November 13th, 2023
Monday
Why Bees?
Why are bees important?
Welcome to Day 1 of Florida Geography Awareness Week! Today’s topic is:
Why Bees?
Bees are incredible pollinators, and their work is crucial for the environment and our food supply. As they move from flower to flower, they carry pollen, enabling plants to produce fruits and seeds. This process is essential for many of the foods we enjoy, like apples, strawberries, and almonds.
Beyond providing us with tasty treats, bees play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity. By pollinating flowers, they contribute to the reproduction of various plants, which, in turn, supports other animal species. Bees essentially act as nature's gardeners, ensuring a healthy and thriving ecosystem.
However, bees are facing challenges such as habitat loss and pesticide exposure, which are affecting their populations. It's important for us to understand the significance of bees and take steps to protect them. By supporting bee conservation efforts, we're not only safeguarding these remarkable insects but also preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystems and the availability of diverse, nutritious foods for ourselves and other creatures. So, let's give a shout-out to the bees and work together to ensure their well-being!
Bell-Ringer:
Bees have this cool dance called the "waggle dance" to talk to each other. When they find a great source of food, like flowers with yummy nectar, they come back to the hive and do a special dance that tells the other bees where to find it. The dance involves wiggling and turning, and it's like a secret language that helps the whole bee colony work together to bring home delicious food.
We created a short video to explain! Check it out!
Next up:
The Play!
To Bee or Not to Bee
Teacher Note:
The reader’s theatre play TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE included in these lessons are meant to be used for students at the 3rd/4th grade level. There are patterns included for stick puppets that can be colored and cut out. Also included are patterns for flowers, which can be used by students who don’t have speaking parts as the bees move among the audience gathering nectar. As for the bee dance, you may recognize the form of the song, but feel free to create your own version of the dance using the materials available in the GAW curriculum.
The reader’s theatre was created with the intention to use stick puppets, for which templates are provided. Students may color the templates and cut them out, then attach them to paint stirrers. There are templates for each main character in the script plus random additional bees as well as templates for the flowers. All students in class will have a puppet. The play should take the course of the whole week to prepare, so plan on dedicating some time to it each day. Suggested schedule is Monday for reading and “try-outs,” Tuesday through Thursday practice with Friday being performance day! Perform just for your own class or for others.
Although written as reader’s theatre, this little script could be easily adapted for use with older students as a short, full-staged play complete with costumes and even music. Adapt the script to use in whatever way serves the particular needs of your students. The point is to simply have fun while learning about bees.
Play Files:
To Bee or Not to Bee
Play
Play Questions
Play Cutouts
Watch and Respond:
Bee Video Time!
The Magic School Bus:
In a Beehive
(Season 3, Episode 1)
In this episode of the Magic School Bus, Ms. Frizzle takes the kids on a field trip inside a beehive! They explore how the hive operates, and how honey is made. Watch the video, then answer the questions!
This is a printable question and answer sheet!
Additional BEE Activities and Printables:
We've created some additional activities and printables for today's lesson. Click on the link for each one to view the PDF and BEE CREATIVE!
