• Overview
  • Big Idea
  • Building Project
  • Coding Project
  • Reflection

Welcome to Monitoring Bees and Pollination with a Bug Counter! In this lesson, students will learn about pollination, ecosystems and how climate change is affecting these systems.

This lesson is the first one in the Monitoring Bees and Pollination with a Bug Counter Unit.

This is aligned to Grade 4 science and is designed to be completed in 40 to 60 minutes.

Using the Climate Action kit students will explore the smart components by using the touch sensor, LED, and the breakout board.

 

This lesson is structured around three core concepts, aimed at giving students a foundational understanding of pollination, bees, and ecosystems.

The initial section delves into pollination. Here, the process is explained to students, who will also learn about the different parts of a plant involved in pollination.

Following this, the second section introduces the concept of ecosystems and emphasizes the crucial role that pollinators play within these systems.

The third part of the lesson sheds light on the effects of climate change on bees and other pollinators, illustrating the environmental challenges these important species face.

To wrap up, the lesson features a segment on Beewise, a company that has developed an innovative solution called the Beehome, a smart hive designed to support bee populations.

As the introductory lesson of the unit, this project is designed to incorporate only the essential smart components necessary for a basic understanding and execution.

For this endeavour, we’ll be utilizing specific items from the Climate Action Kit, including:

  • A base plate, serving as the foundation for the project.
  • A breakout board, which facilitates connections between the micro:bit and other components.
  • The micro:bit itself, acting as the brain of the project.
  • A touch sensor, introducing an interactive element.
  • An LED, providing visual feedback or representation of data.

Students will follow step- by- step building instructions for this building activity.

For the coding section starter code will be provided within the Makecode tutorials. A starter code is provided and the objective is for them to change the LED colour, and/or add additional LED commands to the sequence.

Key Concepts
– Inputs
– Algorithms
– Debugging
– Conditional Statements
– Sequential events

Description: If statement for when ‘Touch’ is pressed, sets LEDs to a colour, pause, then black.

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