Show your ability to tell an insect with this classification activity. If you need a bit of help, use the 'Clues' button. When you are ready, see if you're right with the 'Mark' button.

• An insect is a type of minibeast.
• features that are common to insects are: bodies that are separated into three parts (head, thorax and abdomen); compound eyes; 2 pairs of wings; six legs.
• Most ants don't have wings, but the queens do. Beetles have their wings hidden beneath their wing cases, which are in fact adapted fore wings. Flies' appear to have two wings but their hind wings are adapted into sensors that allow them incredible agility.
• Compound eyes are different to the eyes of larger animals and consist of many separate light sensitive sensors. These can be seen under a microscope.
• Many insects have a larva stage (caterpillar, grub, maggot), a pupa stage (chrysalis and cocoon are types of pupa) and an adult stage.
• Other types of minibeasts include molluscs (snails and slugs), arachnids (spiders, ticks and mites) and crustaceans (woodlice)

Use with ‘Parts of an insect’ or ‘Parts of a spider’ to look at a close-up image of an insect and spider.

If using in the summer term, children could explore the ‘Insect Week topical pack’ which has lots of exciting activities linked to Insect Week (an annual event held in June).