Plant Growth & Development
Lesson 8
Why Are Bees Important?
Students have been focusing their learning on their plants’ growth and development. Students are now going to learn about pollination and how bees play an important part in the life cycle of flowering plants.
Reading and highlighting the objectives in each lesson assures that participants are with you at the beginning of each lesson.
Objectives: Students learn about the process of plant pollination. Students learn how bees play an important part in the life cycle of flowering plants. Students begin to learn about the interdependence of organisms through bees and flowering plants.
4. Lesson set up and Management
GLE 1.2.1 Analyze how the parts of a system go together, and how these parts depend on each other.
(Lessons 1-14, 16)
*Identify the parts of a system (e.g., roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds) and how the parts go together.
*Describe the function of a part of a system (e.g., leaves are the food factories of Wisconsin Fast Plants.)
*Explain how one part of a system depends upon other parts of the same system.
*Predict and explain how a system would work if one of its parts was missing or broken.
GLE 1.2.2 Understand that energy can be transformed from one object to another and can be transformed from one form of energy to another.
(Lessons3-8, 10-12, 16)
*Identify sources of energy in systems (light energy is the source of energy in a plant system; food energy is the source of energy in an animal system).
GLE 1.2.7 Understand the life cycles of plants and animals, and the differences between inherited and acquired characteristics.
(Lessons 3-12, 16)
*Observe and describe the life cycle of a plant or animal (e.g., Wisconsin Fast Plant).
*Describe that the young of plants and animals grow to resemble their parents as they mature into adults (e.g., Wisconsin Fast Plants; bees).
*Describe inherited characteristics (e.g., leaf shape, flower shape and color).
GLE 1.3.8 Understand that living things need constant energy and matter.
(Lessons 3-12, 16 and EXTENSIONS: students also earn information from listed books, videos, web sites)
*Identify sources of energy and matter used by plants and animals to grow and sustain life (e.g., air, water, light, food, mineral nutrients).
*Identify sources of energy and matter used by animals to grow and sustain life (e.g., air, water, light, food, mineral nutrients).
*Explain how plants and animals obtain food (e.g., plants make food from air, water and sunlight, mineral nutrients; animals obtain food from other living things.)
GLE 2.1.1 Understand how to ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.
(Lessons 1-16)
*Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events based on observations of the natural world.
GLE 2.1.2 Understand how to plan and conduct simple investigations following all safety rules.
(Lessons 1-16)
*Make predictions of the results of an investigation (e.g., growth rate of the Wisconsin Fast Plant during the growth spurt).
*Generate a logical plan for, and conduct, a simple controlled investigation with the following attributes:
1)appropriate materials, tools, and available computer technology, 2) gather, record, and organize data using appropriate units, charts, and/or graphs.
*Identify and use simple equipment and tools (such as magnifiers, rulers) to gather data and extend the senses.
*Follow all safety rules during investigations
GLE 2.1.5 Understand how to report investigations and explanations of objects, events, systems, and processes.
(Lessons 1-16)
*Report observations or data of simple investigations without making inferences.
*Summarize an investigation by describing: -materials used in the investigation, -observations, data, results, -explanations and conclusions in written, mathematical, oral, and information technology presentation formats, -safety procedures used
GLE 2.2.1 Understand that all scientific observations are reported accurately and honestly even when the observations contradict expectations.
(Lessons 1-12, 15, 16)
*Explain why scientific observations are recorded accurately and honestly.
*Explain why scientific records of observations are not changed even when the records do not match initial expectations.
*Explain why honest acknowledgement of the contributions of others and information sources are necessary.
GLE 2.2.3 Understand why similar investigations may not produce similar results.
(Lessons 3-12, 15, 16)
*Describe reasons why two similar investigations can produce different results (e.g., identify possible sources of error, different rates of plant growth).
GLE 2.2.4 Understand how to make the results of scientific investigations reliable.
(Lessons 3-12, 15, 16)
*Describe how the method of investigation insures reliable results (i.e., reliability means that repeating an investigation gives similar results).
GLE 2.2.5 Understand that scientific comprehension of systems increases through inquiry.
(Lessons 3-12, 15, 16)
*Describe how scientific inquiry results in facts, unexpected findings, ideas, evidence, and explanations.
GLE 3.2.2 Understand that people have invented tools for everyday life and for scientific investigations.
(Lessons 1-12, 15, 16)
*Describe tools (technology) invented to advance scientific investigations (e.g., rulers, plant lights, automatic watering system, magnification devices, the development of Wisconsin Fast Plants by Dr. Paul Williams for classroom investigations).
- Flowering plants must be pollinated in order to produce seeds.
- Many plants are pollinated by bees.
- A flower’s pollen clings to a bee, but some rubs off when the bee feeds at other flowers.
Students will be sharing what they already know about bees and pollination. Review brainstorming guidelines (Lesson 1) with the class before beginning.
4. Lesson set up and Management
FINAL ACTIVITIES
Depending on the time of year when this unit is taught, the expectations you have for writing will need to be taken into account.
Show student work from your classroom if available.
EXTENSIONS
Invite a local beekeeper to your classroom. Have him/her share basic information about bees and what it’s like to work with bees. Ask the beekeeper to bring equipment and specialized clothing worn when working with bees. If possible, have the beekeeper bring live bees for observation.
Kid-friendly web site support for learning about honey bees:
Reading Support:
Trade Books:
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices ISBN: 0064460932: This book has a great poem ("Honeybees") that compares and contrasts a queen bee and a worker bee. *Read this poem ahead of time and evaluate its suitability for your students. Have two of your students read it aloud then discuss.
"Honeybees" The Fascinating World of Bees ISBN: 0812047206
Are You A Bee? ISBN: 0753453452
The Magic School Bus: Inside a Bee Hive ISBN: 0590257218
The Bee (Life Cycles) ISBN: 0817262253
Bees, A True Book ISBN: 051626758
Honeybees (All Aboard Reading: Level 2 Paperback) ISBN: 0448428466
How A Plant Grows
ScienceSaurus (use as a resource)
Have students partner-read and write interesting facts and questions they may have on sticky notes. Students leave their sticky notes on the pages of the book until they are ready to transfer their sticky notes into their student notebooks.