Assignment A
Text 3 – Upper intermediate
✓ This part of the assignment focuses on stages 3 and 4 of an upper-intermediate reading lesson.
✓ You should show what tasks you would set for the first and second reading.
✓ Read 'Advice on Approaching Assignment A' before you begin working on this template.
✓ Class: A strong upper intermediate (B2) 16 young adults, age range 18-23.
These students are highly moGvated, well-educated and quick to learn. They are all learning English either to improve their job prospects or
because they are hoping to study at university in an English speaking country.
The European Honeybee
© 2021 The TEFL Academy. All rights Reserved. (March 1st, 2021) 1
,You probably know there has been a fall in the world's bee populaGon and that this is not good news. But, unless you are an
entomologist (/ˌentəˈmɒlədʒɪst/ ‒ an insect expert), you probably don't know that much about bees or why they maVer so much to our
lives. Most of us are familiar with social bees, such as the honeybee or the bumblebee, which live in large groups, called colonies.
Worldwide, there are approximately 20,000 species of bee. Surprisingly, most of these are solitary, i.e., they live alone or in smaller
groups.
In this arGcle we will focus on the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). The behaviour exhibited by the honeybee is called eusociality /jʊ
ˌsoʊ.ʃi.'æl.ə.t̬i/. This has three key characterisGcs:
• generaGonal overlap - mother and adult offspring live side by side
• cooperaGve care of offspring
• reproducGve division of labour - only certain individuals can reproduce.
Within a colony there are different classes of bee, known as 'castes.' Each caste plays disGnct roles in the group. The European honeybee
1
has three castes within a colony. The diet which female larvae are fed determines which caste they will belong to.
Queen
Larvae which are fed only royal jelly become potenGal queen bees. Queens are the reproducGve caste. There is usually only one queen
in a colony. The queen is the only female bee in a hive that is able to reproduce. She lays around 2,000 eggs a day, each in an individual
honeycomb cell. Queens normally live for three to five years. However, not all queens survive, as newly emerged queens oeen kill
each other in the nest. Queens only leave the nest in order to mate or establish a new colony. When one leaves, she takes a large group
of workers with her.
© 2021 The TEFL Academy. All rights Reserved. (March 1st, 2021) 2
Text 3 – Upper intermediate
✓ This part of the assignment focuses on stages 3 and 4 of an upper-intermediate reading lesson.
✓ You should show what tasks you would set for the first and second reading.
✓ Read 'Advice on Approaching Assignment A' before you begin working on this template.
✓ Class: A strong upper intermediate (B2) 16 young adults, age range 18-23.
These students are highly moGvated, well-educated and quick to learn. They are all learning English either to improve their job prospects or
because they are hoping to study at university in an English speaking country.
The European Honeybee
© 2021 The TEFL Academy. All rights Reserved. (March 1st, 2021) 1
,You probably know there has been a fall in the world's bee populaGon and that this is not good news. But, unless you are an
entomologist (/ˌentəˈmɒlədʒɪst/ ‒ an insect expert), you probably don't know that much about bees or why they maVer so much to our
lives. Most of us are familiar with social bees, such as the honeybee or the bumblebee, which live in large groups, called colonies.
Worldwide, there are approximately 20,000 species of bee. Surprisingly, most of these are solitary, i.e., they live alone or in smaller
groups.
In this arGcle we will focus on the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). The behaviour exhibited by the honeybee is called eusociality /jʊ
ˌsoʊ.ʃi.'æl.ə.t̬i/. This has three key characterisGcs:
• generaGonal overlap - mother and adult offspring live side by side
• cooperaGve care of offspring
• reproducGve division of labour - only certain individuals can reproduce.
Within a colony there are different classes of bee, known as 'castes.' Each caste plays disGnct roles in the group. The European honeybee
1
has three castes within a colony. The diet which female larvae are fed determines which caste they will belong to.
Queen
Larvae which are fed only royal jelly become potenGal queen bees. Queens are the reproducGve caste. There is usually only one queen
in a colony. The queen is the only female bee in a hive that is able to reproduce. She lays around 2,000 eggs a day, each in an individual
honeycomb cell. Queens normally live for three to five years. However, not all queens survive, as newly emerged queens oeen kill
each other in the nest. Queens only leave the nest in order to mate or establish a new colony. When one leaves, she takes a large group
of workers with her.
© 2021 The TEFL Academy. All rights Reserved. (March 1st, 2021) 2
