Numbers and Statistics

Numbers and Statistics

Look for Numbers an Statistics in this passage

Originally imported from Europe in the 17th century, honey bees are essential to maintaining food production in North America today. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they pollinate more than 100 U.S. crops and help provide one out of every three bites of food Americans eat. 

“If we didn’t have migratory commercial honey bees, our dinner would look a lot less colorful and diverse,” said Smart.

Honey bees have another sweet superpower: making honey. They live and work in highly collaborative, social colonies with a sole reproducing queen, and they make honey by storing nectar from flowering plants in their hives for use during food scarcities.

“The average honey bee colony will gather roughly 40 pounds of pollen and 265 pounds of nectar from the local environment every year,” Otto said. 

Open Ended

What numbers or statistics did you see in that passage? What were they referring to?

Open Ended

Why did the author use these numbers or amounts?

Multiple Choice

What do these numbers show us about the main idea of the text?

• These numbers support the idea that honey bees make a lot of honey.

• These numbers support the idea that honey bees are essential for food production.

• These numbers support the idea that our dinners would be less diverse and colorful without honey bees.

• These numbers support the idea that honey live and work in collaborative colonies.

Open Ended

What is the author's purpose of this passage? How do you know?

Look for examples of Numbers and Statistics in this paragraph

Despite their might, honey bees are in trouble. The number of managed hives in the United States has decreased by about 50 percent since the 1950s due to factors such as diseases, parasites, habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and shifting markets and consumer demand for honey. In recent years, beekeepers have experienced an average total loss of 30 percent of colonies annually, and in 2013-2014 this number increased to 34 percent – a damaging sting.

Open Ended

What numbers or statistics did you see in this paragraph? What did they refer to?

Open Ended

Why did the author choose to include these numbers or amounts?

Multiple Choice

What do these numbers tell us about the main idea of the paragraph?

• These numbers support the idea that bee keepers are suffering from the loss of honey bees.

• These numbers support the idea that honey bees die due to pesticide exposure.

• These numbers support the idea that we need to buy more honey to protect honey bees.

• These numbers support the idea that honey bee populations are in danger.