Polar Bear Adaptation

Introduction: 
1.) Bring students down to the floor. Tell them that they are going to become polar bears for the day! The only problem is they must discover how polar bears stay warm. 

2.) Display picture of Polar bear
       Ask:
     "what do you notice?"
      "what adaptations do you believe the polar bear has?"
      You may also ask questions such as why is a polar bear white? How does it stay warm? Etc

3.) Show students video (attached in resources)
     -Students may take notes during this video

Inquiry: 
4.) Pose the question of "how do polar bears stay warm?"

5.) Allow students to complete research on polar bears (resource included)

6.) Have materials where students can determine the best "polar bear adaptation." Some great ideas are paper towels, tape, zip lock bags, string, Crisco, play-dough, or anything else that could be a pretend adaptation. Hair, fat, skin, etc.)

7.) Give students time to try and discover the best adaptation to keep the polar bear warm. (this will be a bag of Crisco)

8.) students can test their theories by dipping their hands into an ice bath. 

9.) students will record their findings in the recording sheet.

Assessment:
10.) Once students discover which material best keeps them warm, they will complete a writing assignment about how the Crisco represents the blubber of the polar bear. They will also explain the steps it took to discover the perfect material to keep the polar bears warm. 

Writing assignment