by Claire Tan

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

1032364

2.2.6

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: L

DRA: 24

Genre:Informational

Strategy:Question

Skill:Text and Graphic Features

Word Count: 456

2_024493_EL_LRSE_CVR_L06_Bees.indd 1 2/11/10 12:17:59 AM

by Claire Tan

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Kim Taylor/npl/Minden Pictures. 1 Don Farrall/Getty Images. 2 Roger De La Harpe/ABPL/Animals Animals - Earth Scenes. 3 Steve Hopkin/Getty Images. 4 Kim Taylor/npl/Minden Pictures. 5 Colibri/Jupiter Images. 6 Thomas Shjarback/Alamy. 7 imagebroker/Alamy. 8 David J Sams/Getty Images. 9 Don Farrall/Getty Images. 10 AFP/Getty Images.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.

Printed in China

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02449-3ISBN-10: 0-547-02449-5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.

Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

2

Bees and Their JobsDid you know that bees live together in

a home called a hive? A hive of bees is like a family. Every bee has a special job to do. There are queen bees, worker bees, and drones, the male bees.

2

Bees

Hive

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 22_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 2 1/25/08 9:58:18 AM1/25/08 9:58:18 AM

3

The queen is the biggest bee in the hive. She has the most important job, too. She lays eggs. A queen can lay 2,000 eggs in one day! New workers, drones, and queens will come from the eggs.

3

Queen

Workers

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 32_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 3 1/25/08 9:58:49 AM1/25/08 9:58:49 AM

4

There are two kinds of worker bees. Some work inside the hive. These workers feed the other bees. They also take care of the eggs.

Worker bees

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 42_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 4 1/25/08 9:59:26 AM1/25/08 9:59:26 AM

5

Other worker bees work outside the hive. They keep the hive safe from other animals. These workers also find food for the hive.

Bees eat nectar and pollen. Nectar is a sugary water that flowers make. Worker bees suck nectar from flowers with their long tongues. Pollen, a tiny powder inside the flowers, sticks to the workers’ legs.

Flower

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 52_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 5 1/25/08 10:01:03 AM1/25/08 10:01:03 AM

6

The male bees, called drones, have only one job. They are the fathers of the queen’s eggs. Worker bees feed the drones and clean them, too. In a hive there are usually thousands of worker bees. There are only a few hundred drones.

Drones

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 62_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 6 1/25/08 10:01:44 AM1/25/08 10:01:44 AM

7

HivesInside the hive there are many small spaces,

called cells. Worker bees make the cells out of wax. Every cell is shaped the same. Every cell has six sides.

Bees store food in some cells. Bees put eggs and young bees in other cells. The queen bee lives in the deepest, safest part of the hive. Here, she lays her eggs.

Cells

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 72_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 7 1/25/08 10:02:52 AM1/25/08 10:02:52 AM

8

Sometimes there are too many bees in one hive. When this happens, a queen leaves to look for a new home. Some bees follow her. A few worker bees fly around. They look for a place to build a new hive. The other bees hang on tree branches and wait.

Branch

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 82_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 8 1/25/08 10:03:22 AM1/25/08 10:03:22 AM

9

Why Bees StingSometimes other animals attack the hive.

Then the worker bees that keep the hive safe sting the animals. Bees sting with a stinger, something like a sharp needle on the backs of their bodies. Even birds, with their sharp beaks, cannot break into the hive.

Eyes

Head

Wings

Stinger

Parts of a Bee

Someday you may walk down a winding path in a forest. You may pass a beautiful pond and see a hive of bees. Now you know that the bees are all doing their jobs. If you leave them alone, they will not sting you. Each bee is hard at work.

10

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 102_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 10 1/25/08 10:04:28 AM1/25/08 10:04:28 AM

11

RespondingTARGET SKILL Text and Graphic

Features What do the photographs in this book show you about bees? Copy and

complete the chart below.

Text to World What are the different

kinds of bees? Write a few sentences that

summarize the kinds of bees. Write only

the most important ideas about each bee.

Write About It

Photos What They ShowPage

Bee on fl ower??

How bees get foodThe shape of cells??

5

??

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 112_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 11 1/25/08 10:04:52 AM1/25/08 10:04:52 AM

12

beaksbranchesbreakdeepest

hangpondshapedwinding

TARGET VOCABULARY

TARGET SKILL Text and Graphic Features Tell how words go with photos.

TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions about what you are reading.

GENRE Informational text gives facts about a topic.

2_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 122_024493_LR2_1EL_Bees.indd 12 1/25/08 10:05:11 AM1/25/08 10:05:11 AM

by Claire Tan

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

1032364

2.2.6

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: L

DRA: 24

Genre:Informational

Strategy:Question

Skill:Text and Graphic Features

Word Count: 456

2_024493_EL_LRSE_CVR_L06_Bees.indd 1 2/11/10 12:17:59 AM