Parent email

I've been receiving some great feedback on my class from the parents, but today I received this one, and I'm sharing it because it perfectly sums up what I am trying to accomplish with this class.

I introduced our bee science unit today with a video that our beekeeper friends in Chicago made for us, explaining that the bees are dying out and they would like us to try to figure out why (And yes, J and E, your video was a definite hit!)

Then I explained that this is a real life problem and we are going to work for the next couple of months to learn all about bees, find out what could be causing the deaths, and try to come up with a solution.  They will be dissecting bees, making 3-D bees, creating posters, and ending with a final project that could be a television news story, a play with costumes, a big book, etc.  They will be working in groups for the projects.  I really tried to emphasize that we are working on the same issue that scientists all over the world are working on.

Here's the email:

Sarah -

I just had to write and let you know that your "bee unit" is really of great concern to C-------  On the way home, she was telling me about the sad thing that happened in the world...the bees are dying. She wants to put signs on our door and let the neighbors know to help the bees!

I told her we would look online to see if there is any organized effort we can join with to help the bees. If I find something, would you like me to pass the info along?

She is very interested in taking care of our world by helping save the bees. Thank you for being a teacher who presents subjects to my child that are educational, relevant, and encourage her to get involved in making a difference in the world!  Looks like this mama will "bee" learning a thing or two from this unit as well!