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Inside the Hive with a Beekeeper

8th grade nonfiction passage about beekeeping: 262 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade nonfiction beekeeping 262 words

Inside the Hive with a Beekeeper

On a warm morning, a beekeeper lights a small can called a smoker, puffs cool smoke at the entrance of a hive, and lifts the lid. The smoke calms the bees, and the veil and gloves the beekeeper wears protect against the few that still object. Then the careful inspection begins.

A typical colony lives in a stack of wooden boxes that hold hanging frames. Each frame can be lifted out on its own, so the beekeeper can study it without tearing anything apart. The first thing to look for is evidence of the queen, the single egg-laying bee in the colony. Often the beekeeper does not spot the queen herself but finds fresh eggs, which show she is at work. Next comes a check of the brood, the young bees growing in sealed cells, and of the stores of honey and pollen that the colony will need to survive.

Beekeepers also watch for problems. A crowded hive may prepare to swarm, which means that part of the colony would leave with the old queen to find a new home. To prevent this, a beekeeper can add another box so the bees have more room. Signs of disease or pests, such as mites, must be caught early.

When honey is harvested, beekeepers take only the extra. They uncap the wax from the full frames and spin them in a machine that flings the honey out, leaving the comb undamaged so the bees can use it again. Careful beekeepers always leave enough honey behind to feed the colony through the cold months.

Questions

  1. Why does a beekeeper puff smoke at the hive? in the text

  2. What is the queen's job in the colony? in the text

  3. What might a beekeeper find if the queen herself is not seen? in the text

  4. What does it mean when a hive swarms? in the text

  5. How can a beekeeper keep a crowded hive from swarming? in the text

  6. Why is it smart to spin honey out of the frames instead of cutting the comb away? think about it

  7. Why do careful beekeepers leave some honey in the hive? think about it

Words to know

inspection
a careful look to check that everything is fine
colony
a large group of insects living and working together
brood
young bees that are still growing in their cells
swarm
when part of a bee colony leaves to start a new home
comb
the wax cells where bees store honey and raise young
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 238 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

On a warm morning, a beekeeper lights a small can called a smoker. The beekeeper puffs cool smoke at the hive door and lifts the lid. The smoke calms the bees. A veil and gloves guard against the few that still mind. Then the careful check begins.

A colony lives in a stack of wooden boxes with hanging frames. Each frame lifts out by itself, so the beekeeper can look at it without wrecking anything. The first goal is to find signs of the queen, the one bee that lays eggs. Often the beekeeper does not see the queen but finds fresh eggs. This shows she is at work. Next the beekeeper checks the brood, which are young bees growing in sealed cells. The beekeeper also checks the honey and pollen the colony needs to live.

Beekeepers watch for trouble. A crowded hive may swarm. That means part of the colony leaves with the old queen to find a new home. A beekeeper can add another box to give the bees more room. Signs of disease or pests, such as mites, must be found early.

At harvest, beekeepers take only the extra honey. They cut the wax caps off the full frames and spin them in a machine. The honey flies out, and the comb is not harmed, so the bees can use it again. Careful beekeepers leave enough honey to feed the colony in the cold months.

▲ This passage · 262 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

On a warm morning, a beekeeper lights a small can called a smoker, puffs cool smoke at the entrance of a hive, and lifts the lid. The smoke calms the bees, and the veil and gloves the beekeeper wears protect against the few that still object. Then the careful inspection begins.

A typical colony lives in a stack of wooden boxes that hold hanging frames. Each frame can be lifted out on its own, so the beekeeper can study it without tearing anything apart. The first thing to look for is evidence of the queen, the single egg-laying bee in the colony. Often the beekeeper does not spot the queen herself but finds fresh eggs, which show she is at work. Next comes a check of the brood, the young bees growing in sealed cells, and of the stores of honey and pollen that the colony will need to survive.

Beekeepers also watch for problems. A crowded hive may prepare to swarm, which means that part of the colony would leave with the old queen to find a new home. To prevent this, a beekeeper can add another box so the bees have more room. Signs of disease or pests, such as mites, must be caught early.

When honey is harvested, beekeepers take only the extra. They uncap the wax from the full frames and spin them in a machine that flings the honey out, leaving the comb undamaged so the bees can use it again. Careful beekeepers always leave enough honey behind to feed the colony through the cold months.

■ Harder · 288 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.5

On a warm morning, a beekeeper lights a small can called a smoker, puffs a stream of cool smoke at the entrance of the hive, and lifts the lid. The smoke calms the bees, while the veil and gloves that the beekeeper wears offer protection against the few that still object to the intrusion. Only then does the careful inspection begin.

A typical colony lives in a tall stack of wooden boxes that hold hanging frames. Each frame can be lifted out individually, which allows the beekeeper to examine it thoroughly without tearing anything apart. The first priority is to look for evidence of the queen, the single egg-laying bee in the entire colony. Frequently the beekeeper never spots the queen herself but instead discovers fresh eggs, which prove that she is hard at work. Next comes a check of the brood, the young bees growing in sealed cells, and of the stores of honey and pollen that the colony will require in order to survive.

Beekeepers also remain alert for problems. A crowded hive may prepare to swarm, which means that part of the colony would depart with the old queen in search of a new home. To discourage this, a beekeeper can add another box so that the bees have more room. Signs of disease or pests, such as mites, must be caught early before they spread.

When honey is harvested, beekeepers take only the surplus. They slice the wax caps from the full frames and spin them in a machine that flings the honey outward, leaving the comb undamaged so that the bees can use it again. Responsible beekeepers always leave enough honey behind to feed the colony through the cold months of winter.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put inspection, colony, brood, swarm and comb on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 6 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Inside the Hive with a Beekeeper"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 262 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.8. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are seven. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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