Polar Bear Express
Polar Bear Express Distance Learning Summary and Goals Students will have a better understanding of polar bears and their adaptations to living in an Arctic environment. Students will understand the effects climate change could have on a species. Grade Levels Grades 3-5 Engage This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as researchers and in thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. Some of your students may be early readers, in which case you may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group rather than using individual Research Plan sheets. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success. How has changing Arctic ice coverage affected the range of polar bears? 1. Begin this lesson by telling students that they will be investigating polar bears. 2. If your students are familiar with brainstorming and recording their ideas, break them into small groups. If your students need more guidance, work with them as a large group. Engage your students in a discussion of what they predict the answer to the question to be. More importantly, why do they think this? 3. Where do polar bears live? Why is ice coverage changing on the Earth? Explore 4. Continue with the above discussion and encourage the group to come up with ways they could investigate the question and test their predictions scientifically (all suggestions are welcomed). What tools might they need to carry out their suggested explorations? Are there materials that would help them find the answer? Should they be making observations? What kinds of records will they need to keep? What will they do with the information once they have it? And how will they know that they’ve
5. 6. 7. 8.
successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas. Have your students research the historic range of polar bears. Do they live in the same places today that they used to live? Have your students research the changes in ice coverage throughout polar bears home range. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their own answers or you can record ideas as a group. Students should each draw a map representing both the change in range of the polar bear and the changes of ice coverage over time.
Explain 9. Explain to the group that they will be participating in the “Polar Bear Express” Distance Learning program that might help to give them some insight into the situation. 10. The program will discuss diet in the wild, adaptations, captive polar bears, direct affects of climate change, and what you can do to help polar bears and the environment. Expand 11. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned and review their ideas of how to get the information they would need to answer the original research question. How have humans impacted the Arctic ice fields? How might human efforts be able to help restore them? 12. Have students trace their footprint on a piece of paper and write inside it one thing they pledge to do to reduce carbon dioxide and their carbon footprint. Teachers can hang these footprints up to remind students of their pledges (this can also be modified as one big “class” footprint that each student can write their pledge inside). 13. Work with students to devise an individual action plan to reduce waste and their carbon footprints. Share your plan with other students and/or your school. 14. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities they have just completed? 15. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways. Assess 16. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on climate change. Have your students share their results with the rest of the class. Allow time for student critique and comments. 17. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Could climate change have a significant effect on other animals and their basic needs?
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
18. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan together.
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
Standards Ohio Academic Content Standards Grades 3-5 Life Science Topic: Behavior, Growth, and Changes Plants and animals have life cycles that are part of their adaptations for survival in their natural environments Life Science Topic: Earth's Living History Changes in an organism's environment are sometimes beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful Life Science Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem
National Science Education Standards Grades K-4 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Characteristics of organisms Life cycles of organisms Organisms and environment Earth and Space Science Properties of earth materials Objects in the sky Changes in earth and sky Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Characteristics and changes in populations Types of resources Changes in environments Science and technology in local challenges
Grades 5-8 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Structure and function in living systems Reproduction and heredity Regulation and behavior Populations and ecosystems Diversity and adaptations of organisms Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Populations, resources, and environments Natural hazards Risks and benefits Science and technology in society
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
Polar Bear Express Supplemental Materials
My Research Plan 1. What is my research question? Is it a good question?
How has changing Arctic ice coverage affected the range of polar bears?
2. How can I get my information?
3. What will I do with this information?
4. How will I know I did my job well?
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
5. 6. 7. 8.
successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas. Have your students research the historic range of polar bears. Do they live in the same places today that they used to live? Have your students research the changes in ice coverage throughout polar bears home range. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their own answers or you can record ideas as a group. Students should each draw a map representing both the change in range of the polar bear and the changes of ice coverage over time.
Explain 9. Explain to the group that they will be participating in the “Polar Bear Express” Distance Learning program that might help to give them some insight into the situation. 10. The program will discuss diet in the wild, adaptations, captive polar bears, direct affects of climate change, and what you can do to help polar bears and the environment. Expand 11. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned and review their ideas of how to get the information they would need to answer the original research question. How have humans impacted the Arctic ice fields? How might human efforts be able to help restore them? 12. Have students trace their footprint on a piece of paper and write inside it one thing they pledge to do to reduce carbon dioxide and their carbon footprint. Teachers can hang these footprints up to remind students of their pledges (this can also be modified as one big “class” footprint that each student can write their pledge inside). 13. Work with students to devise an individual action plan to reduce waste and their carbon footprints. Share your plan with other students and/or your school. 14. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities they have just completed? 15. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways. Assess 16. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on climate change. Have your students share their results with the rest of the class. Allow time for student critique and comments. 17. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Could climate change have a significant effect on other animals and their basic needs?
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
18. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan together.
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
Standards Ohio Academic Content Standards Grades 3-5 Life Science Topic: Behavior, Growth, and Changes Plants and animals have life cycles that are part of their adaptations for survival in their natural environments Life Science Topic: Earth's Living History Changes in an organism's environment are sometimes beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful Life Science Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem
National Science Education Standards Grades K-4 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Characteristics of organisms Life cycles of organisms Organisms and environment Earth and Space Science Properties of earth materials Objects in the sky Changes in earth and sky Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Characteristics and changes in populations Types of resources Changes in environments Science and technology in local challenges
Grades 5-8 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Structure and function in living systems Reproduction and heredity Regulation and behavior Populations and ecosystems Diversity and adaptations of organisms Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Populations, resources, and environments Natural hazards Risks and benefits Science and technology in society
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
Polar Bear Express Supplemental Materials
My Research Plan 1. What is my research question? Is it a good question?
How has changing Arctic ice coverage affected the range of polar bears?
2. How can I get my information?
3. What will I do with this information?
4. How will I know I did my job well?
Suggested search terms: Polar Bear, Northern Trek
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Polar Bear Express
