Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

60 minutes

Part A: Observation Session

50 minutes

Part B: Analysis and Presentation of Bee Data

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will..

conduct observations and collect data on bee populations and behaviours
analyse the data to identify patterns in bee activity and plant suitability.

Success criteria

Students can..

identify bee-friendly plants in the schoolyard or at home
use observation and recording skills to collect data on the bee populations, behaviours and plants they are visiting and communicate their findings to the school community.

Part A: Observation session

Preparation:

Predetermine the time you will allocate for the observation period. You should aim for students to conduct at least six observation sessions at a variety of locations (at home or in the schoolyard) over an extended period of time (week/month/season/term).

Step 1

Begin this lesson by asking students to think back to the last time they spotted a bee buzzing around the garden. Spend a few minutes allowing students to recall if they have ever stopped to notice bees in the garden. Conduct a quick class discussion using the following questions:

If you have noticed bees in the garden, can you describe where this was and what the bees were doing?
How did it feel to see the bees?
What did it make you wonder?
If you haven't noticed bees in the garden, why do you think this is?
Do you think the season or types of plants could influence why you have or haven't noticed bees?

You could invite the school's maintenance staff, school gardeners, passionate teachers or parents to come into the class and talk about where they notice bees. Encourage students to ask about potential locations where they might notice bees, and what times of the year they might see bees. If possible, conduct an inquiry into the places in the schoolyard where students might have the highest chance of noticing bees. For example: the school garden, native flowering plants or eucalyptus trees.

Step 2

Explain to students that they are going to complete an observation challenge. Their goal will be to make a number of bee observations in the schoolyard and at home over a set period of time (week/month/season/term). Students will then complete an analysis of their data, looking for patterns relating to the presence or absence of bees, bee behaviour and the suitability of bee friendly plants.

During this lesson, students will be going out into the schoolyard to undertake the first observation session; however after this students will need to collect data in subsequent lessons during recess or at home. It is important to conduct several observation sessions and to vary the times of day students make observations, as the season and weather can impact observations. At the heart of this activity is the idea that the more students are outside noticing bees the more chances they have of connecting with them and valuing them. This can enhance the learning outcomes in future lessons during the Love Food? Love Bees! unit.

Step 3

Before heading outside, give each student a copy of the Beeing Observant Record Sheet. Highlight to students that they will need to keep this record sheet safe and bring it to each class in case the teacher has scheduled an observation session.

To harness students' curiosity, invite them to create a number of "I wonder..." questions about what they might find in the schoolyard. Encourage students to spend a few minutes pair-sharing their "I wonders" with another student. You may want to share a few with the class to get the ball rolling. For example:

I wonder where in the schoolyard we might notice bees?
I wonder what types of plants bees like?
I wonder how bees communicate with each other?
I wonder if the bees will be noticing me while I am noticing the bees?

Throughout the observation sessions encourage students to continue to be curious and share their wonderings with their classmates.

Step 4

Head outside and invite students to use their senses to observe any signs of bees. They should look and listen for bees. If they see a bee, they should stop and observe the bee for 30 seconds.

Encourage students to be still when observing, and to look closely at what the bees are doing. The aim here is not simply to record every bee that is seen; instead, encourage students to observe bees closely and to study their behaviour. Invite students to spend some time admiring, acknowledging, respecting and appreciating the wonder and beauty of bees. Remind students to ensure they do not touch or disturb the bees.

Step 5

Students should record their findings on the Beeing Observant Record Sheet. They need to record the time/date, location, weather, flower descriptions, bee behaviour and the presence of any other pollinators. Students may wish to draw their observations; such as the flower shape or bee flying pattern.

If no bees are observed, students need to make a record of this and reflect on why this might be: could it be the weather, the time of day, the lack of flowers, the wrong season, etc?

Step 6

Return to the classroom and invite students to share their observations by completing a quick 'See, Think, Wonder' thinking tool. You could do this as a class or in pairs.

See Think Wonder

What do you see?
What do you think about that?
What does it make you wonder?

It is a great idea to create a visual wall display in your classroom around the inquiry question: ‘What did I notice about bees?’ Invite students to write or draw observations in response to this question and attach them to the wall around the question. Use these drawings or statements to prompt further discussion about bees or to introduce each observation session.

Before finishing this class you may wish to advise students when the next observation session will be.

Before heading outside for the first observation session, engage students in a discussion about being safe around bees using the Bee safe! Factsheet, and how to distinguish between European wasps and honey bees using the Honey Bees and European Wasps Factsheet.

Part B: Analysis and presentation of bee data

Step 1

At the end of the observation sessions, invite students to share and analyse the results.

Students will need to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to look for any patterns in their data. Using their completed Beeing Observant Record Sheet, ask students to spend a few minutes reading over the results from each observation session. Next, ask students to look for patterns in the data using these questions to guide their thinking:

Did you observe bees during every observation session?
Were bees more active on some days and less active on others? What might influence this? For example, the weather, time of day, season, etc?
Which plants were the most popular with bees? Why do you think this is?
Did you notice that the bees behaved differently in a range of conditions?
Were other pollinators always found when and where bees were found?

Step 2

Invite students to work independently to collate the information they collected into a poster using the Student Worksheet.

They should use words and pictures to demonstrate what they noticed about:

where they found bees
what plants bees were found near
the behaviour of bees
any other interesting observations.

Students could use the internet, school library or talk to maintenance staff/school gardeners to identify and label bee friendly plants on their poster.

Students can use the Bee Poster Template, or create their own poster.

Create a display of your bee posters at your school and invite other students, teachers and parents to view the posters. These posters can be used in later lessons such as the Beeing Friendly Project.

Reflection

At the heart of this activity is supporting students to get outside to enjoy and experience the wonder of bees in nature. Observing bees in nature will support students in developing a deeper engagement with the issues presented throughout the Love Food? Love Bees! unit, and therefore support them in being more invested in future learning and conservation efforts.

For this reflection activity, take your students outside to sit in a circle. Use the table below to facilitate a class discussion using the guiding questions, then invite students to turn to a partner to respond to the pair-share statements.

Guiding Questions - whole class questions	Pair-Share statements
Did you enjoy observing bees in nature?	Share three feelings you had while noticing bees.
Did you notice bees more easily after you completed more observation sessions?	Share how you felt about bees over time.
Did bees behave differently on different plants or days?	Share the most interesting behaviour you noticed.
Do you think our schoolyard has a lot of bees?	Share how you might improve the number of bees in the schoolyard.
What other burning questions do you have about bees?	Share how you might investigate these burning questions.

Homework/extension

As a class, discuss how you could graphically present your results (e.g. graphs, charts or tables) and what information you want to present. You could also discuss making a map of the locations of the bee observation sessions.
Challenge students to identify the other pollinators they observed, including any native bees. Although the European Honey Bee is the bee we are most familiar with, there are around 1600 species of native bees in Australia, including native honey bees, the blue banded bee and teddy bear bees.

Beeing Observant

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Summary

Learning intentions

Students will..

Success criteria

Students can..

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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