Polar Bears in the Arctic

Before you Start

Before-Reading Activity

Read the read-aloud version, Animals of the Arctic, to students before they read this book to introduce them to the characters and the setting of the Arctic.  

Purpose: Post and read these statements with students to set a purpose for reading.

  1. I can sound out words I don’t know.
  2. I can use the words and  pictures to help me understand what I read.
  3. I can retell what I learned from the book.

Materials: Print the vowel letters in red or a different color from the consonants.

  1. Letter cards (i, a, e, d, p, g, n, l, t, w) or wipe-off board and marker
  2. Color copy of the book on the computer screen.
  3. Individual black and white copies of the book for the students.
  4. Sequence words (first, next, then, after that, finally) and connecting words (but, so, because) printed on cards.
  5. High-frequency words printed on cards or in sentence frames: the, gets, his, about, in, on