Academic: Standard 4 Science; to learn about one of the various animals of the Arctic and it's habitat

Technological: Standard 1; To use a Trackstar lesson to search and find various information about polar bears.

Students should be familiar with basic movement through the screens of a computer. The back icon, enter, scroll up and down.

Computer set to Trackstar lesson

URL http:/scrtec.org/track/tracks/s11799.htm

Notebook

pencil

This lesson is designed for younger students to work with older students. This can be a valuable modification for any special needs students also. The text can be read to a student. The information that needs to be copied can be printed and inserted in their notebook.

1. With the class as a whole do a kwl chart about polar bears. Have students write any questions they have in their notebooks. Copy the kwl chart for each group of partners as a later reference.

2. Have computers set on the Trackstar page. Directions should be read by the teacher at each page. Or you can have the older students perform this role.

3. Each student pair should have a notebook to write down their answers, draw their pictures and copy down information.

4. Walk around and closely monitor the partners. Make sure they understand each instruction.

5. Take notebooks back to class and let each team share what they have learned. Make a new kwl chart and compare it to the old. What questions have you answered? What questions remain unanswered? How could we answer those question?

6. Each team will then take all of the information they collected and write a creative story about 2 polar bears using the information they have learned.

Assessment

Students should be assessed on their ability to work in teams, answers in their notebooks, and their final stories. Did they incorporate what they learned into their stories?