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The Wonderful World of Worms
A workshop designed to help teachers learn more about how to use worms in the classroom. Have you ever wondered what nematodes are and where they are found? Can you find nematodes in Arizona? What kinds can you find? Are nematodes harmful or beneficial to humans and other living organisms? What are the ecological benefits of nematodes in the ecosystem? In this workshop you will find the answers to these questions. You will also have a "hands-on" lab experience and activities so that you can use them in your class room teaching. Lesson plans and other resources will be provided for you to easily implement in your classrooms. If you plan on attending, please bring in ONE soil sample (quart sized Ziploc baggie) from your location of choice. We are looking forward to your attendance! To register, please email Ellie Warder: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call . Upon completion of this free, non-credit workshop, you will receive a certificate for 5 hours of professional development. Presenters: Mary M Lamoreaux, M.S. Candidate; Patricia Navarro, Ph.D. Candidate; and, Dr. S. Patricia Stock, Assoc. Professor, Dept. Entomology, University of Arizona Requesting Accommodations for a Disability: Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting the Disability Resource Center at (V/TTY). Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. A one page flyer in pdf format is available here.
Lab Activity - 5th-8th grade - "The Secret Lives of Nematodes"http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/ATG/data/released/0653-SamanthaOrchard/  Nematodes are small roundworms found in the soil. Different nematode species have different lifestyles, with some causing disease in insects, plants, or even humans. This activity focuses on insect-parasitic (entomopathogenic) nematodes. Students will collect soil samples, bait the soil with a living insect larva and monitor what happens in the coming weeks. Some of the insects will die, which presents a "murder mystery" for the students to solve. Typically, insects will die from a variety of causes (e.g. infection by nematodes or fungus or possibly other "natural" causes like hunger/dehydration) and students may only be able to solve the mystery for those insects killed by nematodes. The nematodes, having killed and consumed the insect from inside and reproduced, will leave the insect at some point to search for a new insect to kill and eat. It is at this point that the progeny nematodes can be harvested and visualized with a dissecting microscope. The students can then test their hypothesis that the nematodes killed the insect (if that is their hypothesis!) by using the collected nematodes to try to kill a new insect. This activity requires about 4 class periods (about half an hour each) each spread 1-2 weeks apart.Author: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 24 September 2010 ) |
University of Arizona. Marley Bldg. Room 212