James and the Giant Peach

Introduction

Introduction

The creatures in "James and the Giant Peach" teach James all about bugs. An Entomologist is a scientist who studies insects. Imagine you all are entomologists who want to know more about these creatures. It will be your teams job to learn the facts about one of the six  characters in "James and the Giant Peach". You will need to pick one creature from the following:

Grasshoppers

Earthworms

Ladybugs

Spiders

Centipede

Glow-worms

 

Task

The Task

Your group will need to use your chromebook and the book "James and the Giant Peach". Work with your group to find out more information about grasshoppers, earthworms, ladybugs, spiders, centipede and glow-worms.

 

You will need to find:

    • 5 facts about your creature
    • the definitions of the words BUGS and INSECTS Bugs Link Insect Link
    • Is your creature a Bug or an Insect
    • Choose one fact you think should be in the book
    • Explain what your creature looks like

Process

The Process

1. Your group will each choose one of the creatures listed below and reads it's claim about itself. To find out about your creature click on the the links. 

  1. The Grasshopper exclaims that he keeps his ears on his tummy. He also claims crickets and katydids have one ear in front leg, just below the knee. Grasshopper adds, "We 'short-horns' are the only ones who play music in a violin style, using a bow. Grasshopper Link 1   Grasshopper Link 2

  2.  The Glow-worm says, "Glow-worms are never worms. They are simply lady fireflies without wings.  Glo-worm Link 1  Glo-worm Link 2

  3. The Earthworm states, "Every grain of soil upon the surface of the land, every tiny little of bit of soil that you can see has actually passed through the body of an earthworm the last few years." Earthworm Link 1  Earthworm Link 2

  4. The Ladybug proclaims, "Farmers love us...they go out and buy live ladybugs by the sackful. We gobble up all the nasty little insect that are gobbling up all the farmer's crops. The number of spots that a ladybug has is simply a way of showing which branch of the family she belongs. Ladybug Link 1 Ladybug Link 2

  5. Miss Spider laments, "I am not loved at all. And yet I do nothing but good. All day long I catch flies and mosquitoes in my webs." Spider Link 1 Spider Link 2

  6. The Centipede boasts, "I have a lot of legs. And a lot of feet. One hundred to be exact. I am a pest and proud of it!" Centipede Link 

2. Find and write 5 facts about your animal.

3. Are your creatures insects, bugs or neither? 

4. Find some additional facts Ronald Dahl could have had your creature shared with James about themselves.

5. Draw a model of your creature. Label its parts and color it.

6. If you finish learning about one creature complete this again with another creature.  

7. When all groups have finished we will find explain what we found with to the rest of the class.



 

Evaluation

Evaluation

You will be graded on the following criteria

( each task equals 20 points ) :

  • You wrote 5 facts about your creature
  • You found if your creature is a bug a creature or neither
  • You drew a model and labeled it
  • You answered all questions using complete sentences 
  • You presented what you found to your class
93 - 100 points 85 - 92 points 77 - 84 points 70 - 76 points
Excellent!

You're an expert and whiz kid on creatures.

 Great Work!

You really know your creature personalities.

 Very Good Work!

You really know your creature facts.

 Good Work!

Now go out there and teach others about creatures.