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"Head Over Heels for Bears"

A unit study on bears for grades K-6th

family - Ursidae (the Latin word for bear)

There are 8 different species of bears. Below you'll will find the different species listed:

1. Brown and Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos)

3. Polar Bears - (Ursus maritimus)

4. Giant Pandas - (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

5. Asiatic Black Bears - (Ursus thibetanus)

6. Spectacled Bears - (Tremarctos ornatus)

8. Sun Bears - (Helarctos malayanus)

Links to other resources:

Features picture and descriptions of the pandas population, distribution andcharacteristics. Learn about their reproduction and home range.

http://www.nature-net.com/bears/panda.html

What do you know about Panda Bears?

Day 1: Introduce Bear Unit with KWL Chart.

Day 2: Finding information on the WWW. Go to the following website and answer the questions below:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/pandas/panda_quiz.htm

Here are the top ten questions asked about its internationally recognized mascot. How many do you know the answer to?

1. How long is the panda's mating season?

2. What are panda babies like?

3. What do pandas eat?

4. Where can I see a panda in the wild?

6. Are pandas bears?

7. What's a red panda?

9. How long do pandas live?

10. How long have pandas been in existence?

Day 3: Color the Giant Panda

Finding Coloring Pages on the WWW. Print, Color and Decorate the Classroom

http://www.pandaproducts.com/psearch.htm

http://www.darkharbor.com/pandadance/

http://www.bensonassoc.com/pct/ppics.html

http://www.pandaproducts.com/maze.htm

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/panda_concentration_cards.htm

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/panda_collage.htm

http://www.iusb.edu/~eengland/webquest.html

Day 7: Finding facts on the WWW.

1. What are giant pandas?

2. Describe the giant panda black and white markings?

3. What does the Chinese name "Da Xiong Mao" mean for the giant panda?

4. Until recently, giant pandas were grouped with what animal?

5. Give five physical characteristics of the giant panda.

6. Explain the giant pandas plantigrade feet?

7. How many pounds of bamboo leaves and stems does the giant panda eat each day?

8. Compare homes of male and female giant pandas?

9. How much do giant pandas weigh at birth?

10. Do giant pandas hibernate? Please explain your answer.

Make acrostic poems with each bear's name.

Create a Venn Diagram with two of the bears.

Use CD-ROM encyclopedias (Encarta, Grolier, etc.) or go to the Web page U.S. Facts to find the state symbols of Alaska. Create a flap book with this information.

http://www.mathsurf.com/parent/2/2c09_208qs.html

Bears and social studies' skills

Make cut-outs of the various species of bears, i.e. Brown Bear, American Black Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, Malayan Sun Bear, Polar Bear, Sloth Bear Spectacled Bear, etc. and have the student place them on the map in the animals natural habitat.

This is a good study to learn the continents with. Label them on a map.

Label a map with the areas each bear lives in. Use a different map or color for each species of bear.

Compare and contrast the different species of bear using a Venn diagram.

Day 10: Summarize and review. Conclude by referring back to KWL Chart to see if our questions have been answered and our information was accurate

Ask the students: What 'Bear Fact' did you find most interesting?

http://www.fonz.org/pandacards/cardgp2.html

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