Investigating Honeybees: Using a Quiz to Access Prior Knowledge
Initial Publication Date: September 11, 2008
Summary
Using Dadant's Honeybee Study Prints, students learn about honey bee anatomy and behavior. A "quiz" is used to keep listeners focused.
CollapseLearning Goals
Students will increase their knowledge of honeybee anatomy and behavior.
Students will generate questions when shown photographs of honeybees.
Students will recognize bee reproduction as complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Other concepts: Insects have 3 body parts: head, thorax, abdomen, with appendages: antenna, wings, legs, stinger on specific parts.
The Queen bee "controls" the hive by emitting a pheromone (scent).
Worker bees divide the labor tasks mainly by age.
Honeybees reproduce by sexual reproduction.
Students will generate questions when shown photographs of honeybees.
Students will recognize bee reproduction as complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Other concepts: Insects have 3 body parts: head, thorax, abdomen, with appendages: antenna, wings, legs, stinger on specific parts.
The Queen bee "controls" the hive by emitting a pheromone (scent).
Worker bees divide the labor tasks mainly by age.
Honeybees reproduce by sexual reproduction.
Context for Use
I have used this lesson as an introduction to study of insects with middle school and high school students. I've also used it as a special presentation as a beekeeper to audiences of preschool to adult. All groups come with a variety of questions that help guide the discussion. The quiz helps keep us focused on the lesson.
Description and Teaching Materials
I begin my honeybee talks with a fun quiz. I have the students number 1-6 on a paper and ask them to try this quiz by answering with a number. I tell them there is a trick to it.
1. How many queen bees are usually found in a hive?
2. How many types of female honeybees are in a hive?
3. How many body parts does a honeybee have?
4. How many wings does a honeybee have?
5. How many eyes does a honeybee have?
6. How many legs does a honeybee have?
I check the answers making comments about how much the students know, not acknowledging the right answers. (The answers are 1-6, same as the question number.) We then orally go over the quiz answering each question and giving related information.
Answers:
1. Most hive have only one queen. Show picture of queens, emphasizing the longer abdomen, shiny thorax (marked with red paint in one photo), and discuss the role of the queen.
Queens lay eggs. The number of eggs depends on workers preparing cells by polishing them and amount of feed they give the queen. Queens can lay up to 2000 eggs a day, typically 1,200 eggs during the busy season. Queen controls the colony with her pheromone (scent) but workers take care of her and control her. Queen lays worker eggs in worker cells and drone eggs in larger drone cells.
Beekeepers may put dot of paint on queen's thorax for easy spotting and age identification (different color each year). They may clip her wings so she doesn't leave taking a swarm with her.
2. There are two types of females honeybees-queen and worker. Discuss the roles of the worker bees-cleaning cells, nursing baby bees, attending queen, gathering pollen and honey, ventilating or heating the hive, guarding the hive. Using the pictures discuss honey gathering and pollination. Mention the drone, male bee, whose only role is to make with the queen in flight. Drones are refused food and forced out of the hive when food supplies are low. New drones are raised when in the spring when there is a need for mating. Metamorphosis of the honeybee is clearing shown in The Honeybee Nursery photo.
3. Honeybees, an insect, have 3 body parts - head, thorax, abdomen. Discuss that bees have a hollow tongue (like a drinking straw) to suck up nectar, mandibles for chewing beeswax and forming honeycomb, hairy thorax for collection pollen which is stored in special hairs on their hind legs called pollen sacks. and a stinger at the end of the abdomen. Discuss bee stings: honeybees sting only for protection. Their stinger is barbed and is pulled out of their abdomen when they sting with a poison sac attached that continues to pump poison into your skin. To remove it, scrape it off with a fingernail. Pinching it will force the poison into your body making a stronger reaction. Redness and local swelling are normal, but an allergic reaction can cause welts, swelling and redness in other parts of the body and difficulty breathing. If these stronger reactions happen seek medical help quickly (one half hour is a good guideline.)
Bees collect pollen as a food source for protein. In so doing, they fertilize flowering crops allow production of seeds and fruits. Over one-third of our food is directly or indirectly pollinated by bees.
4. Bees have 4 wings-2 pairs. They attach together for flying.
5. Bees have 5 eyes: 2 compound eyes and 3 simple eyes. The drone picture shows the simple eyes well, which are for light detection; compound eyes for navigation.
6. Bees have 6 legs-like insects. They are attached to the thorax, as are the wings. The back legs are adapted for carrying pollen, a source of protein for bees.
The study prints have a wealth of information and teaching ideas on the back. You could use this format with photos from the internet. I often supplement this lesson with beekeeping supplies, empty hive bodies and frames and a observation hive with a frame of honeybees in a glass case.
1. How many queen bees are usually found in a hive?
2. How many types of female honeybees are in a hive?
3. How many body parts does a honeybee have?
4. How many wings does a honeybee have?
5. How many eyes does a honeybee have?
6. How many legs does a honeybee have?
I check the answers making comments about how much the students know, not acknowledging the right answers. (The answers are 1-6, same as the question number.) We then orally go over the quiz answering each question and giving related information.
Answers:
1. Most hive have only one queen. Show picture of queens, emphasizing the longer abdomen, shiny thorax (marked with red paint in one photo), and discuss the role of the queen.
Queens lay eggs. The number of eggs depends on workers preparing cells by polishing them and amount of feed they give the queen. Queens can lay up to 2000 eggs a day, typically 1,200 eggs during the busy season. Queen controls the colony with her pheromone (scent) but workers take care of her and control her. Queen lays worker eggs in worker cells and drone eggs in larger drone cells.
Beekeepers may put dot of paint on queen's thorax for easy spotting and age identification (different color each year). They may clip her wings so she doesn't leave taking a swarm with her.
2. There are two types of females honeybees-queen and worker. Discuss the roles of the worker bees-cleaning cells, nursing baby bees, attending queen, gathering pollen and honey, ventilating or heating the hive, guarding the hive. Using the pictures discuss honey gathering and pollination. Mention the drone, male bee, whose only role is to make with the queen in flight. Drones are refused food and forced out of the hive when food supplies are low. New drones are raised when in the spring when there is a need for mating. Metamorphosis of the honeybee is clearing shown in The Honeybee Nursery photo.
3. Honeybees, an insect, have 3 body parts - head, thorax, abdomen. Discuss that bees have a hollow tongue (like a drinking straw) to suck up nectar, mandibles for chewing beeswax and forming honeycomb, hairy thorax for collection pollen which is stored in special hairs on their hind legs called pollen sacks. and a stinger at the end of the abdomen. Discuss bee stings: honeybees sting only for protection. Their stinger is barbed and is pulled out of their abdomen when they sting with a poison sac attached that continues to pump poison into your skin. To remove it, scrape it off with a fingernail. Pinching it will force the poison into your body making a stronger reaction. Redness and local swelling are normal, but an allergic reaction can cause welts, swelling and redness in other parts of the body and difficulty breathing. If these stronger reactions happen seek medical help quickly (one half hour is a good guideline.)
Bees collect pollen as a food source for protein. In so doing, they fertilize flowering crops allow production of seeds and fruits. Over one-third of our food is directly or indirectly pollinated by bees.
4. Bees have 4 wings-2 pairs. They attach together for flying.
5. Bees have 5 eyes: 2 compound eyes and 3 simple eyes. The drone picture shows the simple eyes well, which are for light detection; compound eyes for navigation.
6. Bees have 6 legs-like insects. They are attached to the thorax, as are the wings. The back legs are adapted for carrying pollen, a source of protein for bees.
The study prints have a wealth of information and teaching ideas on the back. You could use this format with photos from the internet. I often supplement this lesson with beekeeping supplies, empty hive bodies and frames and a observation hive with a frame of honeybees in a glass case.
Teaching Notes and Tips
Note: Dadant Honeybee Study Prints are available on line from
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=244
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=244
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Assessment
I repeat the quiz orally at the end of my talk. We usually have 100% accuracy.
Standards
7.IV.B2 Organism's body plan
7.IV.B.5 Kingdom by characteristics
7.IV.D.5-Reproduction, continuation of species.
9-12 IV.B.1 Structure, complexity and organization of organ systems
7.IV.B.5 Kingdom by characteristics
7.IV.D.5-Reproduction, continuation of species.
9-12 IV.B.1 Structure, complexity and organization of organ systems