Mosquito School
Age level:
- K -6th grade
Overview:
- Our grade-specific classroom presentations teach students about the biology, ecology and control of mosquitoes.
- Each class borrows a life cycle kit (for 1.5 - 2 weeks) that includes live mosquito larvae and mosquitofish.
- Each student is provided with an observation journal/activity book that is used with the life cycle kit.
Our curriculum:
- We designed our lessons to reinforce the Next Generation Science Standards.
- The following is a list of the various grade-specific lessons we use.
TK/Kindergarten
Title: The Brave Knight and the Royal Pond
Lesson Overview: In the story, the Brave Knight accidentally discovers that mosquitoes are growing in the Royal Pond. Students learn some of the strategies we now use to reduce mosquitoes around our homes. Click on the video to view a digital version of the story, The observation sheet helps children connect concepts from the story with the classroom life cycle kit.
Observation sheet in EnglishObservation sheet in Spanish
1st Grade
Title: The Backyard Mystery
First graders help solve the mystery of the itchy insect bites. The story illustrates how people often accidentaly grow mosquitoes in their own backyards. Click on the presentation to view the pages of the story, and on the journal to see a digital copy of what each student uses with the classroom life cycle kit.
Presentation1st Grade Journal- English1st Grade Journal - Spanish2nd Grade
Title: Aquatic Habitats and Mosquitoes
Second graders learn to describe and compare aquatic habitats. Students discover that mosquitoes often grow in a variety of aquatic habitats, and predatory mosquitofish can be used in certain habitats to control mosquitoes. Click on the presentation and journal to learn more.
Presentation2nd Grade Journal- English2nd Grade Journal - SpanishThird Grade
Title: How Mosquitoes Grow
Third graders learn everything that a mosquito needs in order to develop from an aquatic larva into a terrestrial adult. Students record how the mosquitoes in the classroom life cycle kit develop over the course of two weeks.
Presentation3rd Grade Journal- English3rd Grade Journal - SpanishFourth Grade
Title: Adaptations of Mosquitoes
Fourth graders discover how mosquitoes are adapted to survive in different habitats. A digital microscope is used during the lesson to project a live image of mosquito larvae. Students are challenged to point out specific adaptations that they observe.
Presentation4th Grade Journal- English4th Grade Journal - SpanishFifth Grade
Title: Ecology of Mosquitoes
Fifth graders study the various ecological roles that mosquitoes play in the environment (consumer, prey, parasite, vector, etc.). A simple food web model is used to illustrate these concepts. Depending on the time of year and the dynamics of your class, ecology content-rich board games may be played in small groups or we play whole-class games to reinforce concepts and vocabulary.
Presentation5th Grade Journal- English5th Grade Journal - SpanishSixth Grade
Title: Living with Mosquitoes
Upper grade presentations focus on the importance of mosquitoes as vectors of human and animal diseases. Students learn how to identify potential mosquito sources and are encouraged to think critically about the advantages and drawbacks of various control strategies. They also learn to evaluate a source for the appropriateness of mosquitofish for control.
Presentation6th Grade Journal - English6th Grade Journal - Spanish