Polar Bears & Ice

In a Nutshell:

Through discussion, reading, and activities, students learn about the Arctic food chain, polar bears, and the devastating impact that the melting ice will have on them. Using what they have learned, they take action – writing a letter to a local political representative explaining what they have learned and requesting positive action.

Goal:

To give students a proper scientific understanding of the threat that global warming poses to polar bears, and everyone who lives in the Arctic.

Background Learning:

Teachers should be familiar with the basic science of climate change and its anticipated impacts as reviewed in:

• High School Backgrounder #1: Climate Change: What’s The Big Deal?
• High School Backgrounder #2: The Greenhouse Effect

If this is the only lesson you are doing on climate change, students should read:

• High School Backgrounder #1: Climate Change: What’s The Big Deal?
  

Learning Outcomes:

Click on the icon for your territory to review the learning outcomes that are addressed by this lesson:

Introduction to Lesson Plan:

This lesson helps students to grasp the consequences of melting Arctic ice, particularly for polar bears. The students work their way through a series of three student handouts, each followed by discussion. This lesson should be extended over two classroom periods to allow enough time for reading, discussion and activities. Before the lesson, you will need to print out copies of the handouts, and a copy of the Arctic Ocean Map (http://maps.grida.no/arctic/ or http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/polar/arctic.htm)

Activity:

1. Step 1: The Arctic Ocean (Use Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, Step 1) – Introduce basic concepts of the world’s Arctic region (location, size, peoples and animals that live there, weather, etc.). You may want to select some question from Step 1 of the Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, located in the Handout section. It may also be useful to download and print a map of the Arctic. (http://maps.grida.no/arctic/ or http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/polar/arctic.htm)
2. Step 2: The Arctic Marine Food Chain (Use Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, Step 2, Student Handout #1: The Arctic Marine Food Chain) – Introduce the Arctic marine food chain. (See some questions in Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, Step 2). Ask the students to form small groups (two to four students). Give each group a copy of Student Handout: The Arctic Marine Food Chain. Ask them to read it and follow the activity instructions at the bottom. (Assure them that artistic details don’t matter; the drawing just needs to show that they have the main idea of a food chain.) At the end of five minutes, ask each group to post their food chain diagrams on the wall.
3. Step 3: The Life of the Polar Bear (Use Student Handout#2: The Life of a Polar Bear) – Ask: What do we know about the polar bear? Pass around copies of Student Handout #2: The Life of a Polar Bear (one for each student). Ask each of the groups to read the sheet (or have students take turns reading to the whole class), and then create three questions, as outlined on the bottom of the sheet. When the groups have finished, go through each in turn, allowing them to pose one question to the class. Make sure the students understand the annual rhythms of the polar bears, both on and off the ice, and how they have very little food to eat once they leave the ice.
4. Step 4: The Melting Arctic Ice (Use Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, Step 4, Student Handout #3: The Melting Arctic Ice) - Give each student a copy of the Student Handout #3: The Melting Arctic Ice. Either have all students read the whole handout, or assign each group a different section of the handout to read and teach to the class (Sections: The Melting of the Arctic Summer Sea Ice Width (Extent)/The Melting of the Arctic Summer Sea Ice Depth (Thickness)/The Impact on the Polar Bears). When students have finished their reading, lead a discussion on the handout. (See suggested questions in the Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions, Step 4.)
5. Step 5: Reflection and Action – To help your students deal with their responses to this data, give them time to express their feelings. Ask your students to spend one minute thinking about what they have learned. Invite them to share their thoughts or feelings with the rest of the class, then to write a short letter to a political representative, which they can also post on the student web-exchange, asking them what steps they are taking to save the polar bear, to slow the melting ice, and to stop global climate change:
   
   
   • Prime Minister of Canada, Langevin Block, 80 Wellington St, Ottawa, Ontario K1A
   • Premier of Nunavut, PO Box 2410 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0
   • Premier of Yukon, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6
   • Premier of North West Territories, PO Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

Handouts:

Click on the icon for the complete set of handouts that support this lesson:

Teacher Handout: Arctic Questions
Student Handout #1: The Arctic Marine Food Chain
Student Handout #2: The Life of the Polar Bear
Student Handout #3: The Melting Arctic Ice

Student Web-Exchange:

Post the letters to politicians. For other posting options, see Enrichment Ideas. Click on the icon for information on how to post material.

Evaluation:

Ask each student to write down the five most important things they learnt during the class, and to share them with the class. As repetitions begin, ask students to share anything that has not been already mentioned.

Enrichment Ideas:

Visual Arts, Biology

Marine Food Chain: Research and draw a poster on the Arctic marine food chain. Include information about what each animal needs, and how the climate chain may affect the food chain.

Mathematics

Graphing the Ice: Create three graphs, showing the trend of the melting ice according to the data in the Student Handout #3: The Melting Arctic Ice. Extend the graphs forward into the future, to see when the sea-ice disappears.

English Language Arts

Creating Student Links: Write a letter to other northern students, sharing thoughts, ideas, and concerns. (If you live in Arctic, you might have first-hand experiences to share, too). Post this letter on the Student Web Exchange.

Biology

Phytoplankton (for students in Arctic ocean communities): Gather phytoplankton and zooplankton from the ocean, and examine them under a microscope. Research the conditions required by phytoplankton and zooplankton, and where they fit into the Arctic food chain. Discuss how climate change may affect their survival.

Inuuqatigiit, Geography, Science

Gathering Local Knowledge: Form pairs, and arrange to talk to your elders after school about the sea-ice, and what they remember from the past. What are their experiences with polar bears? How does the melting ice affect their traditional hunting? Take notes, so that you can share their experiences with your schoolmates.

English Language Arts

A Future Without Polar Bears: Write a letter to your future grandchildren, telling them what you think and feel about living in a world that may not have any more polar bears. Send it to the local paper to see if they will publish it.

About the Author:

My name is Guy Dauncey. I live with my wife and various animals on a small organic plant nursery, just outside Victoria, on Vancouver Island.

I work as an author and consultant in the fields of global climate change, sustainable energy policy, green buildings, and green communities. I am author of the book Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change (New Society Publishers, 2001, $27.95), and a frequent public speaker and workshop leader.

In 2001, I helped draft the Whitehorse Declaration on Northern Climate Change at the Circumpolar Climate Change Summit. I have yet to travel north of Whitehorse, but I have been following the impact of global climate change on the Arctic for many years, with growing concern.

My website is http://www.earthfuture.com/