Earthworm Research and Lessons

prepared by Lynn Pitts and Ami Brainerd

Earthworm Basics
Earthworms are invertebrates (animals without a backbone) with soft bodies.
Earthworms are various shades of red, brown, and pink.

More than 3,000 species of earthworms can be found all over the world. Some are
small, just a few inches long. Other earthworms are huge—over 22 feet long!

Lapbook Component: Species Simple Fold Book

Vocabulary
burrow: a hole in the ground made by an animal
segment: any of the parts into which a thing is divided or naturally separates
anterior: placed or being before or toward the front
posterior: located behind or toward the back
cocoon: hard oval case where the worm’s eggs grow
castings: the waste products of the worm’s digestion
compost: a mixture of decaying plant matter
setae: small bristles spaced along length of worms
bristle: tiny stiff hair
saddle: swollen part of adult worm’s body where the eggs are made, and which it
uses during mating to make a cocoon
aerate: introduce air into
invertebrate: animals without a backbone

Lapbook Component: Worm Word Cards & Pocketbook

All About Tunneling

A worm makes tunnels by pushing its way into the soil and eating it. As the worm
moves forward, it’s body coats the soil with slime. This makes the soil (the tunnel)
stronger.

Worm tunnels make airy spaces under the soil. These help rainwater drain away.
As it drains, the soil becomes looser and finer, so it is easier for plants to grow.
Some worms burrow deeper underground when the weather is too cold or too dry.
They push down a few feet below the surface, then coil up and go to sleep.

Lapbook Component: Tunnel Travels Tri-fold Book

How Do They Move?

Worms have strong muscles to help them move. There are ring shaped muscles
inside each segment. These make the worm's body shrink or spread out.

The dampness of its body make it move easily through the soil.

A worm moves by pointing its head in the direction it wants to go. It anchors its
body and the head end becomes thicker. Then it stretches its body to push
through the soil. It anchors the front of its body and brings up the rear.

A worm’s bristles are very important in helping it move. The worm digs them into
the soil, using them like little anchors.

Lapbook Component: Worms on the Move Accordion

Choose from the one with words or the one without words (for your student to
write on).

Mating
Worms like to mate on warm, damp nights. They lie next to each other and wrap
themselves together with slime. After mating, the saddle on each worm makes a
sticky belt of slime. It wiggles out of its belt and lays its eggs in it. The belt turns
into a hard cocoon. Its smaller than a pea. Every worm has both male and female
parts to its body, but it takes two worms to mate.

Hatching
Worms eggs take many weeks or months to grow in the cocoon. In that time some
of the eggs will die. Sometimes just 1 or 2 worms will hatch out of the cocoon.

Young worms are about as long as a thumbnail. They are whiter than their parents
and they have no saddles at first.
It takes 18 months for a young worm to grow up and lay eggs of its own. A worm
can live in the soil for 10 years or more if not eaten.

Lapbook Components: Mating & Hatching Matchbooks, Lifespan Simple Fold Book

Earthworm Enemies
Hedgehogs: eat while worms are active at night.
Moles: eat 30 worms a day as they tunnel under ground. They keep them from
escaping by biting their heads off.
Birds (including robins, blackbirds, and thrushes): birds hunt for worms in spring
when other food is scarce.
Shrew: eat while worms are active at night.

Lapbook Component: Earthworm Enemies Shutter

What Do They Eat?

Worms eat rotting parts of dead plants. They have no teeth or jaws so the food
must be soft. They feed on these rotting plants through the soil. They use the good
parts as the soil goes through their bodies.

In the daytime, they stay under the soil and feed on the roots of dead plants.
Sometimes they store dead leaves in their tunnels until they rot. All of this,
including the movement of the worms, makes the soil healthy.

Worms love compost. Their favorites include potato peelings, carrots, lettuce,
cabbage, celery, apple peelings, banana peels, orange rinds, and grapefruit. They
also like cornmeal, oatmeal, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds with the filter, and
tea bags.

Lapbook Component:
Favorite Compost Foods
Find folding instructions here.
Anatomy of An Earthworm

Look at the diagram of the earthworm with your student. What does a worm have
that a human has? What is different?

Label the earthworm in the printable section. Instead of labeling all of the organs
individually, your student can just write “internal organs” for those.

Label: mouth, internal organs, anus, setae (the tiny bristles found on most
segments), body segments, and clitellum.

Lapbook Component: Diagram of an Earthworm

Label the diagram. Cut out as one piece. Fold in thirds. Add the cover piece to the
front of the mini-book.
Earthworm Body
Worms breathe through their skin. They take air in that is trapped in the soil. Their
body is damp, but not slimy. The front end is more pointed than the back. A worm
has no skeleton, eyes, lungs or ears. Its tube like body is made up of many tiny
segments. Each is filled with liquid and covered with bristles to help the worm
move. Worms can tell the difference from light and dark. On wet days, worms’ air
pockets fill with water, and have to come up to the surface to breathe.

Choose Worm Bodies Fan (with words) or Worm Bodies Fan (blank) to complete
for your lapbook.

Worm Wonders
As you read books about worms, record some of your favorite worm facts in this
minit book: Worm Wonders.

Tug of War
Have you ever seen a robin struggling to pull an earthworm from the ground?
Everyone knows that earthworms don’t have legs, but they do have special
structures that help them stay anchored in their burrows. On the side of each body
segment, a worm has four pairs of tiny bristles. These are called setae (SEE-tee);
they help the worm crawl about or hold fast to its burrow. Whenever the worm
shortens itself, the segments get fatter and the setae are pushed out. As the worm
extends, the setae are pulled in.

Lapbook Component: Tug of War Simple Fold

Purpose
Earthworms have a big job to do. They aerate the soil by crawling and burrowing
through it. Their castings (worm poop) improves the quality of the soil.

Earthworm Observations

Setting up an earthworm observation center:

Option #1-- Dig for worms
Option #2-- Purchase Earthworms from a bait & tackle shop or in the sporting
goods section of the store
Option #3-- Buy a Worm Vue Wonder Kit

Used a large glass jar for the habitat. Layered various types of soil (choose different
color/texture to see the burrows better). Sprinkle oatmeal on top. Added water to
moisturize the dirt. Covered the jar with black construction paper; take it off when
you want to observe the worms.

Lapbook Component: Earthworm Observations Mini-book

Library List
The Magic School Bus Meets The Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition by
Joanna Cole
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer

Materials and information on this website may be used for your own personal and
school use. Material may not be shared electronically or be used for resale.
© Homeschool Share
 Directions: Cut on solid lines. Fold (like a pamphlet) on dotted lines.

Directions: Cut on solid lines. Fold on

the dotted lines.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out
book on solid black
lines. Fold on dotted
lines like an accordion.
Glue the back of last
piece to your lapbook.

Add text to the

sections of the
accordion book.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out
book on solid black
lines. Fold on dotted
lines like an accordion.
Glue the back of last
piece to your lapbook.

© Homeschool Share
PRINT ON CARDSTOCK.
Cut each piece out on the solid black lines. Attach with brass fastener where indicated.

© Homeschool Share
PRINT ON CARDSTOCK.
Cut each piece out on the solid black lines. Attach with brass fastener where indicated.

© Homeschool Share
 Directions: Cut on solid lines. Fold on dotted.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out the base piece. Cut out call-outs.
Stack together with cover on top and staples.

© Homeschool Share
© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut on solid lines. Fold on dotted lines (matchbook style).

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out books above on solid lines. Fold on dotted.
© Homeschool Share
 Directions: Cut out book as one piece. Fold in half. Open. Fold bottom strip up (fold on the dotted lines) to form a
pocket on the inside of the book. Use small dots of glue on the edges (if you use too much, the pockets will be too
small). Store cards (next three pages) inside the pockets. Use a paperclip to help them stay secure.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out cards. Store in the Worm Words Pocket Folder.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out cards. Store in the Worm Words Pocket Folder.

© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out cards. Store in the Worm Words Pocket Folder.

© Homeschool Share
© Homeschool Share
Directions: Cut out shapes. Stack together with cover on top and staple. Write
your earthworm observations on the pages.

© Homeschool Share
This is the back cover of the book.
Find folding instructions here.
Terms of Use
This product may be used for your own classroom or personal use. It may not
be shared as a pdf file, on the web, or in any other way. It should not be
recreated or duplicated. © www.homeschoolshare.com

Earthworm Lapbook Clipart Credits

Clipartisan
Clipart.com