Polar Bears
Image retrieved from:
http://www.livescience.com/27436-polar-bear-facts.html
Blog or Wiki Address:
http://teachablespiritmorfin.blogspot.com
Subject Matter:
Life Science
Grade Level:
First Grade
Lesson Objective:
Learners will
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of animals that inhabit different kinds
of environments while demonstrating the ability to describe the polar bears
external features that help them thrive in different climates. Students will observe a YouTube video that
engages the inception of living science content in conjunction with a fun
imaginative story that encompasses the actual living environment of the polar
bear.
The students will
later use google street view in an effort to demonstrate the reality of these
far away environments. Art will be
integrated in this assignment to foster fine motor skill enhancement and to
connect the digital world to the actual world, and they can bring it home to
show Mom and Dad.
Common Core Academic Content Standard
Life Sciences
1 Plants and animals meet their
needs in different ways. As a basis for understanding this concept:
2 Students know both plants and
animals need water, animals need food, and plants need light.
3 Students know animals eat plants or other
animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and
nesting.
Technology Standard: NETS for Students:
Empowered Learner
a. use technology to seek feedback
that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a
variety of ways.
(http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/NETS_for_Students.htm)
Website Addresses
Used as Resources:
3. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/11/polar-bears-in-street-view-polar-bear.html
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Student Research
Questions:
Essential Question:
1 What do you
want to know about Polar Bears in the Arctic?
Do you wonder if the Bear thinks his/her life is hard?
Subsidiary Questions:
2. In the video how did the children
describe the snow beneath their feet?
3. A cave is a
place polar bears go to for what?
4. Why are
polar bears white?
5. How do polar
bears find their food?
6. What is the
temperature where the polar bears live?
7. What is the
temperature today where we live?
8. What happens
to the ice when it heats up?
9. A little
polar bear is called a _____?
10. How many cubs
can a Mother polar bear have?
Assessment:
The use of the internet for this lesson has allowed students
to see and hear polar bears in their native environments. Even as the air blows through the trees in
the video, it allows students to imagine clearly the environment they are
learning about. In the Google street
view the children will be able to manipulate the camera and feel like they are
a part of the faraway place. This will
be more of a familiarizing activity that allows students to gain interest in
technology. I will assess the students’ depth of knowledge by using an informal
assessment methodology. I would not be
grading the students on their responses or inquiries. I would allow for creative thought by
providing a secure environment for students to investigate, hypothesize and cite
evidence. The criteria used for assessing the enduring understanding would be
the use of technology within the lesson. The aptitude of each student will be
apparent and individual prompting and guidance will be provided immediately.
