Course focus.
Students investigate insect anatomy, behavior, ecology, and conservation through fieldwork, simple data analysis, and clear scientific writing. Labs emphasize ethical observation/collection, basic statistics, and communication—culminating in a portfolio-ready mini field study.
Foundations: taxonomy & morphology, life cycles & metamorphosis, core anatomy
Field Methods: transects, quadrats, pitfall/light traps, ethical handling, microscopy basics
Data Skills: counts, averages, simple diversity indices, clean lab-notebook habits
Systems & Impact: pollination networks, pests vs. beneficials, vectors & public health, conservation strategies
Communication: figures, captions, short talks, and concise methods/results writing
1 lesson block (~60–75 min) + one lab/field or photo-survey (~45–60 min)
10-minute journal (observations, sketch or photo, one question)
One lab/report every 2 weeks; flexible make-ups allowed
Photography-only alternatives available for students who prefer non-collection work.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Anatomy, Taxonomy & Life Cycles
Khan — Arthropods overview
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/diversity-of-life/animals/a/arthropods
Khan — Metamorphosis
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/dna-as-the-genetic-material/gene-control/a/metamorphosis
OpenStax Biology 2e — Arthropods
https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/28-6-arthropods
Field Methods (transects, quadrats, traps)
iNaturalist — Bioblitz guide
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/bioblitz+guide
Quadrat & transect sampling
https://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/quadrat_sampling.html
DIY pitfall traps (overview)
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/assessing-biodiversity-using-pitfall-traps-24387921/
Light trapping basics (moths)
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-to/identify-wildlife/how-to-use-a-light-trap-to-see-moths/
Microscopy & Observation
MicroscopyU — Brightfield basics
https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/brightfield/introduction-to-brightfield-microscopy
Smithsonian — Insect anatomy
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/insect-anatomy
Data Skills & Notebooking
Species richness & diversity (intro)
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/community-structure-and-diversity/a/measuring-species-diversity
Anatomy, Taxonomy & Life Cycles
Khan — Arthropods overview
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/diversity-of-life/animals/a/arthropods
Khan — Metamorphosis
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/dna-as-the-genetic-material/gene-control/a/metamorphosis
OpenStax Biology 2e — Arthropods
https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/28-6-arthropods
Field Methods (transects, quadrats, traps)
iNaturalist — Bioblitz guide
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/bioblitz+guide
Quadrat & transect sampling
https://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/quadrat_sampling.html
DIY pitfall traps (overview)
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/assessing-biodiversity-using-pitfall-traps-24387921/
Light trapping basics (moths)
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-to/identify-wildlife/how-to-use-a-light-trap-to-see-moths/
Microscopy & Observation
MicroscopyU — Brightfield basics
https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/brightfield/introduction-to-brightfield-microscopy
Smithsonian — Insect anatomy
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/insect-anatomy
Data Skills & Notebooking
Species richness & diversity (intro)
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/community-structure-and-diversity/a/measuring-species-diversity
Shannon index (student-friendly PDF)
https://www.towson.edu/fcsm/centers/stem/videos/documents/shannon-wiener-index.pdf
How to keep a lab notebook
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/how-to-keep-a-lab-notebook
ID Apps & Field Guides
iNaturalist (web) — https://www.inaturalist.org/
Seek by iNaturalist (app) — https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app
BugGuide.net — https://bugguide.net/
Shannon index (student-friendly PDF)
https://www.towson.edu/fcsm/centers/stem/videos/documents/shannon-wiener-index.pdf
How to keep a lab notebook
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/how-to-keep-a-lab-notebook
ID Apps & Field Guides
iNaturalist (web) — https://www.inaturalist.org/
Seek by iNaturalist (app) — https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app
BugGuide.net — https://bugguide.net/
Pollination Networks & Native Planting
USDA — Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees (PDF)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
Pollinator.org — Ecoregional Planting Guides
https://www.pollinator.org/guides
Xerces — Bring Back the Pollinators
https://www.xerces.org/bringbackthepollinators
Beneficials vs. Pests
UC IPM — Natural Enemies Gallery
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/
Smithsonian — Pollinators & people
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/pollinators
OpenStax Biology 2e — Community ecology (interactions)
https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/45-1-ecologists-study-relationships
Vectors & Public Health
CDC — Vector-borne diseases (overview)
https://www.cdc.gov/vector-borne-diseases/
CDC — Mosquito life cycle
https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/life-cycles/index.html
CDC — Preventing tick bites
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/on_people.html
Figures & Captions
UW–Madison Writing Center — Figure legends
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/visuals/
Purdue OWL — APA/MLA basics
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction/apa_style_introduction.html
Climate & Habitat Change
USGS — Native bee monitoring
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-environmental-sciences-center/science/native-bee-monitoring
Xerces — Habitat loss & fragmentation
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/habitat
Conservation & Native Planting
Xerces — Habitat installation guides
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/habitat-installation-guides
NWF — Native Plant Finder
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder
Citizen Science & BioBlitz
iNaturalist — Teacher’s Guide & Projects
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/teacher%27s+guide
National Geographic — BioBlitz how-to
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/education/bioblitz-guide/
Data Storytelling
Datawrapper — simple charts (free)
https://www.datawrapper.de/
Google Sheets — create charts
Plan the Project
American Entomological Society — Communicating entomology
https://www.entsoc.org/saes/communication
OSF — Project registration (optional)
https://osf.io/
Design the Artifact (Poster / PSA / Mini-site)
UC Davis — Scientific poster basics
https://guides.library.ucdavis.edu/posters
Canva for Education — Poster templates
https://www.canva.com/education/
GitHub Pages — Simple site (advanced)
https://pages.github.com/
Citations, Images & Accessibility
Creative Commons — Openly licensed images
https://search.creativecommons.org/
WebAIM — Writing alt text
https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
Purdue OWL — Citing sources
https://owl.purdue.edu/
ID & Reference Hubs (use throughout)
BugGuide.net — https://bugguide.net/
AntWeb — https://www.antweb.org/
iNaturalist — Explore & Identify — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations