Habitats and Bee Features

Overview

In this second lesson of the six-part unit Bees in NZ: Informative Writing, students research where bees live and how their physical and behavioural features support survival. They practise locating relevant information, making brief paraphrased notes, grouping related ideas and using precise topic vocabulary for later informative writing.

Learning intentions

• WALT locate relevant information in print and digital sources.
• WALT turn sentences into keywords and paraphrase information.
• WALT group information under suitable headings.
• WALT use precise vocabulary to describe bee habitats, features and adaptations.

Success criteria

• I can find information using headings, captions and diagrams.
• I can record keywords and write a paraphrase rather than copy.
• I can group notes under Habitat, Body, Behaviour and Adaptations.
• I can use topic vocabulary accurately and support a claim with evidence.

Curriculum links

• English — Reading: Comprehension and Vocabulary: using knowledge from other learning areas to determine the meaning of root words, whole words and phrases in a text.
• English — Reading: explicit teaching of discipline-specific and abstract vocabulary.
• English — Reading: encouraging students to ask questions about unfamiliar words.
• English — Writing: precise, topic-related vocabulary makes informative writing clearer.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Reconnect and hook. Teacher displays a photograph of a bee entering a nest and asks, “What does a bee need in order to survive?” Students think-pair-share, then contribute ideas about food, shelter, nesting spaces, water and safety; teacher records predictions on the opening and prediction slides.

2. 7–18 min · Explicit research teaching. Teacher models skimming a short text by looking first at headings, captions, diagrams and highlighted words. Using a sentence such as “Honey bees live together in colonies inside hives or other cavities”, teacher highlights keywords—honey bees, colonies, hives, cavities—and demonstrates a paraphrase: “Honey bees are social and make their homes in hives or enclosed spaces.” Students help identify which words are essential and practise orally paraphrasing a second sentence with a partner. Revisit the model on the skimming and paraphrasing slides.

3. 18–25 min · Build shared knowledge. Teacher explains that honey bees commonly live socially in colonies, using hives and cavities. Many native bees nest alone, and species vary; possible nesting places include soil, clay banks, plant stems and other sheltered spaces. Discuss suitable habitat: flowering plants for pollen and nectar, nesting spaces, water, shelter and limited disturbance. Introduce and pronounce adaptation, antennae, thorax, abdomen, pollen, nectar, nest, colony, queen, worker, drone, solitary and shelter, using a labelled diagram and the glossary on the bee features and vocabulary slides. Students match words to meanings orally and ask questions about unfamiliar vocabulary.

4. 25–40 min · Read and make notes. Organise students into pairs, with one print source and one teacher-approved digital source per pair. Distribute the bee research note-making grid. Students read, using highlighters to mark relevant details, then record keywords, source details and a paraphrase under Habitat, Body, Behaviour and Adaptations. Prompt students to compare honey bee features—six legs, wings, antennae, pollen baskets and social roles—with native bees, noting that native species are not all alike. Teacher conferences with pairs, checking that notes are brief and not copied.

5. 40–49 min · Apply research to the school environment. Teacher provides a simple map or plan of the school grounds and models marking a possible bee habitat. Students identify places with flowers, shelter, water or possible nesting spaces, then propose two improvements, such as planting diverse, pesticide-free flowers or protecting bare nesting ground. Students add a short evidence-based explanation to their map using the prompts on the mapping and improvement slides.

6. 49–56 min · Evaluate sources and share evidence. Teacher presents three familiar source types: a nonfiction book, a teacher-created text and a safe educational website. In pairs, students rank them from most to least useful for today’s research and justify their ranking using relevance, detail, clarity and trustworthiness. Each student shares one claim and the evidence recorded beside it; partners check whether the evidence supports the claim.

7. 56–60 min · Exit check and next step. Students complete the final box on the paraphrase and reflection section: write one accurate paraphrased fact, identify its source and circle the heading where it belongs. Invite two examples, correcting copied wording or inaccurate generalisations. Explain that their notes will support the informative writing in later lessons.

Resources

• the bee habitats and features teaching deck
• the bee research note-making grid
• Nonfiction bee books
• Teacher-created bee habitat and features text
• Teacher-approved digital sources, such as Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research, DOC, Te Ara or museum pages
• School-ground maps or simple plans
• Labelled honey bee and native bee diagrams
• Highlighters and pencils
• Projector or interactive display
• Three sample sources for ranking

Assessment

• During modelling, listen for students selecting keywords and explain why a paraphrase is different from copying.
• Review note-making grids for relevant information, accurate paraphrases, source details and appropriate grouping under the four headings.
• Use the pair claim-and-evidence check and exit response to identify students needing further support with source use, accuracy or topic vocabulary.

Differentiation

• Provide selected, shorter texts, a partially completed grid, labelled diagrams and a glossary for students who need reading or language support.
• Allow oral rehearsal before writing and provide sentence starters such as “The source explains…” and “This feature helps a bee to…”.
• Pair students strategically and read key paragraphs aloud while keeping the original text visible for independent locating.
• Extend confident students by finding a fact that applies to honey bees but not to all native bees, then explaining why the distinction matters.

Extension

• For homework, add two sourced facts to the class vocabulary or fact wall, including the source and the precise topic word used.