New
New
Year 3

Understanding and ordering how bees make honey

I can understand the honey-making process and sequence it in order.

New
New
Year 3

Understanding and ordering how bees make honey

I can understand the honey-making process and sequence it in order.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Honey making is a complex, natural process which takes a very long time.
  2. Bees visit thousands of colourful flowers to collect nectar with their tongue.
  3. The nectar travels to the honey stomach where the enzymes break it down into smaller molecules.
  4. The bees transfer the nectar into the honeycomb cells and flap their wings to evaporate the water from the nectar.
  5. Bees seal the cells with a wax lid. The honey cannot leak or expire.

Keywords

  • Nectar - a sweet liquid made by flowers

  • Enzymes - substances in the bee's stomach that help break down nectar into honey

  • Regurgitation - the process of bringing swallowed food up again to the mouth

  • Honeycomb cell - a natural wax container for honey

  • Evaporation - a change of state from a liquid to a gas

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to remember the order in which the steps happen.

Review the steps in order lots of times together before completing the ordering board.

Supplement the pupils' knowledge of honey bees and the process of making honey with other videos and sources of information like information texts.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the purpose of an explanation text?
To tell a story.
Correct answer: To explain the process of something.
To make the reader laugh.
Q2.
What is a honeybee?
A type of reptile.
Correct answer: A type of insect.
A type of amphibian.
Correct answer: A type of insect that makes honey.
Q3.
Bees live in a...
Correct Answer: beehive, hive, hive. , beehive.
Q4.
What is a hexagonal shape?
A type of cube.
Correct answer: A shape with 6 sides.
A 3D shape.
A shape with 4 sides.
Q5.
What is a 'forager'?
A person or animal that lives in a forest.
A person or animal that flies.
Correct answer: A person or animal that searches widely for food.
Q6.
Match the physical state to its example.
Correct Answer:solid,rock

rock

Correct Answer:liquid,water

water

Correct Answer:gas,air

air

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the job of the forager bees?
To keep the hive warm.
Correct answer: To fly to flowers looking for food.
To look after the other bees.
Q2.
Which of the following substances break down the nectar into smaller molecules inside the bee's honey stomach?
cells
Correct answer: enzymes
teeth
Q3.
Which word fills in both blanks? Nectar contains 70% _________, but honey only contains around 19% _________.
Correct Answer: water, Water, water., Water.
Q4.
Match the noun to its definition.
Correct Answer:Honeycomb cell,Hexagonal-shaped cell made of wax where honey is stored.

Hexagonal-shaped cell made of wax where honey is stored.

Correct Answer:Wax lid,Seal to cover the cell to stop honey leaking.

Seal to cover the cell to stop honey leaking.

Correct Answer:Hive,The honeybees' home.

The honeybees' home.

Q5.
Which word best fills the gap? The bees __________ the sugary liquid into the honeycomb cells.
throw
spit
Correct answer: regurgitate
pass
Q6.
Order these steps of the honey-making process.
1 - A forager bee searches for nectar.
2 - Nectar is mixed with enzymes in the bee's honey stomach.
3 - The forager bee transports the nectar back to the hive.
4 - Nectar is regurgitated from the bee's honey stomach into the honeycomb cell.
5 - Worker bees flap their wings to evaporate the water from the nectar.
6 - The cells are then covered with a wax lid for storage.