Critter Classification

Student scientists use observational skills and resources to identify invertebrates. Through hands-on activities students will delve into the diverse world of invertebrates.  They will learn how to classify invertebrates based on physical characteristics which will ignite a spark for scientific exploration. 

Students will develop skills in observation, classification, and hypothesis formation, laying a strong foundation for future studies in biology and ecology. By the end of the program, participants will have a deep appreciation for the diversity and complexity of the invertebrate world, inspiring them to continue exploring and learning about the natural world around them.

Learning Objectives:

• Awareness: Students will understand that invertebrates have predictable features that place them into different categories.
• Compassion/Empathy: Cultivate a sense of responsibility toward the well-being of invertebrates.
• Empowerment: Students will feel empowered go outside, look at bugs and have the knowledge to identify into which category most bugs they see fit.

Addressing Misconceptions: One common misconception we will address is that all bees are honeybees. Learners will learn about the diverse types of bees, their unique roles, and how each contributes to the environment in different ways.

Curriculum Standards Supported:

Colorado Science Standards 

• SC20-GR.MS-S.2-GLE.5 A Organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving 
• SC20-GR.4-S.2-GLE.1 Organisms have both internal and external structures that serve various functions 
• SC20-GR.3-S.2-GLE.4 Some living organisms resemble organisms that once lived on Earth 
• SC20-GR.3-S.2-GLE.3  Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information; the environment also affects the traits that an organism develops
• SC20-GR.2-S.2-GLE.2 A range of different organisms lives in different places 
• SC20-GR.1-S.2-GLE.1 All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions 
• SC20-GR.K-S.2-GLE.1 To live and grow, animals obtain food they need from plants or other animals, and plants need water and light

Next Generation Science Standards 

• K-ESS3-1 Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals and the places they live 
• 1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and /or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow and meet their needs   
• 2-LS2-2 Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants 
• 3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change  
• 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction 
• 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that an animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways 
• 5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment 
• MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services