Big Idea
In this lesson, students will learn about the important role bees play in the plant life cycle, and how everyday people and scientists can work together to save these at-risk populations!
Take Action
In the ‘Take Action’ section of this lesson, students will build a bee monitoring station. This device is equipped with a counter so we can see how many pollinators visit and track their population over time.
Prerequisites
This lesson provides a strong real-world application and hands-on activity to supplement the following Grade 3-5 Next Generation Science Standards:
- plant life cycle (3-LS1-1)
- external and internal structures of plants (4-LS1-1)
- protecting Earth’s resources and environment (5-ESS3-1)
We recommend students have a basic understanding of the plant life cycle before starting this lesson.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Explain how pollination works and the role bees play in this process
- Describe at least one way we can protect pollinator species
- Build a bee counter device that:
- uses the breakout board, touch sensor, and LED ring from the Climate Action Kit
- combines conditional statements and variables to track data such as bee visits
Materials
Per learner pair:
- Climate Action Kit
- micro:bit
- Computer with access to Microsoft MakeCode
- Plant (real or crafted)
Overview
Big Ideas
Take Action
- NGSS
- CSTA
- UN SDGs
Next Generation Science Standards
3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Computer Science Teachers Association Standards
1B-CS-01 Describe how internal and external parts of computing devices function to form a system.
1B-CS-02 Model how computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks.
1B-AP-09 Create programs that use variables to store and modify data.
1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
1B-AP-15 Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended.
1B-AP-16 Take on varying roles, with teacher guidance, when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.
1B-AP-17 Describe choices made during program development using code comments, presentations, and demonstrations.
