthropods at a Glance" and write a response.

DAY 4: Classroom Ac t i v i t y No t e: Classroom Activity: Arthropod Jeopardy requires that students have done some research on arthropods. Make sure that they have complet- ed ample research before completing the activity. You can accomplish this by assigning readings/research in the days before the unit begins if you are not completing this unit as part of a larger study of arthropods.

No t e: You can adapt Classroom Activity: Arthropod Jeopardy for use with any of the units in the Explore Biodiversity curriculum. It is a fun way to review what students have learned and/or prepare for a final assessment.

To start class, ask students to complete the following prewriting task: Describe an interesting feature of an arthropod. Use your discussion as a segue into an explanation of the day's activity and discuss the criteria for a good question in the Jeopardy game.

Announce teams for Arthropod Jeopardy. Consider computer access in and out of class in deciding what materials to provide for groups. As you circu- late, either collect homework (journals) or simply mark that students have completed the assignment and reserve a more detailed check for a journal collection date.

Reserve time at the end of the period for groups to discuss their process. Also provide a time to establish rule and clarify procedures (including time limits) for the Jeopardy game. The activity defines a structure that allows all students to participate in offering and answering questions. If you choose to have students monitor the game, some students will not have the benefit of investigating the questions. Consider asking students from anoth- er class to be moderators.

HOME WORK : Read "Butterfly and Moth Workshop" and write a response. t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

DAY 5: Classroom Ac t i v i t y Play Arthropod Jeopardy!

HOME WORK : Read "The Little Known World Underfoot" and write a response.

W R A P - U P DAY Ideally, you will be able to use a full class day to help students begin portfo- lio compilation and final projects. If not, use today's handout as a home- work assignment. Begin class with a short writing task: What have you learned about identifying and classifying arthropods? What further questions do you have about identifying and classifying arthropods?

Ask a few students to share their responses. Use these responses as a segue into a discussion of the portfolio. The self assessment will ask them to think further about what they learned during the unit. They will complete a final project and they can begin thinking about that today. Distribute and discuss the handout, Putting It All Together. Give students time to read through the handout and complete their responses. Then gather as a class to discuss your deadlines and expectations for projects and portfolios.

During the rest of the class period, students can begin compiling portfolios and putting together ideas for their final projects. As you circulate, trou- bleshoot for individual students and discuss ideas with groups or with the class. At the end of the period, have a few students share some of their questions or project ideas so that everyone can get on the right track.

A note about project choices: The handout, Putting It All Together includes ideas for a final project to be included in the portfolio; you may want to add some of your own ideas as well. t e a cher strategi e s T I ME L I NE

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Celebration of Student Wo r k If your final day is a Friday and students have been keeping up, you can have your portfolios due on Monday. Be sure to give out the portfolio sheet at the beginning of the unit so that students are clear on expectations well in advance.

This final due date is cause for celebration—celebrate your students' achievements by asking them to present their projects and create displays of their work. Invite other classes or members of the school community to the presentations. Any kind of celebration will offer immeasurable validation of student work!

On the day that portfolios are due, reserve time at the beginning of class for a discussion of the unit. Use the questions below to structure your discus- sion. Out of this discussion, the class can develop a chart, or a more formal visual presentation, of their findings. Then use this chart as a centerpiece for a display of student work.

What questions did you investigate, individually and in groups? What conclusions did you develop? What methods did you use to find your answers? How does your information fit into the bigger picture? How does it contribute to your understanding of Biodiversity? Why are identification and classification of arthrpods important to the study of Biodiversity? What new questions do you have? How might you research the answers?

Have students assess each other's portfolios. Ask them to use the same assessment sheet or provide other criteria for their assessment.

r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I EWS WITH SCIE N T I S T S

Barrett Klein was five years old when he realized that he wanted to combine art and insects as his life’s work. "The greatest inspirational moment in my life came as an abstract flurry when I was five years old: I saw a painted lady butterfly lying dead on the driveway. I had never been struck greatly by insects in particular, but when I found this and I looked at the form, I felt great inexplicable potential in my hands. And I realized that I could keep, exam- ine, and draw it, and suddenly everything seemed possible."

Barrett comes from an artistic family. "My parents are artists and own an art gallery. All of us, including my twin brother Arno and my sister Korinthia, would draw and paint all the time. But there was more: From that point on I was drawn, not only to the aesthetics of the creature, but also to the idea that I could better understand its place in the world. If you’re inspired by the beauty of something, then I think you’re more inclined to search for reasons why it exists and reasons to better understand it," he said.

By the time Barrett got to college, he was committed to both art and entomology. "I really wanted to do everything: to study fine arts, sculpture, filmmaking, biology, and even some physics if I could squeeze it in." He majored in entomology but took as many art courses as he could. In addition to his work as a display maker at the American Museum of Natural History, Barrett is a working entomologist and filmmak- er.

"When I saw that butterfly in the driveway, I knew that my life would always involve insects and art. Everything I do ends up being insect-related: All my films are on insect subjects." He told us about a film he made in Panama that explored the struc- ture and behavior of plants and plant mimics. "I filmed leaf-cutter ants carting away pieces of leaves and then spliced those images with ones of army ants carting away pieces of katydids, which are mimics of leaves. It was a lot of fun," he said with a laugh.

Barrett says he chose to combine science and art because "I think that’s the most effective way of inspiring people to appreciate everything around us. If you can appre- ciate the form of a blade of grass not only for the beautiful streak of green and the tex- ture but also for its ability to produce oxygen or its function as food to countless organisms, from spittlebugs to leaf hoppers, and if you can communicate that to oth- ers, then you can motivate others to value everything on the planet," Barrett said. r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I EWS WITH SCIE N T I S T S

Sally Goodman was an art major at Hunter College in New York City when she visited the American Museum of Natural History as part of a class in graphic arts. "We came to see the exhibit on endangered species, and afterward, I was just roaming around the Museum. I ended up in the Native American section, and it was there that I came across some very beautifully drawn small pictures of fish. I was overwhelmed. They were the best thing I had seen in the whole Museum," she recalled. "It started me thinking: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could do that kind of stuff when I graduated? I knew I’d need a job when I was finished with school, and I was con- cerned about whether I’d be able to find work that would be interesting and still pay enough for me to live on. When I saw that drawing, a light went on in my head. I thought: Somebody’s got to be doing that; maybe it could be me. "I had been visiting the Museum since I was a child, but it had never before occurred to me that there were any illustrators working there. I thought only scientists worked there. But here were illustrations—not photographs—and I suddenly saw the possibili- ties, a way that I could contribute something even though I did not have a science background." Sally decided to find out more about what the Museum had to offer. "I spoke to the head of the volunteer office, and she spoke to Dr. David Grimaldi, Chairman of the Entomology Department, who was looking for someone with pen-and-ink experience to do some scientific illustrations." She started out as a volunteer but soon had a paying job working for various scientists in the department. Her official title is curatorial assistant. The work she does ranges from pinning and labeling specimens to making precise drawings using a microscope and an ingenious device called a camera lucida. "It’s basically a mirror attached to the micro- scope that projects the image I’m seeing onto a sheet of paper. That allows me to trace the outline of the specimen just as it appears under the microscope," Sally exp l a i n e d . She has done preparator work for a scientist who specializes in wasps. "He collects not only the wasps but also their nests. The nests are really beautiful, and in many ways the work I’m doing with them reminds me of installation art," she observed.

"I see lots of relationships between art and science. When I deal with insects—mount- ing, doing preparator work—it reminds me of things I do when I make art—composi- tion, organization, the kind of details I have to pay attention to. There really are many similarities," she said. r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I EWS WITH SCIE N T I S T S

Eric Quinter is Senior Scientific Assistant in the Entomology (arthropod studies) Department at the American Museum of Natural History. He has been investigating arthropods since he was a kid. Right now, he is studying various species of moths that live on (and eat) bamboo in North America. Actually, it is the caterpillars that eat the bamboo.

We asked him how he decided to become an entomologist.

"I grew up in a rural area of Pennsylvania, and there weren’t many other kids around to play with. I didn’t have an awful lot to do except go out in the woods and play with bugs and plants. So I got interested in all of nature simultaneously. I was interested in astronomy and birds and wildflowers and just about every- thing at the same time. My mother was a geologist, and she encouraged me and pointed me in the right direction. When I was seven, she bought me a little but- terfly-collecting kit for my birthday. It had a little dinky net in it, some pins, and a tiny little booklet, and that’s what got me going.

"I studied chemistry through college, and I thought I was going to be a chemist professionally, but it wasn’t very long before my adolescent interest in insects won out. I have never regretted it because it’s an area where someone— anyone—who is patient and observant can make original contributions."

That is one of the things Eric loves about entomology. "In order to come up with a new discovery in physics or chemistry, for example, you have to know every- thing that all the other scientists already know just to start. With entomology, all you have to do is go out there and look, and with enough perseverance you’ll find something."

Using himself as an example, Eric told us that so far he has found 15 species of bamboo borer moths within a single family. "Ten of those had never been seen before I discovered them, and the other five are among the rarest things on the continent." Eric said this with pride, but then he added, "Now we find out they’re not rare at all. You just look for them and know how to find them, and there they are." r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I E W S

Eric told us that it is not only experts who make important discoveries in ento- mology. Students and hobbyists often find new species as well. The main thing you need is to be a good observer. And, he admitted, you also need a lot of patience.

"You don’t need to be an Einstein to come up with brand-new information in entomology. A kid can make a new observation with insects just by finding cater- pillars, for example, on plants and raising them to see what they are.

"That’s what I had to do. There were no books—there still are no books—that illustrate the majority of caterpillars of North American butterflies and moths. So you find this neat caterpillar and ask, ‘What is it?’ The only one way to find out is to raise it and see what it turns into. It’s a fascinating process. And if you do that enough times, sooner or later you’re going to get something that no one knew before. It may be a familiar insect, but no one ever knew what its caterpillar looked like."’

For Eric, the thrill of discovery has never waned. "I’ve collected as long as thirty years in one particular place in Pennsylvania, from the time I was a kid. In the last year I collected there I was getting things I’d never seen in the previous 29 years. You can never exhaust the cornucopia of insects," he said with a broad smile. r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I EWS WITH SCIE N T I S T S

If he had not been seduced by his childhood love of collecting living things, Kefyn Catley might still be a professional musician.

As a boy growing up in Wales, Kefyn remem- bers being "one of those kids who were always poking under stones and looking into walls. I was fascinated by what I found there. I collected beetles, moths, birds’ nests, birds’ eggs. I had hundreds of birds’ eggs, but the bugs were always more important to me.

"I was really, really young—under five—when I got one of those little magnifying things that you can put a bug in and look at it. Then, when I was six or seven, my older sister bought me a microscope, and that was it. I was hooked."

Except, Kefyn told us, he took a rather long detour, and it was nearly thirty years before he came back to his first love.

"I didn’t have much of a choice when I was school age. I really wasn’t all that good academically at the things that mattered, so I went into music." He studied flute and other woodwind instruments, then got a job playing in a symphony orchestra and teaching.

"After I’d been working as a professional musician for about twenty years, I got to know some people in the neighborhood where I lived who were bug maniacs, just like I had been when I was younger. We started going out every weekend collecting all sorts of bugs, spiders, and stuff, and I found myself spending more time doing that than my music.

"It came to the point that I had to make a decision: Was I going to stay with music as a profession, or was I going to go into science proper, which is what I always wanted to do when I was younger?"

Kefyn chose science.

"I was in my thirties, and it took me ten years to change careers. I had an arts degree and I needed a science degree. That led to a master’s, which led to a Ph.D." r e a d i n g s I N T E R V I E W S

Now he is a National Science Foundation Research Fellow working in the Entomology Department at the American Museum of Natural History. His spe- cialty is the identification and classification of Australian ground spiders.

Is he glad he made the change? Kefyn answers with an enthusiastic "Yes!"

He never got over his childhood fascination with arthropods, and he is happy to have the chance to study them every day. But it is not a matter of studying "what’s out there," he argues.

"Where’s out there? It’s really here," he insists. "It’s not some place you go to look at nature. We’re all in this together, all completely interdependent. I think it’s important to understand our own position in the world, to get the big pic- ture. And that’s something bugs help us do really quickly.” r e a d i n g s CO N T E N T R E A D INGS

Where does the name, arthropod, come from? The name comes from Greek words. In Greek, arthron, means "joint" and pod means foot.

What are the common physical qualities of arthropods? Arthropods have jointed appendages, segmented bodies and a hard exoskeleton.

How many arthropods are there on Earth? There are approximately 1 million know species of arthropods. But that is only a very small portion of the total number of arthropods out there. Within the subphyla of insects alone, scientists suggest that there may be anywhere between 8 million and 30 million scientifically unknown species of insects!

What are some common arthropods? Spiders, shrimp, crabs, butterflies, and ladybugs.

Arthropods are the most abundant, the most widely distributed, the most diverse and the most successful animals on Earth. Arthropods live on land in both tropic and polar regions, and every in between. They also live in salt, fresh and brackish water all over the globe. In other words, there are millions and millions of arthro- pods, and they can be found in every nook, cranny and corner of the globe!

About three quarters of all known animals on Earth are arthropods, and about 875,000 species of arthropods have been identified; but there are many species still yet to be discovered, in areas as close as your back yard and as far off as the most distant tropical jungles and the deepest oceans. The estimated number of all undescribed species ranges from 10 to 100 million, and scientists believe that most of these undescribed species are arthropods. In the American Museum of Natural History's arthropod collections alone, there are 100,000 species of arthro- pods still awaiting discovery.

All arthropods have jointed appendages, a segmented body and a hard exoskele- ton. The exoskeleton is a tough protective outer layer; because this layer is hard, arthropods must shed or molt it in order to grow. An arthropods body is divided into segments; some of the segments bear sets of jointed appendages, the equiva- lent of arms and legs on humans. Arthropods use their appendages for a variety of functions, including locomotion (movement), eating, mating and even repro- r e a d i n g s CO N T E N T R E A D INGS

duction and respiration. When they do move, arthropods can fly, crawl, hop, swim, burrow and walk. When they eat, most arthropods eat plants; but some arthropods eat blood, meat, carrion (dead creatures), dung or bacteria. In fact, many arthropods help to break down the waste of living creatures and the car- casses of dead ones, thereby performing a valuable function within their ecosys- tems.

It's not always easy! Many arthropods are very small, and you'll need a micro- scope to even see them. Many arthropods also look very different at different stages of their life cycles. In fact, the egg, larva, pupa and adult stages don't look anything alike; they may appear to be different animals when they are actually the same animal at different stages of development. And since they have different needs at different stages of development, they might be found in one habitat dur- ing one stage and a totally different one during the next stage.

The good news is that there are many species left to be discovered, and so you might be the next person to discover one! Get started by observing arthropods in your own backyard or in the cracks of the sidewalk near where you live. Insects are the most common type of arthropod; in fact, there are more species of insects than there are species of all other kinds of animals combined. Insects have the jointed appendages, segmented bodies and hard exoskeletons of all arthropods; but their bodies have three distinct segments (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae and one pair of mandibles (kind of like teeth).

A list of all the known arthropos would go on for many pages. The chart on the next page is only a partial listing of some of the more familiar ones to help you appreciate how very diverse they are.

The phylum Arthropoda is divided into four subphyla: Trilobita, Chelicerata, Crustacea, and Atelocerata. Take a look at some examples of animals from each subphylum.

Because there are more species of insects than there are species of all other kinds of animals combined, they warrant further descroption here. Insects have all the characteristics that define arthropods and additional features that define them as insects. These additional features are: a body arranged into three distinct regions (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae, and one pair of mandibles. Included is only a partial list of the orders in the class Hexapoda. r e a d i n g s CO N T E N T R E A D INGS