The children of Division 8 went on an expedition to explore the Arctic environment using virtual reality technology.  They were able to immerse themselves in the polar bear’s habitat to see what it is like to live there.   

The children envisioned themselves as a polar bear in the Arctic.  They imagined what a polar bear would experience through its senses.  The children recounted what they thought it would see (ice fields, snow drifts), feel (snow crunching under their paws, blowing snow), smell (seals under the ice, salty ocean air), taste (blubber, fish) and hear (roaring walruses, ice floes breaking).   To hear what your child said, visit his/her blogfolio.

Thank you to Ms. Chow for providing us with this wonderful learning experience. 

Division 8 learned that polar bears have unique structural features that enable it to live in its frigid environment.  Polar bears have:

• an outer layer of fur called “guard hair” which are thin clear tubes filled with air.  Guard hair is waterproof.
• a layer of dense fur called “under fur”
• black skin that absorbs heat from the sun
• a 4-6 inch layer of blubber under the skin

We did some experiments to see how these features work.  Ask me what we did.

Mother Polar Bear has a problem.  She lives in the Arctic with her two cubs.  Usually the Arctic is covered in snow and ice  . . . but now the world is changing.  Mother Polar Bear is finding it harder and harder to find food.  She asked Division 8 for its help!

First, the children asked a lot of questions about polar bears.  Then, they answered their questions. Finally, they organized the information into categories (appearance, habitat, food and habits).

Finally, the children wrote about what they had learned.  Please visit your child’s Blogfolio to view her/his work.  This piece of writing was done independently and is a reflection of what they can do on their own.