RULERS OF NEW YORK CHAPTER INTRODUCTION

RELATED LESSON PLAN
Inquiry Project: Behaving Like Bugs (in printable PDF format)

RELATED CONFLICT RESOLUTION EXERCISE
Bugs (in printable PDF format)

Looking nasty or amazingly beautiful, bugs are everywhere in New York City. Some of them are not easily visible, such as the mites in everybody’s eyebrows. Others, like cockroaches, can be very difficult to get rid of. In fact, we share our city with a variety of insects and spiders that play a fundamental role in sustaining the city natural environment. Bees, wasps and butterflies, for example, pollinate plants and without them there would be no fruits, vegetables or flowers. Other bugs are the main source of food for many birds and frogs. And finally, many bugs contribute to keeping the city clean by eating and thus decomposing leaves, bark and garbage.

Rulers of New York includes fun facts about bugs and their lives in the city that can be incorporated in classroom projects. For example, students can learn about the different roles that insects and arachnids play in the environment and create a food web using that information (see Go Wild in New York City, page 52). They can investigate when cockroaches appeared on Earth and how they arrived to the United States, while also learning about the different cockroach species that live in New York City and their potential danger for human health (see page 48). Students can also follow the migration journey of Monarch butterflies across North America and learn about the process of metamorphosis (see page 55), and join the welcoming party in the autumn, when these butterflies spend a few days in New York City parks.

Bringing students’ resources into the science classroom
Children are usually both familiar and fascinated with bugs, which can be used to create science projects meaningful to them. Students’ prior knowledge and first-hand observations about insects’ characteristics or behaviors can thus constitute an important starting point for the development of a science unit about this topic. For instance, students can bring knowledge about a particular insect they are interested in, become “classroom experts” and teach others about it. Along these lines, different groups of children can be assigned specific insects or spiders and asked to do research about its anatomy, physiology and habitat and create a presentation for their peers.

Children frequently think of bugs as “less important” than bigger animals because of their tiny size, and are usually amazed to know that bugs constitute the largest proportion of animal species (see page 47). Moreover, students’ understanding of the key role insects and spiders play in the environment, and how life as we know it would not be possible without them (see page 52) becomes essential to develop their awareness of the importance of preserving all kinds of living species in order to sustain our natural environment.

Finally, New York City holds a great diversity of bug species (see page 50), mostly of which students can observe in their daily lives. Students can conduct a photographic research study investigating the different types of bugs that live in their communities, including their homes, parks, schools, etc. and develop a photo exhibit of New York City bugs to be presented to their parents or to the rest of the school community.

RELATED LESSON PLAN
Inquiry Project: Behaving Like Bugs (in printable PDF format)

RELATED CONFLICT RESOLUTION EXERCISE
Bugs (in printable PDF format)