Bees

Author: class II B, I.S. Abbé J.M. Trèves, secondary school (first grade), Valtournanche, Vallée d'Aoste (IT)
Partner: class VI grade, CEIP Plurilingue Espiñera Aldán (ES); class II C, I.S. Abbé J.M. Trèves, secondary school (first grade), Valtournanche, Vallée d'Aoste (IT)

Introduction

Bees website

This activity is part of the GREEN S.E.E.D.S. project, whose aim is to encourage remote interaction between students of isolated rural schools. In this project students work together on environmental themes, such as “Nature and biodiversity”. My class belongs to the Middle school (K7 level) of Valtournenche, Aosta Valley, Italy. My class worked with a Spanish class of “ CEIP Plurilingüe da Espiñeira-Aldán”. A website in four languages (Italian, French, English, Spanish) has been createdinternet: https://sites.google.com/mail.scuole.vda.it/api-abeilles-bees-abejas/home-page

Learning Objectives

Physical features of bees
The importance of bees in the ecosystems
The importance of bees for our food security
The bees and the geometry: why are cells of a honeycomb hexagonal? Which polyhedron can approximate a cell? In which way bees communicate the position, the distance and the quality of a source of nectar?
The factors that threaten bees (chemicals, parasytes, climate changes)
The products of the beehive. Composition of the honey
The beekeeping (interview to a local beekeeper)

Task

A website to learn about bees

The task is to create a website about bees. It has four main goals:

to realize the importance of bees from both the ecological and the food security points of view.
To learn to select information and pictures, to elaborate them and to cite sources.
To learn to build a website.
To use French and English as languages of communication.

Here is the link: https://sites.google.com/mail.scuole.vda.it/api-abeilles-bees-abejas/home-page

Process

Acquire knowledge about ecological relationships in different organisational levels (populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere).
Search for information on websites in different languages.These websites are presented by the teacher.
Site design
Selection of the themes to examine

Division of tasks
Meeting the Spanish class, presentation of the environment near Valtournenche and students’ passions and interests.
1. Individual elaboration of the contents of the website (in three languages) and construction of the site (group work). Choice of images.
2. Correction of errors.
3. Presentation to the Spanish class.
4. Collaboration with the Spanish class.

Evaluation

Knowledge acquired

Physical features of bees
Bees in the ecosystem and for our foodsecurity
The bees and the geometry: why are cells of a honeycomb hexagonal? Which polyhedron can approximate a cell? In which way bees communicate the position, the distance and the quality of a source of nectar?
The factors that threaten bees (chemicals, parasytes, climate changes)
The products of the beehive. Composition of the honey
The beekeeping (interview to a local beekeeper)

Skills acquired