Teacher Notes
This teaching sequence is adapted from the Primary Connections unit "Friend or Foe". This unit is available from Primary Connections or via Scootle. The initial lessons follow the Primary Connections unit closely, but the idea of the importance of bees to our ecosystem is extended from the Elaborate phase. The "Do we really need bees?" lesson sequence offers opportunities to link other Australian Curriculum Year 4 content from English, Design and Technology, Geography, Visual Arts and Mathematics.
Engage
In this section, students reflect on what they already know about life cycles and growth of plants and animals.
Lesson 1: Tomato Troubles (Primary Connections)
Lesson 1: Tomato Troubles (Primary Connections)
- The class receives an email from a concerned apartment dweller that his tomato plants are not bearing fruit. The students demonstrate their current understandings about how plants grow.
- Students use diagrams of tomato plants at various stages to show their current understanding of the lifecycle of a tomato plant.
What about bees?
- Students contribute ideas about "what they think they know" about bees to a collaborative discussion. Ideas can be written on post-its and used to form a RAN chart, or collected via a collaborative online space e.g. LIFE, Edmodo, TodaysMeet.
Explore
In this section, students are exposed to a variety of information sources and are presented with background information about current scientific understandings of reproduction of plants and insects at an age appropriate level. They are involved in hands-on, real world investigations to further their knowledge and understanding and to develop scientific skills.
Lesson 2: Flowers and Bees (Primary Connections)
Lesson 2: Flowers and Bees (Primary Connections)
- Session 1: Pollinating Parts - By the end of this session, students can label the parts of a flower, including petal, anther, stigma, filament, style, ovary, stem and ovule. Students can view the video on Playful Learning to see how to dissect a flower to identify its parts. Students might record their new understanding of flower parts and their purpose by creating a Thinglink, making a collage, completing the worksheet from the Primary Connections unit or by creating a lift-the-flap picture.
- Game: Pollinating parts relay - Each team of students are given 8 strips of coloured paper. They write one of the parts of the flower on each strip to make a set of cards. (This could be done by the teacher in preparation for the game, but having the students discuss which word they will write and copying the words gives them a further opportunity to engage with the new terms). Each team places their set of 8 cards at one end of a play space (eg basketball court) and they make a line at the opposite end of the court. A small piece of blu-tack can be stuck to the back of each piece of paper to stop them blowing away. The teacher calls out one of the definitions and the student at the front of each team's line races to the far end of the court to collect the correct plant part. The first student back with the correct answer gets 2 points. Any team with the correct answer receives 1 point and teams with the wrong answer earn no points. The next player comes to the front of the line (and they hold the previous card to return it to the other end during their turn). The teacher calls out another definition and the second group races to collect the correct card. The game can continue until everyone has had one turn or more.
- Demonstration: Pollination - Students make a model of a flower with petals, stigma and anther. Students are given a paper muffin case and a pick of sticky tape. The sticky tape is turned back on itself to make a sticky loop (stigma), which is placed in the centre of the paper muffin case (petals). Three or four Cheetos (anthers) are placed in the case. The students move quietly around the room pretending to be bees. As they touch the anther on each flower some "pollen" will fall off from their fingers and become stuck on the stigma. This demonstration is simple but demonstrates clearly how pollination takes place. It provides an opportunity to discuss the role of the filament and style in holding the anthers and stigma high enough to make sure that the bee would accidentally rub against them, particularly the stigma.
- Session 2: Bee's Knees - By the end of this session, students have developed an understanding of the role of bees in pollinating flowers and can label parts of a bee, including thorax, wing, antennae, head, abdomen, proboscis, stinger, pollen sac and leg.
Students participate in a simulation of pollination by bees to build an understanding of this process. - Session 3: Flower Power - (to be set as home task) Students discuss ways that they could safely observe the habits of bees in gardens at school, at home or in the community. They establish a simple system to gather data about the number of bees that visit different types of flowers and consider how to make the test "fair". They predict the types of flowers and plants that will attract bees and other insects and reflect on the data to see what patterns emerge.
Lesson 3: Ants and Seeds (Primary Connections)
- Session 1: Seed detectives - Students look closely at fruits and use cross section diagrams to show details. They compare cross sections of flowers to cross sections of fruits to identify flower parts that can still be identified in fruits. In an Art Lesson, students explore cross sections and contour drawings to produce an abstract artwork derived from the cross section of a fruit.
- Home task: Students collect seeds from various fruits and plants in their home and bring these to school to compare and to use in a scientific investigation.
- Session 2: Spreading Seeds - Students participate in a hands-on scientific investigation to observe how ants can help in the dispersal of seeds. They could use digital technologies (e.g.: iMotion app on iPad) to create a time-lapse movie of the process. They use the COWS MOO SOFTLY framework to discuss the variables in the investigation and reflect on how the test was fair (or not).
- Extension: Leaving Home - Students explore methods of seed dispersal by different plants. (Primary Connections Lesson 5)
- Interdependence: Introduce the term "interdependence" in the context of plants and insects (and other animals). The plants need the bees to pollinate them, but the bees need the plants to make their honey, which they need for food and energy. The plants need to have their seeds dispersed so they use animals by seeds sticking to their fur or by seeds being eaten inside fruit. The animals need the fruit from the plants for food.
Explain
In this section, students bring together the understandings they have developed so far through the inquiry. This is an opportunity for assessment of learning.
Lesson 4: Coming together (Primary Connections)
Students participate in a Silent Card Shuffle to sort words about life cycles of plants and animals investigated in this inquiry. This lesson can be linked to an English lesson looking at the linking devices used in texts to make them cohesive. (ACELA1491)
Science Assessment
Students are given the opportunity to show what they have learnt about life cycles of plants and the role of insects and other pollinators in helping to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds. They could be given a task set by the teacher or a choice of different ways to present what they know (eg a storyboard, poster, PowerPoint presentation, Explain Everything, iMovie, MineCraft). Students could be given the Student Task Sheet to plan their presentation and reflect on their success.
Lesson 6: Giving advice (Primary Connections)
Students respond to the email from Lesson 1 using their knowledge of life cycles of plants and the interdependence of organisms in the ecosystem.
Lesson 4: Coming together (Primary Connections)
Students participate in a Silent Card Shuffle to sort words about life cycles of plants and animals investigated in this inquiry. This lesson can be linked to an English lesson looking at the linking devices used in texts to make them cohesive. (ACELA1491)
Science Assessment
Students are given the opportunity to show what they have learnt about life cycles of plants and the role of insects and other pollinators in helping to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds. They could be given a task set by the teacher or a choice of different ways to present what they know (eg a storyboard, poster, PowerPoint presentation, Explain Everything, iMovie, MineCraft). Students could be given the Student Task Sheet to plan their presentation and reflect on their success.
Lesson 6: Giving advice (Primary Connections)
Students respond to the email from Lesson 1 using their knowledge of life cycles of plants and the interdependence of organisms in the ecosystem.
Elaborate
In this section, students make connections between their Science understanding and their learning in other curriculum areas, particularly Geography. They are presented with a real world issue - the disappearance of bees - and apply their science knowledge and understanding to solve this real world issue.
Interdependence (Links to Geography)
Students review the term "interdependence" and recall how plants and animals are dependent on each other for survival. This thinking is now expanded to include the impact on humans if things were to become out of balance. Students reflect on ways that all of nature is connected. They consider the importance of vegetation for the environment and to humans and other animals. They consider different views on how environments can be protected.
Do we really need bees?
Now that students have a basic understanding of life cycles and interdependence, they are presented with information about the dilemma of bees in our environment. They listen to, read and view different sources of information about the disappearance of bees and explain predictions about the probable effect of bees becoming extinct.
Taking Action (Links to Design & Technology and Geography)
Students consider action that can be taken at the local level to promote the survival of bees. Ideas might include educating others, planting flowering plants, building a vertical garden or establishing a native stingless bee hive in the school grounds. As a class, develop and implement an action plan that incorporates student ideas. Sustainability, safety, cost, aesthetics and the skill level of the students will need to be considered when designing the action plan. Students should be involved in activities to test the suitability of a variety of components, tools and techniques as part of the technology process.
Students apply what they learnt about gathering simple geographical data to answer questions about the suitability of the school grounds for attracting and sustaining bees (eg number and location of garden beds.)
Students produce a simple map of the school to show possible locations for garden beds, flowering plants, vertical gardens, or bee hives.
Students could write a persuasive letter to the school principal to explain the need for a vertical garden or other solution in the school grounds.
Interdependence (Links to Geography)
Students review the term "interdependence" and recall how plants and animals are dependent on each other for survival. This thinking is now expanded to include the impact on humans if things were to become out of balance. Students reflect on ways that all of nature is connected. They consider the importance of vegetation for the environment and to humans and other animals. They consider different views on how environments can be protected.
Do we really need bees?
Now that students have a basic understanding of life cycles and interdependence, they are presented with information about the dilemma of bees in our environment. They listen to, read and view different sources of information about the disappearance of bees and explain predictions about the probable effect of bees becoming extinct.
Taking Action (Links to Design & Technology and Geography)
Students consider action that can be taken at the local level to promote the survival of bees. Ideas might include educating others, planting flowering plants, building a vertical garden or establishing a native stingless bee hive in the school grounds. As a class, develop and implement an action plan that incorporates student ideas. Sustainability, safety, cost, aesthetics and the skill level of the students will need to be considered when designing the action plan. Students should be involved in activities to test the suitability of a variety of components, tools and techniques as part of the technology process.
Students apply what they learnt about gathering simple geographical data to answer questions about the suitability of the school grounds for attracting and sustaining bees (eg number and location of garden beds.)
Students produce a simple map of the school to show possible locations for garden beds, flowering plants, vertical gardens, or bee hives.
Students could write a persuasive letter to the school principal to explain the need for a vertical garden or other solution in the school grounds.
Evaluate
In this section students reflect on the overarching inquiry question and on their learning through the inquiry process.
Why we need bees...
Students reflect on why we need bees. They write or compose a simple persuasive text that demonstrates a knowledge of the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
Have we made a difference?
Students reflect on the success of their action project to attract bees to the area.
Why we need bees...
Students reflect on why we need bees. They write or compose a simple persuasive text that demonstrates a knowledge of the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
Have we made a difference?
Students reflect on the success of their action project to attract bees to the area.