Overview

The objective of this competition is to

· Encourage students to observe insects that inhabit our parks and gardens, and
· Learn how to collect, preserve, and identify insects

The Project

(1) Collect one insect from any Insect Order.

(2) Identify the insect showing:

(a) Common Name
(b) Insect Order Name

(3) Make a detailed drawing of the insect.

(a) Size: No smaller than 5” x 8” and no larger than 8” x 10”.
(b) Drawing medium: pencil, pen, colored pencils, or water color

(4) Display the insect, the drawing, and the identification in a creative way to focus attention on the insect.

(5) Research the insect and find out as much as you can about the insect. Be ready to share your display and your research with the judges.

(6) This is an individual project. Students will not be allowed to seek assistance from another student.

(7) Please remember that you must collect an insect which can be identified with six legs and three body segments.

How to Collect

(1) The quickest, most effortless method of collecting various species is to leave a pan of slightly soapy water very near a light overnight (preferably black light).

(2) Of course insect nets are invaluable to collecting, but great things can be caught passively with a coffee can buried up to the rim flush with the ground. Try putting various baits in the can

(3) A third easy way is to investigate a pond. Most bugs are tied to a body of water somehow in their life, and a bucket of pond goo dumped into an examination tray will usually result in a bunch of species.

Evaluation

(1) Judges will use the following criteria to evaluate the project:

(a) Was the insect properly identified?
(b) Did the insect display contain all three parts?
· Insect
· Drawing
· Identification

(c) Was the animal arranged in a life-like position with legs and/or wings extended?
(d) Accuracy of drawing as compared to the insect
(e) Creativity in setting up the overall display
(f) Knowledge of the insect based on the student’s research
(g) Quality of oral presentation

(2) Examples of questions that might be asked by the judges are:

(a) Geographically, where would you find this kind of insect?
(b) Does the insect have a distinctive life cycle?
(c) How does the insect interact with its environment? What is its economic impact on farmers?
(d) Give specific information about the insect’s feeding and social habits

For additional information about Winston Science, contact Dr. Lehman Marks, Event Director. Copyright (c) 2007 Lehman Marks/The Winston School. All Rights Reserved.