Cicada's Amazing Transformation: Molting Time!

Science Grades 5th Grade 2:27 Video
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Lesson Description

Explore the fascinating process of cicada molting through a time-lapse video and learn about insect life cycles and adaptations.

Video Resource

Cicada Molting

Steven Roemerman

Duration: 2:27
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Life Cycle
  • Molting
  • Exoskeleton
  • Adaptation

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to define molting and explain why it is necessary for cicadas.
  • Students will be able to describe the different stages of a cicada's life cycle.
  • Students will be able to identify the exoskeleton and its purpose.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what they know about cicadas. Have they ever seen or heard one? Introduce the concept of insects and their life cycles.
  • Video Viewing (5 mins)
    Watch the "Cicada Molting" video by Steven Roemerman. Instruct students to pay attention to the physical changes the cicada undergoes.
  • Discussion (10 mins)
    Discuss the video as a class. Use the discussion questions below to guide the conversation. Focus on the process of molting, the exoskeleton, and why cicadas shed their skin.
  • Activity: Modeling Molting (15 mins)
    Have students use playdough or other modeling clay to create a cicada. Then, have them create a larger, hollow 'exoskeleton' around the cicada. Demonstrate how the cicada would 'molt' by breaking free from the larger exoskeleton. This provides a hands-on representation of the process.
  • Wrap-up and Assessment (5 mins)
    Review the key concepts of the lesson. Administer the multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank quiz to assess student understanding.

Interactive Exercises

  • Cicada Life Cycle Diagram
    Students create a diagram illustrating the life cycle of a cicada, including the egg, nymph, and adult stages. They should label each stage and describe what happens during that stage.

Discussion Questions

  • What did you observe in the video?
  • What is molting?
  • Why do cicadas need to molt?
  • What is an exoskeleton?
  • How does the cicada change during the molting process?

Skills Developed

  • Observation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Scientific Vocabulary
  • Modeling

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What is molting?

Correct Answer: Shedding old skin

Question 2:

Why do cicadas need to molt?

Correct Answer: To grow bigger

Question 3:

What is the hard outer covering of a cicada called?

Correct Answer: Exoskeleton

Question 4:

In the video, what was the cicada doing?

Correct Answer: Molting

Question 5:

What does a cicada nymph eat?

Correct Answer: Plant sap

Question 6:

Which of these is NOT a stage in the cicada's life cycle?

Correct Answer: Pupa

Question 7:

What is a time-lapse video?

Correct Answer: A video that shows something happening faster than it actually did

Question 8:

What protects the cicada before it molts?

Correct Answer: Its exoskeleton

Question 9:

What will happen after the cicada molts?

Correct Answer: It will get bigger.

Question 10:

What instrument plays the music in the video?

Correct Answer: Violin

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

The hard outer covering of an insect is called an ___________.

Correct Answer: exoskeleton

Question 2:

The process of shedding old skin is called ___________.

Correct Answer: molting

Question 3:

Baby cicadas are called ___________.

Correct Answer: nymphs

Question 4:

Cicadas eat the ___________ from plants.

Correct Answer: sap

Question 5:

The video shows a cicada going through a ___________.

Correct Answer: transformation

Question 6:

After molting, the cicada can ___________ bigger.

Correct Answer: grow

Question 7:

The cicada protects itself with it's hard ___________.

Correct Answer: exoskeleton

Question 8:

A cicadas lifecycle starts with an ___________.

Correct Answer: egg

Question 9:

The man who filmed the cicada molting set it up in his ___________ room.

Correct Answer: laundry

Question 10:

The music in the video is a Spanish ___________.

Correct Answer: folksong

Educational Standards

5.LS1:From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes 5.LS1.1:[Standard] Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

Teaching Materials

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