Save the Bees!

Fifth grade has one mission: Save the Bees!  Bumblebees are officially on the endangered animals list, and this is bad news for humans.  Our science class has taken it upon themselves to help rectify this issue - we need to protect our local bee population.

First, fifth graders needed to do their research.  What do bees need to survive?  Why are they now endangered?  Why are bees so important to our ecosystem? How can we save them?  Once we found the answers to our questions, it was time for phase two: presenting a convincing argument for protecting the bees.

For us to save any bees, we would need the support of the local community.  Unfortunately, bees don’t have the most positive reputation. The fifth graders needed to develop a presentation to win-over even the most avid bee detractors.  Some students chose to meet this goal independently while others chose to work together.

We have a variety of presentations being developed around the classroom: videos, comics, slideshows, speeches, and articles.  Each student has their own ideas and brings unique talents to their presentation.  As the one being convinced, I’m excited to see these projects realized.

The fifth graders are most excited, however, for the third and final phase: constructing a model of their plan to save the bees.  Students will again have a lot of choice in this process - some may want to design gardens, some may want to design shelters to be placed in parks, and others may have new ideas that no one else has thought of!

We’ll be wrapping up our project next week with a bee museum.  We can’t wait to show off our hard work!