Yellowstone Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & Newsletter
March 1, 2007


History
On this day in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established. Read more about it here: http://www.helium.com/tm/188635/established-yellowstone-national-americas

Discussion Questions:
1. Yellowstone sits on top of a ___________?
Language Arts
Grizzlies will eat almost anything. Like all bears, they are part of a group of animals called carnivores, which means meat-eating. However, in most places, grizzlies are not active hunters, eating meat only when it is easy for them to do so. In fact, up to 90 percent of their diet may be plants, including leaves, stems, and roots.
Overall, the most important foods in the grizzly bear's diet at Yellowstone National Park are whitebark pine nuts, graminoids, and ungulates. Grizzly bear food habits are influenced by seasonal variation in available food. Visit here to see the seasonal diets of Yellowstone's grizzlies:
http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/2007/03/food-habits-of-grizzly-bears-in.html
Make a menu for the grizzlies!
Search and Find
See what you can find hidden in this wolf coloring page
http://www.ncstaff.net/wolf_world/coloringpage/wolfcoloring.jpg
Learn about the letter “Y”
Y coloring sheet http://www.akidsheart.com/threer/lvl1/yprint.htm
Lots of Y activities http://www.childfun.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42
Y tracers http://www.first-school.ws/t/alpha_tracers_dn1/y.htm



Math

Learn how to tell time with Mr. Wolf at What time is it, Mr Wolf?
http://www.genkienglish.net/mrwolfsong.htm



Math Challenge
Don’t forget to take the math challenge to win prizes!
http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/2007/03/math-challenge-march-1.html
mail answer to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Feel free to forward this lesson plan!
Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/ (k-3)

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/( 4-8)

Math Challenge March 1

I saw 2 wolves at Yellowstone. How many paws did I see?

Food Habits of the Grizzly Bears in Yellowstone National Park

Spring
From March through May, ungulates, mostly elk and bison, comprise a substantial portion of a grizzly bear's diet. Grizzly bears feed on ungulates primarily as winter-killed carrion but also through predation of elk calves. Grizzly bears also dig up pocket gopher caches in localized areas of the park where thy are particularly abundant. Other items consumed during spring include grasses and sedges, dandelion, clover, spring-beauty, horsetail, and ants. Grizzly bears also feed extensively on whitebark pine nuts stored in red squirrel caches, especially during springs when an abundance of pine nuts have been left over from the previous fall.
Summer
From June through August, grizzly bears continue to consume grasses and sedges, dandelion, clover, spring-beauty, whitebark pine nuts, horsetail, and ants. In addition, thistle, biscuitroot, fireweed, and army cutworm moths are eaten. Predation on elk calves continues until late-June/early-July when grizzly bears are no longer able to catch calves. In areas surrounding Yellowstone Lake, bears feed extensively on spawning cutthroat trout. Starting around midsummer, grizzly bears begin feeding on strawberry, globe huckleberry, grouse whortleberry, and buffaloberry. By late summer, false truffles, bistort, and yampa are included in the diet, and grasses, sedges, and dandelion become less prominent.
Fall
From September through October, whitebark pine nuts are the most important bear food. Other items consumed during fall include: pond wee root, sweet cicely root, grasses and sedges, bistort, yampa, strawberry, globe huckleberry, grouse, whortleberry, buffaloberry, clover, horsetail, dandelion, ungulates, ants, false truffles, and army cutworm moths.
Winter
(Hibernation)
*Source: Information Paper No. BMO-3, Bear Management Office, Yellowstone National Park, Mark J. Biel, Bear Management Technician, March 2000.

Chocolate Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & Newsletter
February 28, 2007

History

Long before the Hershey's bar and even before Columbus discovered the New World; the people of Mesoamerica enjoyed the cacao bean. Read more about it here:
http://www.helium.com/tm/186438/before-hersheys-before-columbus
Discussion Questions:
1. What kind of animal first ate chocolate?
Explore

Learn how chocolate is made:
http://www.hersheys.com/discover/chocolate.asp

Journal/Language Arts
Make a book about chocolate!

Cover http://www.abcteach.com/chocolate/title.htm

Unlined page http://www.abcteach.com/free/c/chocolatekiss2_m.pdf

Lined page http://www.abcteach.com/chocolate/shaprimary.htm

Phonics
Learn about “ch” blend

http://www.first-school.ws/t/alpha1_dn/digraph_ch.htm


Science
Melting Chocolate
See how quickly the melted chocolate sets in small molds. Use a stop watch to time it. And then of course eat them after the experiment!

Art

Have your child finger-paint with chocolate pudding or chocolate syrup.

Chocolate-Scented Play Dough
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup salt
1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup boiling water

Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the oil and boiling water.
Stir quickly, mixing well.
When cool, mix with your hands.


Music
Chocolate
I know a treat I like a lot
and chocolate is its name-o.
C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E,
C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E,
C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E,
And chocolate is its name-o!

Math Challenge
Don’t forget to take the math challenge to win prizes!

http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/2007/02/math-challenge-feb-28th.html
Feel free to forward this lesson plan!
Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/ (k-3)

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/( 4-8)

Math Challenge Feb 28th

You have 3 candy bars, you share 1 with your friend, and your Mom gives you 2 more. How many do you have now?

Email me the answer to kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net

Polar Bear Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & Newsletter
February 26, 2007
Today is Polar Bear Day!

Read about how the Polar Bears live at the San Diego Zoo

http://www.helium.com/tm/184434/diego-founded-animals-housed
Discussion Questions:
1. Do the Polar Bears live in cages at the San Diego Zoo?


Check out the Polar Bears of Polar Plunge in action http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ex_polar_bear_plunge.html

Learn more about the Polar Bear http://www.kidzone.ws/sg/polarbear/polar_bear.htm


Art
This Polar bear craft focuses on several concepts including: shapes, scissor skills, colors, and counting.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mcircle_polar_bear.htm

Math
1. When human babies are born, they weigh an average of 7 pounds. Polar bear babies weigh an average of 1 pound. How much bigger are human babies?
Practice some more math facts:
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/winter/t_math.asp?add.asp?au=19&al=10&bu=9&bl=0&d=v

Language Arts
Read this fun story about a polar bear. http://www.justimaginestories.com/polarbear.html

Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!
http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/2007/02/math-challenge-feb-27.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

http://homeschoolingk.blogspot.com/ (k-3)

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/( 4-8)

Math Challenge Feb 27

10 Polar bears sat on an ice berg. 5 went swimming. 3 came back. How many polar bears are on the berg now?