Lesson Author: Rita McClain

Subject: Interdisciplinary: Science, Math, Social Studies

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Time Required: 8 hours

Learning Objectives:
The student will:

• learn the different kinds of bears
• discover how bears move
• learn what bears eat
• explore bear habitats
• be able to list the differences between real bears and imaginary or fantasy bears
  

Materials:

• Poem "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around"
• Flannel Board and set for Goldilocks and The Three Bears
• Student Journals
• Drawing Paper
• Teddy Bear Counters of different colors
• Three Bear Family Manipulative Set
• A Balance Scale
• Gummy Bears
• Teddy Grahams
• Reading Chart
• Paper
• Children's Books with Cassettes, for example:

  Bears by Henry Pluckrose
  Bears In The Wild by Ada and Frank Graham
  Black Bear Baby by Berniece Treschet
  Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
  Corduroy by Don Freeman
  Goldilocks and The Three Bears by James Marshall
  Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch
  Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
  How Do Bears Sleep? by E.J. Bird
  Teddy Bear's Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy

Technology Resources:

• Computer with internet access
• Computer with CD-ROM capability
• Suggested Computer Software:

  Barry The Bear-Living Media
  Ready for Math with Pooh-Disney
  Ready to Read with Pooh-Disney
  Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 1-The Learning Company
  ABC World Reference: Wide World of Animals - Creative Wonders

Procedure:

Pre-Activities:

Let the students tell what they would like to learn about bears.

Discuss questions to answer in the unit.

• What are the different kinds of bears?
• How do bears move?
• What do bears eat?
• Where do bears live (their habitat)?

How are real bears different from imaginary or fantasy bears?

Have students help list different kinds of real bears. There are 7 species of bears in the world.

Talk about real bears. Have the students help list facts and characteristics of real bears.

Activities:

Listening Center: The students will listen to a variety of bear books on cassette.

Math Center: The students sort teddy bear counters by color and size. The counters will also be counted and weighed.

Housekeeping Center: Set up housekeeping center as the three bears house with three size chairs, porridge bowls, spoons, and beds (towels or rugs). The students will re-enact Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Science Center: Collect pictures of real bears in their natural surroundings and display them in the science center. Look at a globe or map and talk about where the different types of bears live. Discuss habitat.

Writing Center: Vocabulary to be introduced during this unit: fur, Goldilocks, paw, big, Teddy, den, polar, porridge, brown, cub, black, blueberry, bear, cave, hibernate, soft, honey, and love. At the writing center, the students will write the vocabulary words in their journals.

Language Arts Center: The students will use the flannel board pieces from Goldilocks and the Three Bears to retell the story.

Computer Center- The students will visit bear web sites on the internet to research bears.

Assessment:

Make a list on the board of the names of any real or story bear the children can recall.

Each student decides his or her favorite bear story and draws a picture about the book. The illustrations will be displayed on the bulletin board "Hibernate with a Good Book."

The unit of study may conclude with Teddy Bear Day! Have the students bring a teddy bear to school. Allow each child to tell the name, where it came from and something special about it. Have the students compare and contrast their teddy bear and a real bear. The children will give the bears a tour of the school. TEDDY BEARS ON PARADE! Return to the classroom and snack on gummy bears and teddy grahams.

Supplemental/Teacher Resources:

Teddy Bears at School: An Activity Handbook For Teachers of Young Childhood" by Arleen Steen The Preschool/Kindergarten Mailbox Magazine For Teachers, Dec./Jan. 1994-95 Black Bears/Hibernation p. 18-29

Some important Bear facts:

7 Species of Bears:

• Polar Bear
• Large Brown Bear
• American Black Bear
• Asiatic Black Bear
• Sun Bear
• Sloth Bear
• Spectacled Bear
  
  
  Characteristics of Real Bears:

• Bears sleep all winter.
• They hibernate in caves or in holes in the ground.
• Bears have fur.
• Bears have sharp teeth.
• They walk on 4 legs.
• They take care of their young.
• Bears sometimes attack people.
• They like to eat honey, berries, fruit, roots, insects,acorns, ants, fish and meat.
• Bears are mammals.
• Cubs drink milk from their mother's body.
• Most bears can climb trees.
• Bears can swim well.
• Bears can't see well but they have an excellent sense of smell and hearing.
• Panda bears and Koala bears don't belong to the bear species.

Relevant Websites:

Berenstain Bears
http://www.berenstainbears.com

Smokey Says
http://www.smokeybear.com

Bears.org
http://www.bears.org

Teacher Comments:

Enrichment: The students will sort through a collection of bear books, and they will categorize them as real bear stories and fantasy bear stories. The students will learn the rhyme: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around from a reading chart.

Remediation: The students can revisit the bear web sites for remediation purposes. The children will spend additional time using the computer software programs to increase their knowledge of bears.