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RESOURCES
FOR TEACHERS
In
addition to The American Bear Association, there are a number of organizations
that provide educational materials and ideas for teachers. We have searched
the Internet, and have found the following sources which we recommend
to you. Many of them have materials and activities that you are free to
download without charge. Some require that you purchase certain items.
We feel that you will find enough ideas to make your study of bears and
the natural world exciting for your students, and fun to teach, as well!
The listing below is more or less by age/grade level; however, many of
the activities can be made suitable for older or younger children, by
simply increasing or decreasing the difficulty.
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE
6
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com
Offers a wide range
of activities, spanning all subject areas, free of charge. "Polar
Bear Blubber" is a good one for the bear unit.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/
Click on
the "Education" link in the sidebar. This will bring up a page
of resources for education, including "The Bear Necessities of Safety,"
a series of 12 pages, designed by the Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My
4H Club, which can be made into a booklet about bear safety. Reproduction
permitted.
http://abcteach.org/
A Polar
Bear Shape Book and other items are available. This colorful site has
a wide range of activities in all subject areas, especially for primary
age children.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/bbcp/bbtrunk.html
Maryland's
Black Bear Conservation Program offers Maryland educators a hands-on,
interdisciplinary teaching tool, the Black Bear Education Trunk, for a
1 to 2 week loan. Even if you do not teach in Maryland, you can find some
useful information on the site.
http://www.wildeducation.org/programs/below_zero/belwzero.asp
http://www.wildeducation.org/index.asp
Below zero
activities center around polar bears. The website has a variety of activities
related to the environment.
GRADES 3 THROUGH 9
http://www.projectwild.org
If you are
not familiar with this program, administered by the Council for Environmental
Education and cosponsored by fish and wildlife agencies in most states,
you need to learn about it. It is an exceptional program. Workshops are
offered, free of charge, and upon completing the workshop you will receive
the K-12 Curriculum and Activity Guide, over 500 pages of ideas and activities.The
website has links to the State Coordinators, whom you may contact for
information about workshops in your state.
http://floridaconservation.org/educator/blkbear.htm
Sample lessons
centered around the Florida black bear, a sub-species that is listed as
threatened by the State of Florida. To obtain a complete curriculum you
would need to attend a workshop, but the sample lessons may enhance your
bear unit.
http://learnnc.org
Type "bears"
in the search box. When the next page comes up, scroll down to find the
materials on bears. This site has several lesson plans and instructional
resources, including a lesson plan for 4th grade students to learn about
bears while developing computer technology skills.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
Click on
the "Nature" link on the home page, then on the "Search"
link. Enter "bears." in the search box. There are 2 items, number
1 and number 12. Though a desert environment is not the typical habitat
for black bears, this lesson is worth including in your bear unit simply
because of its uniqueness. The concept of "limiting factors"
is crucial to a student's understanding of population ecology.
GRADES 7 THROUGH 12
http://www.cpawscalgary.org/education/index.html
Excellent
material on grizzly bears, including such topics as biodiversity, habitat
effectiveness, grizzly bear research and conservation, and town expansion
in grizzly territory. The website has additional curriculums on a variety
of environmental topics.
http://www.hctf.ca/wild.htm
An intensive,
thought-provoking curriculum for older students, especially high school
and above. The activities utilize actual data collected by bear researchers.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES,
AVAILABLE BY MAIL, FOR UPPER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS:
The Bear Connection
This is an excellent
resource that spans a number of disciplines besides science, and it provides
background material for teachers who are not trained in biology. Cost
is $23, including shipping (within US). Upon purchase, limited permission
is given to reproduce materials, and student pages may be freely reproduced.
Send check or money order for $23 to:
Maryann Stephenson
5917 Hempstead Road
Madison, WI 53711-3346
Bears: Imagination
and Reality
This curriculum
was designed to be used in conjunction with a visit to the Science Museum
of Minnesota. A similar museum in your area may be an appropriate substitute.
There is a wealth of useful information and activities, which are well
worth the purchase of the curriculum. Permission to reproduce the materials
is given only to the purchaser, for classroom use. For information or
to purchase a copy, contact:
Thomas J. Wickland
Coordinator of Educational Resources
School Services Division
Science Museum of Minnesota
30 E. 10th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
(800) 221-9444
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