Wonderful Wiggling Worms

Overview

Grade: 2nd

Topic: Life Science

Standard: 2.LS.1: Living things cause changes on Earth. Living things function and interact with their physical environments. Living things cause changes in the environments where they live; the changes can be very noticeable or slightly noticeable, fast or slow.

Students will investigate how earthworms cause changes to the soil, which impacts other living organisms. Watch a video to observe red wiggler worms.

Format

  • Short video of Wonderful Wiggling Worms (7:14)

  • Activity sheets for students

  • Extensions

Materials

  • Student worksheets

  • Pencil, colored pencils, crayons, or markers to fill out activity sheet

Lesson

Video - Watch Wonderful Wiggling Worms (7:14)

Activity

Worm Observation Worksheet - fill out the worm observation worksheet after you watch the video

Worm Observation Worksheet - (fillable pdf) Choose to have students fill out online and email back to teacher

*Schedule a follow up virtual Q&A with your county educator to answer further questions that students ask on their worksheets

Get Outside! Activity

What You'll Need:

Coarse netting (such as an old onion or orange sack)

Small leaves

Tent stakes

Notebook

Pencil or pen

Pick a spot on the lawn with thick, green grass and soft soil. Worms will be active in this area. When the lawn has been mowed and watered and the grass is short, lay out some fallen leaves.

Cover the leaves with netting and use tent stakes to hold the netting in place. (This will keep the leaves from blowing away.) In your notebook, sketch the pattern of leaves exactly as you see them. Label this picture "Start."

Check the netting the next day. Have any leaves disappeared? Draw what you see, and label the picture "Day one." Continue checking the netting each day to see if more leaves disappear. Make a new drawing each day.

Worms like to grab leaves and pull them down in their burrows to munch on later. You probably won't see all the leaves disappear, but worms active in the spot you choose will probably take away some of them.


Extensions

Worm Worksheets Packet- Free worksheets available from 123Homeschool4Me

Videos


Questions? Please contact your county SWCD educator