Essential Question:

How is honey made and used?



Have students list all the things that honey can be used for and write the uses on a chart.

Distribute the Honey Through History packets and have students put them in order from earliest to latest. Discuss the order the students placed the packets in and why.


Distribute the article Making Honey and discuss the use of transition words, writing a list of examples on the board. Read the article aloud and have the students raise their hands or tap their desk when they hear a transition word.

Have students read the article themselves and complete the questions in the right margin. Exchange papers and have students complete a peer check of the inferences written down.

Have each student write a one-sentence introduction (overview summary) of the honey-making process. Have all students pass their papers left to the next student who then writes a sentence that provides a supporting detail. Repeat the process until three supporting detail sentences have been written on each page. Have students pass the paper once more so the next student can write a conclusion. Return the original to the student who began the process to read and compare summaries.

Divide students into groups of 4 and have each group search online for an article or video about unusual uses of honey (medicinal, cosmetic, or culinary). In their groups, have them review the piece to become experts on the information. Then, rearrange students into new groups, so each group has one expert per article or video. Have them teach each other what they learned. Update the chart that was created at the beginning of class.

Have students play the game, Honey I Love You But I Just Can’t Smile (instructions located in the full lesson).


Have the students complete a recipe for honey that includes ingredients, the process by which the honey is collected and stored, and quantities and illustrations.


Have the students look at the chart that lists the uses of honey and indicate which use is the most valuable to humans and why.

Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)


  • Organisms also have behavioral adaptations, or certain types of activities they perform, which help them meet a life need.


4.6: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts.
f) Draw conclusions and make simple inferences using textural information as support.
j) Identify new information gained from reading.
4.7: The student will write cohesively for a variety of purposes.
a) Use transition words for sentence variety.
j) Revise writing for clarity of content using specific vocabulary and information.

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