🐝 Direction Card — How to Use These Materials

Purpose: To learn the names and functions of the parts of a bee's body.

Materials needed: Picture cards, label cards, definition cards, and this control booklet.

Steps to Follow:

Lay all picture cards in a column on your mat. Read each label card and match it to the correct picture. Check your work using the control of error booklet.

Add the definition cards. Match each definition to its picture and label. Work left to right: picture → label → definition.

Turn the label cards face down. Point to each picture card and say the name aloud. Flip the label card to check yourself.

Complete the Label the Bee diagram on the back of this sheet to show what you have learned.

🏷️ Nomenclature Cards — Parts of a Bee

Teacher: Print, laminate, and cut apart each card set below. Each part has a Picture Card, a Label Card, and a Definition Card.

Card Set 1 — Head

The head is the front section of the bee's body. It holds the brain, eyes, antennae, and mouthparts used for eating and sensing the environment.

Card Set 2 — Compound Eye

The compound eye is made up of thousands of tiny lenses. Bees have two compound eyes that help them detect movement and see ultraviolet colours in flowers.

Card Set 3 — Antenna

The antenna is a long, jointed feeler on the bee's head. Bees have two antennae used to smell, taste, feel, and sense vibrations in the air.

Card Set 4 — Thorax

The thorax is the middle section of the bee's body. The wings and legs are attached to the thorax, making it the centre of movement.

Card Set 5 — Wing

Bees have four wings — two large forewings and two smaller hindwings. The wings hook together during flight and can beat up to 200 times per second.

Card Set 6 — Leg

Bees have six legs, each attached to the thorax. The hind legs have a special hollow called a pollen basket (corbicula) for carrying pollen back to the hive.

Card Set 7 — Abdomen

The abdomen is the rear section of the bee's body. It contains organs for digestion, wax production, and the stinger used for defence.

Card Set 8 — Stinger

The stinger is a sharp, pointed structure at the tip of the abdomen. Worker bees use the stinger to defend the hive. It is connected to a venom sac.

Card Set 9 — Pollen Basket

The pollen basket (corbicula) is a smooth, concave area on the bee's hind leg, surrounded by stiff hairs. The bee packs pollen into this space to transport it to the hive.

✅ Control of Error — Answer Key

Teacher: Print one copy per set. Keep in an envelope attached to the material. Students use this to self-correct independently.

🖊️ Label the Bee — Student Recording Sheet

Use the word bank below to label the diagram. Draw a line from each word to the correct part of the bee.

Word Bank:   head  |  compound eye  |  antenna  |  thorax  |  wing  |  leg  |  abdomen  |  stinger  |  pollen basket

🌟 Extension Activities — For Advanced Learners

Use a non-fiction book or approved website to find out: How does a bee use its antenna to communicate with other bees? Write 3–4 sentences below.

Compare a bee to a butterfly. List 2 similarities and 2 differences in their body structures.

Write a short story (5–6 sentences) from the point of view of a worker bee on her first day collecting pollen. Use at least four bee body part names correctly in your story.

🤝 Differentiation Strategies — For Diverse Learners

For students who need additional support:

Begin with only 4 cards: head, thorax, abdomen, wing. Add more cards once these are mastered.

Provide a pre-labelled control diagram on the student's mat so they can match cards to a visual reference at all times.

Colour-code picture cards and matching labels with the same border colour so students can self-match by colour first, then by reading.

For students who are English Language Learners:

Print a second set of label cards with the student's home language alongside the English term (e.g., antenna / antenne in French).

Add a small icon or arrow sketch to each definition card to support reading comprehension.

For students who are ready for more challenge:

Remove the label cards entirely. Students write their own labels on blank cards before checking with the control booklet.

Provide a "Function Sort" — students sort body parts into categories: Sensing / Moving / Defending / Collecting.