1. BUGSCOPE! Elizabeth Miller Education 140

2. My Drawing of a Spider February 22 nd, 2008

3. Actual Spider Picture February 23 rd, 2008

4. Bugscope Images February 26 th, 2008 Spider Setae Spider Head

5. Differences Between my Picture and Bugscope’s Picture My picture definitely contained much less detail than the Bugscope microscope pictures did. One major difference that I noticed between the two pictures was the fact that I forgot to draw hair on my spider! Spiders are so hairy, and that is all you could see on some views of the Bugscope spiders. Also, my picture was a little too cartoonish (of course!) than the Bugscope pictures, and I don’t think that I truly captured all of the significant details (such as the number of legs and eyes) that a spider has!

6. Website Investigation of Spiders February 23 rd, 2008 There are thousands of different kinds of spiders that exist; in addition, some spiders are web-weaving while others do not weave webs. For example, the common spiders that we see, such as garden and barn spiders, weave webs, while the infamous tarantula does not weave a web. Spiders have eight legs, and most have eight eyes. Although spiders do not have ears, they use tiny hairs on their legs to sense vibrations. Spiders live in basically everywhere—in houses, the ground, in barns, and in gardens. Also, they live in wet and dry environments, and where it is hot and cold. Some spiders are poisonous while others are not, and they eat other insects and animals. Spiders lay eggs, and the egg sac protects the eggs against physical damage and drying. When the eggs are hatched, the spiderlings stay in the egg sac for a few days until they disperse randomly. Most common spiders live from one to three years, while some spiders (like the tarantula) can live up to twenty years; in addition, female spiders usually live longer than male spiders. http://www.pocanticohills.org/spiders/spiders2.htm http://www.amonline.net/au/spiders/

7. NSES Standards being applied by Bugscope: Because I am doing my Critical Task on the Kindergarten- Fourth Grade standards, I decided to choose one that fit those standards! One content standard that stuck out in particular, was under Life Science: “The Characteristics of Organisms.” Through the Bugscope Project, young students can get a closer look at the characteristics in which some bugs need to survive, grow and reproduce. By seeing specific bugs and their characteristics, students will be able to understand some of the characteristics of these organisms, and also get them excited (hopefully!) about learning more about their basic needs and their behavior patterns (concepts also included under this content standard!).

8. Authenticity of the Technologies Applied: This project is great for students of any age, because it introduces them to new technology that they might have never used before! Through the students’ use (indirectly) of the ESEM, images can be displayed in much greater detail than simply with a dissection microscope. This gives students a both a closer look at the specimen and also introduces them to a new technology! In addition, if students have not had much experience with using a computer, Bugscope is a great way to show students how to navigate around the internet a little better! For these reasons, the technology involved in the Bugscope Project is authentic and beneficial for students to be introduced to!

9. Three Literature Sources I could connect to Bugscope: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a great story that I could use for a second or third grade class if I had sent in a spider to the Bugscope Project. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs by Catherine Daly and Jerry Smath would be a great book for a first grade class to do in conjunction with the Bugscope Project, because it incorporates many different kinds of bugs, and also includes things like habitat and characteristics of bugs! The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle would be a good book for first grade students if I had sent in a ladybug to the Bugscope Project. The colorful cartoon pictures illustrated by Eric Carle would be great to compare and contrast to the actual microscope images of a ladybug!

10. Two ways I could apply Bugscope to other Curricular Areas and Activities: I could incorporate the Bugscope project into an art class, and have my students create abstract drawings of the sections of spiders (or other insects) that they see through the microscope. I could also incorporate the Bugscope activity into an english class, by having my students read a piece of literature that deals with an insect (as listed on the previous page), and compare and contrast the differences between the characteristics/stereotypes of the insects they read in the story and the characteristics of the actual insects they saw through the microscope. Finally, I could incorporate Bugscope into a general science class, as an introduction to using a microscope. I would have my students do almost the same activity that we did in class—have them look at a bug through a hand lens, a simple microscope, and then through the ESEM during Bugscope. They could then compare their observations between the three microscopes.