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
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
Video from Hamilton County SWCD (14:30) - Wiggly Worms
Video from Butler SWCD (12:42) - Worms: Hands On Science
Questions? Please contact your county SWCD educator