Besieged Bees

In this class, students will look beyond honeybees into the diverse world of these important buzzing pollinators. They will compare various types of bees, grasp their critical role in our ecosystems, investigate the concerning decline in their populations, and explore solutions to conserve and restore their numbers.

Curriculum Standards Supported:

Colorado Academic Science Standards

• SC09-GR.3-S.2-GLE.3 The duration and timing of life cycle events such as reproduction and longevity vary across organisms and species.
• SC09-GR.4-S.2-GLE.4 All living things share similar characteristics, but they also have differences that can be described and classified
• SC09-GR.4-S.2-GLE.4 There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and nonliving components of ecosystems
• SC09-GR.5-S.2-GLE.5 All organisms have structures and systems with separate functions.
• SC09-GR.6-S.2-GLE.6 Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms, populations, and entire species

Next Generation Science Standards

• 3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.
• 3-LS2-1.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size (Note: Moved from K–2).
• 3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
• 3-LS3-2.A: Inheritance of Traits Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment.
• 3-LS3-2.B: Variation of Traits The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops
• 3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
• 3-LS4-2.B: Natural Selection Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
• 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
• 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change
• 3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
• 3-ESS2-1.D: Weather and Climate Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next.
• 4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
• 4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
• 4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
• 4-LS1-1.A: Structure and Function Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
• 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
• 5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
• 5-ESS3-1.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.
• 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.B: Growth and Development of Organisms Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features for reproduction.
• MS-LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
• MS-LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction. Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources.
• MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
• MS-LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.
• MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• MS-LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling.