High School Inquiry Lessons
“Rettet die Bienen! (Save the Bees!): What Germany Can Teach the World About Saving the Bees.” by Andrea Overby
Rettet die Bienen! (Save the Bees!): What Germany Can Teach the World About Saving the Bees. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity. HS-LS4-5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
Materials needed
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Access to recommended texts and websites included in the “Teacher Background” section of this lesson Access to the internet/computers/printers for some activities and assignments “Save The Bees“ Graphic Organizer (Handout 1) Rettet Die Bienen (Save the Bees) Letter-Writing Campaign (Handout 2) Rubric for “Save the Bees” Letter-Writing Campaign (Handout 3) Phenomenon
In the mid-2000s, the world was alerted to declining bee populations. Until recently, this problem had not gained much global attention, despite the importance of bees in maintaining ecosystems, biodiversity and human food sources. Germany serves as an example of a progressive, forward-thinking nation that addresses many environmental issues including the plight of the bees. How can other nations, such as Canada and the United States, emulate the German efforts to “Rettet die Bienen” (Save the Bees)? What can highschool students do to not only bring awareness to others of the plight of the bees, but also actively work to encourage the growth of bee populations? Engage
Introduce the topic by generating a discussion of the importance of bees. Ask students to reflect on the role bees play in maintaining ecosystems and our global food supply. It should be emphasized to the students that bees play an important role in ecosystems and their removal may cause ecosystem collapse. As a class, brainstorm reasons why bee populations may be declining.
Explore
Inform students that Germany has a long history of being a leader in environmental practices and policies. Use examples such as the sustainable neighborhood of Vauban in Freiburg; the prevalence of the use of solar and wind power; and the interactive ecostation in Freiburg.
Explain
Students will investigate what their local region (town/city/province/state/country) is doing to address declining bee populations. Students will undertake a letter-writing campaign to lobby local governments to follow the example of Germany and create laws that aid bee populations.
Create a Prototype
Teachers may want to find and show examples of letter-writing campaigns and public service announcements to help students understand the task(s) they are undertaking.
Elaborate
Understand: Globally, the population of bees has been declining. Assess: See what actions have been taken in your community to protect the bee population. Act: Students can further apply the knowledge they have gained throughout this lesson by creating a public service announcement to inform others about the plight of the bees, and call for action in their local area.
Evaluate
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Rubric for the letter-writing campaign (as a summative performance task) is included in the handouts section.
