Many thanks to Erin Berg, US English teacher, for sharing and writing about this experience, and to Michael Frank, US Digital Media teacher, for taking the photos!
“In preparation for our next book in our 9th grade English class, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, we attended a demonstration of the Harley School beehives on Wednesday, September 23. Our school beekeepers, Adriana Lozada and Arthur Rothfuss, showed us the inner workings of a beehive and answered student questions about the honey making process, bee anatomy, the life cycles of bees and the work dynamic within a beehive. Using what the students learned from the bee demonstration, they were able to make predictions about some of the themes and events they may encounter when reading The Secret Life of Bees. We will also continue to refer back to our experience with the honeybees as we begin to read the novel and explore the way Kidd uses honeybees as an extended metaphor throughout the story to explore the complicated dynamics between humans.”
What a great way to tie nature and literature. Love Michael Frank’s close photo of the bees. Love that we have hives producing honey at Harley.