Love Food? Love Bees! Beeing Curious Year 5 & 6

Love Food? Love Bees! Beeing Curious Year 5 & 6 Teacher preparation Overarching learning goal: Students discover the pivotal role bees play in food production and the health of our ecosystems. They build their knowledge of how bees interact with their environment, and develop inquiry questions to expand their understanding of new concepts and existing misconceptions about bees, pollination, food and farming. Teacher content information: Bees first appeared on Earth at least 80 million years ago. The ancestors of modern bee species lived alongside the dinosaurs - a time when giant pines, cedars, tree ferns and cycads were the main plants and the air swarmed with primitive insects including oversized dragonflies and giant butterflies. During this time, the first flowering plants (angiosperms) appeared and a more effective way of pollination was needed, other than simply relying on the wind. The challenge was how to increase the chances of pollination and reproduction to ensure the success of future generations. The solution was to attract insects to assist with pollination. Over time flowers evolved a range of advertisements to attract pollinators, including bright colours, strong fragrances, interesting patterns and unusual shapes. They also developed sugar-rich nectar as a reward. Thus began the mutualistic relationship between flowering plants and bees and it was to change the appearance of the Earth forever. Now there are hundreds of thousands of species of flowering plants and they are the most successful land plants on Earth. Scientists have long chalked this up to the relationship between pollinators and their Page 1/10

assistance in reproduction. There are thousands of bee species that live around the world. The European Honey Bee is the best known as it produces honey, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly, which are all used in a range of ways. Interestingly, bees are the only insect that produce food eaten by humans. They are also the only animal that doesn't harm what it eats but actually enhances it. Australia has 1600 native bee species, most of them are solitary and don t store honey. Only 11 species of social bees make and store small amounts of honey for their own food. While it is well known that bees produce honey, a lesser known fact is that most of our other food sources also rely on bees, as conservative figures show that bees pollinate at least ONE mouthful in every THREE that we eat! The production of most fruit, nuts, vegetables, seeds and even livestock feed are dependent on the existence of bees, including Australian native bees. When living things have relationships with other living things it is called 'symbiosis'. Bees and flowering plants have a mutually beneficial relationship whereby the bees assist with pollination and fertilization of the plant and in return collect nectar and pollen not only for themselves but also to feed their young. Bees have a number of specialised adaptations that make them particularly good at carrying large volumes of pollen. They can visit many flowers before returning to their hive, which increases the success rate of fertilization of the plants. Due to bees being excellent pollinators they play a pivotal role in farming, food production and the health of our ecosystems. However, bees around the world, including in Australia, are in serious trouble. Overuse of pesticides and herbicides are causing bees to become more vulnerable to disease and pests. Modern agricultural practices and urbanisation are greatly reducing bee habitat and food sources. As a result, scientists are seeing a large decline in bee populations. This poses a threat not only for our food production but our Page 2/10

environment as a whole, as flowering plants rely on pollinators to survive. The good news is we can all do things to help ensure the survival of bees, such as: Plant bee friendly plants in clumps in your garden and let the vegetables flower. Bees love lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, perennial basil, borage, grevilleas, bottlebrush and tea trees whilst Eucalypts provide pollen and nectar for their food. Use no pesticides or herbicides in your garden. For bee friendly pest management try companion planting. Before you buy, ask if plants have been treated with pesticides toxic to bees. Create bee friendly garden signs for your front garden to advertise what a bee friendly garden is. Put stones in bird baths to stop bees drowning. Buy fruit and vegetables that have been locally and sustainably grown. Buy local honey. For more information, go to actforbees.org. A summary of the issues faced by bees on a global scale is explored in this video: NATURE Silence Of The Bees (https://youtu.be/diuo3stj6tw?list=pl45e34e4712249c79) Additional background information: Some Interesting Facts About Bees Bee Safe! Factsheet Honey Bees and European Wasps Factsheet Teaching sequence Page 3/10

Work through this resource material in the following sequence: 20 minutes - Part A: Where do you Stand? The Impact of Bees on our World 15 minutes - Part B: What do we Wonder about Bees? 10 minutes - Reflection PART A: Where do you Stand? The Impact of Bees on our World Before starting the activity, create a line on the wall or floor (using string or masking tape) long enough for all students to be able to stand along. At one end of the line, attach a sign saying AGREE and at the other end attach a sign saying DISAGREE. Half way along the line attach a sign saying NOT SURE. This activity can be used as a barometer to test students' prior knowledge of the topic of bees and the role they play in pollination, food and farming. It can also be used as an introduction to the core themes addressed in this unit, and could also be a way to provoke students' thoughts and ideas about bees. Ask students to stand up and look at the line. Explain that you will be reading out a list of statements and for each statement they should choose a point along the line on which to stand. You will be discussing each statement as you go and students may want to change their position along the line after each discussion. Statements Discussion points Bees make honey so I can eat it Bees aren't thinking about your on my crumpets crumpets when they're making delicious honey. They actually make honey to feed the hive. Bees have a second stomach called a 'honey stomach' where they store nectar they gather from flowers to take back to the hive. They turn it into honey by a process of Page 4/10

There is only one species of bee that lives in Australia Bees will sting you if you go near them or if they come near you All bees live in a hive regurgitation and evaporation: they store it as a food source in wax honeycombs inside the hive. Note: Not all bee species make honey. The best known bee in Australia is the commercial honey bee. It was introduced to Australia from Europe in about 1822 to produce honey for our pioneers. However, there are over 1600 other bee species of all shapes and sizes - just visit our gardens and wildflowers. These are our own Australian native bees which have evolved with our wildflowers over millions of years. Bees are gentle creatures. They rarely sting unless provoked. They are a different species to wasps, who might harass you and try to take a bite of your ham sandwich. Bees generally mind their own business, and are focused on gathering pollen and nectar. There are also many species of stingless bees that are native to Australia. Nearly all of Australia s 1600 or more native bee species are solitary. Solitary bees do not have queens, workers and drones. Instead in most species, just one female bee mates and then builds an individual nest for her eggs, just like a bird does. Social bees live with other bees in hives. The hives have a queen bee plus hundreds (or even thousands) Page 5/10

Fruit and vegetables only need good soil, water and sunshine to be healthy and grow Cattle would be fine if bees became extinct Bees have helped to make my t- shirt. Bees helped to produce what I had for breakfast today of female worker bees and some male drone bees in each nest. Bees contribute to the productivity of many fruit, vegetable and seed crops by pollinating the plants so that crop yield and quality is improved. In fact, conservative figures show that bees pollinate at least one mouthful in every three that we eat. Pollination services have been estimated to contribute between $620 to $730 million to the value of Australian fruit and vegetable production each year. The pasture and hay that beef farmers feed their cattle rely on pollination by bees for seed, so the diet of cows and bulls would be affected dramatically if bees ceased to exist. T-shirts are usually made from cotton, which grows in crops. Cotton is highly dependent on the pollination that bees provide. Without bees, 80% of the cotton crop would not develop, and your t- shirt might not exist! It depends on what you had for breakfast. If you had anything with fruit in it, including juice, then yes, bees pollinated the fruit so that it could reach your breakfast table. Did you have any milk this morning? It's likely that the cow's feed required bees for pollination. Did your parents drink a coffee this morning? They can thank bees for Page 6/10

Bees and plants have a mutually beneficial relationship that too! The pollination that bees provide for plants affects at least one in every three mouthfuls of food we eat!! When living things rely on each other they are said to have a symbiotic relationship. Bees and flowering plants have a mutually beneficial relationship whereby the bees assist with pollination and fertilisation of the plant and in return collect nectar and pollen not only for themselves but also to feed their young. Both flowers and bees have co-evolved special adaptations to make this relationship work. Plants have evolved flowers, pollen and nectar to attract pollinators to assist with fertilisation. Bees have evolved special hairs that are arranged to form pollen baskets on their hindlegs and the underside of their abdomen. They can gather and carry large volumes of pollen and visit many flowers before returning to their hive. You could debrief this activity by congratulating students for demonstrating support for their classmates, contributing to the class discussion, taking risks in providing responses in front of their classmates and listening to their classmates' viewpoints and opinions. Hot tip: You could take your class outside for this Stand on the Line activity. What better way to learn about bees than in their natural environment? Use your school garden or Indigenous garden as an outdoor space. If you intend to go outside, please read and implement the suggestions in the Bee Safe! Factsheet before heading out. Page 7/10

Part B: What do we Wonder about Bees? Step 1. As a class, watch this short film that features a range of timelapse images of bees collecting nectar and pollen from flowers (also found on the Student Worksheet). Play the clip from the beginning to 2:10min without stopping or discussing anything. Allow students to simply enjoy the beautiful images and aesthetics of nature. If time permits you could play the rest of the clip which contains images of flower structures, which will be covered in future lessons. Flowers and Pollination (https://youtu.be/jwc2nfxpbtq) Step 2. Use a 'See, Think, Wonder' visible thinking tool to help students visualise what they understand and want to find out about about the clip. You could divide a piece of butcher's paper into three columns labelled 'SEE', 'THINK' and 'WONDER', then give students three stickynotes each and ask them to record one thing they saw in the clip, one thing they think after watching the clip, and one thing they wonder after watching the clip. Alternatively, students could complete this task independently on the Student Worksheet. Step 3. Ask students to turn to the person next to them and briefly share their reflections. They should describe what they have written. Once students have shared what they see, think and wonder, ask them to expand on their observations and puzzlements if they can, and if students completed the activity on sticky-notes, stick them in each column on the paper. Then, guide a short class discussion about students' thoughts - ask a couple of students to share their thoughts. This activity will give students a basis from which to complete the reflection activity (below). Reflection This Hive of Reflection exit slip can be used to help students understand new concepts, reflect on information learned, and express their Page 8/10

thoughts about new information. The approach requires students to respond to a prompt and incorporates writing into different content areas. The exit slip can also act as an informal assessment that will allow you to adapt and differentiate your planning and instruction by allowing you to adapt to students' interests and inquiries. This strategy is extremely useful in the classroom because it takes just a few moments to do, and will give you an informal measure of student's understanding of new concepts. The Hive of Reflection exit slips are hexagon shaped, just like the wax cells that form honeycomb created by worker bees in a bee hive. Bees use the cells to store honey and pollen and the cells also house bee eggs and larvae. Throughout the unit, students will add their hexagonshaped exit slips to a space on the wall so that their cells will create a Hive of Reflection. Step 1. A few minutes before the end of each session, distribute one exit slip to students and ask them to respond to the prompt. You could differentiate the reflection activity by choosing which exit slip prompt goes to each student. Step 2. Before students leave the room, invite them to add their exit slips to an allocated space on the wall to add a new cell to the honeycomb of the Hive of Reflection. Then, review students exit slips in order to make any changes to the structure of future lessons so that the needs of your students are met. At the start of the next lesson, consider taking some time to view the wall where the cells from the "Hive of Reflection" have been stuck to recap on student comments, ideas, and opinions. This will give students confidence that their voice matters and creates a public space wherein students can see and appreciate their personal entries. Student s exit slips could be collated and used as a part of an assessment portfolio for each student to document their growth over the Love Food? Love Bees! unit. Page 9/10

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Hot tip: It is important to set up an inclusive, safe and respectful environment when students are visually displaying their personal learning. Differentiated Learning Extension: Students could research their own or a peers' 'wonderment'. They could engage in an online search to find information, and create a small fact sheet that details the information they have found. If they choose to research a classmate's question, students could seek out the 'owner' of the wonderment, and inform them about what they found. Provisional Learning Support: Provide prompts for students in the 'See, Think, Wonder' visible thinking tool. Encourage them to think about how bees interact with the flowers they land on, how their bodies/physiology interacts with their environment, what their environment looks like, what they are doing in the clips, why they might be doing it. Ask students to verbalise their thoughts before they note them down on sticky-notes or on the Student Worksheet. Page 10/10