The Cicada’s Serenade
This last week has seen the emergence of the 17-year cicada swarm named Brood X by scientists. On the campus of the Community School of Maryland (CSM), the bugs are everywhere so the CSM associates decided it was time to teach the students about these enormous and loud bugs.
It was amazing to see the student’s reaction to the bugs. Class started in the classroom with teachers showing the students a video about cicadas and their six-week life cycle. Afterwards, the class went outside so teachers could show the class the bugs in their natural habitat. With an abundance of cicadas on the lush, green, Brookeville campus, the students had access to a plethora of these creatures. Handling the bugs and showing the students the different parts of the animals was greeted with astonishment and amazement. Some were happy about seeing them and getting a chance to hold them, while others were apprehensive, but they were all interested and paid attention throughout the demonstration. It was delightful to expose the classes to this hands-on lesson and see them engrossed on such a level. In the end, it was a pure learning experience for everyone. It was certainly a fun with bugs kind of day.
