Cicada Shells

 A cicada shell was discovered on the playground last week.  Many of the children were intrigued by the discovery.  It led to many questions. 

Some of the children's questions were: 

• Is it alive?
• Is it a bee?
• Will it move?
• How is it a shell?
• How did it get out of the shell?
• Did it die when it got out of the shell?
• Where is the bug now?
• Are there more?

Each day on the playground, the children discovered more shells.  Many children took them home in ziplocks to show their families.  

We then decided to gather some cicada shells to further research inside the classroom.  The children looked at the shells under the magnifying glasses and using the digital microscope.  The children recorded their observations through drawing and dictations.

Children’s comments while observing the cicada and cicada shells with microscope and magnifying glasses.

Renn – “I know they make very loud sounds because my grandparents told me.”

Sammy – “Green, black, has wings.”

Ari – “I see wings.”

Hillel – “It looked like it was alive. It kind of feels spiky, like soft.”

Hillel – “This one is brown.  That one is green.”

Renn – (Pointing to photographs of cicadas.) “See this is when they are first in their shell.  This is what they look like when they pop out.” 

Olivia – “It has tiny legs.”

Millie – “So this one is real and this one is not real?”

Indiana Learning Foundations

SC5.1: Demonstrate scientific curiosity

SC3.1: Demonstrate awareness of life

SC3.2: Demonstrate awareness of the preservation, protection, and care of living creatures and plants