3rd grade final project

 Bees! BzzzBzzzBzzzz! Students had been learning about how bees are important pollinators, so we expanded on a part of the curriculum for students to make a bee model. After introducing the kids to bees in art (including listening to "Flight of the Bumblebee", and viewing both historic and contemporary art inspired by bees), we started with a detailed diagram drawing in our sketchbooks. This allowed us to learn insect anatomy vocabulary and prepare for sculpting a bee model.

 On the next day I brought model magic, toothpicks, and pipe cleaners in for the students to create their 3D bee model.

 While there were specific directions for how to sculpt the bee, there was great variety in the finished sculptures. We left them out to dry over the week, but if I were to do this again I would keep the sculptures entirely out of reach (model magic clay is just too tempting to curious fingers!!)

 The next session we designed wings by drawing on duralar with sharpie, and painted the bees. students came back to have their wings and compound eyes (sequins!) hot glued onto their sculptures. When complete students were asked to write out a step-by step "How to make a bee sculpture".

 On our final day, we talked more about what bees do and where they live. We learned that bees are amazing mathematicians- they use hexagons to build their hives which means no space is wasted. We also learned that part of the comb is used for laying eggs, some for storing pollen, and some for making honey.

 Students used the hexagons in their shape-drawing templates, and colored them in to include the 3 types of comb. The bees look amazing next to the colored honeycombs!!

 This project was highly successful, and many students named the bee project as their favorite one all year. The students absolutely loved working with the model magic clay. Teachers reported that the students did very well on their unit test, and really remembered the related vocabulary.

 I think this was also my favorite project all year. Connecting with the science curriculum allows for more creative projects, and I feel more engaged in the process.

Overall, 3rd grade completed some interesting work over the year. Many of the projects made very concrete connections and useful tools for math and science learning. One project suffered because of schedule interruptions and was too drawn out. Next year I do not recommend meeting on Mondays, as there were so many Monday holidays and events.