KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: KristiJoy Fedorowicz Date: 2/18/19

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

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):

Standard - CC.1.2.K.L
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

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 label a polar bear.
 Students will be able to ask and answer questions about polar bears during a group reading.

II. Instructional Materials

 Whiteboard
 Whiteboard Markers
 Polar Bears by Mark Newman
 Computer
 Projector
 Chart paper for questions
 "Polar bears can, have, are" Anchor Chart
 https://www.pebblego.com/modules/1/articles/148
 Pencils
 Polar Bear Diagram

III. Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea)
 Prerequisite Skills
o Previous read aloud of Polar Bear Night
 Key Vocabulary
o Polar Bears- Large Mammals with clear fur, black skin, black noses, small ears, and big
paws
 Big Idea
o It is important for students to be able to identify facts about polar bears.
 Subject Matter
o Polar bears can swim fast
o Polar bears are big animals who live In the arctic

IV. Implementation

A. Introduction –
 Call students to sit on the carpet
 Tell the students that they will be watching a video, while they are watching you want them to
think about what animal it is and what that animal is doing
 Show a video of a polar bear swimming on the projector
https://www.pebblego.com/modules/1/articles/148
 Ask students to raise their hand if they know what kind of animal was in the video
 Call on a student to answer (Expected answer: Polar bear)
 Say "Yes, this is a polar bear who is swimming in the water"
 Tell the students for the next week we will become scientists who will be researching facts about
polar bears and experimenting

B. Development –
 Remind the students that on Friday we read a story called "Polar Bear Night", explain that the
story was a fiction story because it was not real. When a story is real and has facts it is called non-
fiction.
 Introduce the story "Polar Bears" by Mark Newman
 Ask the students to turn and tell their shoulder partner if they think this will be a non-fiction (real)
story and why
 Give 30 seconds for students to discuss, countdown from 3 to grab their attention and stop talking
 Tell students to raise their hand if they would like to share their thoughts
 Call on 2 students to share
 Explain that while we are reading, you want the students to look at the pictures and think about
questions that might have about polar bears
 Begin reading the book "Polar Bears" by Mark Newman (to keep the interest level appropriate for
kindergarten, only read the big print, unless otherwise stated)
 On page 1, explain that polar bears can weigh as much as a small car when they are an adult
 On page 2, explain when polar bear babies are first born they may only weigh a pound, which is
as little as a can of soup
 Stop on page 5, say by looking at this picture, what do you think the weather is like in the Arctic?
 Call on 2 students to share
 Stop on page 9, say if polar bears are hungry, turn and tell a partner what you think polar bears eat
 Call on 2 students who are raising their hand to share
 Continue reading, on page 10, read the big print and the smaller print
 Stop on page 11, explain that polar bears can swim faster than they can walk
 Ask the students to make a prediction about why polar bears can swim so fast and point to the
polar bears paws
 On the last page, ask students if they know what the word endangered means.
 Call on a student to share, if no one raises their hand, explain that this means that there are not
many polar bears left and we must take care of the Earth in order to keep them alive
 Tell the students that based off of what we read so far, you want them to come up with questions
about polar bears and what else they would like to know
 Call on students to ask questions and write them down
 Explain that throughout the week we will be experimenting and researching to answer our own
questions
 In order to get the students moving, tell them to stand up and explain that we learned that polar
bears can swim really fast, so now I want you to act like you are a polar bear swimming
 Explain that next we will be going on the internet to research and we are going to focus on the
polar bears body
 Tell the students that we are going to use a chart to write down our information
 Ask the students what sight words they see on the chart (are and can)
 Explain that we are going to write down what polar bears can, have, and are
 Display https://www.pebblego.com/modules/1/articles/148 onto the whiteboard
 Read the description to the students
 Ask the students based off of this information, Is there anything we can write on our "can, have,
and are" chart
 Call on students who are raising their hand to share and write it in the corresponding column if
they are correct
 Tell the students to look at the picture, and tell you what does the polar bear look like
 Call on students who are raising their hand and write facts on the chart as needed
  Emphasize that polar bears have little ears, a black nose, and big paws
 Tell the students that they will be getting a paper of a polar bear and will be labeling it
 Explain that when the students get their paper they should walk back to their seats and write their
name
 Tell students that once they are done writing their name, they should put their pencil up and listen
for the next set of direction
 Write the word little ears on the board, tell the students to write this on the line that points to the
little ears
 Write the word clear fur on the board, tell the students to write this on the line that points to their
clear fur
 Write the word big paws on the board, tell the students to write this on the line that points to the
big paws
 Write the word black nose on the board, tell the students to write this on the line that points to the
black nose

C. Closure –
 When all students are complete tell them to discuss with their groups how they think the polar
bears body helps them survive

 Call on 3 students to share their ideas

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

E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formative-
 The diagrams will be collected and checked for accuracy of labels by using a checklist
 A checklist will be used for students who participate during group reading
2. Summative

V. Reflective Response

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

100% of the students were able to label the polar bear accurately. Some students had
more difficulties getting started than others so I assisted by projecting the diagram onto the
whiteboard and doing the diagram as a whole class. This allowed for conversations to take place
about why polar bears have big paws and little ears.

B. Personal Reflection
 Did I choose an appropriate book?
o I believe that I chose an appropriate book to introduce the topic of polar bears. This book
consisted of simple sentences that kindergarteners could understand. It also had many
real photographs so the students were able to see visuals of polar bears and their
environment as well. However, I was hoping that because the big print on this book was
simple, it would leave students questioning some of the statements and wanting to know
why. Because of this, I planned to have the students create questions. However, not many
students were able to formulate questions after the book. To improve upon this, I could
have stopped after certain pages like "Polar bears are not really white." and asked the
students to come up with a question then or I could have modeled by creating my own
questions and then Instructing students to do the same.
 Did I manage behavior effectively?
 o I believe that I was able to keep the students attention during the read aloud and at the
carpet by stating that I would only be calling on students who have their hands raised and
are sitting quietly. I also believe that I was clear in giving instructions about how first,
they will write their name on their paper and then hold their pencils up so I am aware that
they are ready. As I circulated around the room, I praised students who were following
directions to try to motivate those who were not. During transitions, I explained that they
should walk quietly, but small conversations started to break out once they were at their
seats because I was not specific that I wanted them to stay quiet once they got to their
seats and were writing their name. I could improve upon this by setting the behavioral
expectations for the entire lesson from the very beginning.
 Did I promote critical thinking?
o Yes, the lesson did not go in the order I planned for it too, but I believe that it actually
flowed better the way I taught it. After reading and researching the students went back to
their seats to fill out the diagram and then returned to the carpet to fill in the chart as a
whole. Because of this, we already discussed the original closing question, "How do
polar bears body help them survive?" so I changed it on the spot to "How are polar bears
different from us?” This allowed the students to make a connection and compare their
own lives to a polar bear. As I was talking with students I heard discussions about polar
bears having fur and us not. I also talked with a student about how polar bears are born in
the cold and snow and how he was born inside a hospital.

VI. Resources

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

Capstone. (2019). Polar bears. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://www.pebblego.com/modules/1/
articles/148