Teaching Integrated Pest Management in the Classroom—Elementary School Resources

Lessons By Subject:

These individual lessons have been sorted by subject to help you quick-search a lesson by a specific topic:

• Greenhouse and Garden Lessons
• Invasive Species Lessons
• Environment and Ecology Lessons

Curricula

• Pennsylvania State University Elementary Integrated Pest Management Resources
  Includes lessons, references, and activities on IPM for elementary students.
• IPM Jumpstart from Pennsylvania State University
  A PDF of four lessons that introduce IPM to elementary students.
• Michigan State University Elementary Urban IPM Curriculum
  Twelve full lessons with teacher prep fact sheets, list of resources and references on many urban IPM topics for K-6 students.
• Iowa State University IPM Pilot Program
  Basic lesson plans on IPM for K-12 students.
• Cornell University, New York Integrated Pest Management Program: Science of Life Explorations
  Over 40 full lessons related to IPM in entomology, green science, history and social science, land and plant science. Includes background, references, timelines and activities.
• Pest World for Kids from the National Pest Management Association
  Lesson plans, interactive games, pest guide and more.
• Beetle Busters: Help Stop the Asian Longhorned Beetle
  Teach students to become responsible citizens in their community by learning how to monitor and prevent the Asian Longhorned Beetle. Free Beetle Busters kits from the USDA for upper elementary, middle school and high school students.
• Maine Center for Disease Control: Ticks and Lyme Disease
  Teacher PowerPoint, video, and activities for elementary students on ticks and Lyme disease.
• Classroom InPESTigation (Colorado State Univ, Univ of Colorado, Washington State Univ.) Five inquiry-based, NextGen Science Standards-aligned lessons, grades 3-5
• University of Kentucky Entomology for Kids
  Six general lessons on insect investigations that can be adapted for elementary students to high school students. Other entomology resources and activities also listed.

Other IPM Related Projects, Games and Activities

• The Lost Lady Bug Project
  Get your kids involved in The Lost Lady Bug Project! The focus of this project is to track lady bug species abundance and distribution as some native species become increasingly rare. You can help by taking your kids outdoors, searching for lady bugs and documenting where and when you found them. Includes K-6 curriculum, references and interactive games for students.
• IPM Super Sleuth
  IPM Institute has an interactive webpage for K-7 students to investigate common pests. Word searches, crosswords and matching games.
• Bug-Go from University of Kentucky Integrated Pest Management
  A bingo like game that explores common beneficials and pests.
• Help! Its a Roach!
  Interactive website about cockroaches from the EPA for kids. Learn facts about roaches and safe ways to prevent them from invading your home.
• Headlice.org
  Head lice news, teacher resources and an interactive kids section that teachers young students basic facts about head lice and how it is spread. From the National Pediculosis Association Inc.
• Pest Private Eye
  Interactive pest investigation game for students from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Kids navigate their way through a school searching for pests and ways to fix future pest problems using integrated pest management principles. Suited for older elementary students.
• Bug Scope Project
  Sign up for a free interactive session with a scanning electron microscope to explore the microscopic world of insects.
• Tickles and Tick Tacklers Interactive Video Game
  Introductory video, interactive game and PowerPoint presentations on ticks and Lyme disease for grades 4-8 from the Lyme Disease Association.
• BLAST Lyme Disease
  Three Powerpoint presentations available for use in grade K-8 classrooms that teaches about ticks and Lyme disease.

Background References

Additional background information on integrated pest management, how it is applied and other IPM-related reference resources.

• National School IPM Information Source from the University of Florida
• IPM Institute of North America
• Northeastern IPM Center
• EPA Teaching Center
• EPA Integrated Pest Management in Schools
• Bugwood.org
  Thousands of IPM and insect images from the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia. Free to use for educational purposes.