Bee Detectives
By Vanessa Ryan-Rendall. Illustrated by Brenna Quinlan. Published by CSIRO
Vanessa’s book - Bee Detectives - is her first book but as a primary school teacher with in-depth knowledge of gifted education and all areas of literacy, Vanessa can present different and engaging workshops that link closely to the English, Science and HASS curriculums.
Outlined below are the areas that can be covered in each workshop of your choice
Vanessa can be contacted via email - vanessaryanrendall@gmail.com
Workshop outline
Early years learning - ages 3-5
Read some pages of the book then discuss the images & diagrams.
Discuss what stingless bees are and how they are different to the honey bee.(STEM)
Look for bees and other insects in our environment (STEM)
How can we make our learning area more bee and other insect friendly? (STEM)
How many insects are in our gardens? (STEM)
Early Stage One
Science focus - 45 - 60 minutes (Living things)
Learn about what Stingless bees are
The type of hives they live in - links to how they make these (STEM)
Difference between these bees and honey bees and also flies. (Higher order thinking)
Students will learn how to compare different insects and discover what makes a good home. (Higher order thinking)
Outside STEM activities to find insects, compare and count.
Sustainability - how can we ensure more bees are in our gardens?
Stage One
Science focus - 45 - 60 minutes (Living things. Life cycles, habitats)
Learn about what Stingless bees are.
The types of hives they live in and how they make them (STEM)
What makes a good hive and where to look for them?
How have scientists used bees to help us in our everyday lives (Biomimicry)
Students can choose a characteristic of these bees and create a way we can use their features in our designs. (Higher order thinking)
Compare and contrast insects, count and tally which insects live in our area. (STEM)
Sustainability - how can we ensure more bees are in our gardens?
Literacy - 45 - 60 minutes (Informative writing. Extended writing an Informative narrative)
How to write a story about something from nature. We will work through the drafting, editing, polishing, critiquing and then illustrating!
Stage Two
Science focus - 45 - 60 minutes (Living things, habitats & sustainability)
Learn about what Stingless bees are
The types hive they live in and how they make them (STEM)
What makes a good hive and where to look for them?
How have scientists used bees to help us in our everyday lives (Bio mimicry)
Life cycles & food webs and how we as humans affect these. (Sustainability)
Literacy - 60 minutes with ongoing input from the teacher. (Informative narrative)
How to write a science based story. Students will learn how to research an Australian animal of choice and then we will work through the drafting, editing, polishing, critiquing and then illustrating! This could lead to a whole class project with a timeline, marketing ideas and final copy created for the library or class use.
Stage Three
Literacy 60 minutes with ongoing input from the teacher.
How to write a science based story. We will work through how to research an Endangered Australian animal of choice through good quality research techniques and then delve into the drafting, editing, polishing, critiquing and illustrating techniques!
This could lead to a whole class project with a timeline, marketing ideas and final copy created for the library or class use.
Early Years Learning framework
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Stage 3 links to NSW curriculum
EN3-1A
communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features
EN3-2A
composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts
EN3-5B
discusses how language is used to achieve a widening range of purposes for a widening range of audiences and contexts
EN3-6B
uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary to respond to and compose clear and cohesive texts in different media and technologies
EN3-7C
thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas and identifies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts
CSIRO developed notes below: Bee Detectives, Vanessa Ryan-Rendall, Brenna Quinlan, 9781486313396 (csiro.au)
Cost - This will vary depending on educational setting numbers and workshop needs.
Please get in touch via email to discuss this - vanessaryanrendall@gmail.com