Bears Are Curious
written by Joyce Milton
Illustrated by Christopher Santoro
Cyberlesson created by Jessica Malatesta
Click on the bear to learn how bears get ready for
hibernation and to learn facts about bears.
Introduction
Do you know how bears get ready for
hibernation? In the nonfiction book,
Bears Are Curious you will find out how
bears get prepared for winter.
In this book you will also learn facts about
bears. You will learn why some bears
hibernate and its purpose. Are you
ready?
Resources and Materials
• Before you begin, you will need:
• A copy of Bears Are Curious
• A pencil
• Sticky Notes
• Crayons
• Writer’s Notebook
• K-W-L Chart
• Computer with Internet access
~ Everything else is provided through the lesson.
Before Reading
• Before you begin reading Bears Are Curious
click here to watch a movie about why animals
hibernate in the winter.
• If you are curious about hibernation, click on the
animals below to learn more facts about how
animals survive in the winter.
Before Reading
• In this story the author asks an important question: “Why
are the bears so hungry?” Why do you think bears are
so hungry? Write your thoughts in your writer’s notebook.
• Watch the video on the bear preparing for hibernation.
Write down events that occurred in the movie that you
think might also be discussed in the story. Click here to
view the video.
• In this book you will also learn facts about bears. Please
complete the KNOW and WANT to know sections on your
K-W-L chart.
• Now go ahead and take a picture walk with your
partner. Talk about what you notice.
During Reading
Read the story in your head and keep
track of the events in the story.
Also, use your sticky notes to tab
pages where you learned a new or
interesting fact. Remember a fact is
something true.
Here is a picture of a bear hibernating in his den.
After Reading
• What do you think is the most
important thing you learned from
reading this book?
• Now complete the LEARN section of
your K-W-L chart.
• Then RETELL the story to your partner.
It looks like the bear has woken up from his long
winter’s nap. What will the bear do next?
Beyond Reading
Choose one of the following activities:
• Listen to the Ballad of the Wild Bear, then write
a journal entry in a bears’ viewpoint. Tell
about your day. Make sure you use facts from
the story and tell what season it is.
• Watch live webcasts of a bear and a video,
then draw what a typical bears’ environment
looks like. Label your illustration. CLICK HERE
to view webcast. CLICK HERE to watch the
video.
Beyond Reading Continued
• Visit brainpopjr.com and explore the
game section on hibernation.
• Click on the squirrel to check your
knowledge.
Rubric
Activity
3
2
1
K-W-L Chart
Student wrote at least
two things for each
section of the chart.
Student wrote at least
one thing for each
section of the chart.
Student did not
complete each
section of the chart.
Retell
Student retold the
story to a partner and
included all the
events.
Student retold the
story to a partner and
included some of the
events.
Student retold some of
the story and only one
event.
Journal Entry
Student used at least
two facts from the
story and song to write
a journal entry.
Student used at least
one fact from the
story and song to write
a journal entry.
Student did not use
any facts from the
story or song to write a
journal entry.
Illustration of Setting
Student used
webcam images and
facts from the story to
create a picture of a
bears’ environment.
Student labeled
his/her illustration.
Student used
webcam images and
facts from the story to
create a picture of a
bears’ environment.
Student did not label
his/her illustration.
Students did not use
webcam images or
facts from the story to
create a picture of a
bears’ environment.
Student did not label
his/her illustration.
_______________ out of a total 9 points
Credits
Books:
Bears are Curious by Joyce Milton
Ballad of the Wild Bear by Pay Chamberlin-Calamar and Sandy Kogl (read along and sing
along)
Websites:
http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/winter/win2.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/satoyama/hibernation.html
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/animals.html
www.unitedstreaming.com
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=388634E4-2D6C-4D8E-BB3D766D08779DDE&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/hibernation/
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/snugsnow.htm
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/animals/hibernation/
Pictures:
hyacinths.wordpress.com/
http://www.bear.org/website/
Teacher’s Page
•
•
•
Before the cyber lesson, students should have some background
knowledge about hibernation and its purpose. This cyberlesson is
intended to take place in the beginning of the unit.
Students will have an good understanding that not all animals
hibernate, however, they may have some incorrect information. This
cyber lesson, as well as the accompanying unit will clarify any
misunderstandings students may have at this time. One
misconception students may have is that bears are “true”
hibernators, which in fact, Bears are not "true" hibernators. They are
one of the "light sleepers."
Students reading at a level 15 and above will be able to complete
this cyber lesson independently, while students reading below a level
16 can complete this with a partner or in a whole group, with teacher
narrating.