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Educators' Guide

Welcome to the Hokie BugFest Educators Guide

WELCOME EDUCATORS!

We hope this guide makes it easier for you to navigate and incorporate virtual Hokie BugFest into your programs and classrooms.

To create this guide, we reviewed all of the content on the 2021 Hokie BugFest website and listed it on four separate charts according to which grade/age the content is most suitable for:

  • K-2nd Grades (5-8 years)
  • 3-5th Grades (8-11 years)
  • 6-8th Grades (11-14 years)
  • High School (14-18 years)
Diagram of how to read the guide - figure 1

On each chart, the content is grouped according to the type of feature it is:

  • Exhibit Info & Photo Gallery
  • Fun Facts & Publications
  • Videos
  • Activities

For each feature, the chart indicates which learning topic(s) or subject(s) is addressed. For K-8th grades, learning topics include:

Agriculture • Adaptations/Anatomy • Careers • Classification/ID • Conservation • Food Web/Diet • Habitats/Ecosystems • Human Health/Safety • Insect Products/Natural Resources •  Interdependence • Life Cycles • Pest/Biological Control • Pests/Beneficials

For High School, subjects include:

Agriculture/Forestry • Biology • Careers • Chemistry • Culinary • Earth Science • Ecology • Environ. Conservation • Human Health/Safety • Physics • Technology

Each chart also lists the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOLs) addressed by each feature. On the High School chart, these are limited to the SOLs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics.

1. From this page, click the "Grades/Ages" tab to find the chart that best corresponds to the group you work with.

Directive image showing how to find the grade and age group in the educators guide

2. On the chart, find a feature you would like to access. Click on the link to go to the exhibit page where the feature can be accessed.

Image showing step 2 in image form

3. On the exhibit page, click the tab for the feature type you are looking for. This will take you to a list of features.

4. From the list, find the title of feature you want, and click the link to open that feature.

Image showing steps 3 and 4 in image form

Festival EXHIBITS

TITLE

K-1

3-5

6-8

HS

DESCRIPTION

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

 

 

x

x

Public health; bed bug biology, prevention, treatment

How to Make a Pollinator Garden

x

x

x

x

Pollinator gardens at school and home; native plant photos

Bugs: The Good, Bad, Big, and the Business

 

x

x

x

Overview of insects; pests, beneficials, extremes, careers

Hands on Learning

 

x

x

 

Insect collecting, anatomy, classification

Using Pesticides Safely

 

 

 

x

Public health and safety related to pesticides

Virginia Tech Forest Entomology

 

 

x

x

Biological control and invasive insects in forests

Bed Bug and Urban Pest Information Center

 

 

x

x

Public health; urban pest biology, prevention, treatment

The Buzz on Bees

x

x

 

 

Bee biology, beekeeping, honey, careers, agriculture

Orb Weaving Spiders and Their Webs

 

 

x

x

Structure, function, and chemistry of orb webs

Ticks and Mosquitoes of Virginia

 

 

x

x

Public health; pest ID, biology

Close Encounters Pollinators

x

x

x

 

Video tours; flower anatomy and pollinator activities

Entomo-3D

x

x

x

x

High def, manipulatable, 3D insects - rotate, spin, zoom

Bugs and Wildlife

x

x

x

x

Interdependence between wildlife and insects

Mosquitoes: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

 

 

x

x

Public health; pest ID, biology

“Bugology” at Virginia Tech

 

 

 

x

History of entomology in Virginia and at Virginia Tech

Backyard Scavenger Hunt and Pollinator Fun

x

x

x

 

Outdoor challenge (w/ prizes) and pollinator activities

Hellgrammites, Milkweed Bugs, and Ant Lions, Oh My!

 

x

x

x

Outdoor videos on habitat,  life cycle, adaptations, etc.

The Poop on Bug Poop!

x

x

x

x

The physics, chemistry, and importance of insect poop 

Tour the Hokie BugZoo

x

x

x

x

Eight, 3-5 videos showcasing the bug zoo arthropods

Bugs in the Wild and Bugs in the Water

 

x

x

 

Assessing water quality by sampling what lives there

Entomophagy: Would You Eat an Insect?

 

x

x

x

Recipes, nutrition, and background on eating insects

Pick Your Cockroach Racer and Get Ready…Set…Go!

x

x

x

x

Madagascar hissing cockroach races – just for fun!     

Wonderful and Fascinating Insects

x

x

x

x

Links to videos, books, etc., on many insect-related subjects

Socha Lab Story and Craft Corner

x

x

 

 

Insect stories and video-led activities/recipes

Gypsy Moths

 

 

x

x

Biology, ID, and spread of an important forest pest

Don’t Bug Us, We’re Buzzy Learning Sign Language!

x

x

x

x

Videos showing how to sign 10 insect-related words 

Virginia Tech Fruit Entomology

 

 

x

x

How cicadas and invasive insects impact agriculture