Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Charles Henry Turner
Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm as busy as a bee?" Bees fly from flower to flower. They busily collect nectar and pollen. They fly back and forth from flowers to their hives. How do bees find their way? Do they see all the colors of flowers? Do they hear sounds?
More than a hundred years ago, Dr. Charles Henry Turner made up experiments to find out about bees and other insects. Dr. Turner was an African-American zoologist. A zoologist is a scientist who studies animals and the way they live. Dr. Turner chose to study insects. This is called entomology.
Charles Henry Turner was born on February 3, 1867 in Ohio. His parents had been slaves, but they were freed at the end of the Civil War. His family was poor, so as a child he amused himself by observing nature. In school, he was always asking questions. One day an annoyed teacher told him, "If you want to know all those things, why don't you go and find out for yourself?"
