Bears: A Thematic Cross-Curricular Unit
Revised 2nd Edition with nearly 100 additional pages (121 pages total)

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Contents:

• Ideas for using teddy bears for the first week of school
• Bear books (list)
• Who's That Bear quiz/worksheet
• Poem: 5 Little Bears
• Poem: Bear's Secret
• Poems: Tiny Tim, Fuzzy Wuzzy
• Poem: Bear Song
• Poem: Three Bears Song
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain pattern
• Movement Games
• 2 student mini-books about bears
• Student Book: Look &, See
• My Bear and I story starter
• Bear Facts Book
• Bearology quiz/worksheet
• Word Play
• Teddy bear picnic story starter
• Lined writing paper
• BEARO (BINGO) grid pattern
• Math activity suggestions &, various patterns (graphing, patterning, measurement, sorting/classifying, addition/subtraction, symmetry)
• Gummi Bear Math
• Multiple addition/subtraction worksheets
• Art: Bear Hat
• Bear Necklace Patterns
• Draw a Bear
• Pine Cone Bear
• Patterns: Teddy Bear Mask, Jointed Teddy Bear
• Goldilocks &, the Three Bears activities &, patterns
• Book: Bear Rules
• Paper plate teddy bear
• Sitting Bear pattern
• Bear Science: Hibernation pattern and suggested activities
• Paper Plate Panda (bear or not?)
• Bear Recipes
• More bear patterns
• Home connection activities/pages

This themed correlation of activities is intended to assist primary educators in extending and integrating student learning. We have chosen a format that addresses a wide variety of learning styles and approaches. All of the activities included in this themed packet are designed to meet the educational standards in an exciting and innovative manner. We have chosen our favorite classroom activities all of which are based upon quality childrenâ,€,™,s literature. The following components have been included to offer you a wide variety of activities to choose from.

Poem/Song/Rhymes There are numerous poetry applications for use in the primary classroom including: shared reading, pocket chart centers, writerâ,€,™,s response prompts, and skill based sponge activities. Thematic poetry and extension activities have been provided to enhance student learning. Some ways in which to use thematic poetry include:

1. Use a teddy bear pointer to track and count words.
2. Use teddy-grahams or gummy bears as edible manipulative to count words or sentences.
3. Write a poem on sentence strips and then cut between the words to separate them. Have the students rebuild the poem using these words and a pocket chart. Cut or die cut small bears from colored acetate. Use these bear highlights to point out specific concepts of print. For example: Place the blue bears on all of the capital letters, the red bears on all of the periods, and the yellow bears on words that rhyme.

Student Books Individual student books are a wonderful way to promote independence and fluency in reading. Student books can be used as independent seatwork, a center activity, or a homework connection. We have provided both fiction and non-fiction books for your students. Each student book reinforces specific academic skills as well as reading skills.

Class Books - Class books are most commonly used to extend a piece of literature and to encourage students to synthesize concepts. The class book in this packet asks students to think about what activities they like to do with their teddy bears. Each student is asked to complete the sentence:

My bear and I like to ___________. When the students have completed their pages, bind them together using a comb bind, staples or yarn to make a class book.

Word Play The word play activity in this packet is designed to enhance phonemic awareness and color/color word recognition. This activity is to be used in a classroom center or for a choosing activity.

Writing Writing opportunities allow students to extend the learning process while enhancing comprehension. The use of writing connections is paramount to successful student achievement. A writing prompt and a writing page have been provided for use in centers, writerâ,€,™,s workshop, journals, and guided writing. Student writing can be easily compiled and bound to make a class book. We have also provided a blank writing page that can b used for any purpose that you choose.

Math A math mat and activities are provided to explore principles of numeration, algebra and mathematical functions. There are additional math ideas, blacklines and flashcards included as well.

Science Science activities emphasizes prediction, exploration, observation, data analysis, synthesis, and discovery.

Art Art projects provide additional opportunity to extend literature and learning by using various media and accessing student creativity. We have given you a large variety of projects to choose from. Each project uses different media and technique.

Recipes Hands on learning is an essential element to any curriculum and recipes lend themselves to scientific inquiry, math, and literacy development.

Home Connection A take home activity has been included to encourage families to share in the learning experience. We have also included a variety of parent notices and behavior management tools.

Original Copyright © 2002 by Stefani Sadler and Tracy Jarboe
Revised 2nd Edition Copyright © 2006