KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: KristiJoy Fedorowicz Date: 2/22/19

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

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

 Standard - 3.1.K.A5
Observe and describe structures and behaviors of a variety of common animals.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)
 Students will be able to depict that polar bears have black skin and clear fur that reflects the light
and snow making it look white.

II. Instructional Materials

 Polar Bears by Mark Newman
 Black construction paper
 Polar bear stencils
 Pencils
 Cotton balls
 Scissors
 Glue
 Polar bears "Can, Are, Have" anchor chart

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
o Polar bears have blubber which is a layer of fat underneath their skin that helps them
keep warm
 Key Vocabulary
 Big Idea
o It is important for students to be able to explore a polar bear's adaptation.
 Subject Matter
o Polar bears have black skin, and clear fur that looks white because it reflects the light.

IV. Implementation

A. Introduction –
 Display a picture of a polar bear onto the whiteboard
 Explain that yesterday we learned about what is under a polar bear's skin to help keep them warm
 Tell the students to turn and tell a partner what that layer of fat that keeps polar bears warm is
called
 Countdown from 3 to focus the students attention back to you
 Call on a student to share (Expected answer: Blubber)
 Say yes blubber is a layer of fat under the polar bear's skin that help keep them warm in the cold,
Icy, arctic
 Explain that since yesterday we experimented with the blubber under the skin, today we will be
learning about the skin and outside of the polar bear

B. Development –
 Introduce the book, "Polar Bears" by Mark Newman, explain that we read this book on Monday
to learn some facts about polar bears and a fact that really made me wonder was that "Polar bears
are not really white"
 Ask the students to turn and tell their shoulder partner what color they think polar bears are
 Call on 3 students to share
 Based on the students answers, ask students to raise their hand if they have a prediction about
what color polar bears skin is and call on a student to answer
 Begin reading the page in the book
 After reading the page tell students to turn and tell their shoulder partner what color a polar bears
skin really is
 Call on 1 student to share (Expected answer: Black)
 Say "yes, a polar bear has black skin now raise your hand to tell me what color their fur actually
is "
 Call on a student to answer (Expected answer: Clear)
 Say "yes, polar bears fur has no color at all which means It's clear"
 Ask students to raise their hand if they remember why polar bears look white
 Call on a student and if they do not remember say, "Sometimes good researchers go back and re-
read information, so let's go back and re-read and make sure you have your listening ears on"
 Re-read the last sentence on the page and then call on a student to answer (Expected answer:
Their clear hair reflects the light making them look white)
 Review new Information learned by saying yes polar bears have black skin with clear fur that
looks white because it reflects the light
 Explain that today we will be doing an activity to show the colors of a polar bear and show a
model
 Say that each of you will receive a black piece of construction paper to represent the fur
 The very first thing you should do is trace a polar onto the paper by using a stencil and then cut it
out
 Once you cut it out, write your name on the back and then you will come up to the carpet and get
15 cotton ball
 You will quietly walk back to your seats and stretch the cotton balls out and glue them onto the
black construction paper
 Ask the students, can anybody tell me if we should put cotton balls where the polar bear's nose
should be (Expected answer: no)
 Explain that you will not put cotton balls where the polar bear's nose should be because their
noses are black
 Send students back to their seats based on behavior
 Circulate around the room to ensure students are on task and understand the directions
 When students are done, make sure their name is on the back and tell them to place their polar
bear on the front table
 When all students are done, call students to come back to the carpet
 Instruct students to stand up and we are going to do the polar bear dance (Polar bear, polar bear
turn around. Polar bear, polar bear touch the ground. Polar bear, polar put your big paws up. Polar
bear, polar bear sit on the ground)

C. Closure –
 Review the "Can, Are, Have" Anchor chart
 Instruct the students to turn and tell their shoulder partner something new that they learned about
polar bears today
  Countdown from 3 and ask students to raise their hand if they can tell you something to add to the
chart (Expected answers: Polar bears are not really white, have black skin)

D. Accommodations / Differentiation -
 Student O. and Student S. tend to get distracted and may need occasional check-ups to ensure
they are staying on task and following directions
 Student S. cannot have scissors and glue at his desk. They will be placed at the teacher's desk and
he may only have one or the other when needed.

E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formative- Polar bear will be collected and checked that students were able to
use black construction paper to represent the skin by using a section on the performance assessment
rubric.
2. Summative

V. Reflective Response

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

 100% of the students were able to follow all directions in order to depict a polar bear that
has black skin and clear fur that appears white because it reflects the light from the snow.
After the activity, the class reunited as a whole on the carpet to add facts to our chart and
review the colors of polar bears based on our craft. The students were able to participate
by adding black skin to our chart and understanding why they have clear fur since that
was already written on the chart.

B. Personal Reflection
1. Did I explain the directions clearly?
a. All students were able to get started right away without any questions which
proved that I explained the directions effectively. I learned from watching my
cooperating teacher to have students who tend to not follow directions, repeat the
directions back to the entire class and put task cards on the whiteboard, so if the
students do become confused, they can easily look at the pictures on the board to
be reminded about what comes next. I did both of these strategies for this
assignment which made the activity run smoothly. Instead of having the students
get their own cotton balls, I had the students raise their hand when they were
ready and I brought them the cotton balls. Some of the students were confused on
how to stretch out the cotton balls, so I stopped all of the students and turned
their attention to me as I modeled. To make this lesson run even more smoothly, I
could have modeled stretching out the cotton balls when going over directions in
the beginning.
2. How well did I manage behavior?
a. I believe that I managed the students’ behavior rather well. The students were
excited to do the craft, so I set expectations for their behavior in order for them to
do the craft and explained how I wanted them to work while completing the
activity. Throughout the activity, I praised students who were working quietly
and focused. During the read aloud, the students were naturally engaged because
they were Intrigued about why polar bears were not really white. This shows why
It is important to set behavioral expectations and capture the students attention.

VI. Resources
Newman, M. (2011). Polar bears (1st ed.). New York: H. Holt.