Fire Ant Physiques: Rolling for Parts of an Ant

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Activity: Rolling for Parts of an Ant

Overview

You and your friends will match the parts of an ant to a diagram, completing the diagram by rolling the appropriate numbers on a pair of dice. To play this game, you need at least two people.

Objective

Learn about the parts of insects and insect symmetry using the ant diagram.

Materials

• Pair of dice
• Worksheet: Rolling for Parts of an Ant
• Colored pencils, markers or crayons

Instructions

Each player will need a copy of the Parts of an Ant worksheet. The object of the game is to be the first player to complete the diagram by rolling the dice.

Here’s what you must roll to fill in each part of the diagram:

1 – head

2 – thorax

3 – head

4 – antenna

5 – antenna

6 – leg

7 – leg

8 – leg

9 – leg

10 – leg

11 – leg

12 – gaster

1. Each player rolls both dice at the same time and colors in the parts indicated by the dice.
2. Each player may get only one ant part per roll. For example: If a player rolls a “1” and a “5,” the player may color in the head (1) or one antenna (5) or one leg (1 + 6 = 7). Additional example: If a player rolls a”5” and a “6,” the player may fills in an antenna (5) or a leg (6) or a leg (5 + 6 = 11). The player who fills in all 12 pieces first wins.

Wrap-up

• When the game is over, you should be able to identify the main parts of an ant.

Additional Information for Instructors

•  You may want to refer to the original KIDzANTS Teacher Manual, which was included in the original release of the KIDzANTS Red Imported Fire Ant Youth module developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.