Rivier University

LESSON PLAN
Subject: Science
Bee Detective: Discover the Culprit Behind Declining Bee Populations

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS-LS1-5 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors
influence the growth of organisms.

MS-LS2-4 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological

components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Objective(s): Students will be able to describe key features of honey bee behavior and biology,
as well as identify causes for colony collapse disorder (CCD).

Resources/Materials List:

● Nature Works Everywhere Videos:

○ Pollinators – Putting Food on the Table introductory video -
https://nhpbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/926ef5cb-5886-47c3-b82b-cdb8dc3
d21e4/pollinators-putting-food-on-the-table-nature-works-everywhere/
○ Close-up of bees entering a hive - http://vimeo.com/39224539
○ Interior of hive -Interior of Hive on Vimeo
● Computer with Internet connection for each student in a group
● 1 computer for the whole class during whole-group portions of the lesson
● Media Articles printouts:
○ https://money.cnn.com/2007/03/29/news/honeybees/
○ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1385907/Why-mobile-phone-rin
g-make-bees-buzz-Insects-infuriated-handset-signals.html
○ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8467746.stm
○ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050517110843.htm
○ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/science/07bees.html
● Apple
● Cherries
● Pears
● Whiteboard and markers
● Additional Resources and Further Reading:
○ Learn how bees play an important role in agriculture
https://www.actionnews5.com/2021/05/19/breakdown-why-bees-are-important-e
nvironment/
 ○ Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder – Congressional Research Service
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33938.pdf
○ National Honey Board Website http://www.honey.com/
○ Bee-keeping in Ancient Egypt
https://www.planetbee.org/planet-bee-blog//the-sacred-bee-bees-in-ancient-egypt
○ Bad Beekeeping: The Beekeeper’s Home Pages
http://www.badbeekeeping.com/fame.htm

Procedure:
1. Engage students by bringing in fruits (apple, pears, cherries) to class
a. Bite into the apple and ask students how an apple grows
2. Show the video: Pollinators – Putting Food on the Table
a. After the video, ask students how they grow.
b. Lead students to the conclusion that apples and many fruit crops grow on trees
from flowers pollinated by bees, which will emphasize the importance of bees to
agriculture in their role as pollinators.
3. Brainstorm with students how bees are vital to the ecosystem
a. Bees depend on flowers and the plant's existence in turn depends on bees.
b. When bees get pollen and nectar from flowers, they pollinate or fertilize the
plant.
Plants then can produce their own fruits and seeds.
c. Bees are the primary or only source of pollination for many plants.
d. Fruits resulting from pollination by bees are consumed by many birds, insects
and other animals.
e. Honey is food for wild animals
4. Introduce the terms: apiary, which is a place where bees are raised and the term apiarist,
someone who cares for beehives
5. Show the video of bees entering hive and interior of hive
6. Define the problem of colony collapse disorder.
a. Explain to students that this occurs when bee populations decrease.
7. Present statistics of CCD
a. U.S. beekeepers lost more than a third of their beehives in 2007
b. Similar problems are reported from Europe
8. Have students turn and talk to a group to brainstorm a list of crops pollinated by
honeybees, evaluate the consequences of such losses, and determine the urgency of
understanding the causes of CCD
9. Have students research in a group about honey bee biology and ecology. Things they
want to research include:
a. Hive activities: social behavior, caste structure (queens, workers, etc), hive
management, honeycomb architecture
b. Pollination activity: visiting flowers
c. Environmental factors: mortality, predators, temperature, exposure to radiation,
pesticides
d. How to save the bee colonies from decreasing.
10. Have groups brainstorm the causes of death of bees and then share with the class to
make a large brainstorm list.
 a. Students can use the media articles to research this
11. Students will go back to their groups and brainstorm solutions to the causes of death.
a. How can we decrease bee mortality?
12. After researching bees, the causes of CCD, and how we can decrease CCD, students will
create a digital fact sheet using a single Google Slide.
a. Students need to answer the following questions using facts:
i. Why will a decline in the number of bees affect the health of the bee
colony?
1. Answer: If the number of bees declines, there are fewer workers to
bring food to developing young. The queen can continue to lay
eggs, but fewer larvae will mature. Such a colony is less able to
survive natural fluctuations in worker numbers caused by cold
weather, and by hive pests or parasites.
ii. What will be the effect on yields of food crops such as fruits if the
number of colonies declines?
1. If the number of colonies declines, fewer flowers will be
pollinated. This, in turn, means that plants will form fewer fruits.
Yields of food crops will be lower as a result.
iii. How is the decline of bees likely to affect the prices of fresh fruits and
other foods in the supermarket?
1. If bees decline, crop harvests are lower so there is less food
available for sale. Therefore prices of fresh fruits and other foods
in the supermarket will increase.
b. Students will create a second slide with their plan to save the collapsing bee
colonies. Information on this slide will include:
1. Causes of death of bees
2. Solution they decided to go with
3. How they will implement this plan into their lives.

Plans for differentiation:

● Have headphones readily available for students.
● Having print-out resources for students if needed.
● Having online resources for students if needed.
● Additional resources for those with sensory processing (apples, cherries, pears)

Plans for accommodation/modification:

● Student A (EBD) requires breaks. Make all printed-out materials accessible to this
student. Put a para in this student’s group.
● Student B (Physical) Student uses speech-to-text, 1:1 para will scribe for any written
work.

Assessment: Students will have an understanding of the possible causes behind the collapse of
the bee colonies and be able to determine the effects of the decrease of bee populations.
What’s next? Students will present their fact sheets to the class as a pitch on why we need to
save the bees!

Lesson plan adapted from:

https://nhpbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/2ef827a1-c83b-4f47-87e2-d9acb4fa3eeb/bee-detect
ive-discover-the-culprit-behind-declining-bee-populations-lesson-plan/