Do crickets get thirsty?
Objectives:
Students comprehend measures of time. Students write and read predictions and conclusions. Students understand an effect of a single variable in a controlled experiment.
Materials:
(tips on keeping crickets as pets in the classroom)
Focus:
On the first day ask students if they think crickets get thirsty. Explain what we will do in this experiement and ask what the students think will happen.. Write verbal predictions down on paper.
Procedure:
Keep half the crickets in cage A and the other half in cage B. Have the students agree that the two groups are the same. Show the students that group A will have water in their cage all the time. Group B will only have water in their cage for 5 minutes a day. Each day, put water in cage B and count how many crickets drink from the soaked cotton ball. At the same time other students will be watching group A and counting how many crickets take a drink during the same 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes have everyone write down the number of drinking crickets they counted even if it's zero. Each day have students write a prediction about the number that will be seen drinking tomorrow. Do this for four days at roughly the same time each day.
Close:
Have students read what they have written and then students write simple sentences that answer if crickets get thirsty. What did you see that convinced you? Is this true for all animals? Are we like crickets in this way? What was the most important difference between groups A and B?
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