Insects and spiders at the Australian Museum
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In the Bugwise program at the Australian Museum find out what insects and spiders you share your school with and why they are vitally important to a healthy planet. Use the Web2spider tool kit (.pdf 3.5 MB). Test your knowledge of spiders with this quick quiz. Listen and learn from students about how the Web2spider kit worked at a Sydney school. Watch a video of various types of spider webs. Try the dichotomous key in the Web2spider kit to identify a spider from its web.
Photo Charles Haynes CC BY-SA 2.0 What is the difference between an insect and a spider? Look at what are spiders? and what are insects? and investigate their features. Use this activity to check your understanding of the differences between insects and spiders.
Photo by Rama CC-BY-SA 2.0
What might be the common name for this fly? Check with the Bugwise Invertebrate Guide and use the guide to identify other insects you encounter. Learn more about invertebrates with an activity in three parts to match a creature, create a creature and find a creature a home (NSW DET logon needed). |
Pollination
What do you know about flowers and bees? Plant2pollinator is a practical science resource for understanding pollinator partnerships. Learn more about insect pollination in this P2p presentation. Do you have the skill to identify insects? Try the What is my insect? pollinator key (.pdf 236 kB). Use the pollinator preference key to find out which insects prefer to visit particular flowers, then test yourself with this activity. Bugs in fresh water
Investigate freshwater in Macrobiotica. Try a virtual sampling activity to determine what water bugs are present, and from that understand which of two lakes is polluted. |
Insect pests
Herbivore2Damage is a tool for studying invertebrates that eat plants. Herbivore2damage field investigation is a guide to investigating the diversity of insect life by identifying evidence of activity on plant shoots and leaves. Extension activity
Consider evidence of plant fungal pathogens from the Royal Botanic Gardens.
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