Sponsor:
Far Star Action Fund, a non-profit organization, promotes exceptional documentary films and makes them available for classroom use with curriculum to enhance the film content. There is no charge for teachers to view the film or use the curriculum.

Requirements:
• Attend a 3-hour training on the film and curriculum on Saturday, October 16th from Noon-3PM Eastern Time/11AM-2PM Central/10AM-1PM Mountain/9AM-Noon, Pacific Time
• Field test the curriculum with students that accompanies the Emmy-nominated documentary, “The Love Bugs”.
• Provide feedback on the curriculum to Far Star Action Fund after using the curriculum
• Reach out to 10 other teachers in grades 3-5 and share the film and curriculum. These teachers will use the curriculum and provide feedback.

To thank you for your time and feedback:
Receive a $500 stipend:
    - $250 after attending the online training, teaching the curriculum with your students, and providing feedback on the curriculum
    - $250 after your 10 mentees return their feedback forms any time before April 29, 2022

Additional materials:
You and your 10 mentees will each receive a class kit of 20 hand lenses and 2 Bug Viewers for viewing insects and other invertebrates in the schoolyard.

Criteria for acceptance:
Applications will be ranked based on the ability of the mentor teacher to support their mentees in implementing the film and curriculum, and in providing feedback to improve the curriculum. Additional consideration will be given to mentors who can reach out to teachers in a wide geographic area, including multiple states.

To apply:
• complete this application by October 1st
• mentors will be notified of their acceptance by October 8th
• accepted mentors attend mandatory training on October 16th

Questions?
Email Laura Tucker or call 360-379-5235

More about “The Love Bugs”
Over the course of 60 years, two married entomologists, Charlie and Lois O'Brien, traveled to more than 67 countries and quietly amassed the world's largest private collection of insects, with more than 1 million specimens. But as Charlie's battle with Parkinson's becomes increasingly pronounced, he and Lois, 90, must make the difficult decision to give away their drawers full of iridescent weevils and planthoppers. This humorous and poignant film explores the Love of Nature - and the Nature of Love - and what it means to devote oneself completely to both. View the web page: https://www.thelovebugsfilm.com/

Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBrZqBUFDXM

More about the curriculum:
Click here to view the curriculum that accompanies the film.

Curriculum overview

Pathway 1, addressing the nature of science and what scientists do, is 6 class sessions.
Pathway 2, addressing social/emotional learning (optional), is 2-3 class sessions.

Pathway 1 - The Love of Nature

Lesson 1: What Do Entomologists Do?
Objectives:
1) To assess what students know about scientists and what they do
2) For students to reflect on what a scientist does and contrast their ideas with those of other students
3) To engage in an activity of gathering model ‘insects’ to gain a deeper understanding of what entomologists do

Lesson 2: Meet Real Entomologists in the Film, The Love Bugs
Objectives:
1) To see real scientists in action, specifically entomologists, as shown in the documentary film, The Love Bugs
2) To compare and contrast the real scientists they see in the film with the scientist they drew and described in Lesson 1
3) To reflect on the concept of legacy in terms of what Charlie and Lois are leaving for future generations, and what types of legacies students see in their families.

Lesson 3: How Do Scientists Classify Animals?
Objectives:
1) To understand the need to classify organisms by observable characteristics and through DNA testing
2) To create a classification system to identify a collection of animals and revise the system as new observations and ideas are uncovered
3) To reflect on new ways that scientists behave to add to the scientist they drew and described in Lesson 1

Lesson 4: Discovering Animals in the Schoolyard
Objectives
1) To use the schoolyard or nearby location to observe insects in their natural habitat
2) To experience how an entomologist collects insects and other small invertebrates for observation, being careful not to injure them
3) To make drawings of the insects and other small invertebrates rather than collecting them to keep as specimens

Lesson 5: Sorting and Classifying Animals
Objectives
1) To reflect on their experience as a field scientist in the study area
2) To be introduced to the concept of animal communities and notice some of the communities living in the study area
3) To create two classification systems for the animals they found in the study area. The first one is open-ended and the second one is a dichotomous key where they try to identify each animal

Pathway 2 - The Nature of Love

Lesson 1: What Qualities Do You Want in a Best Friend? … in a Marriage Partner?
Objectives:
1) To set the stage for viewing The Love Bugs and observing the characteristics of the couple in the film who lived and worked together for over 55 years.
2) To ask students to reflect on and then list the qualities they want in a best friend followed by those they would want in a marriage partner
3) To compare individual student responses to those of the entire class

Lesson 2: Observing a Lifelong Friendship and Marriage
Objectives
1) To meet Lois and Charlie O’Brien, a husband and wife team of scientists who have
lived and worked together for over 55 years, in the documentary film, The Love Bugs
2) To look deeply at the ways that Lois and Charlie interact with each other, and what makes them good friends and marriage partners
3) To compare and contrast the qualities students want in a best friend and marriage partner to the qualities they observe in Lois and Charlie