Thanks for the support and answers! Sorry if this is too long.
I teach math not science so we will be mostly collecting data and using logic to conclude answers. We will also be graphing and using math to support our observations.
Slightly OT but here is the whole plan for now that I may modify as school approaches. I'll give as much detail as possible so anyone who wants can give me feedback.
These are 6th grade students so that is about 11 years old.
Students will receive a plastic box with locking lid that is 2x3 x 2 1/2 inches deep with holes drilled in the top.
Students will measure most likely using tablespoons a given amount of wheat bran (I have to measure to find out how much will fill the box with about an inch left at top) Measurement is a math skill (see how sneaky I am wish I could tell you about my cookie project but it is way off topic).
The students will be given 3 pupae.
We will make observations on how long it takes the pupae to hatch out into beetles. At which time small about 1/2" cubes of potato will be placed in boxes and changed every Tuesday and Friday. Students will learn about the life cycle of beetles/mealworms and will make guesses as to how long before we see worms. Two weeks after all beetles pupate then they will be removed.
We may or may not (haven't decided and depends on many other timing/school issues) take a day and get a white paper plate and dump our box looking for eggs/tiniest worms.
Either way students will continue changing the potato every T and F looking for small worms, first day seen will be recorded.
Once the worms get large enough to actually see good in most boxes, we will definately have a dump day and count your worms.
At this point, my chickens will come to school in a large refridgerator box to collect their worms in person for any child wanting to feed a chicken.
We will follow up with food chain lesson and maybe deviled eggs.
We will mean, median, mode, and range both days to hatch and number of worms.
We will then take our number of worms data and graph it all on one giant scatter plot. Where I'm hoping we will have 3 distinct groups. Those with 0 babies, those with say 200 worms (number itself doesn't matter), and a group of roughly double the babies say 400. We will discuss why do we have 3 groups, what controls the babies? A little sex ed, very little like take a boy and a girl little. We can surmise that some groups got 3 female or 3 males hence no babies. some groups got 1 female, and some got 2 females. This will lead us to a probability lesson where we compare experimental (observed) probability of 3 females to theoretical (math) probability of 3 females. Where they similar? different?
We might if we have time do a cost analysis as well. Our cost versus
Petco.
6th grade in Florida has specific standards which include mean, median, mode, range, and graphing. My advanced student always do probability. I love this plan, we will see how it goes. Any problems you see let me know.
Now thanks to that dang target commercial I have to figure out how I'm using glitter in this project, SO MUCH GLITTER.
