Plight of the Polar
Bear
By Shari Abbey
An informational text designed specifically for
writing using text structures.
Includes scaffolding supports for
differentiation.
Graphics by mycutegraphics.com
Frames by helloliteracy.com
and public domain images
This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Thank you for your purchase. Please contact me if you
find any mistakes or problems. I will correct any issues
immediately.
This original text is specifically written to include all five
of the most common text structures. After reading the
text, students use the text structure writing frames to
compose a paragraph using each structure. This can
be used alone, but it is written to work seamlessly with
my Writing: Using Text Structures. This will also work
right along with my other text structure products.
Please visit my TpT store if you are interested in these
items. (I may bundle all these products soon.)
For differentiation, I have included a “cheat sheet”
which gives specific paragraphs and topic ideas to use
for each text structure. This would also be useful for a
whole class introduction to writing using text structures.
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Plight of the Polar Bear
Why are people so intrigued with polar bears? One reason may be that polar bears are an animal most
people will never see in the wild. They only live in the Arctic in the nations of U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia,
Greenland, and Norway. Another reason may be that they are beautiful animals. Polar bears appear to be
all white, although this is not their true color. A polar bear really has black skin, but it is covered with fur
that is transparent and hollow. Because of this, the hairs reflect and
Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer
3rd Class Pamela J. Manns
scatter light, making it appear white. This characteristic camouflages
the bears in their icy, arctic environment.
Polar bears have many other characteristics that make the Arctic a
suitable habitat. Their large paws, measuring up to a foot across, help
The hollow transparent hairs reflect
light, making the hair appear white.
distribute their body weight when walking on thin ice. The pads on their
paws are textured with small bumps that provide traction to prevent slipping on ice. They also use their
strong, thick claws for getting traction on slippery ice, as well as for catching their prey, the ringed seal.
The ringed seal is the primary prey for these carnivores. Polar bears use a process called “still hunting.”
First, the bear uses its excellent sense of smell to find a seal breathing hole. Then, it quietly waits until a
seal pops up to breathe. The bear smells the breath of the seal and uses its massive paws to scoop the seal
out of the hole. Finally, it bites the head off the seal to kill it.
Polar bear with cub. Credit:
Scott Schliebe / USFWS
The extreme cold climate doesn't bother these
bears. A four to five inch layer of blubber under
their extra thick fur keeps the bears warm. They lose
practically no body heat. Amazingly, male bears can
actually overheat when running. This
Ability to This ability to maintain their body
Polar Bears claws are thick, strong, and can
be as much as two inches long.
temperature allows the bears to survive during
extreme winter conditions.
©Shari Abbey 2013
1
You may wonder why they need this ability to survive winter. After all, bears hibernate during the
winter. Brown bears, a species of bear also suited to the Alaskan climate, hibernate 5 - 8 months out
of the year beginning in the fall. Unlike the brown bear, polar bears do not hibernate. One way
these two species are alike is that they both lead solitary lives, meaning they do not form mating
relationships. The only times both these species stay with a mate is during breeding and rearing
cubs.
Even though polar bears have numerous adaptations to survive in their environment, they still face
a life threatening problem. These animals are dependent on the pack ice for hunting. With the
warmer temperatures in the Arctic, the ice is melting earlier in the summer and forming later in
the fall. As a result, polar bears have less time to hunt and store up fat for the frigid winter. If this
warming trend continues, according to the World Wildlife Federation, polar bears could be extinct
by the end of the century.
As a possible solution to the problem, several
9/1/2008
Photographer: Jessica Robertson, U.S.
Geological Survey
wildlife groups have rallied and succeeded in
having the bears listed as "threatened" under the
Endangered Species Act . Listing the bears as
threatened provides some types of protection for
the polar bears. For example, being on the
threatened list ensures that no one can take
any action that may further jeopardize the safety
Two polar bears cling to a piece of sea ice. The
thin ice and water show the scope of the problem
of climate change.
of the bears. That would include protecting their habitat from any harmful manmade changes.
Hopefully, with the help of these wildlife groups, the polar bear will continue to wander on our
planet for many decades to come.
©Shari Abbey 2013
Writing Your Text Structure Paragraphs
Plight of the Polar Bear
The following are possible topic ideas to help you write your own text structure
paragraphs. Use the writing frames as a guide. Be sure to include the signal words.
Description
Paragraph 2
•Describe the physical
characteristics of a polar bear.
Paragraph 3
•Describe the characteristics that
enable a polar bear to stay warm in
frigid temperatures.
Cause/Effect
Paragraph 1
•Explain why people are intrigued
with polar bears.
•Explain why a polar bear appears to
have white fur.
Paragraph 3
•Explain why polar bears can survive
in cold temperatures.
Sequence
Paragraph 2
•Explain the step by step process of
“still hunting”.
Paragraph 5
•Explain why polar bears are in
danger of losing their habitat.
Compare/Contrast
Paragraph 4
•Explain how polar bears and brown
bears are alike and different.
Problem/Solution
Paragraph 5
•Describe the problem of climate
change and the solution to this
problem.
©Shari Abbey 2013