Education Standards
Grade 5 Inquiry: Plight of the Honey Bees
Overview
This inquiry by Karen Morley-Smith, Evergreen Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. Through shared reading, videos, articles, class discussions, reflections, and the study of natural rights and common good, students develop a rich understanding of the honey bee's role in the survival of life.
Should we do more to help save the honey bee?
Inquiry Description
Should governments do more to help save the honey bee?
Good question. We need bees for the survival of seeds and a tremendous number of our fruits and vegetables, but we also need to protect the food supply from pests. Feeding a hungry world is a huge job; likewise, commercial farming and chemical pesticides are big business. However, the economic impact of bee devastation is already being felt throughout the world. For example, in parts of China, the government has told farmers to hand pollinate apples and pears.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a global problem, and different governments are responding--but should governments do more?
This unit of study combines Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards for Language Arts, and the C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards; additionally, this fits the "You Decide" OSPI Designed Assessment (formerly known as the Classroom Based Assessment--CBA).
Through shared reading, videos, articles, class discussions, reflections, and the study of natural rights and common good, students develop a rich understanding of the honey bee's role in the survival of life as we know it. Students also learn how scientific research is beginning to unravel the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder and ways people, and their government, can possibly help.
Attribution and License
Attribution
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
License
Except where otherwise noted, original work in this inquiry by Karen Morley-Smith, Evergreen Public Schools is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.
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