Project Overview

These illustrations of bees were done by third-grade students from Mary O. Pottenger Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts as part of a learning expedition. At the start of the expedition, before they learned anything about bees, students were asked to draw a picture of a bee. At the end of the expedition each student did a detailed scientific illustration of a bee and compared it to his or her original depiction. Both versions are displayed on these posters, highlighting the growth of student knowledge and skill – the Bee-fore and the After diagrams.

The difference between the illustrations is striking. Although the before and after drawings both have wings, a body and two antenna, the similarities stop there. The second shows a detailed understanding of bee anatomy, including position and shape of legs, shape and coloring of wings, size and shape of head and eyes, etc. These drafts show the transformation of students into beginning scientists, working to create scientific illustrations rather than simply cartoon drawings.

To produce the “after” drawing, each student engaged in multiple forms of investigation and spent much time critiquing each other’s work and revising multiple drafts.