EDUCATOR’S GUIDE
The mission of the National Wildlife Federation
is to educate, inspire and assist
individuals and organizations of diverse cultures
to conserve wildlife and other natural resources
and to protect the Earth’s environment
in order to achieve
a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable future.
As America’s largest member-supported
conservation group, NWF leads grassroots efforts
to safeguard wildlife, wild places and the natural resources
on which we all depend.
The National Wildlife Federation has been a leader
in environmental education for nearly 65 years.
From our Schoolyard Habitat program and teacher workshops to
Ranger Rick magazine and our award-winning
television shows and films,
NWF’s dynamic education efforts reach out
to help people discover, experience and connect
with the wild in our world.
For an overview of NWF’s education programs,
turn to the last pages of this book.
We also hope you will visit us at www.nwf.org.
BEARS Giant Screen Film Credits:
Director:
Executive Producers:
Producer:
Supervising Producer:
Distributed by:
David Lickley
Chris Palmer and Ed Capelle
Goulam Amarsy
James Marchbank
National Wildlife Productions and Primesco
BEARS Educator’s Guide Credits:
Writer/Editor:
Vice President, Education:
Director, Classroom Programs:
Sr. Director, Education Publications:
Design:
Artwork:
Sharon Katz Cooper
James L. Stofan
Bill Street
Donna Johnson
Sarah Ornstein
Jennifer DiRubbio
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Special thanks to these reviewers: Sara Griffen Hoofnagle, David
Heath, Craig Tufts, Sterling Miller, Elizabeth Murdock, Stephanie
Stowell, Stacey Low, NWF Education Advisory Panel
NWF Executive Staff:
President & CEO:
General Counsel:
Sr. Vice President & CFO:
Sr. Vice President, Conservation Programs:
Sr. Vice President, Constituent Programs:
Staff Director:
Mark Van Putten
Eileen Morgan Johnson
Lawrence J. Amon
Jamie Rappaport Clark
Natalie S. Waugh
Wayne Schmidt
NWF Vice Presidents:
Dan Chu, Robert S. Ertter, Carole S. Fox, John H. Giesecke, Philip B.
Kavits, Jaime Berman Matyas, Thomas F. McGuire, Susan Rieff, James
L.Stofan, Carolyn Waldron
Senior Advisors:
Barbara J. Bramble, Tom Dougherty, Douglas B. Inkley
National Wildlife Productions:
President & CEO:
©2001
Chris N. Palmer
National Wildlife Federation
Table of Contents
Film Synopsis ....................................................................................2
Introduction ......................................................................................3
The Movie Stars ................................................................................5
Supporting Cast ..............................................................................12
Activities
Activity 1: Three Bear Face-off! ................................................14
Activity 2: Got Milk ? ................................................................17
Activity 3: Year in the Life of a Grizzly......................................21
Activity 4: Bears and Me! ..........................................................26
Activity 5: Bears in the Sky ........................................................30
Activity 6: Bears in the Cold: Polar Bear Adaptations ..............35
Activity 7: Bears in Trouble ........................................................37
Activity 8: Grizzlies in our Backyard? ? You decide! ................41
Activity 9: Wildlife Careers ........................................................46
What You Can Do............................................................................49
National Science Education Standards Chart ............................51
Primesco
More Resources for Bears ..............................................................52
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Film Synopsis
The fourth and most anticipated giant-screen film produced
by the National Wildlife Federation, BEARS brings audiences
closer than ever before to some of the
world’s largest terrestrial animals in the
full glory of their natural habitat.
From polar bears in the Arctic tundra
to black bears in the Northern
Rockies, this film features some of the
most spectacular footage ever shot of
these enterprising omnivores. Catch
salmon with a group of hungry
grizzlies on the McNeil River in
Alaska. Crawl inside a den with a
mother black bear and her cubs.
Search for seals with a polar bear
Primesco
family in the icy waters of Northern
Canada. Learn about the challenges
facing each of these species as their
habitat diminishes—and what you can do to help protect
these magnificent animals.
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Introduction
Most of the world’s eight bear species inhabit the northern temperate
regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Large, heavy mammals,
bears are classified as carnivores (closely related to dogs and cats),
although most of them eat mainly vegetation. They
also have good eyesight, fair hearing, and a keen
sense of smell. Although in some circumstances bears
can occasionally be dangerous and some bear species
have an undeserved reputation for being fierce, bears
are typically peaceful, solitary creatures that usually
roam areas undisturbed by humans. In most cases
when a bear hears or smells a person, it will run away
and the person will not even know a bear was nearby.
Primesco
Primesco
Bears are fascinating creatures. North America’s
largest predators, they have adapted to many environments and are amazing to watch. Their strength
and power have fascinated human cultures for thousands of years, inspiring many legends, myths, and
symbols. Their biology continues to intrigue scientists – who study, among other aspects, their ability
to slow down their metabolism and lower their body
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
interactive and fun, to
assist you and your
students in increasing
your knowledge and
understanding of bears.
They are all aligned to
National Science Education Standards (see chart,
p. 51). It is our hope that
you and your students
will enjoy this film and
these activities, and that
you will be inspired to
take action to help
protect bears throughout
the world.
temperature for large
portions of the year, as
well as delay the development of their fertilized
eggs.
Primesco
However, all eight of the
world’s bear species face
serious conservation
threats. In fact, all eight
species are listed as threatened or endangered
species (in at least a
portion, if not all, of their
range). Available bear
habitat is continually
shrinking due to human
activities. Forest destruction (including timber
harvesting, agriculture,
farming, and oil and
mineral exploration and
extraction), in addition to
increased development of urban
and rural areas, wipes out and
degrades bear habitat
throughout the world.
Excessive hunting (usually
illegal) is a threat to the
continued survival of many bear
species. Poaching for an
increasing demand for bear parts
to supply the trade in traditional
Asian medicines is also a significant threat. Bears reproduce
slowly, and if they are killed at
high rates, it is difficult for their
populations to recover. It is
possible to alleviate these threats
and for humans and bears to
coexist, but that will require
humans to make some changes
in the way we expand and grow
in the places where all species
live.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
In your hands you have the
Educator’s Guide designed to
accompany the BEARS giant
screen film. (However, these
activities can all be done
without seeing the film as well.)
These nine activities are
designed to be interdisciplinary,
INTRODUCTION |
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
The Movie Stars:
FACT SHEET
Grizzly Bear
varying elevation, and large river
valleys sparsely inhabited by
people.
Grizzly Bears are also called
“brown bears” in coastal areas
where they grow larger and are
typically darker colored, even
though they are the same species
and subspecies as the smaller
and lighter colored “grizzly
bears” found in interior areas.
Ursus arctos
Size:
Males: 325-1300 lbs (147-590 kg)
Females: 150-800 lbs (68-363 kg)
Diet:
Animals, plants, roots, berries,
insects, salmon and other fish
where available
Estimated Population:
About 1,000 grizzlies in the
lower 48 states, roughly 31,700
in Alaska, and approximately
25,000 in Canada
Mates June to early July; litter of
1-4 young born January –
March, newborns weigh 1 lb
(.45 kg), lifespan: 15-30 years
Primesco
Scientific Name:
Life Cycle:
Primary Threats:
Range:
Currently found in mountain
regions of Wyoming, (around
Yellowstone), Montana (in and
around Glacier and Yellowstone
parks), and a few in Idaho and
Washington. They are also
found throughout Canada,
Alaska, and much of the
Northern Hemisphere (Russia,
Japan, and other parts of Asia,
the Balkans, and a few other
places in Europe).
Habitat Type:
Once inhabited the
open plains east of
the Rocky Mountains but now
largely
confined to
large forests
with
meadows,
grasslands,
plentiful
cover,
The primary threats to grizzly
bears today are illegal hunting
and habitat loss. In the
southern part of their range,
grizzlies live in areas where
people are increasingly abundant
and active. Road building
designed to provide access for
timber operations is a major
cause of grizzly mortality, as it
results in more people driving
into areas where formerly there
were few people. Once in grizzly
habitat, people often shoot grizzlies out of fear. Education can
address this issue, so people and
bears can co-exist peacefully.
Background
The grizzly bear once roamed
the entire western half of North
America as far south as Mexico.
Now driven into the most
remote wilderness areas left, the
grizzly is still reasonably abundant in far western and
northern Canada, and Alaska.
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Farther south in
southern Canada (British
Columbia and Alberta),
and a few remnant locations in Idaho, Washington, Montana, and
Wyoming, the bears are
rare and, in the U.S., are
listed as threatened
under the Endangered
Species Act.
The grizzly is a prime
example of a species
pushed to near extinction
in the continental United
States by acts of people
driven by ignorance, fear,
and economic concerns.
The grizzly population
has been severely reduced
by illegal hunting driven
by concerns for livestock
and personal safety. Only
about 1,000 remain in
the lower 48 states.
Logging and recreational
use of its wooded habitat
are also continued
threats.
Historical and Present Distribution of
Grizzly Bears in North America
Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Bears, ©1999 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Grizzly bear populations recover
slowly due to a very low reproductive rate, and efforts to reintroduce grizzlies to former
habitat have stimulated controversies. The highest priorities of
grizzly conservationists are
reduction of mortality, habitat
protection, reduction of
conflicts with people in bear
habitat, and location of acceptable habitat areas into which
grizzlies can be reintroduced.
Since the remaining grizzlies are
in isolated populations, it is also
vitally important to preserve
connecting swaths of habitat
(“corridors”) between these
islands through which bears can
move safely from one area to
another. Citizen education and
involvement in reintroduction
strategies such as those offered
by the National Wildlife Federation can help advance efforts to
increase grizzly populations in
the U.S. With the right
approach, these reintroduction
efforts can allow these bears and
people to peacefully co-exist.
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The Movie Stars:
FACT SHEET
Polar Bear
Scientific name:
surfaces. Because the hairs of its
waterproof coat are hollow, they
are especially good for insulation
and increase the bear's buoyancy
when swimming. Excellent
swimmers, polar bears paddle at
about 6 1/2 mph (10 km/h)
with their front feet only, hindfeet trailing—a trait unique
among four-footed land
animals. They can also remain
submerged for about two
minutes.
Ursus maritimus
Size:
Male: 800-1600 lbs (363-726 kg)
Female: 500-800 lbs (227-363 kg)
Diet:
Seals and other marine mammals
Estimated population:
20,000
Range:
Throughout the coastal areas
and islands of the Arctic, polar
bears live in harsh conditions
with temperatures well below
freezing. Their habitat spans
Greenland, Norway, Russia,
Canada, and Alaska.
Habitat type:
Polar ice, on land when ice is
scarce. Pregnant females spend
winters in dens, mostly on land.
Life cycle:
Mates in April/May every other
year, litter of 1-4 young born in
November-January, birth
weight: about 2 lbs (.9 kg);
lifespan: 25 years.
Primary threats:
Primary threats to polar bears
include: excessive killing, polar
ozone depletion, climate change,
oil spills, destruction of denning
habitat by development projects
such as oil exploration.
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Background
Unlike black and grizzly bears,
which are mainly nocturnal,
polar bears are active at any time
of the day or year. They have
many adaptations to their Arctic
habitat, including: white fur,
which blends with the snowy
environment to
provide camouflage for
capturing
prey;
large size,
which helps maintain
body temperature by
reducing surface-heat
loss; and furry feet,
which insulate against
cold and provide
traction on icy
An acute sense of smell enables
the polar bear to find prey even
when it is hidden by snow drifts
or ice. The polar bear stalks
young seals and walruses, and
sometimes adult seals, often by
swimming underwater to their
ice sheets. Polar bears hollow
out winter dens in protected
snowbanks, where females den
from November to March,
during which time they give
birth. Males den for much
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
shorter periods, usually from
late November to late January,
but may be up and about occasionally at any time of the year.
Cubs remain with their mother
about a year and a half, denning
with her the winter after
their birth.
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
ally under three different agreements: The International Agreement on Conservation of Polar
Bears and Their Habitat (1973),
which directs the five nations that
polar bears inhabit to protect
polar bear habitat, especially
denning areas, feeding areas, and
migratory routes; the United
States Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), which helps
maintain the
health and stability of marine
ecosystems; and the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES,) which
protects polar bears from illegal
trade under Appendix II. This
protection is similar to the U.S.
designation of threatened species.
The polar bear is
protected internation-
indicates
range of the
polar bear
Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Bears,
©1999 International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources
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The Movie Stars:
American Black Bear
FACT SHEET
Scientific name:
Ursus americanus
Size:
Male: 200-650 lbs (90-295 kg)
Female: 120-400 lbs (54-181 kg)
Diet:
Insects, nuts, berries, roots, and
other plant materials, young
deer or moose, and, in coastal
areas, salmon, carrion (dead
animals, found incidentally). In
many places, the animals black
bears eat most are ants.
Estimated population:
750,000
Habitat type:
Primary threats:
Range:
Primarily forests and other
wooded areas
Black bears are threatened by
loss of habitat, illegal killing,
urban sprawl.
Most of Alaska southeast
through Canada to northern
Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Michigan, and east coast south
through New
England, New
York, Pennsylvania and
Appalachian
mountains
to Florida,
south on West
Coast through northern
California, Rocky Mountain
states to Mexico. Also in
Arkansas and southeastern
Oklahoma.
Life cycle:
Mates June to early July; litter of
1-4 young born January to early
February, birth weight: .5 lbs
(.23 kg); lifespan: 20-25 years.
Background
Black bears are primarily
nocturnal. They live in home
ranges of about 10 square miles
(20-25 sq km); though the
home range of the male is about
double the size of a female's
home range. Black bears' walk
may appear clumsy, but they
can run up to 30 mph
(50 km/h) in short bursts!
Powerful swimmers, they also
climb trees, either for protection or food. In the fall, black
bears put on a good supply
of fat, then hole up for the
winter in a sheltered place,
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
and instead eat roughage, such
as leaves, pine needles, and bits
of their own hair. These pass
through the digestive system to
form an anal plug, up to 1 foot
(30 cm) long, which bears expel
when they emerge in the spring.
Females usually mate during
their third year. While the
mother sleeps in the den, the
almost naked newborns nestle
into her fur. Much like human
infants, they may nurse for
about a year.
Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Bears, ©1999 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
such as a cave, crevice, hollow
tree or log, under the roots of a
fallen tree, or sometimes, in the
Hudson Bay area, a snowbank.
Excrement is never found in a
wintering den. Black bears stop
eating their standard diet a few
days before entering the den,
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
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can easily be confused with
those of the Asian bears from
which these parts are usually
taken.
Black bears are mainly solitary, except briefly during the
mating season and when
congregating to feed at
dumps. Bears can become
problems around open
dumps, becoming dangerous
as they lose their fear of
humans.
Currently, the Louisiana
black bear is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and the
Florida black bear has been
considered for listing. While
black bears in other regions
of North America are not legally
imperiled, the bears do continue
to face threats to their survival
in some areas, especially in the
south (Florida, Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Mexico). This is
due primarily to habitat loss and
mortality stemming from
human-bear encounters.
black bears have also been
poached in the U.S. for their
paws and gallbladders. These
parts are illegally exported for
the large and growing market
for bear parts used in traditional
Asian medicines.
American black
bear parts
While some states in the U.S.
have a limited hunting season
on black bears,
American
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Supporting Cast:
Bears from Other Continents
FACT SHEET
Sloth Bear
Medium-sized and predominantly black, the Asiatic black
bear is similar to its American
cousin. The Asiatic black bear,
however, has a white patch of fur
on its chest, which is often
shaped like a “V.” These bears
can be found throughout
Southern Asia, including
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern
India, and Burma. They prefer
heavily forested areas, particularly in hills, mountains, and
moist tropical forests below
alpine elevations. The Asiatic
black bear eats insects, fruit,
carrion, and small vertebrates.
The Asiatic black bear is primarily threatened by habitat loss
and the illegal trade in bear
parts.
The sloth bear is found in the
forests and grasslands of India,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal,
and Bhutan. It has a black,
shaggy coat with a cream colored
“U”- or “Y”-shaped patch of fur
on its chest. Adult sloth bears
lack upper incisor teeth. This
creates a gap in their mouths.
The bears extend their long
lower lips through this gap to
form a tube for feeding. They
then suck up termites and ants, a
primary food source, through
this tube, making loud noises
that can be heard from over 350
feet (107 meters) away. Sloth
bears can also close their nostrils
at will, which is thought to be an
adaptation to defend against
termites and ants. Other items in
the sloth bear’s diet include fruit,
eggs, insects, and honeycomb.
Sloth bears are threatened by
habitat destruction for logging
and illegal poaching.
Giant Panda
The giant panda was long
thought to be part of the
raccoon family because of characteristics similar to the red
panda. Since 1995, however,
scientists have officially classified
it as a bear. The giant panda has
several adaptations that distinguish it from other species in
the bear family. One is an
enlarged wrist bone, which gives
the species a special kind of
opposable thumb — an ideal
adaptation for grasping stalks of
bamboo, which comprise 99%
of its diet. The panda’s distinct,
highly visible black-and-white
markings and its bleat vocalization (different from the growl or
roar of other bears) also distinguish the giant panda. Although
treasured and a superstar at zoos
worldwide, the panda faces an
imminent threat of extinction
due to destruction of its habitat
in high, dense bamboo and
conifer forests of Central China.
Smithsonian Institution,
National Zoological Park
Asiatic Black Bear
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Spectacled Bear
Spectacled bears inhabit the
Andes Mountains, ranging from
Venezuela and Colombia south
through Ecuador, Peru, and
Bolivia. They primarily live in
forest ecosystems, but they can
also be found in more open
ecosystems such as steppes (treeless areas) or deserts. Spectacled
bears are excellent tree-climbers,
and they often use trees as
feeding platforms and build
nests in them for sleeping. They
feed on a variety of fruits,
berries, and plant matter, in
addition to small mammals,
such as rabbits, birds, and mice.
Spectacled bears are named for
the distinctive cream-colored
bands that encircle their eyes.
Their fur is brown or black.
The major threat to their
survival is habitat loss due to
human development; logging,
mining and agriculture.
The smallest of
the bears, the
sun bear only
weighs 60 to
145 lbs (27-65
kg). It is found
in the lowland
tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Its coat
is composed of
short, sleek,
black hairs. It
bears a goldenor white-colored crescent shape
on its chest and the same
coloring also around its eyes.
Sun bears are omnivorous: they
eat everything from the tips of
palm trees to birds, termites,
and bees’ nests. Because sun
bears are rare in the wild, little
information is available about
their behavior or their current
numbers. Sun bears originally
inhabited Southeast Asia,
Malaysia, Indonesia, and India.
They are now believed extinct in
India and possibly in
Bangladesh. Like the other eight
bear species, habitat loss is the
primary threat to the sun bear.
Smithsonian Institution, National Zoological Park
Smithsonian Institution,
National Zoological Park
Sun Bear
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ACTIVITY
Three-Bear Face-Off
Summary:
Students play a game to
familiarize themselves with the
similarities and differences
between three different kinds
of bears.
Grade Level:
3-6
Time:
one class period
Subjects:
science, language arts
Skills:
application, comparison
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify several similarities
and differences between
black bears, grizzly bears,
and polar bears
Identify several
characteristics of three
bear species
Materials:
Bear facts cards, p. 15-16—
sheets that students cut up
into individual cards
1
Background
The three species of North
American bears (black bears,
grizzly bears and polar bears)
have many similarities and
differences. This game will help
students focus on some
interesting bear facts they may
have learned about in the film.
Procedure
1. Start with a brief discussion
about similarities and
differences between the
three North American bear
species (see fact sheets).
What are some differences
that students noticed in the
film or know about already?
If they haven’t seen the film,
have students research this.
2. Explain to the students that
they will play a game to
investigate some of these
differences and similarities,
and test their knowledge of
bears.
3. Divide the class into two
teams – have each team give
themselves a name (Team A
& B for reference here.)
4. Pair off students – one
student from Team A and
one from Team B.
5. Give the Team A student the
A card sheet and Team B
student the B card sheet to
cut apart into small question
cards. Instruct students not
to let their partners see the
fronts of their cards.
6. When you tell them to “go,”
students take turns reading
the clues on their cards to
each other. The student
reads a clue to his/her
partner and the partner has
to answer which bear the
clue applies to. If he/she has
the correct answer, he/she
receives a point. Pairs should
keep score.
7. When all the pairs are done,
add up the points to see
which team has
accumulated the most
points.
8. Ask students, Why do you
think these similarities/
differences exist?
Assessment
• Have students create a
comparison chart of the
three bears, choosing their
own categories. If time
allows, have students
research additional bear
species and add these to
their charts.
•
Have students create their
own bear comparison game
and try it out on each other.
THREE-BEAR FACE-OFF |
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Team A Cards
WORKSHEET
✃
✃
✃
ACTIVITY
1
CLUE:
Has black skin
and white fur
CLUE:
Can survive 6 months
of winter without
food or water
CLUE:
Plains Indians called
it Nita Kyaio –
“real bear”
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
All bears
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear
✃
✃
✃
CLUE:
Lives in the
cold Arctic
CLUE:
Cubs are blind at
6 weeks old
CLUE:
Climbs trees to get
away from danger
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
All bears
ANSWER:
Black bear or
Grizzly bear
CLUE:
Eats mostly seals
CLUE:
Can eat 90 lbs
(40 kg) of plants
as food in a day
CLUE:
Weighs less than
1 lb (.45 kg) at birth
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear
ANSWER:
Black bear
✃
✃
✃
✃
CLUE:
Most adapted for
swimming
CLUE:
Only pregnant
females hibernate
CLUE:
Enjoys salmon for a
good meal
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear or
Black bear
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✃
✃
✃
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Team B Cards
✃
✃
✃
✃
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
1
CLUE:
Gather in large
numbers at the
McNeil River in
Alaska each year
✃
CLUE:
Threatened by
habitat destruction
CLUE:
Only about 1000
left in the
continental U.S.
ANSWER:
All bears
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear
CLUE:
Largest land
predator in the
world
CLUE:
Eats mostly plants
and berries
CLUE:
Native Americans
call it Nanook –
“great white hunter”
ANSWER:
Polar bear
ANSWER:
Black bear or
Grizzly bear
ANSWER:
Polar bear
✃
✃
✃
CLUE:
Likes insects
for a snack
CLUE:
Sleeps in a den in
winter time
CLUE:
Inspired Native
American legends
ANSWER:
Black bear or
Grizzly bear
ANSWER:
All bears
ANSWER:
All bears
CLUE:
Has 6-inch (15-cm)
front claws
CLUE:
Lives in North
America
CLUE:
Threatened by
earlier arrival of
spring – an effect of
global warming
ANSWER:
Grizzly bear
ANSWER:
All bears
ANSWER:
Polar bear
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
ACTIVITY
Got Milk?
Summary:
Students recognize bears as
mammals, learn the difference
between different kinds of
milk, and make butter.
Grade Levels:
1-5
Time:
one or two class periods
Subjects:
science, math
Skills:
analysis, observation,
construction, comparison
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
identify and name the
components of milk
explain why milk is
important to baby
mammals
describe how bear milk
compares to human and
cow milk
make butter from cream
Materials (per group):
1 cup of whipping cream;
at room temperature
small jar with tight lids
large mixing bowls
long wooden spoons
several gallons of whole
milk (4%), reduced fat (2%)
and skim milk (0% fat),
depending on the size of
the class
2
hand lenses
small plastic bowls or cups
plastic spoons, straws,
chocolate powder, sugar,
salt, small strainers, paper
towels
Background
Bears are mammals, and all
mammals have certain characteristics in common. These include:
live birth of young, hair or fur,
large brains, internal fertilization,
teeth, and mammary glands that
produce milk for young.
Feeding their young is an essential part of parental care for
bears, as for all mammals.
Female bears, like all other
mammals, feed their newborns
milk made in their bodies when
young are born. Milk is a fascinating substance that most kids
will be familiar with and will
likely be eager to investigate.
Though all mammals produce
milk, that milk varies tremendously from animal to animal,
depending on the needs of the
young and the habitat in which
the animals live. For most
mammals except humans,
babies are born relatively helpless but must become strong and
mobile quickly to maximize
their chances for survival in the
wild. Milk, their own personal
food source, helps them to grow
quickly. For example, blue whale
babies drink as much as 132
gallons of milk per day; they
have been known to gain up to
200 lbs (90 kg) per day! Polar
bear milk is about 40% fat,
about 10 times the fat content
of cow’s milk. Young bears in
North America are born in dens
where they have nothing to eat
but milk from their mothers.
The milk has to be rich and
plentiful for the cubs to grow
large enough that they have a
good chance of surviving when
they leave the den three months
later. After that, though the
cubs will still nurse, they will
increasingly learn to eat other
foods, much in the way kids
grow to appreciate and eat more
things as they grow older (even
salads!).
Of course, not all animals experience such dramatic growth as
do bears or the blue whale, but
milk is essential to all mammals’
survival at an early age. In this
activity, students will explore
this crucial food!
There are a number of different
ways to run this lesson. It is
designed with an inquiry
element and a more structured
experiment. You may wish to do
just one or the other, or both,
depending on the level of your
students and the time and space
available.
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Preparation
Copy and cut out milk cards on
page 20.
Procedure
1. Ask students, What is a
mammal? In addition to
bears, can you name any
mammals? Are you
mammals? What kind of
characteristics do all
mammals share? Brainstorm
answers, including live birth
of young, teeth, large brains,
and production of milk. Tell
the students that today they
will be exploring one of
these characteristics.
2. Ask students, What do you
like to drink? What is the first
drink you ever had? Do you
know where it comes from?
What other animals produce
milk? On the board, make a
list of animals the students
suggest. Ask them if they
notice anything in common
among all these animals.
Explain that animals that
produce milk are called
mammals. Female mammals
all produce milk for their
newborn babies. Students
may have noticed the bear
cubs spending time with
their mothers in the Bears
film. Female bears produce
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
very rich milk for their cubs,
and it is the cubs’ only food
for the first several months of
their lives. Not all mammals
produce the same milk.
3. Ask the students if they
know what milk is made of.
If they can’t guess, because
that’s a pretty hard question,
tell them that they are now
going to act out the
composition of milk. Ask
for 20 volunteers. Hand out
the milk cards for 20
students, giving water cards
to 17 of them, and one fat,
one protein and one sugar
card each to three other
students. This is close to the
composition of the cow’s
milk sold in the
supermarket labeled 4%, or
“whole milk.” Explain to
students that protein is the
substance that makes them
strong and builds and
repairs muscles and cells; fat
makes their hair shine, gives
them energy, and helps their
bodies fight infections; and
sugar gives them energy.
Then ask students what they
think might be the
composition of brown bear
and black bear milk? For
brown and black bears, take
away water cards from three
students and give them fat
cards. How about polar bear
milk? For polar bear milk,
take away water cards from
four more students and give
them fat cards. Let the
students take a moment to
see what is happening. Ask,
why do you think there are
differences between different
mammals’ milk? (Polar bear
cubs live in a very cold
environment and need to
build up fat as quickly as
possible to keep them warm
and able to survive.)
4. Option A: Inquiry Approach
Ask students, What do you
know about milk? Write a list
of student responses on the
board.
5. Then ask, what would you
like to know about milk?
Before they answer, give
each student (or small
groups) a small cup/bowl of
milk. Instruct students not
to drink the milk.
Encourage them to look at
their milk closely. Give out
hand lenses if available. Tell
the students to spend some
time exploring their milk.
What properties does it have?
What does it mix with? How
does it feel? What differences
can they see between the
whole, reduced fat and skim
varieties? Leave out spoons,
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
straws, sugar, powdered
chocolate, small strainers,
water, absorbent paper
towels, and anything else
you think they may find
useful. Be sure to wander
around while the students
are investigating and
encourage them to
experiment. Point out the
different kinds of milk you
have available if they want
to compare.
6. After an appropriate amount
of time for your class, stop
the students and ask them
what questions they have
about milk at this point.
What do they want to know?
Record their questions on
the board. Were any of their
previous questions answered?
7. Look at the list and ask the
students if they can think of
any experiments they might
do to answer any of these
questions.
8. Ask students what other
things they eat are made
from milk. Generate a list
on the board (yogurt,
cheese, ice cream, some
salad dressings, some
cookies and cakes and
breads, etc.) Butter will
probably be one of them.
Tell the students that they
can make their own butter
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
right now! You may wish to
do this in small groups, or
as a demonstration,
depending on your class
size, level and space.
9. Option B: Structured
experiment Divide the
students into small groups if
you haven’t already done so.
Put the whipping cream
into the jars, about 1 cup
per jar. Tell the students to
tightly fasten the lid and
take turns shaking hard
until they see the cream
separating into a white
liquid (that’s the buttermilk)
and clumps of fat (that’s the
butter.)
10. Give each group a bowl and
instruct students to pour
everything out of the jar
into their bowls.
11. Using a strainer, separate the
buttermilk from the butter.
12. Tell student groups to wash
their butter with cold water,
then use wooden spoons to
press it against the sides of
the bowl until the water
rinses clear and all the excess
water is squeezed out.
13. Now for the fun part!
Students can taste their
butter. They may want to
add a pinch of salt.
14. Ask the students, What did
you just do? Do they
remember when they
learned earlier about the fat
in milk? Explain that each
milk fat particle is wrapped
up by a protein skin in
regular milk, so they don’t
clump together very well.
But when the students
shook up that cream, those
skins split apart and the fat
particles were then able to
grab onto each other and
form bigger clusters. And
voila!—butter!
15. Tell the students that now
they can probably see that
butter is a pretty rich food,
even when it is made from
cow’s milk. Can you imagine
what butter made from bear’s
milk would be like?
Assessment:
Have students design their own
experiments for testing
hypotheses to the questions
they developed about milk.
Conduct the experiments.
Were their hypotheses correct?
Extension:
Have advanced students calculate the fat content of each of
the bear’s milk from the milk
cards part of this activity.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Milk Cards
✃
FAT
2
PROTEIN
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
PROTEIN
WATER
FAT
WATER
WATER
FAT
WATER
WATER
WATER
WATER
SUGAR
SUGAR
SUGAR
✃
WATER
✃
✃
WATER
✃
✃
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
✃
✃
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
A Year in the Life of a
Grizzly Bear
ACTIVITY
3
Summary:
Students learn about seasonal
variations in the life of a
grizzly bear.
Time:
one or two class periods
Grade Level:
1-6
Subjects:
art, language arts, science
Skills:
application, comparison,
description, construction
Learning objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify differences in
grizzly bear lifestyle from
season to season
Describe how grizzly bears
use their habitat
Describe the diet of grizzly
bears
Identify some similarities
and differences between
grizzly bear cubs and
themselves
Materials
Copies of student story
handout, page 23-25
Markers, crayons, color
pencils, or paint
Posterboard or large
sheets of paper for murals
Preparation
Review the narrative The Grizzlies’ First Year.
Procedure
For Grades 1-2:
1. Hand out and read aloud
the illustrated narrative The
Grizzlies’ First Year, which
describes a year in the life of
a grizzly bear mother and
her cubs. After completing
the story, discuss the
following questions with the
class:
• What do grizzly bears do
from late fall through
spring? Why? Do you
think a bear in a zoo
would need to hibernate?
Why or why not?
• When do grizzly bears
give birth to their cubs?
• How big are the cubs
when they are born?
• How big are the cubs
when they leave the den
in the spring?
• What do grizzlies eat?
• What does the mother
grizzly teach her cubs?
• Where does the grizzly
bear dig its den and
during what season?
• Describe what you
might see if you found a
grizzly bear den.
• How big are the cubs
when they are nine
months old?
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
• How long do the cubs
stay with their mother?
•
Seasonal habitat
requirements
• How does the grizzly
stay warm during the
winter?
•
Seasonal food
preferences
•
Behavior
•
Cub rearing
•
Denning/Hibernation
2. Groups can design a
poster, props, or seasonal
diorama (see mural activity
above) to use while
presenting their skits.
Alternatively, you may wish
to have them write a report
that conveys their topic to
the class.
Primesco
2. Divide the class into four
groups and assign each group
one season: winter, spring,
summer or fall. Each group
should then design a mural
depicting what the grizzly
bear does and where it lives
during each season. Write
the corresponding season at
the top of each mural.
Encourage your students to
show through the illustration
what the grizzly eats, how it
gets its food, what the grizzly
mother teaches her cubs and
what a grizzly den might
look like. When completed,
you may choose to combine
the seasonal murals into one
diorama to be displayed
along a wall of the classroom
or hallway.
For Grades 3-6:
1. Divide students into small
groups. Distribute copies of
the The Grizzlies’ First Year
narrative to each group to
read. (This page contains all
the basic information the
students will need, but you
may wish to have them
supplement with their own
research through books or
on-line resources.) Using
information provided in the
narrative, have each group
write, rehearse, and present
a skit on one of the
following topics:
3. Have students ask
questions of each group
after each skit.
Assessment:
Have students write their own
story about the first year of a
polar bear or a black bear.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
3
It was early April and tender
blades of grass poked
through the melting snow.
Gilley the Grizzly and her
two cubs, Jesse and Berry,
crawled out of their den
after several months of
winter sleep. Gilley yawned
and then stretched her paws
against the damp ground.
Her large black nose
twitched as she sniffed the
warm breeze. The air was
filled with the scent of
spring. She was hungry
because she hadn’t eaten
anything for several months.
It was time to come out.
Jesse and Berry playfully
stumbled and rolled on the
ground, learning to crawl in
and out of the den. They
were careful to stay close to
the den, where they could
hide if a larger animal came
near.
At the entrance to their den
was the base of a tree. The
tree’s roots made the
entrance strong. Last
November, when it got cold
and there was no longer
much food around, Gilley
dug the den into the slope
Primesco
The Grizzlies’ First Year
on the south side of the hill.
When the snow came, it
blocked the den’s entrance,
trapping warm air inside.
There Gilley lived off the fat
she had stored up over the
summer. Jesse and Berry
were born in February. At
birth, each cub weighed
a pound (less than half a
kilogram) and was about 10
inches (25 centimeters) long.
They were helpless when
they were born, and the den
gave them protection from
animals who might have
wanted to eat them. For
three months they slept
beside their mother inside
the den, eating only her rich
milk. The cubs are bigger
now, weighing 5-10 lbs (2-5
kg). By the end of the
summer, they will weigh
40-90 lbs (18-40 kg).
Gilley watched her cubs
play. It’s time for them to
learn how to find their own
food, she thought. She
wanted her cubs to know
how to manage on their
own. Besides, all cubs learn
to hunt during their first
spring and summer. After a
few weeks, when the cubs
were a little bigger and
stronger, Gilley called to
Jesse and Berry and led
them down the mountain to
the green river valley.
Young cubs learn from their
mothers’ examples. Jesse
and Berry eagerly watched
Gilley as she began pawing
around, looking for grasses
and berries, and animals
that may have died during
the winter. Pushing around
remaining piles of melting
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Nearby, the cubs practiced
sniffing the ground and
digging for berries and
grasses. Jesse caught his
long claw underneath a root.
Gilley patiently showed him
how to pull the root loose
from the ground. Determined to find his own, he
sniffed around and followed
a scent. The moment his
claw moved some soil,
Jesse saw a ground squirrel
Primesco
snow, she held her nose
close to the ground and
sniffed. She stopped where
she found the strongest
scent. Then she broke the
soil with her long, sharp
claws and sifted the dirt
away from a bunch of
berries.
peeping through the hole.
Startled to see Jesse, the
ground squirrel quickly
pulled its head inside the
hole. Jesse’s digging claws
followed. After searching for
the squirrel for a couple of
minutes, the cub stopped
and gave up.
You’ll get it
next time,
Jesse,
Gilley said.
Squirrels
are fast.
With
practice,
you’ll know
where to
dig the
next hole.
By June, the
cubs were
getting better at finding
food. It’s time for them to
learn how to swim, Gilley
thought.
So she led the way across
the woods into the river. At
first the cubs only put their
paws into the water. But
when one cub went deeper,
the other followed. Soon the
cubs splashed and rolled in
the crystal clear river.
The rest of the summer the
bears ate ground squirrels,
grass, mice, insects, salmon
and plants. But as fall
began, they mostly ate wild
berries and nuts. Gilley
knew they would need a
hefty fat supply to nourish
them through their winter
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Primesco
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
sleep. Watching her cubs eat
huckleberries, blueberries,
salmonberries, and nuts,
Gilley thought about the
oncoming winter and the
den she would have to
build. But for now, the cubs
will play, eat, and hunt. Cubs
grow up too fast. When they
are just two years old, they
will be on their own, she
thought as she watched her
cubs wrestle in the grass.
In early November, the
weather grew colder. There
was not much food around
anymore, so Gilley knew it
was time to find a den to
hibernate for the winter.
Gilley led her cubs up into
the high country in search of
a den site. She chose a site
near last year’s on a southfacing slope. It was above
6,500 feet, above the tree
line and high enough to
ensure a deep snow cover
throughout the winter.
After finding some good soil
that would support a solid
den, she began digging. She
dug and dug and dug. After
creating a large enough
hole, Gilley searched for
materials to line the den
floor. She used grasses and
small twigs she found in the
vicinity to build a nest. Gilley
carefully placed the materials on the floor of the den.
A week later the den was
completed.
By mid-November a blizzard
surrounded the mountaintop. It was time for the
bears to go inside their den
and begin their winter sleep.
Fattened up and ready to
sleep, one by one, Jesse,
Berry, and Gilley nestled
themselves into the warm
sleeping area. As they slept,
their hearts beat slower,
their body temperatures
dropped 9 degrees, they
didn’t go to the bathroom,
and yet they were not cold
because their bodies had
enough fat.
Outside, the ground was
covered with snow and the
river was frozen. Though
they might wake up from
time to time, aroused by
loud noises or to shift positions, mostly the bears
would sleep in their warm
den until the snow melted in
the spring.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
ACTIVITY
Bears and Me!
Summary:
Students compare themselves
to grizzly bear cubs to learn
their similarities and
differences.
Grade Level:
K-2
Time:
one class period
Subjects:
science, art, math
Skills:
comparison, generalization
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify several
characteristics of grizzly
bear cubs
Compare and contrast
their own growth and
development to that of
bears
Materials:
Bears and Me
worksheets, page 27-28
Bear Paw worksheet,
page 29
Crayons or markers
4
Procedure
1. Pass out copies of the Bears
and Me comparison page.
2. Have the students draw
human shapes on their own
paper and find a human fact
that corresponds with each
bear fact. For students who
are not reading, read each
bear fact aloud. Point out
the bear fact in italics.
Students will write a
corresponding fact for each
by writing the correct
number, word, or phrase in
a human shape they drew.
They may need to take this
home as homework. For
example, one bear shape
says, “At birth I weighed 15
oz. and was 10 inches long.
My eyes were closed.”
Students will need to find
out their approximate birth
weight, their length at birth
and whether human babies
are born with their eyes
open or closed, and write
this information in a human
shape. Provide analogies
(i.e., a 5 lb bag of sugar) as
needed for your students.
3. Have students trace their
hands inside the outline of
the bear cub and adult bear
paws. What do they discover?
They may want to take this
sheet home to trace one of
their parents’ hands inside
the adult bear paw outline
as well.
4. Have students share their
comparison findings for the
paws and the other factors.
What have they discovered?
5. For older students (grades
3 and up): Have students
trace the bear paws and
their own hands onto graph
paper and calculate the area
of each. They can then
create a bar graph showing
the areas of each hand and
paw they measured. What
do they notice?
Assessment
• Have students illustrate
themselves next to a bear
cub or adult, showing
several of the similarities
and differences.
•
Make a growth chart
comparing themselves with
a grizzly bear.
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
4
Bears and Me
At nine months, I weighed
73 lbs (33 kg).
I mostly eat roots,
berries, nuts,
rodents and fish.
During the first several
months of life, I slept
almost continuously,
occasionally nursing
from my mother.
During the winter, I stay
warm by sleeping in a warm
snug den, lined with evergreen
boughs, mosses, and grasses
and insulated by a deep
snow cover.
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
WORKSHEET
At three months, when
I emerged from the
winter den with my
mother and brother,
I weighed 7 lbs (3 kg).
4
I was born in late
January in a den, which
my mother had dug on a
south facing slope high
in the mountains.
At birth, I weighed
15 oz (about half a kilogram)
and I was 10 inches (25 cm)
long. My eyes were
closed at birth.
ACTIVITY
During my first two years,
I stayed close by my mother.
She taught me how to dig for roots,
catch rodents, and avoid dangerous
situations. I liked to wrestle
with my brother, swim
and fish.
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Bear Paw
Worksheet
One Year Old
Grizzly Bear
Paw Print
Adult Grizzly Bear
Paw Print
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
ACTIVITY
Bears in the Sky
Summary:
Students explore the night sky’s
constellations and learn the
use of bears in mythology and
Native American lore.
Grade Level:
3-8
Subjects:
science, writing
Skills:
description, analysis,
observation, comparison
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Define a constellation
Identify the Ursa Major and
Ursa Minor constellations
and explain their
significance in mythology
and Native American
culture
Create their own
mythological stories to
explain constellations
Materials:
Environmental Protection Agency
Night Sky handout, page 32
Copies of two legends of
Ursa Major/Minor, page
33-34
Background
The constellations have been the
sources of legends for thousands
of years, almost as long as
humans have been looking to
the night skies. Ursa Major and
Ursa Minor, the Latin names for
“Great Bear” and “Lesser Bear,”
are among the best known
constellations. Also home to the
groups of stars known as the Big
Dipper and the Little Dipper,
they are relatively bright and
easy to find in the sky.
Finding the Great Bear isn’t
hard. Summer is the best time
to look, when these stars are
higher in the sky. On a clear
night, look north. You should
see a huge dipper-shaped
constellation. The bowl stars of
the Big Dipper form the bear in
Native American legend, while
the stars in the handle are
hunters chasing it. Alternatively,
the “handle” is the tail of the
bear, the “bowl” is part of the
hindquarters.
If you look at the two stars
forming the beginning of the
“bowl” and follow along the line
that they make, you will see the
North Star, Polaris. The star
forms part of the tail of the
Lesser Bear, and was always used
by sailors as a guide to finding
north. In fact, the phrase,
“getting your bearings” comes
5
from the practice of using the
Great Bear to find the North
Star.
Procedure
1. Ask students if they have
ever seen Ursa Major, the
Great Bear, in the night sky?
Have they ever looked for it?
2. Hand out the Night Sky
worksheet and help students
to locate Ursa Major and
Ursa Minor. Do they look
like bears to you? What do
you see in these stars?
3. Tell students that people
have been making up
legends and myths about
the constellations in the sky
for thousands of years.
Several different cultures
saw bears in the Big Dipper
and Little Dipper’s shape.
Students will read two
stories of how the Dippers
came to be there.
4. Hand out the two legends
for all students to read.
After everyone has read
the legends, lead a
group discussion of their
meaning.
•
What similarities do you
see between these two
stories?
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•
What difference do you
observe between them?
•
What do you think it
was about the way these
constellations appear
that inspired these
stories?
•
•
How do the two stories
explain the
characteristics of the
constellations?
What did the people
who wrote these stories
think about bears? What
characteristics did they
assign to bears?
5. Have students return to
their night sky worksheets
and see what other animals
or objects they can find in
the stars. Be sure to tell them
to use their imaginations
and creativity. What can you
see in the sky?
6. Invite your students to
create their own legends
about one of their own
imaginary constellations.
Students should write their
own story about how that
constellation came to be.
Depending on your class
time, this could be
homework.
7. Have student volunteers
share the layout of their
constellation and read their
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
stories to the other students
and answer questions from
the class.
Assessment
Encourage students to look for
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, or
other constellations in the night
sky above their homes with
their families. Have students
research and report on a legend
about bears in other cultures.
Extension:
Bears in Modern Culture
Procedure:
1. Explain to students that the
constellations and the night
sky played a major part in
the lives of these ancient
peoples, so they made up
stories about them.Today
we rely less on the stars. In
fact, many people today
barely even notice the stars.
Yet even in our culture
today, we refer to the bear
in many different ways.
2. In small groups, have
students brainstorm a list of
bears in our culture – in
advertising, toys and games,
corporate identity, and so
forth (e.g., Winnie the
Pooh, Smokey the Bear, the
Chicago Cubs, teddy bears,
Teddy Grahams, honey
bears, bear hugs,
Care Bears, gummy bears,
Coca Cola polar bears, bear
on the California State flag,
“Goldilocks and the Three
Bears”).
3. Next to each item on their
lists, have students identify
what characteristic of bears
that item is trying to
emphasize, or how the
advertiser wants people to
respond.
4. Have groups share their lists
with each other.
5. If time allows, you may want
to ask student groups to
come up with their own
creative advertising
campaign using bear images.
What are they trying to
advertise? How will they
use the image or reputation
of the bear to sell their
product?
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WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
5
Night Sky
Ursa Major
Ursa Minor
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WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
5
The Roman Legend of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
Callisto was a young and
beautiful nymph, who
attracted many suitors.
Thousands of years ago, the
gods were known to often
appear to mortals. Jupiter
(Zeus in Greek mythology)
was one such being. He was
the king of the gods, and
was well known for being
unfaithful to his wife, Juno
(Hera in Greek mythology).
So it came to pass that
Jupiter took a liking to
Callisto. He appeared to her
and she had a child, whom
she named Arcas. The birth
of the child made Juno
realize that her husband had
been unfaithful to her, and in
blind anger, she brought
down divine wrath upon
Callisto. She decreed that
the woman should live as a
bear, forever cursed to
wander in the wild like an
animal.
Callisto’s hands twisted into
massive paws, and her body
grew a coat of fur. She grew
fat, and her face pressed
into a shortened muzzle. The
beautiful woman had
become a great and terrible
bear. Arcas was devastated
at the disappearance of his
mother, for he did not realize
she had been cursed, and
Juno made certain that he
did not discover this.
For many years, Callisto
wandered the forests and
plains. She was terrified
when night came, because
she did not know how to be
a bear. She had been a
young nymph all of her life,
and now the sounds and
smells of the forest filled her
with fear. Even the other
bears and animals of the
wood scared her. This was
not the worst of her troubles,
either, because she was a
magnificent bear. Many
hunters sought to capture
her and to claim her hide.
Arcas grew up to be a
powerful hunter. Many say
he was the greatest hunter in
the world. He spent many
hours each day in the wilderness, hunting deer and other
animals. It was only natural
that he would decide that he
should try to claim the prize
of this great bear’s hide.
One day, while Arcas was
hunting, he came upon the
great bear. She was drinking
water from a stream, and did
not see him. Unaware that
the animal was his mother,
Arcas pulled out an arrow
and waited for the best
moment to fire.
If Arcas were to release that
arrow, he would have slain
his own mother. Jupiter,
who normally paid little or
no attention to his old
lovers, took pity on the pair.
Seeing that Arcas was about
to shoot, Jupiter changed
him instantly into a bear and
hauled both of them into the
sky by their tails. It is for this
reason that both Ursa Major
and Ursa Minor have long
tails. Now, they are frozen
there in space, Arcas the
bear still holding his bow in
his clumsy paws.
The punishment was not yet
over, for Juno was still filled
with anger. She sought out
Oceanus and Tethys, the
controllers of the sea, and
made a request. She asked
that the two bears never be
allowed to sink below the
sea and rest as the other
inhabitants of the sky can.
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WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
5
The Iroquois Legend of The Three Braves
The Great Bear was
reborn the
following spring, as
is the way of bears,
and the braves set
out after him again.
They do this each
year. If you look
into the sky and
watch, you can see
the three braves
trailing behind the
Great Bear as he
runs toward the
horizon, only to do
it again and again
with the coming of
each spring.
Long ago, the Great
Bear wandered
freely throughout
the sky. His massive
paws took him far
across the unlimited
ceiling of the world.
He hunted and
fished, finding food
there in the many
rivers of the sky. All
throughout the first
spring he did this,
until his belly was
full and he felt
happy.
He did not know
that three young
braves had discovered him feeding
that spring. They sought his
pelt and meat to feed their
families in the long winter
that they knew was coming
soon.
Without warning, the braves
ran out after the bear, trying
to catch and kill him. The
Great Bear ran, trying to
escape from the hunters. All
through the long summer he
ran, always trying to get
away. The braves, however,
were very cunning and
strong. Eventually they
caught up with him. In the
first autumn, their arrows
pierced the Great Bear and
he died.
The blood of the bear spilled
out of the sky and tinged all
of the leaves with red and
orange. The trees then
dropped all of their leaves in
mourning for their friend,
the Great Bear.
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BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Life in the Cold:
Polar Bear Adaptations
Grade level:
1-6
Subjects:
science
Skills:
analysis, application,
classification,
problem-solving
Identify a number of ways
polar bears survive their
cold environment
Summarize and describe
common adaptations to
cold environments
Materials:
A large box or milk carton
One down coat or other
warm coat (to represent
thick fur, for warmth)
One white sheet or
doctor’s lab coat
(camouflage)
One black sweater or
t-shirt (black skin, absorbs
heat)
Extra-large mittens (large
paws, for spreading weight
on thin ice)
6
Background
Summary:
Students study polar
bear adaptations, to
learn how polar bears
survive the cold Arctic.
Learning objectives:
Students will be able
to:
ACTIVITY
A couple of large pieces of
sand paper (surface of polar
bear feet-prevents slipping
on ice)
A nose-clip (ability to close
nostrils under water)
A pair of swim goggles
(ability to see clearly under
water)
Tube of vaseline (oily fur for
quick swimming)
Binoculars (powerful
eyesight)
A fish net or fishing hook
(claws for catching food)
A pocket knife or butter
knife, for safety (sharp
teeth)
Empty tub of butter
(blubber)
Polar bears live in one
of the harshest environments imaginable
for large mammals.
Over time, they have
evolved a number of
adaptations to survive
the extreme cold of the
Arctic environment.
These adaptations
include a highly
specialized fur coat,
white camouflage,
broad paws for walking
on the ice and
paddling in water, sleek shape
for good swimming motion,
and very sensitive noses and
sharp teeth for catching and
eating their favorite prey —
newborn and adult ring seals.
In this activity, your students
will explore these adaptations.
Preparation
Put all the above items in a large
box or bag.
Procedure
1. Ask students to think about
the polar bear in the Arctic,
drawing on what they saw
in the Bears film or prior
knowledge. What challenges
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animal will need. As they
guess items, the assistant can
reach into the box to find it,
and place it on the animal
in the appropriate place.
does the polar bear face,
living in such a cold place?
2. Ask students, If you were an
imaginary Arctic animal,
what would you need to
survive?
3. Ask for two volunteers – one
to be the Arctic animal, and
the other to be his/her
assistant. Explain that you
will be dressing up the
Arctic animal in attire
appropriate for survival in
the cold. The assistant will
help dress the animal.
4. Give the assistant the
box/bag full of items. Tell
the students that in this box
are many of the items they
might want to have as an
animal in the cold north.
5. Have students take turns
suggesting what the Arctic
6. As each item is pulled from
the box and put on the
volunteer, have the person
who suggested it, or others
in the class, explain what
challenge that item helps to
meet in the Arctic cold. For
example, if a student guesses
a warm coat, they would
explain that the coat would
help to keep the animal
warm and retain body heat.
7. As further items are guessed,
you may need to help the
class along with questions.
For example, How about
eating? How will the Arctic
animal find food? How will
he or she catch the food?
8. When all the items are on
the Arctic animal, have the
class take a good look. Ask,
Does this look comfortable?
Natural? Why or why not?
Would you want to drag all
this stuff along with you?
Explain that the polar bear
actually has all of these
adaptations built into its
body. Ask, What is an
adaptation? An adaptation is
a physical or behavioral trait
that helps a living thing to
survive in its environment.
9. Have the assistant remove
the items from the Arctic
animal one by one. As each
item is taken off, write its
name on the board. Have
students identify which
polar bear adaptation
corresponds to each one.
Write that adaptation on the
board, next to the item used
to represent it.
10. When all have been
identified, have students
survey all the adaptations
they covered. Polar bears are
pretty amazing animals
aren’t they?
Extension/Assessment:
Have students choose and
research a different Arctic
animal and identify its adaptations to survive the cold.
Compare these with those of
the polar bear.What are the
similarities and differences they
discover? (Some examples are
Arctic fox,Arctic hare, weasels,
lemmings, caribou, ptarmigan.)
Alternatively, research grizzly
and black bears—How are they
adapted to their habitat and
diets?
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ACTIVITY
Bears in Trouble
Summary:
Students create mini-plays to
dramatize threats to bears.
Grade Level:
3-8
Time:
two class periods
Subjects:
science, social studies, drama
Skills:
analysis, application,
description, observation,
problem-solving, comparison
Learning objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify the most pressing
threats to three different
bear species
Compare and contrast
the different threats
bear species face
Identify strategies to help
preserve bears in their
native habitats
7
Background
Procedure
All three of the bear species
featured in the Bears film are
threatened or endangered in at
least part of their ranges due to
human activities. (Though it is
important to note that black
bears are doing well in most of
North America, mostly because
of their higher reproductive
rate.) The primary threats to
bears include habitat destruction
and fragmentation, illegal
poaching, pollution, and global
warming. It is possible to alleviate these threats, and for
humans and bears to coexist,
but that will require humans to
make some changes in the way
we expand and grow in the
places where both live.
1. Ask students, What do you
think are some of the greatest
threats to the survival of
bears, based either on the film
or other things you may have
seen or heard in the news?
In this activity, students will
investigate some of these threats
and propose ways to help
address them.
2. Tell the students that today
they will be acting out
several of these threats.
3. Divide students into three
groups and hand out the
three bear scenarios. Give
students time to read over
their scenario and together
make a list of the threats
identified for their bear.
Students should spend time
planning how they will act
out these threats for the rest
of the class. They may want
to write scripts and/or assign
roles. If you have time and
available materials,
Materials
Copies of Bear Threats,
page 39-40
Construction paper, yarn,
other craft materials
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of what they found. Ask,
What are the common threats
among the bears? What are
unique to particular species?
What actions can you suggest
to help preserve bears in the
future? What solutions did
you come up with? You may
want to make a group list
on the board and identify
actions that the class might
be able to take, either
together, or as individuals.
threats and come up with
some ideas for how they
could help people and bears
better coexist. What kinds
of suggestions do they have
for addressing their
particular bear’s challenges?
encourage the students to
make props and costumes
for themselves to help in
their presentation.
5. After each presentation,
allow 5-10 minutes for
questions and discussions of
the threats.
6. After all the presentations,
have the students in each
group re-examine their
7. When all the groups are
done, lead a class discussion
California Academy of Sciences
4. When everyone is ready,
have the students act out
their dramas for the rest of
the class. While the others
in the class are watching,
have them write down the
threats they observe, and
any questions they have for
the group.
Extension/Assessment
Have students choose one of
the other 5 species of bears—
sun bear, spectacled bear, giant
panda, Asiatic black bear, or
sloth bear— to research and
find out what threatens them in
their native habitats.What
challenges do they face? How
are they similar and different to
those faced by North American
bears? What kinds of actions
can we take to help save them
from extinction? Have student
groups create posters on their
bear species, promoting its
conservation.
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Bear Threats
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
7
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly population has been severely reduced in the continental
United States by illegal hunting and habitat loss; as few as 1,000
grizzlies may remain in the lower 48 states. Logging, recreational
use of its wooded habitat, and poaching are continued threats.
Grizzlies need remote, large habitats that allow them to move about to find food and allow
them to avoid people, who sometimes shoot bears out of fear. But remote habitats are harder
and harder to find, and remaining wild areas are increasingly fragmented by roads and trails,
such as those built for timber, oil, and gas operations, as well as for recreation or construction
of houses and office buildings. Roads cutting through habitat increase the chances of
bear-human contact and so they increase bear deaths. Habitat loss has eliminated the bears
from much of their historic range. With home ranges frequently larger than 500 square miles
(1295 sq km), grizzlies require vast areas of habitat to ensure adequate food and to support
populations large enough to survive for many years.
Black Bear
Primesco
The black bear adapts well to changes in its environment. Of all
bears, this species seems to have the greatest tolerance of humans.
However, encounters between black bears and humans are steadily
increasing. Construction and development in black bear habitat
bring human activities closer to areas where bears live. This often
results in black bears visiting areas where humans live, as the bears search for garbage and
other sources of food. The construction and widening of roads also reduces bear habitat and
increases human-bear interactions. Unfortunately, these encounters often end in bear deaths.
American black bears are also sometimes killed in the U.S. for their paws and other body
parts. A subspecies of the American black bear, the Louisiana black bear, is listed as threatened due to habitat destruction combined with past over-hunting. All black bears living in
parts of eastern Texas, all of Louisiana, and some counties in Mississippi are protected
because of their close resemblance to this subspecies.
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Polar Bear
7
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
Polar bears are threatened in their habitat by industrial development, pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change. In the
Arctic, ozone depletion high in the atmosphere lets in more solar
radiation and raises temperatures. Climate change, which is
happening all over the world for different reasons, also raises
temperatures. Increased temperatures are causing Arctic ice to melt earlier in the spring and
form later in the fall—leaving less time to find food. Polar bears depend on polar ice to catch
their favorite food, baby ringed seals. Because polar bears are predators at the top of the
Arctic food chain, they get a lot of toxic chemicals in their diet. Smaller animals eat foods
containing toxic chemicals. Polar bears, in turn, eat these smaller animals along with the
chemicals in their bodies. Toxic chemicals may have long-term effects on the health and life
span of individual animals. Polar bears are also in danger due to oil spills. Oil removes the
insulating properties from the bear’s fur, and contaminates its prey. As more countries look to
the Arctic for oil and gas deposits, the risk of harmful oil spills and habitat disturbance will
likely increase.
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Grizzlies in our
Backyard? You decide!
Summary:
Students adopt the roles of
people with different points of
view in a bear conservation
controversy.
Grade level:
4-8
Time:
one class period
Subject:
science, social studies
Skills:
analysis, evaluation, synthesis,
problem-solving
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify interest groups
involved in bear
conservation
Critically evaluate the
issues presented and make
educated decisions
Orally present their
opinions to the class
Materials:
Copies of Role Play Cards,
page 43-45
Other props for public
hearing (optional)
Background
In this activity, your students
will take on the roles of different
interest groups involved in a
current grizzly bear conservation
issue. This particular scenario is
based on real events and is
meant to introduce students to
the complexity of conservation
issues.
Proposal
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (working with NWF)
has proposed reintroduction of
the grizzly bear into the SelwayBitteroot wilderness of Idaho
and Montana. The proposal
points out that this area is part
of the historic range of the
grizzly, and that the ecosystem
needs its primary predators in
order to be in ecological
balance. Opponents of the
proposal fear bear attacks on
humans and livestock, poor or
inadequate management of the
operation, and intrusion into
their private lives. People who
make their living in these habi-
ACTIVITY
8
tats—from logging, guiding
hunters, grazing livestock, or
mining—fear that the presence
of grizzlies will keep them from
doing these things economically
and cut into their profits. Some
hunters and guides are also
concerned that grizzlies will kill
too many young elk, leaving
fewer for hunters.
Because of the multitude of
viewpoints, a panel of judges has
been assembled to hold a
hearing to listen to all sides of
the case before deciding if the
reintroduction can go forward.
Procedure
1. Introduce students to the
proposal put forward by the
Fish and Wildlife Service
(this page). You may wish to
write it on a board, or read
it out loud. Explain to the
class that today they will
take part in a public hearing
to debate the merits of this
proposal and decide the fate
of grizzly reintroduction in
this area.
Primesco
2. Have students brainstorm
who they think the
stakeholders would be in
this debate.
3. Divide the students into 6
groups: 5 interest groups
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and the panel of judges,
who will make the final
decision on the proposal.
Explain that each group will
take on the role of a
particular interest group.
Hand out the role play card
appropriate for each group
to that group only.
Encourage groups to create
or use props to demonstrate
who they are representing.
4. Emphasize that they are to
debate the proposal based
on the interests of the
groups they are playing,
NOT on their own personal
opinions. Tell the students
that they should read and
discuss their position and be
prepared to present it at the
hearing.
5. Give students about 15-20
minutes to read their cards
and discuss their stance on
the proposal. You may want
to suggest that each group
appoint a note-taker and a
chief spokesperson. While
the groups are discussing,
the panel of judges should
go to another room and
discuss what they think
should happen before
hearing the interest groups.
This way they will not
overhear the positions of the
groups ahead of time.
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
6. Once everyone is ready, have
the judges take their places
at the front of the room. A
spokesperson from each
group should come to the
front, one at a time, and
present the position of the
group. After each
presentation, the judges
should have a few minutes
to ask questions. You may
also want to give members
of the other groups a chance
to ask questions.
7. When all the groups are
finished, have the judges
leave the room to discuss
how they will vote. Give
them 5 minutes to discuss
how they will vote on the
proposal.
8. When the judges are ready,
they should return to the
classroom and explain their
decision on the proposal to
the class.
9. After they are finished, lead
a discussion with the whole
class, who can now leave
their roles behind and
express their own opinions.
What did they think of the
outcome? Were they happy
with it? Why or why not?
How did it make them feel?
What did they learn from this
exercise? Did anyone change
their minds from what they
might have thought about the
issue before the role play?
Assessment:
Have students write newspaper
articles as if they were
reporters covering the reintroduction controversy.
Extensions:
1. Attend a public hearing on a
wildlife issue.
2. Explore the legal/public
doctrine,“wildlife as a public
trust” concept.
3. If you have time, have
students conduct
internet/library research to
see if their interest groups
are correctly represented in
the role play cards, and to
determine the current
status of the proposal.
4. Research other wildlife reintroduction efforts (i.e.,
wolves into Yellowstone and
Northern Idaho).
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Role Play Cards
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The grizzly bear is listed as a threatened
species under the Endangered Species Act.
When a species is listed, it falls to your agency
to provide recovery plans, so this reintroduction plan is part of your job as required by law.
When grizzly bears were listed as “threatened”
in the lower 48 states in 1975, that meant that
the U.S. government was obligated to restore
grizzly bears to suitable areas of their former
range. In the lower 48 states, other than the
Yellowstone National Park ecosystem and the
Bob Marshall/Glacier Park wilderness complex
where healthy grizzly populations already exist,
only the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem offers
the space, habitat, and wilderness crucial to
support another viable, self-sustaining population.The Selway-Bitterroot wilderness can hold
about 250 bears, a 25% increase in the population south of Canada.
When agencies work to recover the grizzly
bear in the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem, they
act on behalf of people across the country.
Although some local citizens may disagree with
federal actions, federal lands and wildlife belong
to all United States citizens.
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ACTIVITY
WORKSHEET
8
Bears, Unlimited
As a conservation group, you believe that
grizzly bear reintroduction is essential to a
healthy ecosystem. Efforts to reintroduce
grizzly bears to their historic habitat benefit
not only grizzlies themselves, but countless
other species. Ecosystems that have their full
array of wildlife, including large predators, are
healthier, more resilient, more complete than
an ecosystem where the predators are absent.
Without large predators, an ecosystem can be
out of balance with an incomplete food chain.
In addition, you know that bears, though often
portrayed as fierce carnivores, eat mostly
grasses, roots and berries. Despite popular
misconception, bears are usually shy and not
aggressive.
Grizzly bears also help protect other species
in a less direct way.The grizzly is known to
scientists as an “umbrella” species.This is an
ecological concept which recognizes that if
areas are large and undisturbed enough to
permit survival of grizzly bears, that many
other plant and animal species will be
protected by default. Species which benefit
from the grizzly “umbrella” of protection in the
Rocky Mountain West include lynx, wolverines
and wolves, as well as the prey on which these
species depend.
B
E
A
R
SU n l i m i t e d
GRIZZLIES IN OUR BACKYARD? YOU DECIDE! |
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
Wildlife Travel Agency
You see a tremendous opportunity for tourism
if the bears are reintroduced here. In your
industry, grizzly bears are an especially big
attraction. Studies in Alaska have shown that
people are willing to pay more for trips to areas
that have bears than for trips that have other
wildlife species.This is the case even in Alaska
where bears are abundant.Where bears are
relatively scarce, such as the lower 48 states, the
value of seeing grizzlies must be much higher!
vel Agency
Tra
You know that in small towns bordering
Yellowstone National Park, the local economy
is getting a boost from the reintroduction of
wolves to Yellowstone, with park visitors rating
wolves as the animal they most want to see.
Prior to wolves being reintroduced into
Yellowstone, grizzly bears were listed as the
animal people most wanted to see.
Bears in the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem
would offer visitors a chance to perhaps see
one of America’s most awe-inspiring animals.
Such anticipation will certainly add to the
excitement, and if visitors are lucky enough to
see one, it could well be the highlight of their
trip.You are eager to get started selling “Bear
Tours” to visitors.There is no clearer example
of how grizzly restoration can benefit people
AND wildlife!
On the other hand, you live in the area and
you know that some people are very worried
that the bears pose a danger to their children
and their ranches and their
Wildlife
hunting trips.You think that
if there are any bear
attacks, and word gets out,
tourism could definitely
suffer.
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Ranchers and Hunters, Unlimited
You are very concerned about the bear reintroduction proposal. Increased numbers of
bears in your area will threaten your livestock
and perhaps your families. You have heard that
bears can be vicious and aggressive animals.
You worry that they will attack and kill your
livestock—on which you depend to make a
living. You are also worried that these bears
may wander too close to your home and
become a threat to your young children. You
do not want your families to be in danger. You
are also not crazy about the idea of the
government interfering in your area and
making changes to the way nearby land is
managed. You like the Selway-Bitterroot area
just the way it is.
As hunters, you are worried that grizzlies will
kill so may elk and deer that there will not be
any left to hunt, or they will be very hard to
find. Some of your group members have a
thriving business in leading others to good
hunting spots and you are worried that the
business will fail once bears are roaming the
forests again.
RANCHERS
& HUNTERS
U n l i m i t e d
GRIZZLIES IN OUR BACKYARD? YOU DECIDE! |
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
Citizens United of Selway-Bitterroot
You have very mixed feelings about the reintroduction proposal. On the one hand, you are
excited about having these animals nearby and
having visitors come to your community to
see them.You know that increased tourism
will be good for your community.You also
know that this area is one of the bears’
historic homes, and that it’s important to
protect them under the law. On the other
hand, the hunters among you are worried
about the bears as competition for their
hunting of deer and elk. How many bears will
there be? Will they eat many deer and
threaten opportunities for successful hunts?
You are worried that the re-introduction may
place restrictions on what you are allowed do
in your “backyard” wilderness area, where you
love to spend time.You have also heard stories
and seen movies about bears attacking humans
and you worry for the safety of your family.
You like to bring your children hiking and
camping in the wilderness area and are
worried that if bears are reintroduced there,
you won’t be as safe as you are now.
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
Panel of Judges
You want to do what’s right for the people,
because you want to be fair.Your goal is to
come up with a decision that is as fair as
possible and that balances the needs of the
different groups of people you serve.You are
charged with upholding the laws of the land,
both those that protect wildlife and those that
protect people from too much government
interference. So you are determined to listen
carefully to all of the arguments and make a
well-thought-out decision.
Make lists of the arguments you think you will
hear in favor of the proposal and against it, to
prepare you for presentations.
OF
CIT
I
D
You feel it is important that citizens of the local
area have a say in how the reintroduction will
be handled, if it happens, rather than leaving all
the decisions to the
S UNIT
N
E
federal government.The
ZE
people who live here
should be able to decide
how issues in their area
AY
R
are resolved!
-B
ER
W
O
OT
SEL
ITT
GRIZZLIES IN OUR BACKYARD? YOU DECIDE! |
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
ACTIVITY
Wildlife Careers
Summary:
Students investigate wildlife
careers.
Grade Level:
5-8
Time:
one class period, plus a week
Subjects:
Reading, writing, interviewing
Skills:
application, research,
comparison, synthesis
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Describe several wildlife
careers
Identify types of
background and skills useful
to wildlife careers
Materials:
Primesco
Chris Day profile student
handout, page 48
9
Background
Procedure
Often students (and even
adults) assume that careers
involving wildlife are for scientists only. This is however, not
the case. There are careers spanning the modern spectrum of
choices that can contribute to
conserving wildlife. People in
fields as diverse as photography,
marketing, communications,
education, mathematics, art,
music, finance, biology, chemistry, computer science, and
many others are working
together to help save wildlife
and wild places. In this activity,
your students will investigate
just a few of these.
1. Start by asking students:
What do you think about
doing when you finish school
and look for a job? Are you
interested in a career helping
wildlife?
2. Have students think about
the Bears film they saw.
How many different kinds
of people in different careers
were involved in making it?
Brainstorm and put a list on
the board. Some starters:
writers, filmmakers,
producers, fundraisers,
biologists, educators, public
relations people, artists,
graphic designers, airplane
pilots.
3. Have students look at their
list and think about how
each of these people helped
to save wildlife. What did
each one do to contribute to
this effort? Add this
information to your list on
the board. (Example:
filmmaker – filmed the
bears in the wild; airplane
pilot – flew the plane for
filming some of the scenes.
The film is helping to
educate people around the
world about bear
conservation.)
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
4. Give students the Chris Day
profile sheet. Do they
remember seeing her in the
film? After reading the
profile, what kinds of
questions would they have
for Chris if they could talk
with her?
5. Explain to students that they
will have the chance to ask
questions of someone they
can talk to. Break students
into groups of 5 or 6 and
have each group think of
someone they know, or can
find, who has a wildlife
career in their local area. If
they do not know of specific
people, they should be
encouraged to check with
their local zoo, natural
history museum,
Department of Natural
Resources, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service,
nature center, science
museum, state park,
colleges or universities,
environmental groups.
Each group of students
should check with their
chosen person to make
sure he or she agrees
to be
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
interviewed. You may need
to assist in this process.
6. Students should develop in
their groups a list of
questions to ask that person.
Be sure students show their
lists to you prior to
conducting their interview.
7. Students conduct their
interviews over a week or so,
after school or on the
weekend, depending on
their own schedule and that
of the class. (If an interview
is not possible have students
write a letter including their
questions for the person to
answer at his/her
convenience.)
8. When all student groups
have completed their
interviews, have them
present their interviews to
the class, explaining
where/how they conducted
their interview and what
they found out that was
interesting to them.
9. After all students have
presented, ask the students
what they learned. Was there
anything in common among
the people they interviewed?
What kinds of backgrounds
did they have? Did they have
any interesting stories or
suggestions for following
similar careers? Did the
students gain any new ideas
for directions they could go
with their careers?
Assessment
Have students choose several
wildlife careers they may be
interested in and write why
those may interest them and
what skills the students have
that would make these careers
good choices for them.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
WORKSHEET
ACTIVITY
9
Christine (Chris) Day Profile
Primesco
Born:
March 29, 1949, Berkeley California
Personal History: Raised in Fresno, California, oldest of four kids;
Married to Ken Day;
Mother of five children, grandmother of eleven
Education:
B.S. degree,Animal Science, University of Florida
M.S. degree,Animal Science, Montana State University
self-taught naturalist
Chris Day started out working as
a consulting nutritionist for
several large animal feed companies. She then worked in Mountain Management at Grand
Targhee Ski Resort in Alta
Wyoming and managed Chenik
Brown Bear Photography Camp
in Alaska. In her own words:
A bad slump in the agricultural
economy in the mid-80’s
spurred me to leave the feed
industry. In order to stay in the
northwest I took a job in
management at Grand Targhee
Ski Resort in Wyoming. This
permitted quite a bit of freedom
during the summer months, so
Alaska was just a natural
progression. Serendipitously I
was given the opportunity to
manage Chenik Brown Bear
Camp; a small wilderness lodge
on the west side of the Cook
Inlet close to McNeil Brown
Bear Sanctuary. Chenik was a
real turning point in my life;
being there gave me a chance to
live and work with brown bears.
It also gave me the opportunity
to visit McNeil River and meet
two bear biologists who have
become my mentors, as well as
my husband, Ken, who flew our
guests into the camp.
As long as I can remember I
have always been interested in
all animals and have been fortunate to spend a lot of time in
wilderness areas. Bears were
always fascinating to me but
after living with them for one
summer they became a passion.
I have always felt comfortable in
the presence of bears. I’ve been
lucky to know and learn from a
number of the best biologists in
the world, but, the bears are the
real teachers. They teach me
something new every day.
on the floats of his plane on a
high mountain lake. At that
point, not wanting to be apart
for the summer but not wanting
to be apart from the bears either,
we pooled our skills and began
to take people out to see bears as
a day trip. It’s been a perfect
partnership in every way. Ken’s
skill as a pilot and our
combined experience with and
love for the bears has allowed us
to make a living doing what we
love, sharing the bears with
others; educating them and
hopefully dispelling the many
myths that surround bears. It is
our hope that everyone who
joins one of our trips leaves as
an ambassador for the bears and
the country where they live.
We know a lot about the
“science” of bears but until fairly
recently little was really known
about bear behavior in the wild.
In 1994 Ken and I got married
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48
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
What YOU can do to
help bears:
IF YOU LIVE IN
OR NEAR
BEAR HABITAT
Find out about threats to
bear habitat in your area.
These threats may include:
construction of new roads
into formerly inaccessible
areas, which may increase
the number of bear deaths
due to human interaction;
pesticide use that may
destroy important bear
foods; and introduction of
exotic species that can also
impact the plants and
animals bears rely on for
food.
Avoid feeding bears or
leaving food or garbage out
where they can reach it.
Bears that become used to
sharing food with humans
may lose their natural fear
of humans and become
“problem bears.” Most
“problem bears” must be
killed. Rangers often lament:
"A fed bear is a dead bear."
Be careful with your pet
food: store the food in a
building bears can't get into,
never leave excess food
continued on page 50
Want to help protect bears and bear habitat? Here are some actions
you and your students can take:
• Support efforts to restore bears. Write to the President and your
representatives in Congress to let them know that you support
reintroduction programs in areas where bears have been eliminated.
For more information, check out http://www.nwf.org/wildalive/
• Fight against misconceptions that portray bears as dangerous
creatures likely to attack without provocation. This kind of
portrayal is common in outdoor magazines and in many movies,
but is highly inaccurate. Let publishers and producers know that
they are promoting incorrect stereotypes that are damaging to bears
because they generate unnecessary fear and misunderstanding.
• Support habitat conservation efforts for bears. Discourage large
development projects that may fragment larger areas of forests and
grasslands – especially where bears may be found.
• Take action to slow global
warming, which has a
direct impact on bear
food sources. Do your
best to conserve energy.
Turn off lights when you
are not using them, walk
rather than drive when you
can, carpool, use less air
conditioning in the
summer, and so on. Make
a list of all the energysaving actions you and
your class can take. Every
little bit adds up!
• Educate your friends
about these amazing
animals! Send them
eCards of bears, to make
them more aware of bears
and the challenges they
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
face. Choose from NWF’s selection of electronic postcards at
www.nwf.org/ecards. You can send a message from the NWF
website to a friend. They will get an email message telling them
where to find their eCard on the web. Share your interest in
wildlife with others!
• Support the National Wildlife Federation by becoming a
member. Your membership fees contribute to conservation of
bears and bear habitat all year round, plus you will be kept up to
date on all of our conservation work.
• Sign up for NWF’s on-line newsletter. Wildlife Online is NWF's
free biweekly email newsletter. Be inspired by stories about wildlife
and nature. Get practical tips on ways to support conservation
efforts around the country.
• Create a habitat for local wildlife. It’s important to protect
habitat for wildlife wherever you live. Your actions will set a good
example for people everywhere and help provide homes for your
own local wildlife.
Consider creating a Schoolyard Habitat® and/or Backyard
Wildlife Habitat®. Not only are these habitats part of functional
local ecosystems, they also provide learning opportunities and
inspiration for students and families. The National Wildlife
Federation can help you create and certify your own habitat!
You can order a starter kit for Schoolyard Habitats® or
Backyard Wildlife Habitats® by visiting our website at
www.nwf.org/habitats or by calling 1-800-822-9919.
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
outside at night, and avoid
spillage whenever possible.
Bird feeders attract grizzlies.
If you have feeders, it is best
to use them only during
winter months (hibernation
time for bears).
Watch your composting and
trash practices. Composting
can attract bears. Use an
enclosed unit if you are
considering composting.
Never put meat, grease or
bones into a compost pile.
Also be sure to use bearproof trash cans!
Use common sense when
hiking in bear habitat. For
example, hang your food
high at night or put it away
in bear-proof boxes to avoid
attracting bears.
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
NSES Chart
Alignment with National Science Education Standards
Wildlife Careers (Grades 5-8)
Grizzlies in our Backyard?
You decide! (Grades 4-8)
Bears in Trouble (Grades3-8)
Bears in the Cold: Polar
Bear Adaptations (Grades 1-6)
Bears in the Sky (Grades 3-8)
Bears and Me! (Grades K-2)
(Grades 1-6)
Year in the Life of a Grizzly
Bear Milk (Grades 1-5)
Three Bear Face-Off (Grades 3-6)
ACTIVITY
STANDARDS
SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
Science as inquiry
LIFE SCIENCE
Characteristics of organisms
Life cycles of organisms
Organisms and environments
Structure and function
Reproduction and heredity
Regulation and behavior
Diversity and adaptations
Populations and ecosystems
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Technological design
Understanding about science/technology
SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES
Populations, resources, environment
Risks and benefits
Science/technology in society
HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE
Science as a human endeavor
Nature of science
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Properties and changes in properties in matter
Objects in the sky
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
BEARS ACTIVITY GUIDE
More Resources for Bears
Books
Busch, Robert H., 2000. The Grizzly Almanac, The Lyons Press, New
York.
Feeney, Kathy and John F. McGee, 2000. Black Bears (Our Wild World
Series), Creative Publishing International, New York.
Gilks, Helen and Andrew Bale, 1993. Bears. Ticknor and Fields, New
York.
Hoshino, Michio, 1999. The Grizzly Bear Family Book, North-South
Books, New York.
Kutzer, Angie and Michele, M. Dare, eds. 1999. Bears, The Mailbox
Theme Series PreK/K, The Education Center, Inc., Greensboro, North
Carolina.
London, Jonathan and Jon Van Zyle, 1995. Honey Paw and Lightfoot,
Chronicle Book, San Francisco.
Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw and Anne Wertheim, 1999. Great Ice Bear :
The Polar Bear and the Eskimo, William Morrow and Co., New York.
Robinson, Sandra Chisholm, 1992. The Everywhere Bear, Denver
Museum of Natural History, Roberts Rinehart Publishers, Colorado.
Shernowit, Bill and Tom Walker, 1998. Alaska's Bears : Grizzlies, Black
Bears, and Polar Bears (Alaska Pocket Guides), Alaska Northwest Books.
Silverstein, Alvin, Virginia Silverstein, Laura Silverstein Nunn, 1998.
The Grizzly Bear (Endangered in America), Milbrook Press, New York.
Ward, Paul and Suzanne Kynaston, 1999. Bears of the World, Sterling
Publishing Company, Inc., New York.
Websites
www.nwf.org
www.bearbiology.org
www.polarbearsalive.org
www.seaworld.org/polar_bears/pbindex.html
www.brownbear.org
www.bear.org
www.nature-net.com/bears
www.enature.com
|
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Learn More. Have Fun.
Go Wild!
Sign up today for a National Wildlife Federation Educator Workshop and learn how you can use our
fresh, fun, standards-based activities in your classroom.
Creating Schoolyard Habitats® (K-8, 9-12): Did you know you can teach to National Standards while
outside on your own schoolgrounds? Turn your schoolyard into a unique, hands-on outdoor classroom,
where you can teach math, science, literacy, art, history, civics and much more!
Across the country, thousands of school communities have created certified
Schoolyard Habitats projects. These habitats are part of functional local
ecosystems that provide important habitat for wildlife as well as inspiration and
hands-on learning opportunities for students. At NWF’s special 2-day
workshop, educators learn how to plan, create and certify a Schoolyard
Habitats site and how to incorporate cross-curricular, standards-based
activities. Learn more by visiting our website at www.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitats.
The National Wildlife Federation also offers educator workshops on:
• Discovering Habitats (K-8)—What’s the connection between a habitat and an ecosystem? What diverse
habitats can be found right in your own locale? Educators learn how to guide students through
personalized conservation projects that help to answer these questions and more!
• Endangered Species (K-8)—What are the links between habitat loss and extinction? Educators will learn
to guide students to an understanding of endangered species conservation and find out what they can do
for species in their area.
• Wetlands (K-8)—This workshop provides hands-on activities designed to teach your students how to
identify wetlands in your state, the importance of wetlands as habitats and the impact of pollution on
wetland species.
NWF offers similar workshops on these specific habitats: Prairies, Arctic, Northern Forests, and Water.
Workshop Details: All workshop participants
receive an NWF curriculum kit aligned with the
National Standards of Learning. Most workshops
are 6-8 hours long and the fee is $35 per person.
The two-day Schoolyard Habitats workshop is $50
per person. Group rates are available. NWF will
help your school identify and recruit additional
participants from other schools within your
community to make up the minimum of 20
participants per workshop.
Sign up for an NWF workshop today!
Call 1-800-822-9919
Now EVERY child can
™
A hands-on, habitat-based
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FOR EVERY STUDENT
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you can meet the diverse needs of any student group!
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disabilities—Access Nature is an inclusive science and
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appropriate grade levels
learning objectives
time estimates
a materials list
step-by-step instructions
student worksheets
extensions for older students
Plus, a set of adaptations for participants with the following disabilities:
★ Hearing
★ Learning/Cognitive
★ Motor
★ Visual
To learn more about Access Nature
call 1-800-822-9919 or visit www.nwf.org
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