1st Graders Ask "How Might We Save the Honeybees?"
When 1st grade teacher Mary Lee Saucier picked up the August 2013 issue of Time, she couldn't have imagined how reading one article would change her approach to teaching forever.
Her first graders began not only to learn about the effects of the disappearing honeybees, they began taking steps to fix the problem themselves.
Her first graders began not only to learn about the effects of the disappearing honeybees, they began taking steps to fix the problem themselves.
The honey bee project grew out of the students' genuine concern for the honey bees following our class reading of the article in Time magazine. The students instantly began to ask questions, which they started to record in their own personal "Bee Journals". Below are examples of their work.
It quickly became apparent that we had a list of questions that we were unable to answer on our own. This led to even more questions…Who can answer our questions? How do we contact experts in this field? How do we get more information on what is happening to the honey bees around the world? We began to reach out to the community through friends, family members and the internet for valuable information. We invited a local beekeeper to the Idea Lab to speak to our class. We emailed members of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association. We contacted Marla Spivak, who is a well known entomologist. You can see her TED Talk on the disappearing bees here. We even started our own classroom Twitter account devoted solely to our honey bee project. Follow us at @STMHoneybees
After completing weeks of research, we realized that the problem with the bees was something we MUST work on solving. With the information we had gained, we found ourselves focused on four ways that we felt we could help save the honeybees. One group focused on planting bee friendly gardens. Another group focused on encouraging people in the community to become beekeepers. The third group focused on the effects of pesticides and natural pesticide alternatives, and the final group focused on providing quality homes for honey bees.
While working in these groups, many students began to research and design their own solutions to the problem.
While working in the Lower School computer lab, several students used the programs Sketch Up and Paint to design new hives to help the honey bees survive.
Through the students' questions, research, and search for knowledge about the disappearance of the honey bees and what they can do to help, emerged an unbelievably strong desire to educate others in the community on the importance of the honey bees. The students began to collaborate, and developed they their own mission titled "Save the Honeybees".
Together the students created and designed their own logo as seen above. In addition, they constructed a brochure to help others understand why honeybees are so important and to educate others about simple things people can do to help save the honey bees.
Finally, the students decided to create a video to help spread their message. The students not only developed their own script for the video, but also designed each and every costume for the characters in the video. The students worked hand in hand to accomplish their goal together…completely on their own.
Want to Learn More About Saving Honeybees? Here Are Some Helpful Resources
- Follow the 1B Honey Bees on Twitter @StMHoneybees!
- Click here to see a design for an urban beehive
- Some eco-friendly pesticide options.