Article
RICK & NORA BOWERS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (TOP BUG); VALENTYNA CHUKHLYEBOVA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (BUTTERFLY); MICHEL GUNTHER/ BIOSPHOTO/MINDEN PICTURES (SCORPION); ALEX STEMMER/SHUTTERSTOCK. COM (COCKROACH); © JOEL SARTORE/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK (ASSASSIN BUG); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (TARANTULA); MICHEL GUNTHER/BIOSPHOTO/MINDEN PICTURES (PRAYING MANTIS)
Paired Texts,

The Mystery of the Missing Bugs

Thousands of bugs. One creepy-crawly crime. Who did it, and why?

By Laine Falk
From the October / November 2020 Issue
Lexiles: 520L
Guided Reading Level: J
DRA Level: 16-18
Vocabulary: mystery, clue, solve, museum, theives, insect, venom
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.7 Use visuals RI.2.9 Compare two texts on a similar topic RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts L.2.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to a word’s meaning
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    (6) Geography. The student understands the locations and characteristics of places and regions in the community, state, and nation. The student is expected to: (A) identify major landforms and bodies of water, including each of the continents and each of the oceans, on maps and globes.
  • Science
    (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs.

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Think and Read

As you read, pay attention to the mystery. Who stole the bugs, and why?

The Mystery of the Missing Bugs

Thousands of bugs. One creepy-crawly crime. Who did it, and why?

Jim McMahon

The crime took place at the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion.

A few years ago, a museum got robbed. What was stolen? Was it gold? Gems? Art?

No. The thieves stole bugs! The museum was a place where people could go to see bugs from around the world.

The thieves didn’t steal just a few bugs. They stole thousands of bugs.

Why would anyone want to do that?

The answer is money. People could sell those bugs for a lot of money! One kind of bug sells for thousands of dollars. Cha-ching!

But the thieves messed up. A camera had filmed them. They got caught! They got in big trouble. They won’t be taking any insects again . And this creepy-crawly mystery was solved

A museum got robbed. What was taken?

People stole bugs! The museum had bugs from around the world. People stole thousands of bugs.

Why would anyone want to do that?

They stole the bugs for money. They could sell those bugs! One bug sells for thousands of dollars.

But the thieves messed up. They got caught! They got in trouble. They won’t be taking any bugs again.

This mystery was solved!

Missing!

Here are some of the creepy-crawlies that were taken. Most of them were never found. Where are they now? It’s a mystery.

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly

VALENTYNA CHUKHLYEBOVA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

When this insect opens its wings, it’s bigger than a dinner plate! It’s the biggest butterfly in the world.

This is the biggest butterfly in the world.

Giant desert centipede

RICK & NORA BOWERS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

This big centipede eats mice and frogs. Gulp.

This big centipede eats mice. It also eats frogs.

Tiger hisser

ALEX STEMMER/SHUTTERSTOCK. COM

This insect hisses like a cat. It doesn’t have wings, but it can run pretty fast.

These insects hiss like cats.

Giant African mantis

ALEX STEMMER/SHUTTERSTOCK. COM

This hunter waits for other insects to walk by. Then it grabs them with its legs and gobbles them up.

This insect waits for other insects. It grabs them. It eats them.

Desert hairy scorpion

MICHEL GUNTHER/ BIOSPHOTO/MINDEN PICTURES

If you shine a light on this scorpion, it glows in the dark.

This scorpion glows in the dark if you shine a light on it.

Red-spot assassin bug

© JOEL SARTORE/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK

Other insects better watch out. This bug’s bite has venom in it. That’s poison!

This bug’s bite has poison!

Fire-legged tarantula

ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

This hairy spider bites, but it only hurts a little. It’s not deadly.

This spider bites. It only hurts a little. It’s not deadly.

THINK AND WRITE

Invent your own bug with the “Invent a Bug" skills sheet.

THINK AND WRITE

Invent your own bug with the “Invent a Bug" skills sheet.

Slideshows (1)
Activities (4)
Skills Activities
Slideshows (1)
Activities (4) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Science Focus

Insects

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is: What is a mystery?

  • Reading and discussing “The Mystery of the Missing Bugs” along with the other mystery-themed texts in the magazine (the Big Read “The Mystery of the Lake Monster,” the mini graphic novel “Mystery at the Knitting Club,” and the poem “Loch Ness Mystery”) will give kids deep insight into what a mystery is and different kinds of mysteries.
  • Through the above genres, students will discuss: What is a mystery? How are all mysteries alike? How can they be different? Do I like reading this kind of story? Why or why not?

1. BEFORE READING

Show Video (10 minutes)

  • Tell your students they are going to watch a video about mysteries. As they watch, ask them to think about: “What is a mystery?”
  • Watch the video “What Is a Mystery?”
  • After watching, ask the questions again. Write students’ ideas on chart paper.

Preview Vocabulary (3-15 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are mystery, museum, thieves, insects, and venom.

Make Predictions (5 minutes)

  • Explore the visuals and make predctions. Ask, “What is crime tape? Why might it be in the picture?” (Police put it up when there is a crime. People aren’t supposed to walk past it. Maybe there was a crime with the missing bugs.)

2. READ AND COMPARE THE PAIRED TEXTS (15-30 MINUTES)

  • The two texts are “The Mystery of the Missing Bugs” short article on pages 18-19, and the “Missing” graphic on pages 20-21. Ask students, “What information does the first article give?” (It tells the story of how the bugs went missing, why, and who took them.) “What information does the “Missing” graphic give?” (It shows what the bugs look like and gives facts about each one.)
  • How does the first article look different from the second one? (The first article has a lot of sentences and a big photo. The second article has a lot of photos and not as many words.)
  • Share with kids that both of these texts give different kinds of information. You can put all of that information together to get a clearer, fuller idea of what happened.

3. AFTER READING

Assessment Quiz (10 minutes)

  • Pass out the quiz (available in your Resources tab) to assess students’ comprehension of the article.

Science Focus: Invent a Bug (15-20 minutes)

  • The kill-building "Invent a Bug" activity (available in your Resources tab) helps students review the features of insects and spiders, and walks kids through inventing their own!

Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

  • Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. Each issue of Storyworks 2 has many layers so that students can make connections between the texts!

Paired Texts 1 and 2 Big Read: The Mystery of the Lake Monster and Mini Graphic Novel: Mystery at the Knitting Club.

  • These stories ask a similar question to that of “The Mystery of the Missing Bugs.” What is a mystery? How do people solve them?
  • Kids can compare the mysteries in the three stories using our “Do a Mystery Chart” online printable. How are the mysteries alike and different?

Text-to-Speech