Science
Bees and pollination: know, wonder and learn
Begin with what you know and want to know about bees, read a short field guide and return to record what you learned. Facts and simple diagrams introduce nectar, pollen, pollination, colonies and the difference between honeybees and other kinds of bee.
Follow the labels on the bee and flower. Use the full task to connect the drawings with pollination.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Begin with what you know and want to know about bees, read a short field guide and return to record what you learned. Facts and simple diagrams introduce nectar, pollen, pollination, colonies and the difference between honeybees and other kinds of bee.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL Use what I know and what I wonder to guide my learning about bees. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can write what I know about bees. I can ask who, what, why and how questions. I can record what I learned and still wonder. K and W now, L later Write one idea or question on each line. Fill in K and W now. Fill in L after you read page 2. KWL inquiry chart · Bees and pollination 1 KNOW AND WONDER 2 READ 3 LEARN SCIENCE AGES 9 TO 11 BEES AND POLLINATION Bees and pollination: my KWL chart Know, wonder, then learn. Your questions lead the way. N 1 My KWL chart K What I Know Bees, flowers, honey: what do you already know? W What I Want to Know Who What Where Why How L What I Have Learned After page 2: use your own words. MY BEST QUESTION Copy the W question you most want answered. Page 1 of 2
Page 2
Tick any W question that a fact answers. 1 Bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen. 2 When a bee visits a flower, pollen sticks to its body. The bee carries the pollen from flower to flower. 3 Moving pollen from flower to flower is called pollination. It helps plants make seeds and fruit. 4 Honeybees live together in groups called colonies. Each colony has one queen. 5 Many kinds of bee live alone, not in a colony. 6 Not all bees make honey. then back to page 1 WORDS TO USE nectar pollen pollination colony queen seeds fruit stamen stigma Go back to page 1. Fill in your L column. Then finish these. WHERE COULD I FIND OUT? A book An expert Watching bees Online, with an adult KWL inquiry chart · Never touch a bee 1 KNOW AND WONDER 2 READ 3 LEARN SCIENCE AGES 9 TO 11 READ AND LEARN Bee facts: a field guide 2 Read 3 Look closely antennae head wings thorax six legs abdomen A bee from above stamen with pollen stigma petal A flower from the side 4 Learn The fact that surprised me most was ... New fact A question I still have Still wonder Page 2 of 2
A teaching sequence
Use an inquiry chart to connect prior ideas, questions and information learned from a short text.
Record what you wonder
Write what you know and wonder about bees, choosing one question to investigate. Read the numbered facts and tick questions they answer.
Which of your questions do the numbered facts answer?
Follow the labels on the bee and flower. Use the full task to connect the drawings with pollination.
Read the complete materialLocate pollen and parts
Use the vocabulary and bee/flower diagrams to locate parts and pollen. Keep a safe distance and never touch bees.
Where are the stamen and stigma on the supplied flower diagram?
Write what you learned
Write what you learned in your own words from the text, then note a surprising fact and a question still open.
Which fact changed or added to your first idea about bees?
Plan the next source
Choose where to find more information, such as a book, expert or supervised observation. Revisit the text and note what remains unknown.
How will you investigate the remaining question without disturbing bees?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Check that the Learn column is based on the text and that pupils can describe how pollen moves between flowers. Distinguish honeybees, which live in colonies, from many bee species that live alone. Encourage questions the short reading does not answer.
Give a little support
Read the facts aloud and pre-teach the science words with pictures. Pupils may draw an idea before writing it. Help them separate what they already believe from what the reading states, and do not encourage close contact with bees.
Take the idea further
Ask pupils to investigate one remaining question using a reliable source. They can compare how bees, other insects or wind move pollen and explain why different plants use different strategies.
Things to keep in mind
The short field guide gives selected facts and cannot represent the diversity of bee species or every pollination relationship. It does not replace safe observation guidance. Never touch or disturb bees; follow local outdoor learning procedures.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet the creators whose teaching interests connect with this template. Find an approach to try with your class.
Maya Tan
I plan adaptation before the lesson, choosing accessible texts, vocabulary support and preparation time so pupils with different starting points can join the same Year 4 conversation.
Meet the creator
Emily Carter
A local river, canal or museum can give pupils a place to ask questions and connect an abstract idea with something they can observe or read about.
Meet the creator
Chalk Dust & Checklists
The two-page KWL chart asks pupils to record prior ideas and questions before reading a short bee text, then revisit which questions a fact answers. The passage distinguishes pollination, colonies, solitary bees and honey production.
Notes Between Bells
For ages 9 to 11, the chart uses “who, what, where, why, how” questions to guide an inquiry. The final “where could I find out?” choices encourage a next source rather than assuming the short reading answers everything.
Pocketful of Stories
Pupils write K and W first and L after reading, so new information stays separate from prior belief. The word bank helps explain nectar, pollen, pollination, colony, queen, seeds and fruit.
Kind Check-In
The passage is a short introduction and warns pupils never to touch a bee. Check further questions with reliable sources and do not present the brief text as a complete account of bee diversity or pollination.