Issuu

Primary

t s JBuee Teacher’s Guide

A buzzing new English Program inspired by Bees

Author Angelica Manca

Table of Contents

Introduction

Scope & Sequences

The Student Workbook

Sustainable Education

The Role of Sustainable Education

Terms and Definitions

Bee: Champions of Sustainability

Teaching Strategies: Applying the STEAM framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to English Language Learning (ELL)

The STEAM Framework

English Language Learning (ELL) Strategies

Linking learning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Applying Outdoor Education

The Dangers Teaching “Sustainable Education”

Unit 1: Be Biodiversity

Lesson 1: To Be or not to Bee

Lesson 2: Pollinators

Lesson 3: Garden Scouts

Lesson 4: From Flower to Fruit

Take Action: How Seed Bombs Help Nature

Unit 2: Be Social

Lesson 1: Life in the Colony

Lesson 2: The Waggle Dance

Lesson 3: The Sound of a Buzz

Lesson 4: Follow your Nose

Take Action: Meet the Community

Unit 3: Bee Architecture

Lesson 1: The Hive

Lesson 2: Shapes in Nature

Lesson 3: Body Ruled Measurements

Lesson 4: Bee-Inspired Architecture

Take Action: Bee Architecture Hunt

Unit 4: Bees and Human Beings

Lesson 1: The Beekeeper

Lesson 2: As Sweet As Honey

Lesson 3: Mind Your Beeswax

Lesson 4: Busy Bees

Take Action: Visit a Bee Farm

Appendix

Plants and Pollinators

Nature Hunt Guide

Parts of a Bee

Pollination Process

The Beekeepers’ Tools

Bee Manifesto

Bibliography

Introduction Just Bee is an English Language Learning program designed for primary-aged children that gives real world examples of how to live sustainably by drawing parallels to the fascinating world of Bees. It enriches students’ English vocabulary by integrating vocabulary within STEAM-focused lesson plans. Retention of new words is supported through hands-on, cross-disciplinary activities, making vocabulary meaningful and easier to remember. Students learn how to take the lead from bees on living a more sustainable life. Bees have been guides to Humanity since the beginning of time, and they continue to be so even today. As Buddhist texts noted centuries ago, pollinators, especially bees “take what they need to survive without harming the beauty and vitality of their source of sustenance”. For humans, to act in the manner of honey bees is an enactment of compassionate and conscious living that is crucial for us to apply to everyday living. Sustainability, with its thousands of nuances, seems to be the key word today. Just Bee introduces Take Action at the end of each Unit by linking the magical world of bees with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Not only can we identify with bees as an example of a creature that can live sustainably, but also find how these insects can be our partners in helping us to achieve the SDGs. The activities in the program are set-up to demonstrate how honey bees are champions of sustainability in action. For example, everything honey bees produce can be reused. Honey, a truly magical mixture formed in the alchemy of honey bees mixing the nectar from flowers with enzymes inside them, breaking down the nectar’s composition into simple sugars and is said to be the only non-perishable food found in nature. Beeswax, also made by the honey bee, is made by the worker bee converting the carbs from excess honey into liquid beeswax, produced from a gland in the female worker bee’s abdomen.The wax is used to build the honeycomb, needed to store honey, pollen and the bee brood (eggs, larvae and pupae). In times of scarcity, bees can eat that wax, reminiscent to the gingerbread house in the Hansel and Gretel, where parts of the house are eaten by the children to appease their hunger.These are just two of the countless examples that are used to show how honey bees not only live in equilibrium with their natural environment but enhance it as well. A central theme of Just Bee is communication. As social beings living in a globalized world, English Language Learning has become a critical part of Education. Communication has a central role in Just Bee: firstly, it introduces a key English Language Learning concept in every lesson, linked with the lesson on sustainability and the STEAM framework; secondly, it dedicates a whole unit to communication inspired by the way bees have successfully mastered this art through all their senses. Activities are aimed at discovering the highly sophisticated ways bees have developed to pass on crucial information from generations to generations of bees. This provides a meaningful context for language learning as well as facilitating the understanding of the natural world through hands-on activities. We have a lot to learn from honey bees. The thousands of individuals in the hive have evolved to function with the consciousness of an organism, acting as a whole, yet each individual with its specific role and importance in the colony. Today, we’re not only inspired by them but are also called to preserve them. Bees are experiencing extreme pressures largely due to human activity and changes in the environment. Moreover, bees are also responsible for pollinating more than a third of our food source. So, if bees are in danger, so are we. Yet another undeniable reason to incorporate the study of bees in Education. Just Bee invites students, teachers and parents to be “one with nature”, and everything else will follow, just as it does for the bees. 6

Scope and Sequence Unit 1 Be Biodiversity Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 1

The importance of bees as agents of biodiversity.

To Be or Not to Bee

Drawing and using symbols to express the importance of bees in Nature.

Students explore homophones to support their development of phonemic awareness, a necessary skill in learning how to read, by having to pay closer attention to the sounds in words and distinguishing between sound and meaning.

Lesson 2

Activities

Student Book

Decoding Messages Students explore bees as a symbol of biodiversity through symbols and hieroglyphics.

p. 13

Homophones Completing sentences by choosing the correct homophone.

p. 14

Plants and their Pollinators Students learn about tropical plants and their pollinators through a matching game. This knowledge is then applied by students by drawing a rain forest with bee-friendly plants and trees.

p. 15

Spelling Bee Students learn how to write simple words associated with the bee word in a spelling bee activity.

p. 18-19

Bee Scouts Students pretend to be bee scouts and draw a bee-friendly garden with all the key elements that make up a natural environment.

p. 20-21

Nature Hunt Students find and name things in nature during a walk in the garden or forest.

p. 22

The importance of pollinators in Nature.

Pollinators Students learn about the fact that it takes a variety of pollinators to pollinate different plants and flowers.

Developing visual memory by associating words with pictures in a Spelling Bee game. The second part of the focus is on developing phonological awareness further by identifying rhyming words and focusing on the sounds at the end of the words, like “bee” and “tree” in a Spelling Bee game.

p. 16-17

Students apply their acquired knowledge in a group setting with a classroom Spelling Bee game. Lesson 3

Garden Scouts

Learning about the elements that make up our natural environment.

Students learn about the elements that make up a garden, and Bee Scouts. Bee scouts play an important role because they find food and tell the rest of the hive where to find it, showing the importance of teamwork.

Students enrich their vocabulary by going on a nature work and identifying key elements of nature.

Lesson

Lesson Focus

Activities

Lesson 4

Learning about the Pollination Process.

From Flower to Fruit Students learn about the pollination process, i.e. that plants need to be pollinated in order to make the seeds, fruits and the vegetables we eat. They learn that the most important pollinators are bees.

Students develop phonological awareness further by listening to and practicing the different vowel sounds in words, through the fund and interactive Apples and Bananas song, whereby each vowel sound is switched every time it is sung.

Take Action

Planting for Pollinators

Student Book

Parts of a Bee Students learn about the parts of a bee and where the pollen is stored on the bee during the pollination process.

p. 23

Pollination Process Applying the vocabulary in the pollination process from pollinator to flower to fruit.

p. 24

Planting for Pollinators Students explore bee-friendly plants by drawing their flowers and/or fruit and seeds in a chart and then make seed bombs with the seeds they like best to seed them in their town or city.

p. 25

Using seed bombs to increase biodiversity in cities and towns.

This lesson focuses on how to take action to support biodiversity and create new habitats for plants and animals. Seed bombs can be used to connect green spaces in cities, forming ecological paths that allow seeds, pollinators, and animals to move freely and support a healthier natural environment.

STEAM legend :

Science

Technology

Language

Language Group Activities

Engineering

Art

Maths

Unit 2 Be Social Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 1

Social insects, like bees, live in colonies where each member has a specific role, working together as a team to support the colony’s survival.

Life in the Colony

Students learn about the life cycle of a honey bee by using hands-on materials— such as rice grains, cotton balls, and wax—to represent each stage (egg, larva, pupa, and adult) as they follow along in their workbook.

Next, students learn about the organized roles in a bee colony, by observing and describing the differences between queen bees, worker bees, and drones, measuring their lengths, and learning how to identify the queen bee.

Inspired by the natural world, learners expand their vocabulary with collective nouns, introducing them to words that describe groups of animals or insects and adding variety to their language use. Lesson 2

The Waggle Dance

Student Book

Life Cycle of Honey Bees Completing the life cycle of honey bees with hands-on materials.

p. 28

Living as One Family Students learn to identify the 3 types of honey bees that live in a colony – worker, drone and queen bee – by measuring them.

p. 29

Spot the Queen Spotting the queen amongst the other bees in the hive.

p. 30

Collective Nouns Extending vocabulary with collective nouns about animals and insects, for example “a swarm of bees”.

p. 31

Blurry Vision Students complete a chart of the way bees see a field of flowers.

p. 32

Dancing for Life Learning how to follow dotted lines to form a figure 8 which corresponds to the dance a bee makes when it finds a field full of nectarrich flowers.

p. 33

Hokey Pokey Waggle Dance Students make their own Hokey Pokey Waggle Dance through a fun and interactive game.

p. 34-35

Exploring how bees communicate with each other using visual signals to send messages.

Students learn that honey bees see the world very differently than we do and have a rather pixelated vision.

Later, they also learn about how honey bees communicate through the waggle dance to the other bees in the hive to share the location of nectar rich flowers.

Students create a spinning arrow for the Hokey Pokey Waggle Dance instructions and write them down before joining in a group dance. English language skills are developed by encouraging students to follow written instructions, practice vocabulary, and engage in sequencing through interactive movement.

Activities

Unit 2 Be Social Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 3

Discovering how bees use sound for communication and exploring different types of auditory signals, like mating and alarm calls, to send messages within their hive.

The Sound of a Buzz

Students learn how bees use buzzing sounds to communicate in addition to exploring how animals can use sounds to send messages.

Activities

Student Book

Buzzing Sounds Exploration of animal sounds through a matching game where students combine animals with their sounds.

p. 36

Bee Poetry Creating a simple poem through an interactive, hands-on game using onomatopoeias.

p. 37-38

Scent Bingo Exploring smells and the important messages they give.

p. 39

Smelling Synonyms Learning new words (adjectives) to describe scents and/or nouns (synonyms) that replace the word “scent”.

p. 40

Meet the Community Students understand teamwork by listing and assigning classroom jobs, comparing their roles to a beehive, and exploring how working together keeps their environment organized.

p. 41

Students create a Buzzing Noisemaker to mimic the sound bees make by following simple assembly steps and then spinning it to hear the buzzing noise.

Students write bee-themed poetry* using onomatopoeic words like “buzz”, helping them expand their language skills and knowledge about bees, facilitating the connection of sounds with words, making vocabulary more memorable and engaging. Lesson 4

Follow Your Nose

Introduction to how animals use smell communication to share information, especially bees.

Students learn how bees use smells (pheromones) to communicate and stay organized in the hive, and how flowers use scents to attract bees, showing students how nature uses smells to send important messages in daily life.

Students expand their vocabulary and descriptive language skills using synonyms (words with similar meanings) and adjectives (words that describe something).

Take Action

Meet the Community

This lesson focuses on how bees’ teamwork and roles in their colony teach students about the importance of different roles in a community, fostering appreciation, cooperation, and empathy.

Unit 3 Bee Architecture Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 1

Animals’ habitats and how they provide food and shelter as well as a place to stay safe.

The Hive

Students learn about different types of beehives and how their materials may vary.

Students are then encouraged to apply their creativity by designing their own beehive using materials bees might prefer, with a discussion on natural and sustainable building.

English language learning is supported by encouraging vocabulary practice, reinforcing word-picture associations in a matching game that allows students to explore a variety of animals and their homes. Students are encouraged to use their imagination to draw their own dream house and describe it to the rest of the students.

Students’ memory and vocabulary skills are enhanced by learning about animals and their homes in an interactive memory matching game, pairing animals with their homes. Lesson 2

Shapes in Nature

Student Book

One Family, Many Homes Students discover the different materials used to make hives and have to match each material with its corresponding hive type.

p. 43

A Home for the Family of Bees Students apply their creativity to design and invent their own beehive.

p. 44

Animal Homes Students explore the variety of animals and their homes in a fun matching activity.

p. 45

My Home Students are encouraged to use their imagination and draw their dream home.

p. 46

Many Animals, Many Homes Students draw their favorite animal and its home, then play a memory matching game to pair animals with their homes.

p. 47-48

Hexagons in Honeycombs Students explore hexagons by connecting dots to make as many hexagons as they can.

p. 49

Hexagons in Honeycombs Students color hexagons, observe a honeycomb, and fill cells with pollen, honey, or baby bees.

p. 50

Shapes Students match the shape with its description and examples in nature.

p. 51

Recognizing geometric shapes in nature, especially hexagons, which are strong and efficient and commonly found in structures like beehives and snowflakes.

The focus is on understanding why bees use hexagons in their honeycomb for strength and space efficiency.

Students then learn about how bees use the honeycomb in their hive for pollen, honey or baby bees.

Students learn about geometry in nature by matching shapes with natural examples, enhancing their English language skills through vocabulary building and descriptive language focused on shapes and their characteristics. Then, students are encouraged to research other shapes that can be found in nature.

Activities

Unit 3 Bee Architecture Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 3

Discovering how animals and humans measure and navigate their surroundings using different methods.

Body Ruled Measurements

Students learn that even bees need to make measurements when building their honeycomb. They do this by using festooning to measure distances by linking their bodies.

Students explore body-based measurements by measuring parts like their thumbs, hands, and feet to match traditional units, enhancing English language skills by reinforcing vocabulary related to body parts and units of measurement. Lesson 4

Bee Inspired Architecture

This activity expands students’ vocabulary by introducing number prefixes in English with illustrations and word formation skills through visual learning.

Bee Architecture Hunt

Student Book

Chain of Bees Students learn about festooning by counting how many bees it takes to connect honeycomb sections.

p. 52

Units of Measure Students link the vocabulary with units of measure using body parts like thumbs, feet and hands.

p. 53

Award-Winning Bee Architecture Students apply their creativity to draw a bee inspired building.

p. 54

Words with Numbers Students create new words with number prefixes and then have to draw the new word.

p. 55

Bee Architecture Hunt Students explore their city or town in the search for bee-inspired architecture and document what they find.

p. 56

Exploring how the best animal home builders have inspired architects in designing structures like houses, buildings, and cities.

The focus is on studying the hexagonal structure of honey bee hives to inspire students in designing sustainable and efficient architecture, highlighting how bees’ space use, resource-saving, and temperature control can influence environmentally friendly buildings.

Take Action

Activities

This lesson and activity focus on identifying honeycomb-inspired structures in city designs, such as buildings, sidewalks, and playgrounds, highlighting sustainable urban design aligned with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities); students are encouraged to observe and document examples in their city to understand how nature-inspired design can enhance community spaces.

Unit 4 Bee and Human Beings Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 1

The evolution of Beekeeping tools and how today’s equipment helps protect beekeepers, while exploring the long-standing relationship between humans and bees.

The Beekeeper

Students explore the historical connection between humans and bees through storytelling.

Students improve their vocabulary by identifying and matching beekeeping tools with their names, reinforcing word recognition and comprehension skills through visual association.

Activities

Student Book

Beekeepers Throughout Time Students illustrate their understanding of an ancient bee story of the Tupi-Guarani indigenous tribe.

p. 59

Beekeepers’ Tools Learning about beekeepers’ tools through a matching game.

p. 60

Honey, the Forever Food Students reinforce sequencing and comprehension skills by ordering and illustrating the baking steps for the Pão de Mel recipe.

p. 61

Similes Students have to complete the similes by matching the foods with their flavors.

p. 62

Students are encouraged to build vocabulary through creating a personalized dictionary, using interactive language apps, and watching educational videos, enhancing their word knowledge, comprehension, and engagement with English. Lesson 2

As Sweet as Honey

Highlights of honey bees as producers of honey for their colony, and honey’s long history with humans as a lasting and valuable resource.

Students explore honey’s unique properties and role in food preservation, while guiding students through a recipe (Pão de Mel) to understand honey’s versatility.

Students reinforce sentence structure and descriptive language with similes by practicing comparisons with food-related phrases, like “as sweet as honey”.

Interactive activity that combines tasting with language learning, as students sample flavors like honey and lemon and use similes from their workbook to describe each taste, enhancing their vocabulary and descriptive skills.

Unit 4 Bee and Human Beings Lesson

Lesson Focus

Lesson 3

Uses of beeswax as a natural, renewable material that bees create for building honeycombs and protecting the hive, demonstrating its sustainability and versatility.

Mind Your Besswax

Students explore the properties of wax and its uses over time, and examine how wax changes when heated and cooled, encouraging them to research beeswax applications and track its evolution.

Activities

Student Book

Beeswax: A Natural Material that Changes Students have to identify how wax changes over time.

p. 63

Beeswax and other Compound Words Students make new words by combining two words together and drawing their new meanings.

p. 64

Doing our Part Students design and draw a bee hotel for solitary bees.

p. 65

Animal Sayings Student match and complete animal sayings that use nature to describe behaviors or situations.

p. 66

Visit a Bee Farm Students illustrate their outing at a bee farm with a drawing.

p. 67

Our Promises to Bees Making a group promise and plan (manifesto) on what the class will do to help bees in their region.

p. 68

Students create their own wax museum by molding beeswax into animals and people, learning about the versatility of beeswax and engaging in hands-on creativity, similar to how bees shape their honeycombs.skills by reinforcing vocabulary related to body parts and units of measurement.

Students enhance their vocabulary and English comprehension by discovering compound nouns and creating new words from two smaller words Lesson 4

Busy Bees

Focus on the critical role bees play in pollinating our food crops and emphasis on the importance of protecting them to ensure our own food security.

Students are introduced to biophilic design, and learn how nature-inspired structures support environmental well-being and biodiversity.

Students work in groups to create bee-friendly water stations with saucers, pebbles, and water, providing bees with a safe drinking spot to observe bee behavior.

Students enhance their language skills by expanding vocabulary and understanding idiomatic expressions that use nature to describe behaviors or situations.

Take Action

Visit a Bee Farm

Students get a hands-on experience at a bee farm or apiary to learn about beekeeping, environmental responsibility, and the role bees play in biodiversity, helping students connect with nature and understand sustainable practices.

The Student Workbook The Just Bee student workbook is an integral part of the program and accompanies the students through their learning journey. Students build on their knowledge by collecting, recording, and sharing observations on the fascinating world of bees. The workbook follows the same Unit and Lesson progression as the Teacher’s Manual with each lesson having one or more corresponding activities in the workbook, that require students to apply and document their learnings from the lessons through hands-on and creative ways. Student Wokbook Activity: All workbook activities are indicatd with the the yellow bee Student Workbook Activity icon.

English Language Learning (ELL) Strategies Each STEAM activity is followed by an English Language Learning (ELL) activity, providing a meaningful context for language learning. Language activities are marked with the following logo:

Language Each English Language Learning activity in Just Bee has been carefully linked to the nature concept and STEAM discipline to facilitate the acquisition of new vocabulary related to the lesson’s topic. By immersing themselves in the context, students absorb language more effectively and retain it better. Concepts are enhanced through hands-on activities, whilst simultaneously learning how to use the target language in English. Every language lesson has a corresponding activity on the student workbook. Below are the main ELL strategies employed: Strategy

Description

Vocabulary Building and Contextual Learning

Students expand vocabulary through homophones, compound nouns, and collective nouns related to bees and nature. Matching tools and animal sayings reinforce word recognition, while dictionary creation and language apps support independent learning.

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Activities like rhyming games and spelling bees develop awareness of sounds within words. Songs like ‘Apples and Bananas’ allow students to practice vowel sounds, enhancing listening skills essential for early reading.

Descriptive Language and Sentence Structure

Practice with similes (e.g., ‘as sweet as honey’) and descriptive language enhances students’ ability to compare, describe, and express sensory experiences, building descriptive vocabulary and sentence structure familiarity.

Visual Learning and Total Physical Response (TPR)

Drawing, symbol usage, and matching games (like animal homes and bee hives) reinforce word-picture associations, allowing students to visualize language concepts, which improves recall and comprehension. Total Physical Response (TPR) combines movement with language, helping students retain vocabulary more easily.

Cross-Disciplinary Language Integration

Integrating language activities within STEAM-focused lessons (e.g., science vocabulary in pollination, math terms in honeycomb geometry) helps students build language skills in a multidisciplinary context, supporting vocabulary retention and concept understanding.

Moreover, many of the English Language Learning activities in this program include a group component, indicated by the Group logo:

Language Group Activities These activities are designed to accommodate various learning styles and preferences, making them adaptable for different language proficiency levels and suitable for mixed-ability classrooms. Group games are especially effective because they encourage active participation from all students, promoting both engagement and motivation. In a supportive and relaxed environment, students practice language skills naturally, without the pressure of traditional classroom settings, which makes them more willing to participate, take risks, and learn through experience. Examples of these activities include group games like Spelling Bee, memory matching, and creating a Buzzing Noisemaker, all of which promote communication, collaboration, and active language practice in a social setting.

Linking learning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Finally, every Unit concludes with a Take Action lesson, that giving ideas of how students can take action to achieve a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) by partnering or being inspired by bees in their local community. These activities are indicated with an SDG icon.

According to the UN Development Program, bees play a crucial role as powerful partners in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These small but vital creatures directly support five of the 17 SDGs: they promote biodiversity (Goal 15), combat hunger by pollinating crops (Goal 2), create decent jobs in agriculture and related sectors (Goal 8), and contribute to reducing poverty (Goal 1) by supporting sustainable livelihoods. Just Bee, makes references 3 of the17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Take Actions lesson as follows:

Just Bee encourages sustainable city design inspired by bee habitats, teaching about bee-friendly architecture, green spaces, and biophilic design. This promotes biodiversity in urban areas and helps students understand how nature-inspired planning contributes to healthier communities.

Lessons emphasize the crucial role of bees in biodiversity, particularly in pollination and plant interactions.Activities like seed bombing and planting for pollinators foster habitats for bees and other wildlife, promoting a balanced ecosystem and supporting diverse life on land.

The program fosters community partnerships and environmental stewardship through hands-on experiences like visiting bee farms in the surrounding area. Students are encouraged to advocate for bee protection, create group promises, and actively participate in supporting pollinator habitats in their own communities.

Unit 1

Be Biodiversity This unit highlights bees and their pivotal role as part of a larger ecosystem. Their presence contributes to the biodiversity of our planet. Students learn about how bees carry powerful symbols in the history of Humanity and the way they interact with other plants, animals, and insects in their habitat which provides the learning framework to understand the interconnectedness of species and the importance of maintaining a healthy balance in our ecosystems. Ultimately, without bees, we would not Be.

Lesson 1 To Be or Not to Bee Insects may be among the smallest creatures in the animal kingdom, but they play a crucial role in maintaining balance in nature. They are essential for supporting biodiversity — the rich variety of plant and animal life on our planet. Many plants, especially, rely on insects like bees for pollination (explored in detail in Unit 1, Lessons 2 and 4). The relationship between insects and plants illustrates how deeply interconnected all species are. Bees, in particular, have become powerful symbols for humanity, representing community and biodiversity across cultures and throughout history.

Bees: Decoding Messages Nature is a tremendous source of inspiration. Many of its creatures carry important meanings to us. The honey bee, for example, is a powerful symbol of community, continuance and regeneration. As the source of honey, they also represent sweetness, healing and magic. In Ancient Egypt, the honey bee was associated with royalty and as early as 3500 BCE was used as the hieroglyphic symbol of the King of Lower Egypt.Today it is the symbol of biodiversity, as it is considered to be the most important agent in the maintenance of flowering plant diversity. Hieroglyphics are picture words that ancient Egyptians used on their buildings. Below are hieroglyphics used to express concepts about honey bees.

King of Lower Egypt

Bee

Honey

Beekeeper

Using the example of Ancient Egypt’s hieroglyphics, ask the students to turn to page 13 of the student workbook and make their own messages about why bees are important in Nature. They can even invent their own symbols. Then ask them to share their answers with the rest of the class.

Homophones A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word, but it has a different meaning and sometimes a different spelling. For example, a “bee” (the insect) and “to be” (the verb). These are homophones because they are pronounced the same but spelled in a different way and have completely different meanings.

Here is a list of common homophones:

bee

(to) be

ate

eight

sun

son

flour

flower

Ask the student to turn to turn to page 14 of the student workbook and review the list of homophones on the page. Then ask them to complete the sentences by drawing the correct picture next to the word.

Funny Homophones Ask the students to make up nonsensical sentences with homophones and share with the rest of the group to see if they can understand what is being expressed, identifying which two words are the homophones, and where the mix-up lies.

Unit 2

Be Social In this unit, students will learn about how bees work together as social creatures. Bees are fascinating creatures that can spark curiosity and empathy in students. They have a complex social structure and special ways of communicating, which makes students want to learn more about nature. This unit explores the sophisticated ways bees communicate, engaging all their senses. Ultimately, their communication has a single purpose: to work together as a team, ensuring their hive thrives and survives!

Lesson 1 Life in the Colony Bees are social insects. Social insects live in a colony and work together with others. Each insect has a special job based on its role. Most colonies have: 1. A queen, who lays eggs and keeps the group together. 2. Workers, who take care of the eggs, collect food, and build or fix the nest. 3. Soldiers, who protect the colony from enemies. Bees and other insects that live in a colony work as a team to help their colony survive!

Life Cycle of Honey Bees Honey bees show us how we can build sustainable cities and communities.They live in a colony inside a hive, with up to 80,000 bees—like a small city! Each bee has an important job, but they can’t survive alone. They need to work together as a group. Bees show us that even small actions from each individual can have a big impact on keeping the whole colony healthy. This teaches us how everyone’s contribution helps keep nature balanced and sustainable. For this activity, you will need: . Student workbook . Grains of rice, one per student . Glue . Cotton balls, one per student . Wax . Pencils Ask the students to turn to page 28 of their student workbook.Then explan the life cycle of a honey bee: 1. Egg: The life of a honey bee starts as an egg. The queen bee lays these eggs in cells inside the hive. It takes about 3 days for the egg to hatch. [Ask the students to take a grain of rice and glue it in the first honeycomb cell] 2. Larva: After the egg hatches, it turns into a larva.The worker bees feed the larva royal jelly for the first few days, then they switch to feeding it honey and pollen. The larva eats a lot and grows quickly. [Ask the students to shape their cotton ball between their fingers and shape it into a worm. Then have them glue it into the second cell] 3. Pupa: After about 6 days, the larva is ready to spin a cocoon and becomes a pupa. Inside the cocoon, the pupa changes shape and slowly grows into an adult bee. This stage takes around 12 days. [Ask the students to cover the Pupa’s cell with wax.] 4. Adult: Once fully developed, the bee emerges as an adult. If it’s a worker bee, it will start doing its job in the hive. If it’s a queen, she will leave the hive to mate and start laying eggs. Drones (male bees) will leave the hive to mate with queens. [Students now have to draw the adult bee in the last cell]

The entire process from egg to adult takes about 21 days for a worker bee.

Living as One Family Ask the student life to turn to page 29 . Explain that life in a bee colony is very organized. Each bee has a different role based on their rank, gender, and age. • Every colony has one queen bee. She is bigger than the other bees and has a golden body. Beekeepers often put a dot on her back to easily find her. The queen’s jobs are to keep the hive together by using a special scent and to lay up to 1,500 eggs a day! If the queen gets too old or isn’t doing her job, the worker bees will make a new queen by feeding a special food, called royal jelly, to the larvae. • Most of the bees in the hive are female worker bees. They do different jobs depending on their age. When they’re young, they clean the hive and take care of baby bees. As they get older, they start doing things like fanning to keep the hive cool, making wax, guarding the hive, and finally, foraging (collecting food) when they are older. • Male bees are called drones.There are only a few drones in the hive.Their main job is to mate with a queen from another hive. They also help keep the hive cool by fanning their wings. Ask the students to observe the three bees on page 29 and describe the differences. Then ask them to measure the bees and write the bees’ length under each bee.

Spot the Queen Turn to page 30 and ask the students to identify the queen bee.

Collective Nouns Collective nouns are words we use when we’re talking about a group of things, animals, or people that are all together. For example, instead of saying “many dogs,” we can say “a pack of dogs.” Here are a few examples of Collective Nouns: A pack of wolves A school of fish A pride of lions A pod of whales Ask the students to turn to page 31 of their workbook and ask them to complete the chart with drawings of the single animal or insect or group of animals/insects.Then, ask the students to research their favorite animal and find out whether there is a collective noun for it. Add it to the chart of collective nouns on page 31. 43

Unit 3

Bee Architecture The Bee Architects unit explores construction and homes with inspiration from bees’ amazing building skills. Bees are great builders! Their honeycombs are strong and use space efficiently, teaching us about making smart designs that save resources. In this unit, students will learn how bees make the most of space and materials, which can inspire sustainable building ideas for us. Students will also explore beeswax as a natural material and see how bees keep their hives cool or warm naturally, which shows us ways to design buildings that need less heating or cooling. Finally, they learn some fun ways to measure things without any tools—just like bees!

Lesson 1 The Hive Animals make clever homes to stay safe from dangers like predators, bad weather, and other threats. These homes come in many shapes and sizes—in the ocean, on the prairie, and even on tall mountains! In this lesson, we’ll learn about animal homes as well as how bees build their homes and how they’ve changed throughout the ages.

One Family, Many Homes Bees, wasps, and yellow jackets build their homes in hives. Honey bees have found a way to live in large groups in small spaces! Beehives can be made of different materials, such as wood, straw, mud or even in tree trunks, depending on where and when they were built. Inside the hives, bees construct honeycombs using wax from their bodies. Wax is great for building because it’s strong, light, and can be shaped easily. Thanks to this smart building method, a hive can hold up to 80,000 bees in a small area—just the right home for a big bee family! Ask the students to turn to page 43. Discuss the differences in the beehives (shape, color and material). Then ask them to match the material - straw, wood, mud or branch/tree trunk, with the type of hive.

A Home for the Family of Bees Ask the students if they have seen a real beehive.What did it look like? Encourage them to be specific about what materials the beehive was made of. Next, look at the materials on page 43 of the workbook. Then, turn to page 44 and ask students to create their own beehive using materials they think bees would like best. Discuss how using natural and sustainable materials can help us build better cities too!

Animal Homes Explain to students that animal homes are very different and depend on where they live, what kind of animal they are, and how big they are. Here are some types of animal homes: Webs: spiders Hives: bees, wasps, and yellow jackets. Den: bears Cave: bats Burrows and holes: foxes and rabbits Nests: birds Hollow Logs: otters, skunks, and weasels Tree Hollows: squirrels and owls Coop: chicken Ask the students to turn to page 45 in the workbook. Complete the activity by matching each animal with its home. Discuss with the class what materials they think the homes are made from. Next, turn to page 46 and ask the students to draw their dream house! When everyone is finished, ask them to share their drawing with the class and describe what makes it their dream house.

Animal Home Matching Game For this activity, you will need: . Pencils and colored pencils . Scissors . Student workbook, page 47 and 48 1. Ask the students to turn to page 47. In the top box, have them draw their favorite animal, and in the bottom box, draw its home. 2. Have the students carefully tear out the page from the workbook and then cut out the two boxes with the drawings. 3. Once everyone is done, gather all the drawings and shuffle the papers. 4. Turn them upside down so that the drawings are hidden. Create neat rows of the papers on one desk. 5. Form groups for a fun matching game! In this memory matching game, each team will take turns flipping over two sheets of paper at a time to try to match an animal with its corresponding home. The team or pair that correctly finds and names the most animal/home pairs wins the game!

Lesson 4 Bee Inspired Architecture In Lesson 1, we learned the names of different animal homes. However, not all animals build their homes with the same amount of care. In this lesson, we’re going to see how some of best home builders in the animal kingdom have inspired architects in designing houses, buildings and even cities, especially bees.

Award-Winning Bee Architecture The hexagonal structures in honey bee hives have earned them a place as some of nature’s best architects. Their honeycombs are efficient, strong, and make the most of available space. By studying these designs, students can gain inspiration for creating sustainable and efficient structures. Bees teach us about using space well, saving resources, and building in modular ways that can apply to human architecture. Additionally, bees’ ability to control temperature and airflow in their hives inspires ideas for energy-efficient buildings that rely less on artificial heating and cooling. Below are examples showing how the clever design of beehives has influenced and inspired environmentally friendly architecture for people: 1. The Hive (Kew Gardens, London, UK):The Hive is a large-scale installation designed to mimic a beehive and is located at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.The structure uses honeycomb-inspired patterns and lighting effects to raise awareness about the importance of bees and their role in pollination. 2. Honeycomb Towers (Guangzhou, China):These Honeycomb Towers in Guangzhou feature a honeycomblike pattern on the building’s exterior.The hexagonal grid allows for natural ventilation and sunlight penetration while providing an aesthetic connection to the intricate structures found in beehives. 3. The Beehive (Wellington, New Zealand): The Beehive is the popular name for the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in Wellington. Its distinctive shape of the building resembles a series of stacked beehives.

4. Puerta América Hotel (Madrid,Spain):The PuertaAmérica Hotel’s exterior incorporates a hexagonal pattern reminiscent of honeycombs, drawing inspiration from bee architecture. 5. City of Sciences and Arts (Valencia, Spain): The City of Sciences and Arts complex in Valencia includes several buildings with organic and biomimetic design features.The Hemisfèric, in particular, has a curved, ribbed roof that resembles a giant eye or insect exoskeleton, evoking a bee or other natural forms.

Ask the students to turn to page 54 of their workbook. Discuss what makes bees one of nature’s top architects. Here are a few points to remind students: • Hexagonal beehive structures make honey bees nature’s top architects. • Honeycombs are efficient, strong, and maximize space. • Bees inspire sustainable design concepts like resource efficiency and modular structure. • Their temperature and airflow control in hives suggests ideas for energy-saving buildings. • Bee-inspired designs have influenced environmentally friendly human architecture.

Then ask them to draw their bee-inspired building.

Hexagonal Shaped Buildings For this activity, you will need: . Moldable beeswax, a small piece per student . Toothpicks, 50 or more per group Split the class into smaller groups of 2-4 students. Provide each group with some wax and 50 or more toothpicks each.Then ask them to make hexagonal shaped buildings by connecting the toothpicks together using small balls of wax in hexagonal shapes and build the strongest, tallest structure they can in 25 minutes. Ask them to name their structure.

Words with Numbers In English and many other languages, number prefixes come from numerals and are used to form new words. • Uni – one, unicycle (one wheeled vehicle) • Bi – two, bicycle (two wheeled vehicle) • Tri – three, tricycle (three wheeled vehicle) • Quadri – four, quadruped (four legs) • Quin or penta – five, pentagon (five angles) • Sexa or hexa – six, hexagon (six angles) Ask the students to complete page 55 of their workbook by drawing the picture of the number-word example. Then look for more words that have numbers in them. 61

Unit 4

Bees and Human Beings

This unit covers the interaction between Humans and bees. Today bees are facing various challenges that impact their survival. Some of these challenges include habitat loss, pesticide use, changes in weather patterns and diseases. Teaching students about these threats, raises awareness and encourages them to take action to protect bees and their habitats. It also provides an opportunity to discuss broader environmental issues and the importance of sustainable practices in our daily lives.

Lesson 1 The Beekeeper Beekeeping tools, hives, and methods have changed a lot over time. In the last unit, we learned that hives differ by time and place. In this unit, we’ll take a look at today’s tools—like the bee veil, gloves, smoker, hive tool, and removable-frame hive box—which have evolved greatly over time and are designed to protect beekeepers and make hive maintenance easier. Most importantly, we’ll learn that the relationship between bees and Humans started in the beginning of time.

The Beekeeper Throughout Time In Brazil, the Tupi-Guarani indigenous tribe from the Atlantic tell a wonderful story of how the world was made and how the bee helped made it more beautiful. This is a very old story. Read the story to the students, then ask them to draw a picture of what they heard on page 59 of their workbook. The Legend of the Bee and the Creation of the World A long time ago, there was only darkness and a big, empty ocean. The great creator, Tupã, wanted to make something special, so he created the Earth with land, mountains, rivers, and forests. But something was missing—there were no flowers or plants! Tupã decided to create a little creature called a bee. He asked the bee to fly around and spread seeds so that flowers and plants could grow. The bee worked really hard, buzzing from one flower to another, helping them bloom and make the world beautiful. As a reward, Tupã gave the bee a special gift—the ability to make honey, which is sweet and delicious for everyone to enjoy. The bee was happy, and thanks to its hard work, the Earth was full of colorful flowers and plants. And that’s how the bee helped make the world a beautiful place!*

*Source: “Myths of the Tupi-Guarani Indians” by Nimuendaju

The Beekeepers’ Tools Beekeepers use a number of tools to help them care for their bees. Look at the image on page 80 and identify all the tools that a beekeeper has with him/her.Then ask the students to turn to page 60 and connect the right word with its tool.

Making a Language Toolbox For this activity, you will need: . Address book, one per student . Tablets or phones, language apps . Internet, video content (e.g.YouTube) 1. Make a dictionary: Ask students to create their own dictionary by using an address book with letters on it and adding all the new words they learnt in the address book, together with a definition of the word and/or its translation. 2. Use technology: download an interactive language app to support English language learning and see how students are progressing. 3.Watch video content in English:YouTube is a fantastic resource, use it! For example, check out the National Geographic page and look up Bee videos: https://www.youtube.com/@NatGeo to learn more about these fascinating creatures.

Plants and their Pollinators

Cashew fruits and nut

Cacao bean

Passion fruit

Mango

Papaya

Honey bee

Midges

[tiny flies that inhabit the rainforest.]

Jataí

[tiny stingless black bee with yellow stripes.]

“Mandaçaia

[small stingless bee with black and yellow stripes.]

Monarch Butterfly

Nature Hunt Guide

Sun

Rain

Cloud

Leaf

Flower

Bee

Stick

Tree

Sprout

Parts of a Bee

head antennae

wing

thorax leg abdomen

Pollination Process

The Beekeepers’ Tools

Hive Scraper

Smoker

Beekeeper’s Hat

Boots

Gloves

Bee Manifesto Bee Manifesto

Bibliography Ask a Biologist, The Way of the Waggle Dance, https://askabiologist.asu.edu/bee-dance-game Bolakhe, S. (2021). The Surprising Architecture in Bees’ Honeycombs. Scientific American. Cameron, S.A., & Sadd, B.M. (2020). Global Trends in Bumble Bee Health. Annual review of entomology, 65, 209-232. Center for Food Safety, Impacts on the Food Supply, https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org DeCoito I., Patchen, A., Knobloch N., and Esters L. (2021). Teaching and Learning in Urban Agricultural Community Contexts. Urban Agriculture. Springer. Engdahl, I. (2015). Early childhood education for sustainability: The OMEP world project. International Journal of Early Childhood, 47(3), 347–366. doi:10.1007/s13158-015-0149-6. Germanidou, S. (2020). The Ancient Lands of Honey: Middle East, Egypt, Greece. Friends of Asor https://www.asor.org Hagglund, S., & Pramling Samuelsson, I. (2009). Early childhood education and learning for sustainable development and citizenship. International Journal of Early Childhood, 41(2), 49–63. International Association of Agricultural Museums. How Has Beekeeping Changed Over Time? https://www.agriculturalmuseums.org Norton H. (2017). Honey, I Love You: Our 40,000 Year Relationship with the Humble Bee. The Guardian. OMEP. (2016). Resource Bank on Early Childhood Education and ESD. OMEP (World Organisation for Early Childhood Education). Retrieved from http://eceresourcebank.org/ Pollinator Live, A Distance Learning Adventure. https://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org/index.php Pollinators, https://www.pollinator.org/pollinated-food Pramling Samuelsson I., and Park E. (2017). How to Educate Children for Sustainable

Learning and for a Sustainable World, Springer. Rensvold J. (2021). Beeswax: The Building Blocks of The Hive. https://www.saratogateaandhoney.com Ritchie, H. (2021). How Much of the World’s Food Production is Dependent on Pollinators? Our World in Data https://ourworldindata.org Smith, M.L., Napp, N., and Petersen K.H. (2021). Imperfect Comb Construction Reveals the Architectural Abilities of Honeybees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Vol. 118; August 3, 2021 The House of Commons (2005). Education and Skills Committee Reports United Nations, Sustainable Development, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/studentresources United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals, https://www.un.org/en/sustainable-developmentgoals United Nations Development Program, Buzzing with Life, https://bees.undp.org Vincent, D. (2021) How Bees Influence and Innovate Resilient Buildings. Best Bees https://bestbees.com

Based on Just Bee© by Hoopla Education Pte. Ltd. 2023 Wilkie Road, 01-03#, Wilkie Edge, 228095, Singapore www.hooplaeducation.com Published under license. First Published in 2024, by Macmillan Education do Brasil. Author : Angelica Manca Interior Illustrations : Ignazio Fulghesu Layout & Cover Illustration : Louay Daoust All Rights Reserved by Hoopla Education Pte. Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, reading or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers other than in legally stipulated exceptions.

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