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Elementary School Grade  Project 4 weeks

Bee Smart: Solving Our School’s Buzzing Problem

Danielle W
Updated
ELA.3.R.2.1
ELA.3.R.2.2
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Effective Communication
Collaboration
+ 2 more
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The Challenge

When bees nest or swarm near places where you learn and play, you may face sting risks, while limited information about their species and behavior can complicate understanding of the problem. Because many bees are important pollinators, their presence also affects the health of local ecosystems and food systems.

Challenge Question

How might learners use problem and solutions to help address the unwanted bees around the school?

Standards

  • [Florida] ELA.3.R.2.1 - Explain how text features contribute to meaning and identify the text structures of chronology, comparison, and cause/effect in texts.
  • [Florida] ELA.3.R.2.2 - Identify the central idea and explain how relevant details support that idea in a text.

Competencies

  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.

Learning Partners and Clients

The school principal and facilities team can serve as clients by identifying bee-related concerns and considering student recommendations. The local UF/IFAS Extension county office or a Florida State Beekeepers Association member can help learners distinguish bee species, investigate causes, and evaluate safe, humane solutions. Partners can provide feedback as teams gather information, identify patterns, and present evidence-based action plans for the school community.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can safely observe bee activity from a teacher-approved distance, map where and when bees appear, and ask questions about patterns and possible causes affecting our school community.
Examine
I can identify central ideas and supporting details in reliable texts about bees, food sources, nesting, and human safety. I can use text features and cause-and-effect, comparison, and chronological structures to explain why bees gather in certain areas and how their presence affects the school community. I can compare possible responses and use evidence to identify safe actions that protect both people and pollinators.
Engineer
I can develop an evidence-based school bee-safety solution, such as clear signs, safer walking routes, or recommendations for adult-managed campus changes, with shared roles and peer feedback.
Do
I can help implement our approved solution, safely collect observation and community-feedback data, and use the results to judge its effectiveness and recommend improvements.
Share
I can share our solution, evidence, learning journey, and what I learned about myself through an interactive presentation and feedback session with students, families, school staff, and local bee or safety experts.