Introduction to Zoology for Early Elementary Students ~ Week 11: Bears

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This post is part of the Introduction to Zoology series. For a suggested class schedule, an overview of the entire course, and links to more lesson plans, please see the Introductory Post.

My sincere apologies for the long delay in completing this series of Lesson Plans. I am very sorry for any inconvenience it has caused you! I hope to have the remaining lessons posted by the end of March.

In this lesson you will teach your students about bears.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am an affiliate of Amazon, and will receive a small commission if a link on this page is used to make a purchase.

Week 11 Lesson Plan

Note: The following schedule is for a 2-hour class. We also allowed time each week for Show-and-Tell, which is not included below.

1. Introduction & Map Activity (Floor: 5 Minutes)
According to BearWithUs.org, there are 8 different species of bears in the world. (The web site has many images and much information about where each species live that you may want to check out.)

Polar bears live in areas that are near the Arctic Circle: Canada, Russia, Alaska, Greenland and Norway.

Place a Polar bear on your map today, way up at the top – in one of the countries mentioned above.

In my lessons I used the Discovery Kids Fabric Activity Map pictured at the right. I split the felt land mass, water body, and animal pieces into 12 different baggies, one for each lesson. Each week I distributed the felt pieces among my students and allowed them to place them on the map, using a picture of the completed map as a guide.

Alternate Map Idea
The Discovery Kids map appears to be discontinued, so instead, you can use a regular wall map or globe. Cut out small pictures of the animals you are going to learn about from magazines or old encyclopedias. (Or, print them from the internet.) During each lesson attach them to the appropriate area on the map or globe with removable poster putty.

2. Poetry (Floor: 5 Minutes)
The Llama Who Had No Pajama: Panda (page 62), Bear (page 63).

3. Animal Encyclopedia (Floor: 5 – 10 Minutes)
Read one – four pages from a children’s animal encyclopedia about bears. Encourage discussion by asking questions such as:

  • “What is the most interesting thing you remember?”
  • “Can you name some of the bears we talked about?” (Coastal Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Panda Bear)
  • “Do you remember what bears eat?”
  • “What do bears do in the winter?”

I mostly used DK First Animal Encyclopedia, and occasionally Usborne Children’s Encyclopedia of Animals for my lessons.

Use a free Animal Sounds app on your phone or tablet: find the animals you are studying in this lesson and play the sounds for your kids. My students loved this – especially when I let them touch the buttons to play the sounds! If you can’t find the sound for the animal you are studying, try finding some that live in the same habitat.

4. Activity Idea 1: Black Bear Pop-Up Booklet (Table: 15 – 20 Minutes)

Supplies:

Follow the instructions on page 43.  There is information for the teacher on page 42 – you can use this to help your students fill out the booklets.  Here are two pictures from my class:

 

Alternate Project: Polar Bear Puzzle
Click on the thumbnail below to open the free printable PDF file. Provide small zip-lock sandwich baggies for the puzzle pieces. Instructions are included below the puzzle.

5. Activity Idea 2: Bear Bookmarks (Table: 10 – 15 Minutes)

Supplies:

Have each student color a bookmark (be sure they don’t cover up the words), then write his or her name on the bottom. Instruct the kids to cut the bookmark out on the black line, then glue it to the construction paper and cut out again.  See sample to the right:

6. Zoology Notebook (Table: 10 – 15 Minutes)
Pass out binders and crayons, markers and/or colored pencils. Have your students color and trace on the Polar Bear and/or Bear pages. Click on the thumbnails below to open the free printable PDF files.

 

You can assemble the Animal Science Notebooks before the school year begins if you wish: click here for blog post with free printables, instructions, and list of printables.

7. Story and Snack (Table: 10 – 15 Minutes)

Read Blueberries For Sal or Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. (We love both of these books!)

Snack idea: Polar Bear Cupcake (You could decorate cupcakes with chocolate frosting for Black Bear cupcakes. I’ve found that most kids prefer vanilla, though!)  If you read Blueberries For Sal, you could also serve blueberries, of course.

Be sure to check with your students’ caretakers for any food allergies ahead of time.

For more animal-themed snack ideas, please visit my Science For Kids – Snacks Pinterest board.

8. Art Project Idea: Paint a Bear (Table: 15 – 20 Minutes)

Supplies:

  • Brown paint
  • Paper plates for paint
  • Fork (one for each child)
  • White card stock or art paper
  • Black Sharpie pens or markers

Instruct your students to use the fork to paint a furry bear.  Dip the fork lightly into the paint, then press it onto the paint in a circular pattern.  Have them try to add ears, too.  Once the plate has been filled in with fork prints, let the paint dry.  Once dry, allow the kids to draw faces on their bears with the Sharpie pens or markers.

See my Science For Kids – Life Science Pinterest board for more ideas!

Please feel free to comment below with your recommendations – I appreciate your ideas and suggestions!

Text and Images Copyright 2018 Kathryn Depew



Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am an affiliate of Amazon, and will receive a small commission if a link on this page is used to make a purchase.

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