Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes

Part A: The power of pollinators

50 minutes

Part B: World Bee Day

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will...

understand the dilemma facing bees and other pollinators
understand how the food production system depends on pollinators
understand how we all depend on the food production system
know some practices and challenges associated with food production.

Success criteria:

Students can...

create a flow diagram based on the possible consequences of a decline in pollinator populations
evaluate the effectiveness of a range of pollinator-related engagement strategies
promote the need for World Bee Day using food security-related related information.

Note: If you completed the first lesson in this unit, Introduction to Food Security – Years 9 & 10, you would have invited students to view two clips at home as preparation for the upcoming lesson. If this is not the case, provide students with the following links prior to this lesson, inviting them to choose two to watch at home in preparation:

What happens if all the bees die (2)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JilYBVrFiLA)
Why are bees around the world dying? (3)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRGrI4AQG70)
The death of bees explained (3)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=58&v=GqA42M4RtxE)
Save the bees (4)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVDXD3oyMJg)
Critical Importance of Pollinators (5)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6362aJNNt1s&feature=youtu.be)

A difficulty number out of five has been allocated to each clip. Invite students to select their two clips based on how comfortable they feel with the topic.

Note: It is worth mentioning to students that colony collapse disorder (mentioned in some of the above clips) is only recognised in the U.S. - not in Australia. However, it is important to know that this is a threat that is actively managed in Australia.

Part A: The power of pollinators

Step 1

Explain to students that insects play an important role in a variety of ecosystems. There are a number of complex food webs that insects are crucial too. These interactions very often have flow-on effects for humans. To better understand this impacts of a single species on our everyday lives, students will be looking to one very important species, the honeybee.

Invite students to draw on their pre-lesson viewing and answer the question, ‘What do bees have to do with food production?' on the Student Worksheet. Make sure that students understand that one of the challenges to increasing food production is a decline in biodiversity, in particular, pollinator species such as bees.

If the class need further support making this connection, one or more of the following resources can be used to further inform students about the value of bees and the extent of the decline in bee numbers:

What’s happening to the bees (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnY9R-felDA) - Note, this clip is based on U.S. information, however, it is applicable to the learning in this lesson
Pollination Aware Factsheet (https://honeybee.org.au/pdf/PollinationAwareFactSheet.pdf)
Pollinating Australia's Fresh Produce - Beechworth Honey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw4Y6N_b5yA)

Step 2

Explain to the class that in this activity, a hypothetical situation will be used to give them the opportunity to expand their understanding of the topic of bees and food security. Explain to the class that they will be working in pairs, reading and responding to the hypothetical scenario on the Student Worksheet. Display and read the scenario:

‘On a summer day on King Island, Tasmania, farmers wake to an eerie silence at a time of year when the air is usually filled with the buzzing of bees in their pastures and among their crops. On closer scrutiny, dead bees cover the ground. News spreads quickly and media reports show the same scenario playing out across the island over several weeks. The question on everyone’s lips is “What has happened to our bees?". Farmers and scientists are discussing potential causes and the implications for their farms. The next question being asked is, what do we do now?'

Point out to the class that although this is a hypothetical situation, the location is a real place in Australia where farming is extremely important and that the hypothetical event could feasibly occur. Display a location map of King Island and tell students a few facts about farming on the island. You may choose to adapt some of the following information:

King Island produces high-quality beef and dairy as well as fruit and vegetables grown mainly for the local market. Seasonal produce includes garlic, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, pears, raspberries, and blueberries. Fresh produce and King Island honey and cheeses are popular with tourists, the other major income source on the island. Agriculture contributed $30 million to the King Island economy in 2011.

You could also use Google Earth or another interactive map to locate and take a closer look at the island. A brief introduction to King Island will give authenticity to the hypothetical scenario.

Step 3

Explain that in this activity, students will work in pairs to discuss potential causes of the hypothetical catastrophe in the scenario. They will suggest possible consequences for food production and food security by creating a flow diagram that demonstrates how one environmental change can have a flow-on effect for food producers and consumers. Ask the class if they know what a flow diagram is, making sure that all students understand that it is a visual representation of a series of actions where there is a clear link between each action. Flow diagrams are great for thinking about the long-term consequences of an action or event.

Demonstrate to students how they can create a flow diagram by using the example of ‘gully erosion’ – a land issue that limits food production. If needed, briefly explain to the class what gully erosion is and/or show them some of the following gully erosion images.

Now, on the whiteboard, draw six boxes separated by arrows (all facing to the right). As you demonstrate this process, talk out loud to your class verbalising your thinking as you write each consequence. Write the main issue, gully erosion, in the second box from the left.

Then explain that the far left box is where we add the cause of the main issue, before writing one cause of gully erosion, 'overgrazing of land'. Make sure that the class understands that this diagram now shows that overgrazing of land has caused gully erosion.

Tell the class that you will now be thinking about what happens next. Then, in the third box from the left, add a consequence that further flows from gully erosion: 'loss of productive land'. Continue to the next box to the right with 'reduced food production', 'less food available for local use or export' and finally, 'price increases in food'.

Reiterate that flow diagrams must have a clear link between the information in each box. You can then explain to the class that there is often more than one impact or consequence for each action, meaning that when they use the King Island scenario it is possible that every pair will create a unique flow diagram.

Invite students to work in pairs to identify the issue in the King Island scenario (loss of bees) to be added to the second box from the left. Then encourage students to discuss potential causes of loss of bees in King Island such as increased pesticide use, climate change, loss of habitat, pollution, disease, and add these to the far left box. Now, invite students to work in their pairs to identify potential consequences for food production and food security and add them to the following four boxes.

Once complete, invite students to share their diagrams with another pair and request feedback. Students might want to adjust their diagrams based on this feedback.

Step 4

Invite students to continue working in these groups of four to propose one solution that will address the situation on King Island (such as rebuilding bee numbers by importing bees from Tasmania or the mainland) or ensuring such a catastrophe will not recur in the future by addressing the cause of the problem (such as reducing pesticide use). Encourage students to write their solution on the Student Worksheet. Again, you may use an example such as repairing gullies on eroded land or revegetating slopes to reduce future runoff that causes erosion on cleared farmland. The emphasis here is on sustainability and sustainable farming practices.

Once students have decided on a solution, hold a class sharing session. This discussion will be an opportunity to show the range of options available, as well as the different groups of people who have the ability to take action protecting pollinators.

Extension: Introduce your class to current findings on bee-harming pesticides, and, in light of their recent learning, discuss how students might propose to deal with this issue.

Part B: World Bee Day

In this activity, students further develop their knowledge and understanding about the importance of pollinators and the connection between bees and sustainable agriculture.

Step 1

Inform students that on 20 December 2017, the United Nations declared 20 May 2018 as the first World Bee Day, after adopting a resolution from Slovenia and other European Union (EU) member countries concerned about the potential threat to food security we face due to declining bee populations across Europe. For the rest of the lesson, students will be using what they have learned about bees so far to come up with a strategy to promote World Bee Day in your school or community.

To begin students' World Bee Day strategy planning, invite them to add to the 'Bee Summary Table' in their worksheets by drawing on information from the clips that they watched at home and the outcomes of their flow diagrams. The content in the table falls into three areas:

Facts about bees – How are bees linked to food production? Are there statistics that support the important role bees in food production?
The problem – What is happening to bees? Is the decline in bees limited to Australia? What reasons are given for declining bee populations?
The solution - What is being done to prevent bee decline? What are some farmers, community members or governments doing to help bees survive?

If needed, draw students' attention to the 'Tips for filling in your table' section in the Student Worksheet.

Note: Only some students will be able to contribute to the final column, as the answers depend on the videos they selected to watch. This area will be further developed in the following activity.

Step 2

Explain to students that as well as raising awareness about the plight of bees, another purpose for World Bee Day is to stimulate action by encouraging people to engage in bee-friendly activities and promote biodiversity. To do this well, they should first find out what existing engagement strategies have been used in this field.

Invite students to form pairs and investigate one of the following websites available in the Student Worksheet:

Challenge pairs to analyse their chosen sites, identifying strategies used to address declining bee populations. Clarify that a strategy can be a plan of action for a farmer, community, organisation or government. Strategies can be large, such as a government intervention, or small, such as a Facebook campaign. Students should add a five-word maximum summary of the strategies they identify to the 'What is being done to prevent bee decline?' column of their 'Bee Summary Tables'. Explain to students that, once done, they will be sharing their findings with the rest of the class.

If students need additional support in this process, advise them to identify the key ideas of the site then give that key idea a name that indicates an action (a strategy) e.g. native tree planting.

Extension: Instead of providing students with the above options, invite pairs to independently research a bee-friendly community action for analysis.

Step 3

Hold a discussion to share the strategies students have identified. Encourage others to note the strategies shared by their classmates that they think may be useful in the planning of their own World Bee Day engagement strategies. Write these strategies on the board and provide students with time to add them to their Bee Summary Table.

A completed table might look like this:

Facts about bees

What's happening to bees?

What can be done to promote biodiversity and prevent bee decline?

Bees are pollinators/Native bees and honey bees are important pollinators for food

Bees are essential to food production

Bees are a component of a farm’s agrobiodiversity

There is a global decline in bee populations

Deforestation is reducing pollinator habitats

Pesticides and climate change are killing bees as well as other biodiversity

Planting native vegetation on farms

Revegetation of cleared land

Government banning pesticides

Home gardening for bees
NB: taking care of pollinators, in fact, helps support greater biodiversity

Urban gardens and hives

Bee education workshops

Step 4

It is now time for students to synthesise their learning and create their own strategy to promote World Bee Day for your school or local community. Ask students if World Bee Day is celebrated at school/in the local community? If the answer is 'yes', the challenge becomes 'How could we improve engagement in our World Bee Day celebrations?' If the answer is 'no', the driving question becomes 'How can we promote World Bee Day in our school or community?'

Explain to students that they should draw on their learning about bees so far to come up with a strategy that engages the local community or your school in this new event. A strategy can be big or small, physical or digital, so long as it takes action to help bees and/or raise people’s awareness of the need to protect bee populations.

Step 5

Invite students to form small groups and take five minutes to brainstorm ideas for their World Bee Day engagement strategies on a piece of butchers paper. Encourage students to write down all ideas: no idea is too small, no project too big at this point.

Now, encourage students to consider the reality of implementing their ideas in your school or local community. Begin a brief discussion with the class around what would limit their ideas, such as budgets, time and resources. Invite students to work through their group's Wold Bee Day brainstorm and either modify ideas to fit the limitations discussed or cross out ideas that will not work.

Step 6

Encourage groups to now decide on a single strategy from the ideas that remain on their brainstorms that their groups would like to pitch to the whole class. Invite students to take the time to organise a sixty-second strategy pitch, where they can explain the value and visibility of their chosen engagement strategy. Be sure to note each group's ideas on the board.

Step 7

Hold a vote for the idea that the whole class would like to support. You may do this by having a class discussion, asking for a show of hands or giving each student a sticky note to vote for a single strategy with.

Extension: Invite students to reflect on what they have learned during this lesson by answering the following question (available in the Student Worksheet):

If you could make one change in Australia to better protect pollinators, what would it be and why?

Differentiated learning

Extension – Invite students to implement their World Bee Day engagement strategies. If this project would be too big to be run by your class alone, encourage groups to write a proposal for their World Bee Day strategies to be published in a school newsletter or school social media accounts, asking for volunteers to assist with the project.

Provisions for Learning Support – Work through the Part B, Steps 1–4 (identifying bee friendly strategies) as a class. To do this, project a selection of sites from the list, and identify strategies together.

Powerful Pollinators

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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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