Project Description and Tasks

It's springtime and our friends from the insect world have started creeping and crawling all over the place, even on your playground!

Do you think common playground insects are the same in different parts of the United States? Do you know what kinds of insects you might find in other areas? Would you like to work with students across the United States to find out what types of insects are crawling around their playground?

Getting Started: (Students should work in groups in order to encourage collaboration.)

1. The first step is for students to turn into super-sleuths in search of insects. Grab your digital camera, or cell phone, and try to take snapshots of insects you see.
2. After the photos are taken, teachers load them to their computer and store them in a folder. See sidebar tip: Managing Photos
   
3. Next, it's time to learn a little more about the insects you have captured on film. See research links in the sidebar.
   
4. When you have completed your research, you will be ready to create a slide in PowerPoint for our shared slideshow. See Jing Video Tutorial in Sidebar: Upload a PowerPoint Slide to Google Presentation.
   
5. Download the template and create your slide. Please note: We don't want flying text, or transitions, just your original photo and some information about the insect. Click on the link in the sidebar to download template.
6. After the slide is completed, it can be uploaded to our shared presentation. See Jing Video Tutorial in Sidebar: Upload a PowerPoint Slide to Google Presentation.