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Middle and Primary School Science Department: Night Glow Wings: Illuminating the Journey of Science through Moth-Attracting Activities

September 26, 2023

In September, the Science Carnival Project-Based Learning for the G4-5 students began one after another. On September 22nd, after school, the Butterfly and Moth Club held its first event on the school campus, attracting widespread attention from students. This activity not only allowed students to personally experience the fascination of exploring nature but also further developed their exploratory and innovative thinking qualities during their free time.

The guiding expert for this event was Mr. Zhang Ning, the Vice Chairman of the Pudong New District Biological Society. With 38 years of teaching experience, he has traveled nearly 380,000 kilometers and has taken over 50,000 photos of butterflies, moths, and various other insects. In the B1 theater of the Zhongxing Building, Mr. Zhang introduced the ecological habits, reproduction methods, and relationships with other organisms of butterflies and moths, enabling students to gain a deeper understanding of these fascinating insects and become adept at identifying different species of moths and butterflies. In addition, Mr. Zhang shared his valuable experiences in field research on butterflies and beetles, and brought a large number of precious specimens for everyone to observe and learn from. These specimens were extremely diverse and were collected and personally prepared by him from various parts of the world. The students enthusiastically learned the techniques for making beetle and moth specimens, as well as the equipment required for field butterfly taxonomy, such as nets, simple collection boxes, wing-spreading specimen kits, light traps, and homemade moth jars. Many students saw these tools for the first time and eagerly explored and admired them.

The most exciting part was the moth-attracting activity held on the school campus after nightfall. The majority of students were experiencing this kind of activity for the first time, and their excitement was palpable. Through on-site observations, the students selected two different locations for the comparison of moth-attracting: the lawn besides the Zhongxing Building and the pavilion on the west side of the Big Auditorium. During the nearly two-hour moth-attracting process, more than ten different species of moths were attracted. Through counting the numbers and identifying the species, the students gained a more intuitive understanding of nocturnal insects. The results showed that the lawn besides the Zhongxing Building attracted a greater quantity and variety of moths. In response to their questions, the teacher guided them to analyze and find the reasons, and then write investigative reports.

Nature is the best teacher. This activity was filled with fun and educational significance. It not only provided students with new visual and tactile experiences but, more importantly, ignited their interest in science and a spirit of exploration, deeply instilling the idea of biodiversity conservation in their hearts. The students expressed their commitment to studying harder and contributing their efforts to protecting our natural environment. It is believed that through these wonderful activities, the students will develop a greater love for science and become important forces in environmental protection and scientific advancement in the future.

(Written by Rongzhang Hu Pictures by Jingyi Wang

Edited by Serene Yang, Ginger Xu, Cong Luo, Wu Shiyu (Intern))