Polar Bears Are
An Endangered Species
Grades K and 1
Art - Room 305
Dina Mimnaugh
Introduction
Polar bears are beautiful and interesting animals. Polar bears live in harsh environments and they have been able to survive. The future of polar bears is unknown. Polar bears are faced with sea ice getting smaller, the temperatures are getting warmer and possibly polar bears will disappear from the Earth.
Starving Polar Bear on Iceless Land
Where do polar bears live?
Polar bears are found in the Arctic, Alaska, Canada, Russia and Greenland. They are the only bears that are marine mammals. They live near the sea and spend much of their time in the water. They are good swimmers and can swim long distances and for many hours.
Polar bears live in harsh environments and in extreme cold temperatures. They live along the ocean’s shore on ice sheets. Their large webbed paws help them to swim through the water and a thick layer of body fat allows them to stay warm in the icy sea.
What do we know about polar bears?
Polar bears are the largest bears in the world. They weigh between 800 - 1200 pounds and stand from six to nine feet tall. They have a small head, short ears and a short tail. They have black skin which absorbs the heat of the sun and their thick fur is white. They can swim and their huge paws and sharp claws help them to walk on the ice and snow. They eat seals, fish, birds, eggs and even reindeer. They sleep 7-8 hours per day. Only mothers and their cubs sleep in a den. Polar bears do not hibernate.
What is happening to the polar bears?
Polar bears are faced with many challenges. They live in extreme cold temperatures and they have to travel long distances to find food. Due to climate change the ice is getting smaller and food is becoming difficult to find. The seal population is getting smaller because of the smaller sea ice and they are harder to find. Sometimes polar bears survive months without food. The number of polar bears is declining and they are likely to become endangered.
What does endangered look like?
Polar bears are starving, losing a lot of weight and having a hard time finding food.
Pollution, from oil spills and harmful chemicals in the environment, also affect polar bear health.
What can we do to solve the problem?
What is WWF (World Wildlife Fund)? 
Now you can help! https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Polar-Bear
The World Wildlife Fund is an
international organization dedicated to conservation. Outside of North
America the organization’s name is World Wide Fund for Nature, but it is
known by the acronym WWF all over
the world. The WWF’s international headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland, and
there are more than 90 WWF offices
around the world. The organization is active in more than 100 countries and has more than five million supporters.
In 1960 a British businessman read a
series of articles about the destruction of habitat and wildlife in East Africa.
He saw a need for an international organization that would raise money to
protect endangered
species and their habitats.
● As a class
we are adopting a polar bear cub through WWF.
● We are going
to talk about what the polar bear cub may need to survive.
● Whole class
we will create a web of our ideas.
● We will
create posters and booklets about polar bears to raise awareness of how amazing
these animals are and how we can help them!
Task
Objectives: The students will be able to talk about polar bears sharing what they know and what they want to learn about polar bears. The students will be able to gather information by listening to books and viewing informational videos about polar bears and their challenges for survival. The students will be able to write about polar bears and create a non-fiction booklet about polar bears including: a cover, title, illustrations, captions, labeled pictures, and at least 3 facts about polar bears and their struggle to survive. The students will also create art pieces via: collage, oil pastel drawings, watercolor paintings and color pencil sketches in raising environmental awareness about polar bears. This activity is differentiated based on the needs of my K-1 students.
Student Protocols: Using the PPA (Public Policy Analysis) you will learn about polar bears and why they are becoming an endangered species. You will explain what the problem is; you will do some research and gather evidence; you will identify the causes; you will evaluate the existing policies; you will develop solutions; and at the end we will pick the best solutions.
Time Frame: 4 to 6 week Unit of Study
Process
Using the PPA Process you will follow six steps to
work through the environmental issue of polar bears being an endangered
species.
The six steps are:
Day 1:
Gather
Evidence:
Research: In whole group lessons and mini lessons we are going
to gather information about polar bears and why they are an endangered
species. We will create a web All About Polar
Bears to gather the information that we already know about polar
bears. Once we gather information that
we know, we will work together to ask questions about what we want to know and how we can help the polar bears.
Day 2:
Identify the
Cause:
Research book baskets will be available for you to
work at your tables and discuss in small groups the problem, you can quickly
draw to gather information and word banks/mini word walls will help to jot down
wonders and new information you have learned about why the polar bears are
becoming endangered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jsL-o8Gmz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWe1XplEhUI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pemfzH4S2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jATx6Q0gGb0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEFASpHL9nM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArgzDJxMKeI
Day 3:
Evaluate the
Policy:
What is being done to protect
polar bears?
Polar bears are protected
under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The primary objective of
the MMPA is to maintain the health and stability of the marine ecosystem and to
obtain and maintain an optimum sustainable population of marine mammals.
https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/animalsoftheice_polarbears/
https://polarbearsinternational.org/act-now/
https://polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears-changing-arctic/conservation-concerns/
How can we help polar bears?
What are some things we can do every day to help polar
bears survive?
Day 4:
Develop
Solutions
Now that we’ve done our research let’s discuss what we
found out. What have you learned? What
are some things we can do to help save polar bears? Together let’s jot down the
most important information.
Day 5:
Select the Best
Solution
As a class we will adopt a polar bear from WWF.
Work with a partner to create a nonfiction book about
polar bears, or a poster, and/or watercolor painting, oil pastel or any other
art work to continue to raise awareness and help polar bears and marine
environments. Our books will contain
details about polar bears, their cubs and the environmental dangers that they
face. These posters and books will be
displayed throughout the building to help raise environmental awareness.
( in K and 1 we learned the structures of
non-fiction books: cover, title, photos, facts, captions, labeling pictures,
and how to organize our booklets. )
Resources
Polar Bears Finding It Harder to Find Food
Evaluation
(Rubric)
Rubric
Checklist:
Final Project
Checklist:
I have a quick sketch / drawing to show my
idea
I have written down 3 facts and information
I have discussed the problem with my group
I have come up with solutions
My artwork:
I have used what I know about collage. 
I used what I know
about watercolor 
I used what I know about oil pastels. 
My writing has at least 3 facts about polar
bears. 
Conclusion
Climate
change, and the loss of sea ice habitat, is the greatest threat to polar bears.
The impacts of this change are felt first and worst in the Arctic.
We can
spread awareness of this ongoing problem through our artwork and showing our
school community the importance of caring for animals and our environment. We will display our nonfiction books and
artwork throughout the building to help raise awareness. In art we will continue to work together with
WWF and dedicate our efforts to conservation.
This year we adopted a polar bear cub and I hope to do the same next
year. Thank you for all of your hard
work on this project!
Standards
Literacy
1R2: Identify a main topic or central idea in a text and retell important details.
1R5: Identify a variety of genres and explain major differences between literary texts and informational texts.
1R6: Describe how illustrations and details support the point of view or purpose of the text.
1R7: Use illustrations and details in literary and informational texts to discuss story elements and/or topics.
1R8: Identify specific information an author or illustrator gives that supports ideas in a text.
1W4: Create a response to a text, author, theme or personal experience (e.g., poem, dramatization, artwork, or other).
1W6: Develop questions and participate in shared research and explorations to answer questions and to build knowledge.
1SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse peers and adults (e.g., in small and large groups and during play).
1SL5: Create or utilize existing visual displays to support descriptions to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
1SL6: Express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly, using complete sentences when appropriate to task, situation, and audience.
Art Standards:
VA:Cr1.2.1 Use observations and exploration in preparation for making a work of art.
VA:Cr2.2.1 Demonstrate safe and proper use of materials, tools and equipment.
VA:Re7.2.1 Compare images that represent the same subject.
VA:Cn10.1.1 Create works of art about events.