Educator Resources: Solomon Family Insectarium

Part of Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.

leafcutter ant colony
Plan your class field trip to the Insectarium with these free resources.
Cover of Insectarium Educator guide.

Insectarium Educator's Guide

Get an advance look at the hall’s major themes and what your class will encounter. This 6-page guide for K–12 educators includes a Map of the Hall, Essential Questions (important background content), Teaching in the Hall (self-guided explorations), a Come Prepared Checklist, Correlation to Standards, and a Glossary.

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Activities and Materials

Grades K–5

Students observe a natural phenomenon—that insects exist in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors—to investigate how the physical traits of insects help them survive. 

Grades 6–8

Students observe a natural phenomenon—that insects have a variety of different physical traits and diets—to investigate how the ecological roles of insects affect other organisms in the ecosystem. 

Option 1: Insect Smackdown!
Students observe eight pre-selected live insects in the hall and use a March Madness-style bracket tournament to narrow down to just one insect and then investigate its ecological role (decomposer, herbivore, or predator). 

Option 2: Explore Ecological Roles
Students observe any four live insects in the hall and investigate their ecological roles (builder, decomposer, herbivore, pollinator, predator). 

Grades 9–12

Students observe a natural phenomenon—that ants within the same colony have different physical traits—to investigate how the different roles of social insects support the survival of the species and the individual. 

More Resources

Use these online resources to further explore the themes in these halls.

Reading Wonderful World of Wasps Wasps can live in hives of thousands, but did you know that most wasps are solitary? Get the facts on these amazing little creatures.... Game Talking to Fireflies Have you ever wondered why and how fireflies flash? Reading Tree of Life Explore this family tree of living things on Earth. Hands-on Draw a Monarch You don't have to be a terrific artist to create a scientific illustration of a monarch butterfly—just willing to take your time... Curriculum Unit Arthropod Morphology Take an illustrated look at arthropod morphology with this collection of guides. Exhibition Extinct and Endangered See incredible macro photographs of vulnerable or extinct insects from the Museum's collection by Levon Biss. Reading Mystery of the Mate: A Wasp Research Adventure Will these entomOLogists discover which parasitoid wasps belong together? Read this comic to find out!

This educational resource for The Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.