Pollinators

• This article explores the importance of pollinators in food production, why the amount of pollinators is drastically declining around the world, and how climate change is making life harder for pollinators.
• Students will learn that pollinators are responsible for a third of all food production, the number of worldwide pollinators is decreasing because of habitat destruction, pollution, and other man-made factors, and climate change is throwing off the timing between pollinators and the plants they pollinate.

Positives

• This article provides beautiful images and links the decline in pollinators to the economy.
  
• The "Quick Facts" section presents important statistics in an eye-catching way.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should understand what a food chain is and how important plants are to all living things.
• Students should be familiar with climate change is and how humans are contributing to it.
  

Differentiation

• This article could enhance a lesson about ecosystems, food webs, food production, sustainable or organic farming methods, or the importance of pollinators to plants.
• This article could support a classroom discussion on how biodiversity is crucial for human populations.
• This article could supplement a classroom discussion on how insects are viewed within America's cultural context and how important they are from an ecological perspective. 
• With middle school students, it may be useful to define some words before they dive into the reading.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.