Paige Arehart

ED 330- Unit Plan

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Education Department
Lesson 1
Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart
Name of Lesson: What do we know about Polar Bears?
Subject: Science

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson:

This lesson is designed to gauge, expand, and introduce students knowledge of Polar Bears.
Learning outcomes:
Students will recognize and explore basic facts and information on Polar Bears.
Assessment of student outcomes:
Students will be assessed on participation to classroom discussion by providing at least 2
questions or answers to class discussion/activity.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:
SC 4.3 Observe, describe and ask questions about structures of organisms and how they affect
their growth and survival.
Materials Needed:
White Board
Dry-Erase Marker
Pictures of polar bears, seals, fish, etc.
Map of Artic
Tables for stations
Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Good day class, today we are going to be speaking about polar bears. What they eat, where they
live, and a lot more. Who can tell me a little bit about what they know about polar bears?
Teaching procedures:
Engage: What do we know about polar bear? I know that they are pretty neat, but what do you
all think of them?

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Explore: Students will be discussing and exploring what they know about polar bears through the
use of questions and answers between the teacher and whole class. Teacher will use a white
board at the front of the room to create a word bubble map for students to track their findings as
well as previous knowledge. Students will explore the things that relate to the polar bear in
stations. Each station will have different items that relate to the polar bear, i.e. on station will
have pictures of seals, plastic fish, etc. With 4 stations in total- food, habitat/ environment,
location, and description, students will be evenly divided and placed at each station. Students
will not be informed what each station is or means, but rather simply that they need to explore it
and figure out what they think the different things mean. Once they feel they have the meaning
students will raise their hand and either ask a question pertaining to the station or add to one of
the bubbles surrounding the polar bear center for a category.

Habitiat/
Enviornm
ent

Location

Pola
r
Bea
rs

Food

Descriptio
n
(Physcial
Features)

Explain: Students will be asked to think critically on what they have explored. Using questions
like, How is the polar bears habitat different from my own, or Do polar bears and I sometimes
eat the same foods? Encourage students to think through how polar bears live, not only in
general, but compared to other bears, or even other mammals.
Elaborate: Inform students that this lesson is the beginning of a series of lessons where the class
will continue to explore the lives of polar bears and how they can survive in harsh conditions and
tough living environments. Making sure to place emphasis on keeping any notes and information
that they gathered during the lesson to use later. Even putting ourselves in the shoes of the polar
bears in the cold conditions to see how they adapt and live.
Evaluate: Students will be assessed on participation to classroom discussion by providing at least
2 questions or answers to class discussion/activity.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Guided & independent practice:
Students are engaged in guided practice when the teacher is working with them and they are
allowed to seek out questions and answers as they are walked through the activity. Students are
also engaged in independent practice when they are deciphering the meaning of the stations and
how they relate to polar bears.
Closure:
Class, I thought it was exciting learning a little about polar bears today and also hearing what
you already knew. Next time we will be learning how polar bears stay warm so get ready to get
chilly! Because where do polar bears live? and What helps keep them warm?
Differentiated Instruction: Students who are working behind the class could be given time to
prepare for this lesson with a take home activity that would have questions to help them prep for
the questions and class participation. Students who are working ahead of the class could
potentially have to write a journal entry on what they learned for the day.
Technology (if appropriate): N/A
Reflection: n/a

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Education Department
Lesson 2
Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart
Name of Lesson: How do Polar Bears stay warm?
Subject: Science

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson:

Students will use exploration and experimentation to learn how polar bears stay warm.
Learning outcomes:
The students will use experimentation to determine how Polar Bears generate heat as a result of
necessity from their environment.
Assessment of student outcomes:
Students will write a journal entry upon completion of experiment for completion grade as well
as participation in activity. Both are worth 50% totaling 100% of credit.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:
SC 4.1.1- Describe and investigate the different ways in which heat can be generated.
SC 4.3.2 -Observe, compare and record the physical characteristics of living plants or animals
from widely different environments. Describe how each plant or animal is adapted to its
environment.

Materials Needed:
Plastic bags/Ziploc bags
Vegetable Shortening
Ice
Water
Bowls
Measuring cups- cup
Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Hello class, if you remember last time we studied science, youll remember we were speaking
about polar bears. Today we are going to continue with that lesson and learn how polar bears stay
warm.
Teaching procedures:
Engage:
If you were to jump into a pool full of ice, how cold do you think it would be? Do you think
you could swim in it for a long time? Think about a polar bear, how do you think they stay warm
under the freezing arctic waters?
Explore:
Teacher will explain to students that polar bears use blubber to stay warm in the freezing
temperatures of the arctic. Teacher will also speak about how polar bears have especially oily fur
to help make them water resistant so they do not freeze. The teacher will then introduce the
activity for students. (Having previously set up a station for students with two bowls of ice and
water mixtures as well as 8 sets of blubber bags where there is two zip lock bags put together,
one with vegetable shortening and the other surrounding it.) Students will then be informed to
take the shortening and fill the inside bag. Measuring out 6, 1/2 cup measuring servings of the
shortening into the bag, making sure they are using the correct amounts by adding them up.
Teacher will then go around the table and make sure all bags are checked, sealed, and ready to
go. Students will then be instructed to put their hand in the water and wait for 5 seconds.
Students will then be asked how cold it is and how it feels, making sure to share with the class.
They should then be instructed to pretend they are a polar bear with layers of blubber and to
simulate this they must place their hand in the bag and again put their hand in the water. Students
will again be asked how the water feels. Was it different? The same? Colder? Warmer?
Explain:
Students will then be asked to journal what they experienced with the water and how the activity
is related to polar bears. Making sure to include how they would feel being a polar bear, and
comparing it to how we handle cold. Also using the comparison to humans wearing winter coats,
students should determine how polar bears are adapted to their environments in a special way.
Students should compare the blubber glove with the blubber that polar bears have and the water
resistance of the bag to the oily skin of the polar bear. Did my hand get warmer faster because it
wasnt wet? Did it ever get as cold?
Elaborate:
Teacher should then prompt class with questions like How would polar bears having blubber and their fur resisting water help them in their
environment?
Does this make it easier for them to hunt or fish?
How would polar bears being able to easily stay under water and swim help them with
what we know is their main food source?
What did we learn the other day that could relate to this lesson?

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Evaluate:
Students will write a journal entry upon completion of experiment for completion grade as well
as participation in activity. Both are worth 50% totaling 100% of credit.
Guided & independent practice:
Students are engaged in guided practice when working with teacher during the examples and
constructive part of this lesson. Students are also later engaged in independent practice when
they are being asked to journal about their experience and their own thoughts on how polar bears
have adapted to their environment.
Closure:
Class, I had fun diving into the icy depths with you all today. It was exciting to learn how polar
bears stay warm when the water is cold and the land is also frozen. Dont you all wish we could
swim year round too?
Technology (if appropriate): N/A
Reflection:

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Education Department
Lesson 3
Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart
Name of Lesson: What color is a polar bears fur?
Subject: Science

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson:

Students will use their previously taught knowledge that polar bears are adapted to their
environment to recognize that their coloring is another adaptation in relation to survival and
living.
Learning outcomes:
Students will recognize and identify how the Polar Bear has adapted to their environment.
Assessment of student outcomes:
Students will create activity with class and be assessed on participation and application to
concept being taught by writing a 1-2 paragraph journal about what they learned to be displayed
outside the classroom with their puppet. If both are completed student will receive 100%- 50%
each.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:
SC 4.3.2 -Observe, compare and record the physical characteristics of living plants or animals
from widely different environments. Describe how each plant or animal is adapted to its
environment.
Materials Needed:
Black socks (1 for each student)
Cotton balls (enough for each student to completely cover sock)
Glue
Clear Straws (enough for each student to completely cover sock)
Permanent Markers
Rulers
Scissors
Smart Board
Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Class, as we continue learning about polar bears we will learn about what color their fur is. As
well as how their fur is special to them and where they live.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Teaching procedures:
Engage:
If you were living in the artic what color do you think it would be good to be? If I were white
all over and I lived in the artic, why do you think I would be that color? What has made me like
this?
Explore:
Teacher will explain to students that polar bears fur is multi-faceted. Being that it is actually not
white at all, but has translucent outer shafts that are hollow with a dense undercoat that is wooly
and warm and then they have black skin. Teacher prompt students for as to why they think these
things could be? Teacher will explain that black skin is for catching and absorbing heat from the
sun, dense wooly undercoat is for keeping the bear insulated, and the translucent shafts help to
reflect and camouflage the bear in the artic. Teacher will then direct students to take the clear
straws on their desk, asking them what they represent (translucent outer hair) and then asking
them to cut them into measured 1 inch sections and 2 inch sections to represent the bears outer
hair at different lengths. When students are finished teacher will then have them glue the cotton
on top of the black socks representing wooly undercoat over top of black skin. Lastly students
will glue the clear plastic straw pieces on the wooly coat and add a face with their permanent
marker.
Explain:
Students will then be asked to journal a short factual page on what they learned about polar bears
fur and how it relates to the environment that they live in. Students will be asked to elaborate on
how having white and translucent fur could help them in the artic. Students will be reminded that
this will hang in the hallway bulletin board so please write like they are telling others what they
have learned and not just about what they learned so everyone can understand.
Elaborate:
For a final culmination of the activity students will each raise their hand and say one thing that
they learned that day or have learned during the polar bear unit and then be asked to go and write
it on the classroom smart board so that the entire class can see. Students will be asked to not
repeat, and get creative with their information.
Evaluate:
Students will create activity with class and be assessed on participation and application to
concept being taught by writing a 1-2 paragraph journal about what they learned to be displayed
outside the classroom with their puppet. If both are completed student will receive 100%- 50%
Guided & independent practice:
Students are engaged in guided practice when working with teacher during the examples and
constructive part of this lesson. Students are also later engaged in independent practice when
they are being asked to journal and tell about what they have learned to share it with others.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Differentiated Instruction:
Students who are behind their peers may need more time on their polar bear puppet and thusly
could be not required to write the journal. Students who are working ahead of their peers could
potentially be asked to write a 3-4 paragraph journal instead of 1-2.
Closure:
Today we learned how important a polar bears fur is to its survival in the wild and how it is
uniquely adapted to its environment in many way, from its black skin to absorb sun to its
translucent and hollow hair shafts that wont take on water.
Technology (if appropriate):
Computer and Smart Board
Reflection: n/a

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Education Department
Lesson 4
Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart
Name of Lesson: Where oh where is my polar bear?
Subject: Science

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson:

Students will use website to explore a unique and singular polar bear to research and learn about
so as to relate it to what they have been learning overall.
Learning outcomes:
The students will explore the environment of Polar Bears and how they live all over the map, but
in similar environments.
Assessment of student outcomes:
Students will research and complete a 3-5 slide Power point presentation on a tracked polar bear
of their choosing. Graded on: 60% content, 20% accuracy, and 20% creativity.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:
SC 4.3.3 -Design investigations to explore how organisms meet some of their needs by
responding to stimuli from their environments.
Materials Needed:
Computers for whole class
Pencil
Paper
Map of the world
Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Class, today we are going to be tracking a few polar bears in many different locations. Even
though polar bears are the same, they can still live in lots of places. Get ready to search for a
polar bears home!
Teaching procedures:
Engage:
Where do you think we can find polar bears on the map? Only one place? Lots of places? Do
the places that polar bears live have anything in common? Get ready to do your research!

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Explore:
Teacher will ask students to bring up google earth on their computers. Teacher will then direct
students to explore 3 places for a list of things:
What is the longitude and latitude coordinates?
What is the average daily temperature?
What is the environment like?
Could a polar bear live here comfortably?
Do these places have anything in common?
The places are Churchill, Canada, Spitsbergen, Norway, and Tasiilaq, East Greenland. Students
should explore these places as much as possible for how a polar bear would live in them.
Explain:
Students will then be directed to www.polarbearsinternational.org/beartracker where each of
them will be assigned a specific bear unique to them to look at, and track. The data the student
records from the website will then need to be put into the form of a power point presentation
containing 3-5 slides to be shared with the class. Students should include information like:
Where does my bear live?
How old is my bear?
What is my bears gender?
How long have scientists been tracking my bear?
Is there anything special about my bear?
Elaborate:
For a final culmination of the activity students will all be asked to share their findings on their
bear after a few days of preparation time. Each student must present on their findings. The
teacher will then guide the class in relating their real life bears to the facts and information that
they have learned in class thus far.
Evaluate:
Students will research and complete a 3-5 slide Power point presentation on a tracked polar bear
of their choosing. Graded on: 60% content, 20% accuracy, and 20% creativity.
Guided & independent practice:
Students are engaged in guided practice when working with teacher during the initial given
tracking locations of where bears live. Students are then engaged in independent practice when
they have to singularly track their own bear and make a presentation on their bear.
Closure:
Class, all of your presentations were excellent! I am so happy that you all explored and got to
research these bears. It is one thing to learn about them in general but it is a whole other thing to
put those statistics to a real life polar bear. We truly saw that polar bears have a wide range of
habitat, but ultimately the same requirements in any place that they live.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Differentiated instruction:
Students who work at a faster pace or are ahead in class could have more than one bear to
research. While students who may be struggling could simply do a power point with only basic
facts with 1 or 2 slides.

Technology (if appropriate):

Computer
Power point projector

Reflection: n/a

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Education Department
Lesson 5
Teacher Candidate: Paige Arehart
Name of Lesson: Wrapping up polar bears!
Subject: Science

Grade: Fourth

Rationale for lesson:

Students will use the knowledge that they have gained during unit and apply it to a cumulative
lesson.
Learning outcomes:
Students will be able to combine previous learning with new information to write a cumulative
paper on polar bears and then apply it to and in class game.
Assessment of student outcomes:
Students will write a 1-1 page research paper on information that they had learned in class as
well as using at least 1 source. Graded on 50% accuracy, 20% grammar and sentence structure,
20% source usage, 10% completion.
Related Foundations/Indiana Academic Standard:
SC 4.3 Observe, describe and ask questions about structures of organisms and how they affect
their growth and survival.
SC 4.1.1- Describe and investigate the different ways in which heat can be generated.
SC 4.3.3 -Design investigations to explore how organisms meet some of their needs by
responding to stimuli from their environments.
SC 4.3.2 -Observe, compare and record the physical characteristics of living plants or animals
from widely different environments. Describe how each plant or animal is adapted to its
environment.
Materials Needed:
Dry-Erase Boards (2)
Dry-Erase Markers (2)
Question forms
Lesson/Activity Presentation:
Anticipatory set:
Class, as we are wrapping up our unit on polar bears we are going to have some discussions of
our papers as well as play a fun game.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan
Teaching procedures:
Engage:
All of our papers on polar bears were due today, congratulations class Im very proud of all of
you! I know all of you have learned so much about polar bears and it has been very exciting
learning and even tracking our bears. We are going to play a fun game about polar bears in a little
while, but first lets review and go over some of the things we have learned up until now.
Explore:
Teacher will ask students review questions about polar bears that they have learned over the
course of the unit, i.e.:
What is the polar bears habitat?
What do polar bears eat?
What have we learned about polar bears that you did not know before?
What is special about a polar bears fur?
As a final review activity each student will then present/read their paper to the class so everyone
can hear what the individual people felt was important for their papers as well as learn possible
new facts that they had not learned before.
Explain:
Students will then be split up into two even groups and sat on each half of the classroom. The
students will be given one white board and one dry-erase marker. Each student will take their
turn at the game as an individual one against the other in a true or false game. The students will
be asked a true or false question and have 10 seconds to answer. If they get the answer correct
their team will earn a point. The team with the most points at the end of the game gets 2 extra
credit points on their paper; the other team will receive 1. Teacher will have a list of questions
like:
Polar bears are only found in Alaska
When a polar bear cub is born it is the size of a rat
Polar bears have black skin
There are more polar bears today then there were 10 years ago in the world
Elaborate:
Students will be asked to review by ending the game asking any questions that they had over the
game or final questions about polar bears. Students will be asked to do a short reflective journal
entry on their paper and the game as well as the unit and how well they felt they learned new
things.
Evaluate:
Students will write a 1-1 page research paper on information that they had learned in class as
well as using at least 1 source. Graded on 50% accuracy, 20% grammar and sentence structure,
20% source usage, 10% completion.

Paige Arehart
ED 330- Unit Plan

Guided & independent practice:

Students are engaged in guided practice when working with teacher during the game. Students
are engaged in independent practice when they are reading and presenting their papers to the
class.
Closure:
Class, we have learned so much about polar bears over the last few weeks! I hope you all
enjoyed and learned as much as I did. Thank you for all of your participation in the game and
excellent job on your papers!
Differentiated instruction:
Students who work at a faster pace or are ahead in class could be required to write a 2 page
paper, where students who work behind the class pace could be required to only write a 1 page
paper.
Technology (if appropriate): N/A
Reflection: n/a