KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: KristiJoy Fedorowicz Date: 2/21/19

Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Harr Coop. Initials: ___________
Group Size: 24 Allotted Time: 30 minutes Grade Level: K
Subject or Topic: Polar Bears- Blubber Section: Dr. Sychterz

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

Standard - 3.1.K.A5
Observe and describe structures and behaviors of a variety of common animals.

Standard - 3.1.K.A9
• Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion. • Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events. •
Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and answering questions and comparing the
answer with what is already known. • Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that
different questions require different kinds of investigations. • Use simple equipment (tools and other
technologies) to gather data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than
relying only on their senses to gather information. • Use data/evidence to construct explanations and
understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and compare them with their
current scientific knowledge. • Communicate procedures and explanations giving priority to evidence and
understanding that scientists make their results public, describe their investigations so they can be
reproduced, and review and ask questions about the work of other scientists.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

 Students will be able to identify how polar bears stay warm in the cold.
 Students will be able to make predictions and draw conclusions about how polar bears stay warm
in the Arctic.

II. Instructional Materials

 6 buckets
 Ice
 Cold water
 Ziploc bags (2 for each table, total of 12)
 Crisco
 Paper Towels
 Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons
 Blubber Experiment Data Sheet
 Pencils
 Polar Bears "Can, Have, Are…" Anchor Chart
 Markers
 Winter Coat
 Computer
 Whiteboard
 Projector

III. Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea)
 Prerequisite Skills
o Previous read aloud of Polar Bear Night
o Previous read aloud of Polar Bears by Mark Newman
o Previous read aloud of Polar Bears Close-up by Melissa Keil
 o Polar Bears- Large Mammals with clear fur, black skin, black noses, small ears, and big
paws
o Arctic- a place in the north that is cold, icy, and snowy
o Polar bears live in the arctic
 Key Vocabulary
o Blubber- A 3 inch layer of fat underneath polar bear's skin that helps Insulate their body
from the cold
 Big Idea
o It is important for students to be able to explore a polar bear's adaptation.
o It is important for students to make predictions and draw conclusions when conducting an
experiment.
 Subject Matter
o Polar bears have blubber under their skin that helps to keep them warm in cold
conditions.

IV. Implementation

A. Introduction –
 Call students to carpet
 Ask the students to turn and tell a partner what animal we have been researching about
 Call on 1 student to share
 Say "Yes, we have been researching about polar bears!"
 Instruct students to raise their hand to tell you information that they have learned about polar
bears
 Call on 4 students to share
 Review "Can, Have, Are" anchor chart
 Ask a student to raise their hand and remind you where polar bears live (Expected Answer: The
Arctic)
 Ask another student to raise their hand and tell the class what is It like in the Arctic (Expected
answers: snowy, icy, cold)
 Explain that "Yesterday It was cold and snowing, tell the students to turn and tell a partner, how
they stay warm when they go outside"
 Call on 2 students to share
 Put on your jacket and explain that people wear jackets to go outside in the snow, but we would
not be able to live in the cold and snow so today we will be exploring how polar bears are able to
live in the cold and snow in the Arctic.

B. Development –
 Introduce the story "Polar Bears" by Gail Gibbons
 Explain that we will only be reading a small part of this non-fiction book to focus on how polar
bears stay warm
 Ask the students to turn and tell their shoulder partner a prediction about how they think polar
bears stay warm
 Call on 2 students to share
 Display a picture of the book pages on the whiteboard (this will make it easier for all students to
see picture and diagram)
 Read the two pages
 Ask the students to raise their hand If they know what the layer of fat under the polar bear's skin
is called (Expected answer: Blubber)
 If the student does not get the answer right "Say, good researchers go back and re-read facts
(comprehension strategy taught week prior), so I will re-read and make sure you have your
listening ears on to hear what keeps polar bears warm" then call on a student who is raising their
hand to tell you the name of fat under the polar bear's skin that keeps them warm in the cold
 Arctic
 Explain that today we will be conducting an experiment to feel what it would be like to have
blubber
 Tell the students that there is a bucket of ice cold water back at each table, but we will keep our
hands up like paws until I tell you to
 Send students back to their seats and pass out the experiment data sheet
 Tell students as soon as they get their paper they should write their name and then hold their
pencil up so I know that they are ready
 When all students are ready, tell the students that they should place their pencil on their desk and
quietly place one hand into the bucket of ice water
 After a minute, instruct all students to take their hand out of the water and they can dry it off with
a paper towel
 Tell them to lift back up their pencil and not to touch the bucket of water
 Call on a student to answer, how did the water feel? (Expected answer: cold) and instruct the
students to circle cold in the first box on the experiment data sheet
 Now tell the students that they will be receiving a glove that has blubber in It, before they receive
the blubber you want them to turn and tell their table friends if they think the water will be cold
or warm with the blubber
 Call on 2 students to share, tell the students to circle either cold or warm in the 2nd box to make a
prediction about how the water will feel with the blubber and raise their pencil when they are
done
 When all students are done, instruct the students to place their pencil back on their desk
 Pass out a pre-made blubber glove to each table and tell the students to put one hand In the
blubber glove and place It in the water (model it in front of the students)
 Give students a couple minutes to explore and discuss the results with their table friends
 Call back students attention, instruct the students to leave the blubber gloves in the water and take
their hand out
 When their hand is out, ask the students to raise their hand and share their results
 Call on 2 students to share
 Tell the students to pick up their pencil and circle the result on the 3rd box on their data sheet by
asking did the blubber keep your hand cold or warm and to raise their pencil when they are ready
 Explain that in the 4th box it says "What keeps polar bears warm in the cold Arctic?"
 Ask the students to raise their hand to answer the question (Expected answer: Blubber)
 Write blubber on the board and tell students to write what keeps polar bears warm in the 4th box
 Tell students that when they are done to place their pencil on their desk and put their paws up so
you know that they are ready
 Call students back to the carpet who are ready
 Once all students are at the carpet, review the results and point to the diagram from the book to
explain that polar bear's blubber is under their skin
 Ask students "What can we add to our chart from the new information we explored today?"
 Call on a student who is raising their hand to answer (Expected answer: Polar bears have blubber)

C. Closure –
 Tell students to turn and tell their shoulder partner, if polar bears have blubber under their skin to
keep them warm, what do people put on them to keep them warm when we go outside
 Call on students to share and send them to their cubby's to go outside for recess by saying you
may walk quietly to put on your jacket to line up for recess

D. Accommodations / Differentiation -
 Monitor students O. and S.'s behavior throughout the Independent work to ensure they are on task
 Student J., M., and Z., tend to have visual difficulty seeing the whiteboard from their seats , so
write the words needed (blubber) for their data sheet on top of their data sheet

E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
 1. Formative- Blubber experiment data sheets will be collected and checked for a
prediction, a conclusion, and accuracy by using a checklist.
2. Summative

V. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students’ Performance in Terms of States Objectives

 86% (18/21) of the students were successful at observing that the water first felt cold,
making a prediction about what the water would feel like with the blubber glove, and
then concluding that the water felt warm with the glove.
 Student Z circled all of the snowflakes and sun in each box. Next time we have an
experiment, I will ensure that I check on him to make sure he is following and
understanding the directions.
 Student AK did not make a conclusion by not circling either warm or cold.
 Student JD predicted and concluded that the water felt cold with the blubber glove.
During our next experiment, I will make sure I have discussions with this student to see if
he is thinking in the right direction and guide him in filling out the worksheet.
 100% of the students were able to determine that polar bears stay warm because they
have blubber under their skin.

B. Personal Reflection
1. Did I set behavioral expectations?
a. Yes, all students were able to participate in the experiment because they had good
behavior and were following directions. I reinforced that we will not touch the
water or blubber unless I tell you to and had students put their hands up during
down time. Because there was only one glove at each table, I decided who would
go first at each table and which direction they would pass it. This completely
eliminated my fear of the students arguing over who was taking their turn next.
As I circulated, the students carefully watched their peers and listened to their
reactions. I also explained that after the first student put the glove into the water
to just leave it in the water. This eliminated the problem of getting the desks wet
or giving the students another distraction.
2. Were all of the students engaged?
a. Answered with question above!
3. Was I explicit and clear in giving directions?
a. Yes, I had the worksheet projected on the screen so I could guide the students to
as where they were circling or writing their information. Since all students were
not successful at this part, I would model the worksheet before the students
started the experiment and repeat multiple times that we will only circle one
choice in each box and have students repeat it back to me.

VI. Resources

Gibbons, G. (2001). Polar bears (1st ed.). New York: Holiday House.