January is the perfect time to begin a new unit in the classroom. Teachers and students are returning from a two week Christmas break rested and ready to learn. The weather is cold and the students are daydreaming about snow. I try to capitalize on this energy with a unit on polar bears. Here are some of my favorite books to read aloud and during small group time.

Throughout this post you can click on book covers to learn more about them.
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The Bear Report by Thyra Heder
Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons
If I Knew a Polar Bear by Karen Sutula
The Magic School Bus Arctic Adventure by Gail Herman
Magic Tree House: Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Polar Bears and the Arctic by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Polar Bear Patrol by Judith Stamper
Hi, I’m Tim — one of the kids in Ms. Frizzle’s class. When Ms. Frizzle announced that we’d be studying the North Pole, I never thought it would lead us to the top of the world. I also never thought I’d get to see seals, caribou, musk oxen, and polar bears in person, but that was just the beginning. Find out all the bone-chilling facts of our Arctic adventure!

All of the texts above are great for my second graders reading at or above grade level. But what about my students who are still reading at a Kindergarten or first grade level? I have found a few texts:
Who Lives in the Arctic? by Susan Canizares
Polar Bears by Kate Riggs
Polar Bears by Marcia S. Freeman
Polar Bears by Emily Rose Townsend
Polar Babies by Susan Ring
Follow the Polar Bears by Sonia W. Black
Polar Bears by Laura Marsh
With their beautiful white fur and powerful presence, polar bears rule the Arctic. These majestic giants swim from iceberg to iceberg in chilling waters, care for their adorable cubs, and are threatened by global warming. In this level 1 reader you’ll learn all you ever wanted to know about polar bears and so much more. Complete with fascinating facts and beautiful images, National Geographic Readers: Polar Bears can’t miss.

If there are any other polar bear books you think I should take a look at, feel free to add them to the comments below. I’ll be back soon to share some of the other polar bear activities I use.
Happy Reading!


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