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Grades 6–8. Why are honey bees important, and what can we do to minimize human impact on these populations? Using their research of honey bees, students design solutions to lessen human impact on colony collapse disorder (CCD) and develop a communication plan to educate their community about CCD. Module kit comes with a teacher edition, teacher and student access to Carolinascienceonline.com, and reusable soft cover student guides.

Grades 6–8. Unit Driving Question—Why are honey bees important, and what can we do to minimize human impact on these populations? Module Highlight—Using their research of honey bees, students design solutions to lessen human impact on colony collapse disorder (CCD) and develop a communication plan to educate their community about CCD.

This module kit comes with a teacher edition, 16 reusable soft cover student guides (item #512703), and teacher and student access to Carolinascienceonline.com.

Next Generation Science Standards*
Performance Expectations

• MS-LS3-2. Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
• MS-LS1-4. Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
• MS-LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
• MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.
• MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• LS1.B: Growth and development of organisms
• LS3.A: Inheritance of traits
• LS3.B: Variation of traits
• ESS3.C: Human impacts on earth systems
• ETS1.A: Defining and delimiting engineering problems

Science and Engineering Practices

• Developing and using models
• Engaging in argument from evidence
• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
• Constructing explanations and designing solutions
• Asking questions and defining problems

Crosscutting Concepts

• Cause and effect
• Patterns
• Structure and function
• Influence of science, engineering, and technology on society and the natural world

CONNECTIONS English Language Arts

• RST.6-8.1 Key ideas and details
• RST.6-8.2 Key ideas and details
• RST.6-8.3 Key ideas and details
• RST.6-8.4 Craft and structure
• RST.6-8.7 Integration of knowledge and ideas
• RST.6-8.8 Integration of knowledge and ideas
• RST.6-8.9 Integration of knowledge and ideas
• SL.6.1 Comprehension and collaboration
• SL.6.2 Comprehension and collaboration
• SL.6.4 Presentation of knowledge and ideas
• SL.6.5 Presentation of knowledge and ideas
• WHST.6-8.1 Text types and purposes
• WHST.6-8.2 Text types and purposes
• WHST.6-8.7 Research to build and present knowledge
• WHST.6-8.8 Research to build and present knowledge
• WHST.6-8.9 Research to build and present knowledge

Investigation Summaries
Investigation 1: What Do I Already Know?
Students are pre-assessed on their knowledge of reproduction and honey bees. Students will reflect back to their initial thoughts and ideas throughout the unit.
Investigation 2: Honey Bee Research
Students use print and digital resources to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about honey bees. Some topics they research include the bees’ life cycle, methods of reproduction, social structure, diet, and interactions with the environment. Students use evidence from their research to make a claim that states whether or not they believe honey bees are essential to their environment.
Investigation 3: Methods of Reproduction
Students investigate asexual and sexual reproduction among different organisms, including the honey bee, using a digital simulation. Students analyze and interpret their findings to determine the patterns that exist with both types of reproduction. Students use their analysis to make an initial evidence-based argument about each type of reproductive strategy and present their argument to the class.
Investigation 4: Modeling Reproduction
Students develop and use models to display the process of asexual and sexual reproduction. Students use their models to explore the cause-and-effect relationships that occur as well as the advantages and disadvantages for each reproductive strategy. Students modify their argument from the previous investigation to reflect the new evidence obtained during this investigation.
Investigation 5: Researching Courtship Displays
Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about courtship displays in the animal kingdom. Students analyze their research and identify cause-and-effect relationships that exist as a result of courtship behavior. Students choose an animal and its courtship display to research and present their findings to the class. As students present their information, they identify patterns associated with courtship behaviors. Students consider whether honey bees engage in courtship behavior when the queen is ready to reproduce.
Investigation 6: Parental Investment
Students investigate parental care and investment in the animal kingdom, including the parental care provided in a honey bee hive. Students identify the cause-and-effect relationship between parental investment and the offspring’s chance of survival. Students use evidence collected throughout the unit thus far to construct an argument about how animal behaviors and structures can affect the probability of reproductive success.
Investigation 7: Investigating Flowers and Their Pollinators
Students use a digital simulation to explore the cause-and-effect relationships between flowers and their pollinators, such as honey bees. Students use evidence from the investigation to construct an initial evidence-based argument that explains how specialized structures in plants and specialized behaviors in animals can affect a plant’s reproductive success.
Investigation 8: Seed Dispersal
Students investigate seed structures and dispersal methods to understand how these affect the probability of reproductive success in seed-producing plants. Students modify their initial argument from the previous investigation to reflect new evidence obtained during this investigation.
Investigation 9: Can an Organism’s Environment Influence Its Growth and Development?
Students analyze and interpret data to determine if a trait has been influenced by an organism’s genetic material, its environment, or both factors. Students construct an evidence-based explanation for how both genetic and environmental factors can influence the growth of an organism. Students extend these cause-and-effect relationships by reflecting on how honey bee growth and development is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.
Investigation 10: Minimizing, Monitoring, and Communicating Human Impact on Bee Populations
Students obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about colony collapse disorder (CCD) and how human activities may be negatively affecting this phenomenon. Students design a solution to mitigate human impact on CCD and develop a communication plan to educate their community about the importance of honey bees. Students present their solutions and communication plans to the class.

*Next Generation Science Standards® is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.