Honey Bee Murder Mystery Game

We need to know: Why did the bees die, and who is responsible.

Background: Introduce honeybees using the large flash cards. Explain that bees are declining in number due to stress, loss of habitat, parasites and disease. Explain that the reason we care is because bees are part of a group of animals called pollinators that help plants reproduce. Many plants will not reproduce without a pollinators assistance two examples are almonds and oranges. Instructions: 1. Explain that each student is going to take the role of a character in the mystery and talk to each other to see if they can discover what happened to the bees. 2. Hand out cards. There are 16. The ones with numbers on the back should be pulled in decreasing order based on the number of students participating (only the cards not required to run the game have numbers). 3. Ask students to read their card to themselves to get familiar with their character while the cards are being passed out. 4. Ask students to then to share the information from their cards one at a time with the group to try and solve the mystery. Acting is welcome. Discuss each card after presentation. Start with Billy the Beekeeper. After that, the order does not matter. 5. Ask if anyone would like to be the detective in charge. They will fill in the graphic organizer as players are identified to help direct the discussion. OR Use the innocent/guilty sheet and have the students place their cards in the proper pile after their presentation and discussion. 6. Have students come to a conclusion. Answer the questions: Why did the bees die, and who is responsible. Solution: Pesticides used on the crop. Other answers might include stress of transportation, pests/diseases, weak queen, poor nutrition from single source crop.