Polar Bear Resources for the Primary Classroom

A few days ago I shared with you some of my favorite books to read when learning about polar bears (click here if you missed that). Today I’m back to share some of my other favorite resources to use when learning about polar bears.

I love to start with gathering information about what my students know (or think they know) about polar bears. I write down all of the ideas shared, even if the other students (or I) disagree. By this point of the school year, they know that some of their classmates may have misconceptions and that we will clear things up along the way. Here is what an anchor chart might look like on the first day:

As we read new texts about polar bears each day, my students are collecting facts and information on graphic organizers. Some of these we use in a whole group setting and others are used during their guided reading sessions:

As we near the end of our unit, my students construct a mini-book about the information they have learned, complete with a table of contents.

Throughout this little unit, I also make these poetry books for my students. We use them for fluency practice and the students love to read them with their buddies during Daily 5. There’s even one blank acrostic poem page for your students to create their own.

I updated all of the files I have used with my students in the past and put most of them in a little pack for you. You can grab that mini-pack here:

I purchased the polar bear clipart from Educlips and you can find that here.

I have also found a few other resources online that are super helpful:

Polar Bear Craft & Writing Pages (First Grade Blue Skies)
I love adding crafts to content. This polar bear craft is meant to hold student work. You can either choose one of the writing pages Jennifer has included in the pack or add your own.

Melting Ice Experiment (Crayonbox Learning)

This pack includes a science experiment to conduct with your students. First students predict whether ice will melt faster in salt or fresh water.

Blubber Experiment (I Can Teach My Child)

This one takes more time and more prep work, but really illustrates the idea of blubber and animals adapting to their environment.

Polar Bears Hundreds Chart (Lil’ Country Kindergarten)
This one works well for my second graders as an entry task, with a guest teacher, or as a time-filler.

I hope you have found some helpful resources for your polar bear studies. If you have any other great resources I should know about, please let me know.
Happy Teaching!