BUILD WITH BEES: BUMBLE BUZZ

Student Activities

Introduction (whole class) 15-20 minutes

Turn students’ attention to the topic of bumble bees by posing the introductory questions above. Encourage curiosity and conversation; don’t seek out specific answers. Let students know that during this lesson, they will learn about the diversity of bumble bee species and habitats.

Break students into pairs or groups of three, with each group sharing one computer/device. Direct students to navigate to bumblebeewatch.org, and to find the “Bumble Bee Sightings” map. There, set the filters for your state, “Verified” status, and color coding by species. Explain that each dot represents a bee that was identified by a community member (like a student!) and confirmed by a professional scientist. Explain that these citizen/community scientists are critical for helping professional scientists understand bee species distribution and habitat preferences, because professional scientists couldn’t possibly get to all of those locations at so many different times of the year! Also explain that each different color of dot represents a different individual species of bumble bee.

Invite students to consider the data on the map. In their pairs or small groups, ask them to answer and discuss these questions: What do they notice? What do they wonder? What is surprising about this data? Gather the whole class back together, and invite a representative from each group to use one sentence to summarize what their small group discussed. Guide the discussion toward the large number of bee species represented, and toward patterns that emerge that indicate different species of bees preferring different places to live.

Minecraft Beetopia (explore as individuals) 15-20 minutes

Direct students to load the attached Kids and Bees Minecraft world file. Have them visit the Beetopia area and tell them to meet bee guide Alejandro, who will show their characters the “Bumble Bee Garden.” Here they will learn many fun facts about the fascinating world of our bumble bees! Ask students to take notes and photos along the way for use during the classroom component of the lesson.

In-Class Exercise and Discussion (whole class and small groups) 25-60 minutes

Break students back into their pairs or threes and direct them back to the map at bumblebeewatch.org. This time, set the filters to your state, your county, “Verified” status, and color coding by species. If a good selection of bee species has been identified close to your school, ask students to zoom in on the school’s location; otherwise use the whole county or, if no bees have been logged in your county, include nearby counties or the whole state

Please download the teacher's guide for the complete lesson. 

Total time - 55-100 minutes