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(K-2)Why is Maine the Pine Tree State Lesson Plan? 

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(K-2)Why is Maine the Pine Tree State Lesson Plan? 

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Bees (Grades 1-3) Lesson on Saving the Bees

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Bees (Grades 1-3) Lesson on Saving the Bees

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Driving Question: Now that we have learned about the bees dying, how can we help the bee population?

Grabber: The students will read the following article to introduce them to the topic: https://newsela.com/articles/pollinator-decline/id/15378/

A bee farmer will also come in to talk to the students after they have read the article.

Explanation of the Grabber: The students will read the article to understand the problem that the bees are facing (declining population). As a class, we will brainstorm questions to ask our guest bee farmer. The article only briefly introduces the issue without providing a definite cause, so the students will be given the opportunity to ask a professional (the bee farmer).

Lesson on pollination: Talk about how pollination works and the importance of it. In-class discussion about what is causing the bee problem and why we should be worried about it. The students should already have prior knowledge from an earlier unit about plants (parts of plants, different types, how they grow), so the students should use this knowledge when reading the article: http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/minipage/id/15074/rec/17

Culminating Activity: The students will make a diagram of a garden for our school on a posterboard. They will then present their ideas to the class and principal. The students will be shown an example of a diagram of a garden. Based on their knowledge of bees, pollination, and plants, the students will design a garden for our school. The objective of the garden is to attract as many bees as possible to help build up the bee population. The students will need to consider the number of plants that can fit in the given space requirements. Once students have created their diagram, they will present it to the class and explain why they think that their garden helps the bees the most. Students will need to be able to answer questions about their garden.

Student Example: We would need to include a key to show which number represents which plants, but this example shows how much detail and color is expected.

Save the Bees Project Rubric

Student Name: ________________________________________

Explanation

Students are able to explain why their plan helps the bees. Students are able to answer all questions. Students are able to convince their peers that their option is best.

Students are able to explain why their plan helps the bees. Students are able to answer most questions. Students convince a few peers that their option is best.

Students are somewhat able to explain why their plan helps the bees. Students are able to answer a few questions.

Students are unable to explain why their plan helps the bees. Students are unable to answer questions.

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Driving Question: Now that we have learned about the bees dying, how can we help the bee population? Grabber: The students will read the following article to introduce them to the topic: https://newsela.com/articles/pollinator-decline/id/15378/ A bee farmer will also come in to talk to the students after they have read the article.

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Activities

Make the outdoors your favorite classroom with these fun, exciting activities. Activities are sorted by ages and activity type for quick reference, but many are suitable for all ages and even adults, for hikes or around the yard. Be sure to assist or supervise young children.

Ages 3-7

Activities for walks, hikes, or around the yard

Ages 8-15

Activities for walks and hikes

Activities for outside or at home

Any age/family

Activities for walks and hikes

Going for A Walk - Tips and Ideas (PDF)
Insect Bingo (PDF)
Nature Bingo (PDF)

Activities for outside or at home

Educational Videos

Worksheets/Coloring Sheets

Bring nature inside with these downloadable worksheets and coloring sheets. Worksheets/coloring sheets are sorted by ages for quick reference, but many are suitable for all ages and even adults. Be sure to assist or supervise young children.

Ages 8-15

Any age/family

Downloadable Resources

Learn how to identify Maine animal tracks, fish, and mammals!

Downloadable Publications

The first edition of You Alone in the Maine Woods, the Lost Hunter's Guide, was created in 1972 and it was most recently updated in 2020. This guide teaches outdoor enthusiasts how to be prepared for a trek in the Maine woods and makes them aware of procedures to follow should they become lost or injured.
You Alone in the Maine Woods (PDF).

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Nature-Based Educational Tools & Activities

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Activities Make the outdoors your favorite classroom with these fun, exciting activities. Activities are sorted by ages and activity type for quick reference, but many are suitable for all ages and even adults, for hikes or around the yard. Be sure to assist or supervise young children.

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Wrap your mind around the world, but without strawberries, watermelons, or chocolate. Humans rely on pollinators such as native bees, honey bees, butterflies, birds, and even flies for these and other important foods around the world. In our neighborhoods, pollinators are in trouble. This video link…

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This video segment from WILD TV offers this daring look at bees, an often misunderstood insect. Mace Vaughan, an entomologist or expert on insects, teaches us about how bees swarm, the jobs of the queen and worker bees, how bees communicate with each other, and how the colony survives.

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Bat Facts

There are more than 900 species of bats worldwide, with funny names like horseshoe bat, disc-winged bat, thumbless bat or hairy faced bat. This profile provides some general information on bats.

Ultrasound Navigation

In order to navigate at night, bats emit ultrasounds up to 200 times per second. The produced sound waves are being reflected by objects and prey such as insects. Thus, the bat exactly knows where it is and can locate its prey.

Blind As A Bat?

Although bats rely mainly on echolocation, they are not completely blind. You just can not see exceptionally well ;) (unlike fruit bats).

What Do Microbats Eat?

They feed on insects that we regard as particularly annoying ;) Especially flies, mosquitoes, fruit flies, beetles, wasps and stink bugs. There are also microbats that eat fruit, but fruit bats are actually better known for this.

Importance For the Ecosystem

Microbats are very important: they keep the number of insects and therefore the nature in balance.

Greetings from Dracula!

Many people are afraid of bats because there are many disturbing stories about them: They are said to be relatives of the devil, wrap themselves up in women's hair and suck the blood of sleeping humans. The bat has a bad reputation, although the trademark of one rather famous super hero is a bat costume ... Batman! At least for the Chinese the bat is a lucky charm and the Maya worshipped the bat as a god.

Do Microbats Suck Blood?

Yes, there are microbats that feed on the blood of mammals. They are called vampire bats. Sometimes they do bite people. There is no need to fear that microbats could suck a high amount or even all the blood, but they could pass on diseases through a bite. Vampire bats live exclusively in America - from the north of Mexico to the south of Chile/Argentina.

Are Microbats Dangerous?

Microbats can bite and transmit rabies. That's why you should not touch them.

Microbats in The Apartment

What can be done if a bat gets lost in your apartment? First of all, keep calm. Open the window and turn off all lights. Important: As soon as the microbats are outside, look behind curtains, in vases, behind furniture and picture frames. When they are all gone, it's best to keep the windows closed for a few days. Otherwise: Call a specialist.

Bat Records

* Body: 1.9 inch (5 cm)!

The Largest Bat Colony

The largest known bat colony is located in Texas (USA), in a cave called „Bracken Cave". The colony consists of 20 million (!) Mexican free-tailed bats. It is also the largest congregation of mammals in one place.

Bats Sleep During the Winter

Like bears, bats try to put on enough fat for hibernation. This is necessary to regain the normal body temperature at waking up. During hibernation the temperature significantly decreases. In frost-free caves it lies a little bit above the ambient temperature. Mostly, the animals huddle together in their homes to consume as little energy as possible.

Not All Bats are Microbats

There is another kind of bat: the fruitbats or flying foxes, which belong to the megabats. No, it has nothing in common with a fox. In contrast to the insect-eating bats, the fruitbat prefers to feed on ... fruits, nectar and pollen. Instead of echolocation they use their sharp eyes and ears to navigate.

To the Left? To the Right?

It is said that bats always fly in the left direction when leaving their caves. But why? Presumably they let themselves be guided by the moon. When it is rising it appears on the left side from the bat's perspective. But this is just a myth. Bats take all kinds of different directions when leaving their caves. Right, left, upwards or straight onwards.

Watch now on animalfunfacts.net:

Video: All About Animal Senses - like the bat's sense of hearing

Video: All about Mammals - 5 Interesting Facts - including bats

Video: Animal Food Lovers, Hunger Artists and Gourmets - how many insects does a bat eat per night?

Video: All About Hibernation - does the bat hibernate?

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Bat Facts There are more than 900 species of bats worldwide, with funny names like horseshoe bat, disc-winged bat, thumbless bat or hairy faced bat. This profile provides some general information on bats. Ultrasound Navigation In order to navigate at night, bats emit ultrasounds up to 200 times per second.

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What's the Buzz about Bees? - EXPLORE SCIENCE CLUB Discovery Challenge

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Bees can count! At least to four...! Previously, scientists had mainly concentrated on mammals' mathematical skills. Professors at the Max-Planck-Institute proved in a study that honey bees can count as well.

Why is it So Unusual that Bees can Count?

There are many mammals whose intelligence has been comprehensively studied, like monkeys, dolphins, elephants, raccoons etc. Even birds like ravens and crows have proven how clever they are in tests and observations. Even though they have much smaller brains! Hold on... does brain size really have anything to do with intelligence? Wouldn't the blue whale be more intelligent than us then?

Bees Taking Math Tests

To test bees' math skills, the scientists set up two trays side by side. One contained two objects and the other contained only one.

Left or right?

They then released the bees. If they chose the "right" tray, the one with two objects, they were rewarded with tasty sugar water. It didn't matter where the trays were or how they were arranged. Even objects of different colors and sizes didn't confuse the bees.

Now It Gets Tricky

After the test with one and two objects worked, the scientists kicked things up a notch. Now, the honey bees had to tell the difference between trays with two and three objects. And then trays with three and four objects. The little insects flew straight towards the right tray every time!

No More Than Four

Trays with four and five objects? That was just too much for the bees. They got confused and made mistakes. But it's still a notable achievement for these animals! And it's not just bees that can count! The cataglyphis fortis desert ant counts its steps to find its way back home - as there are no landmarks in the desert for it to know where it is.

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Bees can count! At least to four...! Previously, scientists had mainly concentrated on mammals' mathematical skills. Professors at the Max-Planck-Institute proved in a study that honey bees can count as well. Why is it So Unusual that Bees can Count? There are many mammals whose intelligence has been comprehensively studied, like monkeys, dolphins, elephants, raccoons etc.

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This lesson can be completed in a one 90 minute session or two 45 minute sessions.