Author - Sharon Mccarthy
Category - Lesson Plans, Social Studies
Lesson Plan Duration - 30 minute(s)
Grade Level - Pre-K,K-2

Lesson Plan Description

The classic tale is read and or sang. The teacher announces that we need to capture the bear that has escaped in our class. Teacher brings the kids on a obstacle course with all the make believe equipment they need such as rope, boots, pick, flashlight, binoculars, and swisher to cut grass. Teacher sets up obstacles along the way while acting out story throughout classroom. For example, "Oh my I see a dark cave! Lets get our flashlights ready and look inside. Each child gets a turn to look into a dark painted box, that is a make pretend cave. At the end the teacher would announce, "Oh no I see a bat and run!" and then go the next made up obstacle for the kids to do. At the end you could have a toy bear or cut out one and have the kids finally capture it. For the art project at the end they all could make bear caves out of clay, paper mache, or heavy paper.

Primary Learning Objective(s):

The primary learning objective would be for the children to learn reading comprehension and word attack skills, by using a variety of learning techniques for all kinds of learners.  For example, you make signs for all the areas you are visiting such as cave, mountain, swamp, lake, grass, and so on, and display them in that area.  Recordings of different animals sounds at each site could also be done, and when the children guess what animal sound it is, she could point to the word with a picture of the animal, displayed in the obstacle area.  The children pretending to find their animals with the make believe tools, and look for the bear in each area, also helps the children remember the sequence of the story.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

The teacher reading the book and the children singing or reading certain parts helps the children attain the vocabulary words and remember the sequence of the story.  For additional activities, the book, song on tape, and the teacher reading the story on a cassette tape could be displayed in the book corner.  The children could also draw their favorite part of the story and describe it to the class during group time.

Procedures/Activities:

Begin the activity during circle time, telling the story, singing the song, or doing a puppet show of the. "I'm going on a bear hunt story."

Then have the children pretend they have back packs, or you could use paper bags, and have them put all the tools they need for the trip in the bag.  You could have them pretend, or have paper cut out ones of the binoculars, pick, swisher, flashlight, boots, rope and so on. 

Have the children form a line with the teacher as the leader.  The teacher goes to each obstacle course to find the bear, and gives each child a turn to do obstacle as a group, or one at a time.  Some obstacles could be a painted black box for a bear cave and use the flashlights to look in, climbing over pillows for the cave and using toilet paper rolls as the picks to go over, and contact paper for the swamp.

At the end of the obstacle course to find the bear, have the children do the art project at the table to make bear caves.

The children who are done early could go to the book corner and read the book, listen to the story on tape, or use the puppets.  A flannel board could also be made with all the different scenes.

Materials/Equipment:

Book, tape recorder, paper, clay, puppets, markers, and your imagination.

Material can be found at any local public library, or school library. 

Art material can be found at any major department store, or you ask parents to donate some recycble items such as toilet paper rolls for binoculars and picks, plastic bags for boots, paper bags for the back packs, yarn for the rope, and strips of masking tape for the sticky swamp.  Card board boxes from appliances could also be used to create the areas such as caves, mountains, forests, background and so on.

Assessment Guidelines:

Covers just about everything.

Reading comprehension from acting out the story, reading the story, using the flannel board, and singing the story.

Word attack skills from vocabulary words in the story, signs displayed around the obstacle course, and the book corner activities.

Math skills by following a map, paying attention to direction, following a sequence, and counting areas along the way.

Social studies by learning the texture, feel, and visual areas of the different landscapes.

Science from using all five scenses, and hands on work during the art project, using a variety of materials.

Dramatic play by acting out the sequece and using the tools to discover the areas along the way, along with the puppets, and flannel board.

Music by singing the song throughout the adventure, and listening to the recordings.