Review by Debbie Gorrell, Common Sense Education | Updated March 2015
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Meet the Insects: Village Edition

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  • Download from App Store

Fantastic backyard guide for budding naturalists

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • Science
Skills
  • Character & SEL
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
1–5
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Price:  $4.99
Platforms:  iPad

Take a look inside

5 images
The home page is neatly organized into five options, making navigation easy.
Kids can learn about five orders of insects.
Content is supported by realistic images.
Kids can read a chapter book, view media, write in a journal, or take a quiz.
Video clips bring insects to life.

Pros: Beautiful interactive graphics support excellent, age-appropriate content.

Cons: Quiz results cannot be saved, so progress and score improvements can't be tracked.

Bottom Line: A comprehensive science resource that brings insects to life and inspires a love of nature in kids of all ages.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

In the classroom, use Meet the Insects: Village Edition to support a lesson about animals, arthropods, or even biodiversity. Have kids work in small groups to read the chapters in the Insect Story section and write a summary or draw an illustration to show what they learned. Be sure to discuss each chapter as a class. If possible, take kids outside to look for and identify insects. Kids can use the Observation Journal to record their findings and take pictures using their devices. As an extension activity, have kids create a poster with a labeled drawing or photograph of one insect from each order of insects they learned about.

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Standards:

Meet the Insects: Village Edition is a comprehensive digital resource that teaches kids about insects that commonly live in neighborhoods and towns, or "villages." There are five main areas for kids to explore: Multimedia, Insect Story, Observation Journal, See Insects, and Quiz. The Multimedia section includes brief videos and photographs of different insects, giving kids a close-up view of behaviors like feeding, mating, and laying eggs. The Insect Stories section is a narrated, animated chapter book with topics including classification, life cycles, and characteristics of forest insects. The Observation Journal includes a section for kids to enter written observations and a section for them to view their entries. The See Insects section includes more detailed information about the four main groups of village insects, and the Quiz section offers kids an opportunity to test their knowledge by taking either a true/false quiz or a quiz in which they identify insects based on photographs.

Kids can learn about the classification, characteristics, habitats, life cycles, and behaviors of common insects. Five orders of insects are discussed, including orders Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. Kids can learn details and fun facts about specific insects that belong to each group. Animations, videos, and photographs show the behavior of insects, and a digital journal allows kids to take notes about any insects they find in nature. Kids can take a quiz to test their knowledge and receive instant feedback. It would be great if scores could be saved so kids can try to improve as needed. Overall, this is a stellar reference and play resource for kids to learn about insects that inhabit the world that surrounds them.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

There are lots of interactive elements and animations to get kids interested. The media resources and fascinating facts will keep them hooked.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Content is both scientific and age-appropriate. Kids can learn general information about insects, as well as more specific information about insects in different orders. A glossary would be a welcome addition.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Information is organized into five main categories, making it easy for kids to explore. A parent guide or some extension activities could provide more value.

Common Sense Reviewer
Debbie Gorrell Educator
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Reading Informational Text

  • RI.1.10

    With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.

  • RI.2.10

    By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.3.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RI.4.10

    By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.5.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

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Key Standards Supported

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

  • 2-LS4-1

    Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

  • 4-LS1-1

    Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

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