Age level:

• K -6th grade

Overview:

• Our grade-specific classroom presentations teach students about the biology, ecology and control of mosquitoes.
• Each class borrows a life cycle kit (for 1.5 - 2 weeks) that includes live mosquito larvae and mosquitofish.
• Each student is provided with an observation journal/activity book that is used with the life cycle kit.

Kindergarteners checking their mosquito habitat

Second graders studying mosquitofish

Completed observation journal

Student observing mosquito that has recently emerged

Our curriculum:

• We designed our lessons to reinforce the Next Generation Science Standards.
• The following is a list of the various grade-specific lessons we use.

TK/Kindergarten

Title: The Brave Knight and the Royal Pond

Lesson Overview: In the story, the Brave Knight accidentally discovers that mosquitoes are growing in the Royal Pond. Students learn some of the strategies we now use to reduce mosquitoes around our homes. Click on the video to view a digital version of the story, The observation sheet helps children connect concepts from the story with the classroom life cycle kit.

1st Grade

Title: The Backyard Mystery

First graders help solve the mystery of the itchy insect bites. The story illustrates how people often accidentaly grow mosquitoes in their own backyards. Click on the presentation to view the pages of the story, and on the journal to see a digital copy of what each student uses with the classroom life cycle kit.

2nd Grade

Title: Aquatic Habitats and Mosquitoes

Second graders learn to describe and compare aquatic habitats. Students discover that mosquitoes often grow in a variety of aquatic habitats, and predatory mosquitofish can be used in certain habitats to control mosquitoes. Click on the presentation and journal to learn more. 

Third Grade

Title: How Mosquitoes Grow

Third graders learn everything that a mosquito needs in order to develop from an aquatic larva into a terrestrial adult. Students record how the mosquitoes in the classroom life cycle kit develop over the course of two weeks.

Fourth Grade

Title: Adaptations of Mosquitoes

Fourth graders discover how mosquitoes are adapted to survive in different habitats. A digital microscope is used during the lesson to project a live image of mosquito larvae. Students are challenged to point out specific adaptations that they observe. 

Fifth Grade

Title: Ecology of Mosquitoes

Fifth graders study the various ecological roles that mosquitoes play in the environment (consumer, prey, parasite, vector, etc.). A simple food web model is used to illustrate these concepts.  Depending on the time of year and the dynamics of your class, ecology content-rich board games may be played in small groups or we play whole-class games to reinforce concepts and vocabulary.

Sixth Grade

Title:  Living with Mosquitoes

Upper grade presentations focus on the importance of mosquitoes as vectors of human and animal diseases. Students learn how to identify potential mosquito sources and are encouraged to think critically about the advantages and drawbacks of various control strategies.  They also learn to evaluate a source for the appropriateness of mosquitofish for control.