STANDARDS

NGSS: Practice: Constructing Explanations

Explain This!

May/June 2023

Observe: Look closely at the photo. What do you notice about it? What details stand out to you?

Think: What do you already know that might help explain an element of the photo?

Explain: What do you think is going on in the photo, and why? How do your observations support your claim?

Discuss: Compare explanations with your classmates. How are your ideas similar and different? What new ideas did you get?

Wonder: What questions do you still have? Record them on a separate piece of paper. You can research them later!

$Image of a fractal honeycomb with text, "What Is Going on Here?"$

Check out the explanation for the back page of the May/June 2023 issue.

$Image of a fractal honeycomb$

Some bees build and live in hives. Most of these bees build their honeycombs in flat layers.

The hive in this photo is no ordinary beehive. The buzz-worthy structure is the work of an Australian bee species called sugarbag bees. (The bee’s scientific name is Tetragonula carbonaria.) These bees and others closely related to them create 3-D masterpieces! This group of bees stores honey and raises their young in the cells that make up the hives.

TIM HEARD/SUGARBAG BEES

Image of four different beehives built in unique patterns

Sugarbag bees build hives in different patterns. Some resemble an archery target, while others look like a complex series of raised floors. Scientist don’t yet understand why the bees create these fancy hives. Some researchers think that the patterns help make better use of space or increase airflow within the hive.

Sugarbag bees build hives in patterns including: spirals (A), targets (B), double spirals (C), and raised floors (D).

TIM HEARD/SUGARBAG BEES

Close-up image of a bee and an arrow indicating their stinger

It’s not just the sugarbag bees’ building style that makes the insects unusual. Nearly all of the world’s 20,000 known bee species have stingers—but not sugarbag bees and their close relatives. These bees have another method of self-defense. When beetles invade their hive, the stingless bees cover them with a mixture of wax, mud, and resin. The sticky substance quickly hardens, stopping invaders in their tracks.

JAMES DOREY

Scientific Inquiry

Teaching Resources

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$Image of a fractal honeycomb with text, "What Is Going on Here?"$

What's Really Going On Here?

Check out the explanation for the back page of the May/June 2023 issue.

$Image of a fractal honeycomb$

Some bees build and live in hives. Most of these bees build their honeycombs in flat layers.

TIM HEARD/SUGARBAG BEES

Sugarbag bees build hives in patterns including: spirals (A), targets (B), double spirals (C), and raised floors (D).

TIM HEARD/SUGARBAG BEES

JAMES DOREY

Text-to-Speech

Explain This!

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