|
|
Hi Hailey,
When I was a middle school teacher, I had fish in tanks, hermit crabs, a cockatiel, turtles, and a garter snake. My colleagues had other animals including hedgehogs, frogs, and bearded dragons. You need to be sure your school or district doesn't have any rules or policies regarding live animals. I found that animals that the students could interact with were more fun for them. They loved the garter snake, for example. They could hold it and observe it up close. The fish were nice, but not nearly as interesting.
For structure and function, I think live earthworms, red wigglers, or a container of Darkling beetles at different life cycle stages are easy to use to demonstrate life cycle, growth, and development. With the red wigglers, my students easily found cocoons. The Darkling beetles are easy to observe at their larval(mealworm), pupa, and adult stages.
Hope this helps!
Carolyn Mohr
Adj. Professor and Field Trip instructor for the Chicago Botanic Garden
|