#2198 - Teddy Bear vs. Real Bear (Social Studies)

by Juliana Galiyas

Subject: Social Studies
Level: Pre-School - 2

I. HEADING
Juliana Galiyas
April 30, 2001
Social Studies/ Math/ Music
1st Grade- 19 students
Instruction Time- 30 minutes

II. RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND

The only bear that some students may have ever seen in their lifetime is a teddy bear. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the students to the actual size of a black bear. Students will also become familiar with measurement through this lesson.

III. LESSON OBJECTIVES

TLW describe the difference in size between a black bear and teddy bear.

PI: After measuring the size of a black bear and their teddy bear, students will accurately describe the size of a Pennsylvanian Black Bear.

IV. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS

Teddy bear for each student
Measuring tape
Bear Measurement form
Yard stick
Greg and Steve. Going on a Bear Hunt. Kids In Action Greg & Steve http://www.gregandsteve.com Greg and Steve Productions, 2000.
History of a Teddy Bear. http://www.grinandbearit.com/tbhistory.htm
Berryman, Clifford. http://www.bearhollow.net/teddy_roosevelt.htm

V. CONCEPTS

Bears are larger in size than people.

VI. PROCEDURES

A. Motivation

T: Who wants to go on a bear hunt? What will we need to take on our bear hunt? Food, water, camera, net, video camera … What kind of clothes should we wear? Old clothes that we don't want to get dirty. Where do bears live? Cave. Before we can start our bear hunt, we need to review the different kind of terrain we will encounter. When we hear certain sounds, we need to do certain motions: Stand up and let's practice the motions!

Drums- Pat our thighs.
At the wheat field- Rub our hands together.
Cross the bridge- Lightly pound our fists on our chest.
Climbing the tree- Put our fist one on top of the other in an upward motion.
Row the boat- Move our hands in a circular motion as if we have pretend ors in our hands.

Play the song, Going on a Bear Hunt, through until the part when you reach the cave. Do not distribute the words to the song!

Then stop the tape.

Pass out bear measurement sheet.

T: Use your imagination and tell me what you think the bear might look like? I want everyone to guess how many inches tall a bear is and write that number down on your Bear measurement form. We will find out soon, but first let's find out how big a bear really is.

B. Lesson Body

Teddy Bears

T: Today we are going to learn about two different bears. Can anyone guess what they are? Teddy bears and Black bears.

Have each student get their teddy bear they brought in from home. Distribute rulers to each student.

Before we measure our teddy bears, let's find more about them. Have the children come and sit on the floor.

T: Can anyone tell me how teddy bears got their name? Well I'm going to tell you a story about how the teddy bear got its name:

There once was a president named Theodore Roosevelt, people called him Teddy for short, decided to go on a bear hunt in the woods of Mississippi with several hunters. After many days on the hunt, they had no luck finding any bears. On their final day of the trip, the forest guide chased a tiny little bear cub out of a large bush. Teddy refused to let the hunters kill the small bear. There was another man the trip named Clifford Berryman. Clifford was a famous cartoonist for a newspaper in Washington D.C. As Clifford got back to his studio he drew a cartoon showing the President afraid to shoot a bear cub. From that day on, whenever Clifford drew a cartoon about Teddy, he always drew a picture of the little bear. Can you tell me what Clifford named that bear? Teddy's Bear.

T: Here is the actual cartoon that Clifford drew. Did you know this was how teddy bears go their name? If you were teddy, would you have acted the same way? And why?

T: Now please go back to your seats. I have put each one of you with a partner. This is the person you are going to work with for this activity. Today we are going to measure some bears. I see all of you have different kinds teddy bears. I want you to take a moment and study your teddy bear. How many inches tall do you think your teddy bear is? Write this number down on your bear measurement form.

T: Take your ruler out. I want you to show me where 1 inch is. Who many inches are on a ruler? 12 inches.

Circulate around the room and make sure all of your student are showing you 1 inch.

T: This is my teddy bear. I am going to show you how to measure, but first I need a partner. One partner will hold your bear, and the other will hold the ruler. If your bear is bigger than 12 inches, your partner will put his finger at the 12-inch mark, and you will continue measuring from that point. (Demonstrate this).

T: Now together with your partners, I want each one of you to measure the size of your teddy bear in inches. Then write that number down on you Bear Measurement form. Spread out around the room, and raise your hand if you are having trouble.

Teacher will circulate around the room.

T: Return to your seats. Did anyone guess exactly right? Who's guess was close? Who's guess been the farthest off?

Pennsylvania Black Bears

T: This is a picture of a Pennsylvania Black Bear. Why is called a Pennsylvanian black bear? It lives in Pennsylvania. How many inches tall do you think he is? Write that number down on your Bear Measurement form. How are we going to measure the size of a Pennsylvanian black bear in our school? We could measure his size in the hallway.

T: I will tell you that he is 70 inches tall, and we are going to measure him in the hallway. Before we go into the hallway, we need to remember to be very quiet because other children are in classes.

T: Let's go into the hall way and measure 70 inches tall. We will mark it with tape.

As a class, have the students measure the length of a black bear with a yardstick.

T: Who thought the bear would be that big? This is the height of the bear from his feet to his head. What can you tell me about the height of a black bear compared to the height of a teddy bear? The Black Bear is larger than the teddy bear.

T: Write the actual size of your bear on the Bear Measurement Form, and when you're finished put it in the basket on my desk.

C. Closure

T: What to do you think is going to happen now that we found the bear? Lets' find out by listening to the rest of our song. Please stand up and continue to act out the motions.

Play the rest of the tape. Distribute the words to the students.

VII. EVALUATION

A. Student Assessment

1. Assessment Plan

Student's understanding of the concepts presented will be informally assessed through teacher observation, questions answered during class, and class participation.

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