Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 2

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Identify beneficial and harmful activities of selected organisms.
• Discuss the economic importance of the grain weevil, butterfly, housefly, and honeybee.
• Understand how to present these findings in a poster or mind map.

Lesson summary

In Ghana, we are surrounded by countless living organisms, especially insects. We see them in our farms, our homes, and our markets. While we often think of them as pests, many of these creatures play a vital role in our economy and environment, while others pose significant threats to our health and food security. This lesson will explore the "two sides of the coin" by examining the economic importance of four common insects in Ghana: the honeybee, the butterfly, the housefly, and the grain weevil. Understanding their roles helps us appreciate the beneficial ones and effectively manage the harmful ones, leading to better health, improved farm yields, and new business opportunities.

Lesson notes

A. What is "Economic Importance"?

In Biology, "economic importance" does not just mean money. It refers to the total effect—both positive (beneficial) and negative (harmful)—that an organism has on the well-being of humans. This includes its impact on: Agriculture: Affecting crop yield, livestock health, and food storage. Health: Causing or spreading diseases, or providing medicinal products. Industry: Providing raw materials for production (e.g., wax, silk, honey). Environment: Acting as pollinators, decomposers, or indicators of environmental health.

We will now examine four insects and classify their activities as either economically beneficial or economically harmful. B. Case Study 1: The Honeybee (*Apis mellifera*) - Primarily Beneficial

Honeybees are social insects that live in colonies. They are arguably one of the most economically important insects in the world, including Ghana.

Evaluation guide

• Discuss the economic importance of selected higher organisms
• Project- based Learning: i n mixed- ability, gender -responsive and all- inclusive tasked -based groups,
• identify within your locality and discuss some beneficial and harmful activities carried out by grain weevil,
• butterfly, housefly and the honeybee. Each group makes presentations of their findings and responds to