Brooding Over Cicada Patterns
“Every kid has a bug phase… I never grew out of mine.” —E. O. Wilson
Cicada Phenomenal Image Activity
The cicadas are coming! Brood X, which includes billions of cicadas (Magicicada cassinii, Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada septendecula), are emerging this spring in the eastern United States after 17 years underground. No matter where you live in the world you can celebrate this phenomenon with your students. In this phenomenal image activity, students will explore patterns of cicada emergence. Using maps created by the University of Connecticut, students will make observations, collaborate with classmates, and explore biological connections.
Where Billions of Cicadas will Emerge this Spring
Learn more about the upcoming emergence of Brood X from Vox. This article uses a data map from the United States Forest Service to explore the patterns of all 13-year and 17-year cicada Broods. After completing the phenomenal image activity, direct your students to this article to make comparisons and learn even more about the other broods.
The Amazing Cicada Life Cycle with Sir David Attenborough
After 13 or 17 years underground, the cicadas undergo big changes. In this video, Sir David Attenborough takes us on a developmental journey through the cicada’s life cycle and shows us how they find mates. This video is a great way to introduce the phenomenal image activity. Students can picture the sights and sounds of cicadas while they explore the data map.
