3.Kindergarten Bear Unit: A Beary Good Time!
Design Topic: Bears Subject(s) Cross-curricular Grade: Kindergarten Designer(s) Jennica Quenville
UbD
STAGE 1 - DESIRED RESULTS
Unit Title: A Beary Good Time
Established Goals (big ideas): – include BC curriculum citation
Science (Main focus)
● Plants and animals have observable features
● Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
Socials
● Stories and traditions about ourselves and our families reflect who we are and where we are
from. (Ex. this will be tied in when incorporating First Peoples stories of bears and the land).
Art
● Engagement in the arts creates opportunities of inquiry through purposeful play.
● People connect to others and share ideas through the arts.
PHE
● Learning about ourselves and others helps us develop a positive attitude and caring behaviours,
which helps us build healthy relationships.
Rationale Why are you doing this and why is it relevant to your students?
I have yet to meet a primary student that doesn’t show wonder and curiosity about the many wild and
powerful animals that live on this planet. It becomes even more exciting when one of these animals
lives on the same land that they do. In place-based teaching, learning about the community you live in
and how to support it, is integral. In B.C. Indigenous culture, animals are seen as an important and
valuable source of knowledge and ways of being. The bear is no exception and is referred to as the
animal that symbolizes the importance of reflection. Since these students live on Vancouver Island, it is
essential they understand these animals that they are sharing this land with. They will be learning about
Canadian bears including the black bear, the spirit bear, grizzly bears, and polar bears. Additionally
they will be learning about bear adaptations, such as hibernation and their physical attributes that help
them survive. This connects with the B.C. curriculum, that states that students should be able to
recognize observable features of animals and the adaptations of animals. This unit will be 4-5 weeks
long and will be a cross-curricular unit to take advantage of the many connections that can be made
between this topic and the various subjects.
Essential Question(s): What drives the learning?
What types of bears live in Canada?
What physical characteristics/behaviours do the different types of bears have to help them survive in
their particular environment?
What does it mean to hibernate? Why do some bears hibernate?
Students will be able to: Students will know:
(competencies – include BC curriculum citation) (content – include BC curriculum citation)
Science (Main focus) Science (Main focus)
● Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of ● Basic needs of plants and animals.
wonder about the world. ● Adaptations of local plants and animals.
● Discuss observations Art
● Share observations and ideas orally ● Visual arts: elements of design
● Transfer and apply learning to new
situations.
● Make exploratory observations using their
Socials
senses.
● Make simple measurements using non- ● Rights, roles, and responsibilities of
standard units. individuals and groups. (Connected to
● Experience and interpret the local students learning about their
environment. environmental responsibility on how to
● Recognize First Peoples stories (including live peacefully on the same land with
oral and written narratives), songs, art, as bears).
ways to share knowledge.
PHE
● Represent observations and ideas by
drawing charts and simple pictographs. ● How to participate in different types of
Art physical activities, including individual
● Explore elements, processes, materials, and dual activities, rhythmic activities and
movements, technologies, tools, and games.
techniques of the arts.
● Create artistic works collaboratively and
as an individual, using ideas inspired by
imagination, inquiry, experimentation and
purposeful play.
● *Demonstrate increasingly sophisticated
application and/or engagement of
curricular content.
Socials
● Recognize causes and consequences of
events and distinguish between what has
changed and what has stayed the same
(Ex. the consequence of human
behaviours on the environment and bears).
PHE
● Develop and demonstrate a variety of
fundamental movement skills in a variety
of different environments.
● Develop and demonstrate safety, fair play,
and leadership in physical activities.
● Identify caring behaviours among
classmates and within families.
STAGE 2 - ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Performance Tasks and/or culminating tasks: Other Evidence: formative and summative
Teddy Bear Picnic Formative
● Pyjama day/bring their own teddy. Observations
● Students do a movement song with the ● At the end of each lesson, I will reflect on
bear masks and paws that they made in the student’s that required the most
art. support, those that required a little, and
● Watch the movie Brother Bear those that were mainly independent.
● I will closely observe the students and
If COVID 19 restrictions were not in place - Field take notes during the review activities.
trip to North Island Wildlife Recovery Center Conversations
● On review days, I will take time to ask
students questions in order to identify
where they are at currently with their
understanding and whether I need to
modify anything or provide extra support
for some students moving forward.
● Self-assessments: I will be providing
students with opportunities for self
assessment - this may look like colour in a
smiley face, neutral face, or frown face,
depending on how confident they feel
about the material. Additionally, I will get
students to show me a thumbs up,
sideways thumb, or thumbs down
depending on how confident they feel
about their understanding.
Products
● While they are working on any products,
such as a worksheet or a picture, I will
make note of the levels of support needed
for whatever the learning intention is for
that lesson.
Summative
Conversation
● Oral assessment (requested by teacher) -
the teacher will assess the students one on
one by asking them key questions they
should be aware of by the end of the unit.
For example, what bear is the biggest, a
black bear, grizzly, or polar bear?
○ Depending on the student’s skill
level at the time, I will make
adaptations for students that have
difficulty speaking.
■ Example, having the
pictures of the different
types of bears laid out,
asking questions and
getting the student to
point to the correct bear.
Observation
● I will summarize the observations I have
made throughout all of the lessons and
compare them to my observations of
students understanding on the last week of
the unit.
Product/Conversation
● I am going to have students create a
picture of the things that they learned
throughout their bear unit. I will then get
the student to explain the picture to me
and explain what they learned.
Key Criteria:
● Students can identify the three different types of Canadian bears (Black bear, grizzly, and polar
bear)
● Students know the different characteristics of these bears including what they eat, whether they
hibernate, what type of environment they live in, and what they look like.
● Students know what it means to hibernate (or go into a deep winter sleep - bears are not TRUE
hibernators).
● Students understand that these physical characteristics and behaviours help them survive.
● I know what to do if I see a bear.
STAGE 3- LEARNING PLAN
Learning intentions Learning activities
Week 1: Nov 2nd-6th
Tuesday Tuesday (Art class - guessing what the unit is)
I can make a prediction. ● I will let the students know that this art class has something to do with the unit
(Other learning intention that we will be beginning the next day and doing for an entire month.
would be connected to art ● The students will create their own teddy bear. They will do this out of two
curriculum) sheets of paper that will be connected together and in the shape of a teddy
bear. They will then colour the teddy bear however they want and glue
different types of fabric onto it, in order to create different textures. I will then
fill the teddy bears with stuffing and close them up.
● At the end of this class the students will guess what their unit is going to be
about.
Wednesday: Introduction to the unit
Wednesday ● Read a story (Bear’s dream) about a teddy bear that visits different types of
I can use my prior wild bears in his dream. (Connect to the bear they made the day prior - they
knowledge and can each sit with their teddy bear while I read the story - as long as they keep
experiences to facilitate it to themselves and if any bear gets thrown around then the student will not
my learning. be allowed to hold it for the story).
● Brainstorm with class the differences between teddy bears and real wild bears.
(This is a fun way to identify what they already know about bears)
● Incorporate a bear movement break/song that I will use frequently throughout
the unit by changing up the type of bear and the movements.
● Then as a class, we will create a graph, where they choose whether they
would want to be a teddy bear or a real bear if they had the choice.
Thursday: (Theme) Lesson on key characteristics and adaptations of bears.
Thursday ● Will use a powerpoint I created with neat images/video that covers the main
I understand that bears facts about bears (mammals, cubs, what helps them survive, hibernation, etc)-
have physical > this portion of the lesson will be very discussion based.
characteristics and ● Will play an audio recording of a story I have written about a mama bear
behaviours that help them teaching her cubs how to prepare for “hibernation” -> This will involve the
survive. students acting this out around with me in the classroom (walking on feet and
hands, standing on their legs to sniff the air to find food, pretending to climb a
tree to get food, gathering leaves for our den, etc).
I know that hibernation Thursday: Art
means sleeping in the - On a nature walk collect leaves, sticks, pinecones for the hibernactivityation
winter so that animals can art
survive. - Hibernation art activity.
Friday (Theme: Science - Lesson on black bear characteristics)
Friday ○ Sing a little bear song to get back into the bear theme.
○ Students will be given a picture of a black bear at a river that is
I know key physical looking for salmon but won’t be told any information about this
characteristics and picture. They will all analyze the picture and brainstorm some facts
behaviours of black bears. about the animal - what type of bear it is, what it eats, what
environment it lives in, etc)
○ Then students will watch a video on black bears that tells them some
facts. After video we will discuss.
○ As a class we fill in a bear research worksheet where they will write
what black bears eat, what different colour fur black bears can have,
where they live, etc. (This age group needs the words in highlighter
on their pages to trace)
Week 2 Nov 9th- 13th:
I can use my Monday (Gym)
understanding of ● Students take part in a hibernation game using hula hoops for the dens and
hibernation to help me bean bags for the food. They will need to get back to the den safely before
participate in the game. winter comes!
Wednesday - Remembrance day - no school.
Thursday(Theme: science - Lesson on the Spirit Bear)
● Learn about how there is a very unique and special type of bear that lives in
I know the key B.C. called spirit bears (They have white or cream fur), these bears are
characteristics of Spirit technically black bears but have a recessive gene that made them white.
Bears. ● Read an indigenous authors book on the Spirit Bear and talk about how the
Spirit Bear is a symbol of peace and harmony to First Nation Communities.
I can draw something that ● Connect the story to how what made the bear different is also what made it
makes me special special - students then draw a picture in their journals about what makes
themselves special just like the spirit bear. Teacher will go around and write
their sentence in the journal.
Thursday (Art class)
● The majority of the previous art class would be spent on the nature walk
collecting materials. This class they will finish their hibernation art scene
(little bear in a den - decorated with the leaves, twigs, etc they gathered from
outside + pom poms for snow).
I know the key Friday (Theme: science - Lesson on the key characteristics of grizzly bears)
characteristics and ● Read Bears by Deborah Hodge (just the parts on black bears and grizzly
behaviours of Grizzly bears)
bears. ● Use this book and images to help the students identify the main differences
between black bears and grizzly bears (in doing this they will also learn the
& main characteristics and behaviours of grizzly bears)
● Watch video footage of black bears and grizzly bears and pause the video and
I know how to identify have them guess what type of bear and have to say why they know that.
the differences between
black bears and grizzly
bears.
Week 3 Nov 16th - 20th
Wednesday: (Theme: science/socials - Lesson on Bear awareness)
I know what to do if I see ● Students learn about how to identify whether a bear has been around when
a bear. they are out in nature (claw marks on trees, scat, etc).
● Students learn about what they should do if they see a bear.
I know the key Thursday:
characteristics and ● Pretend that we have to go on a flight to the Arctic in order to meet our next
behaviours of Polar bears type of bear (don’t tell them what type of bear it is yet)
● Pretend to be a flight attendant and get students to line up for their flight and
welcome them aboard - they will have a seat at their tables and have to buckle
up and stay seated!
I know the key ● On the screen, play a video of a plane taking off (first person view), then play
characteristics and drone footage of flying over top of the arctic (footage can include drone
behaviours of Polar bears footage of polar bears and they can announce if they know what type of bear
it is). Finally, play footage of the plane landing in the arctic.
● Go to the “information center” at the circle where you will be a tour guide and
tell them all of the information they need to know about polar bears (read a
polar bear book)
Thursday (Art)
● Students use oil pastels to create a Ted Harrison style Arctic polar bear scene
at sunset.
I know that Polar Bears Friday:
have blubber to keep them ● Do the blubber experiment (ice water - touch it with bare hands first and then
warm in the Arctic water. with a glove have your hand in a bag of baking shortening and then put it in
the ice water)
Week 4 Nov 23rd-27th
Monday (Gym)
● Part of gym class on monday will include polar bear tag
● I will also create my own polar bear game - with icebergs, polar bears, and
seals.
Wednesday:
I know the key - Do fun bear review activities to help prepare students for assessment.
characteristics and
behaviours about the Wednesday (Gym)
different types of ● Games in gym that help them review bears (Example rainbow game but
Canadian Bears. instead with the 3 different types of bears).
Thursday
● Pull students aside for one on one assessments
Friday: Cumulative Activity - Teddy Bear Picnic
● Continue the assessments
● PJ Day + bring their own teddy. Bear songs and then watch the movie Brother
bear (might need to watch this in little bits throughout this week during their
lunch).
