Wasps
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Approach: Team Level: Year 8
Focus: Scientific questions and fair testing
Resources: 2 team answer sheets, question card, video recording on laptop computer (no sound)
748Kb
Questions/instructions:  

This activity uses the computer.

Scientists watch wasps in their natural surroundings then do experiments to find out more about them.
Watch the wasps on the video and think about some good questions you could ask a scientist to investigate.

Click the Wasps button.

Resource information in lieu of copyright:

Video resource: © NHNZ,Wild South – Bandits of the Beech Forest. [video]. (1996). Dunedin: Natural History N.Z. Ltd.
Description: No soundtrack; video of wasps constructing a nest and cells, laying eggs, larvae, drones hatching, life cycle starting again.


% responses
y8
Hand students team answer sheet 1.

1. Write down three good science questions about
wasps that you could ask a scientist to investigate.
Questions proposed:
question 1 is a question that a scientist might investigate
67
question 2 is a question that a scientist might investigate
81
question 3 is a question that a scientist might investigate
75

Picture: Substituted resource shown here, with thanks: eastern-yellowjacket.jpg Retrieved from: http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/insectid/insect_info.php?411
University of Wisconsin (28 May 2008.)
Hand students question card.
Here is a question that was asked of a scientist - “Do wasps see in colour?”

Hand students team answer sheet 2.
2. As a team plan how you could carry out
an investigation to find out if wasps can see
in different colours.
Click on graphic to enlarge.
Elements included in the plan:
set up tasks involving choice between two or more different colours to fly/move to
68
observe what happens/watch/see
78
replicate with multiple wasps
9
replicate with different arrangements
of the colours
7
all other things held the same
(e.g. food, position, equally apart, time span)
12
Practicality of the idea:
relatively easy to carry out
33
difficult to carry out/not enough information
35
impossible or highly improbable
19
no relevant idea
13

Total score:
8–10
23
6–7
35
4–5
26
0–3
16
Commentary:
Because this was a team task, no graph of subgroup performance is possible. Many of the year 8 teams of students made quite a good attempt at what was a challenging task in experimental design.