Plight of the Polar Bear

By Shari Abbey

An informational text designed specifically for writing using text structures.

Includes scaffolding supports for differentiation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Graphics by mycutegraphics.com Frames by helloliteracy.com and public domain images

Thank you for your purchase. Please contact me if you find any mistakes or problems. I will correct any issues immediately. This original text is specifically written to include all five of the most common text structures. After reading the text, students use the text structure writing frames to compose a paragraph using each structure. This can be used alone, but it is written to work seamlessly with my Writing: Using Text Structures. This will also work right along with my other text structure products. Please visit my TpT store if you are interested in these items. (I may bundle all these products soon.) For differentiation, I have included a “cheat sheet” which gives specific paragraphs and topic ideas to use for each text structure. This would also be useful for a whole class introduction to writing using text structures.

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Why are people so intrigued with polar bears? One reason may be that polar bears are an animal most

people will never see in the wild. They only live in the Arctic in the nations of U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia,

Greenland, and Norway. Another reason may be that they are beautiful animals. Polar bears appear to be

all white, although this is not their true color. A polar bear really has black skin, but it is covered with fur

that is transparent and hollow. Because of this, the hairs reflect and

scatter light, making it appear white. This characteristic camouflages

the bears in their icy, arctic environment.

Polar bears have many other characteristics that make the Arctic a

suitable habitat. Their large paws, measuring up to a foot across, help

distribute their body weight when walking on thin ice. The pads on their

paws are textured with small bumps that provide traction to prevent slipping on ice. They also use their

strong, thick claws for getting traction on slippery ice, as well as for catching their prey, the ringed seal.

The ringed seal is the primary prey for these carnivores. Polar bears use a process called “still hunting.”

First, the bear uses its excellent sense of smell to find a seal breathing hole. Then, it quietly waits until a

seal pops up to breathe. The bear smells the breath of the seal and uses its massive paws to scoop the seal

out of the hole. Finally, it bites the head off the seal to kill it.

Plight of the Polar Bear

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Polar Bears claws are thick, strong, and can

be as much as two inches long.

The hollow transparent hairs reflect

light, making the hair appear white.

The extreme cold climate doesn't bother these

bears. A four to five inch layer of blubber under

their extra thick fur keeps the bears warm. They lose

practically no body heat. Amazingly, male bears can

actually overheat when running. This

Ability to This ability to maintain their body

temperature allows the bears to survive during

extreme winter conditions.

1 ©Shari Abbey 2013

You may wonder why they need this ability to survive winter. After all, bears hibernate during the

winter. Brown bears, a species of bear also suited to the Alaskan climate, hibernate 5 - 8 months out

of the year beginning in the fall. Unlike the brown bear, polar bears do not hibernate. One way

these two species are alike is that they both lead solitary lives, meaning they do not form mating

relationships. The only times both these species stay with a mate is during breeding and rearing

cubs.

Even though polar bears have numerous adaptations to survive in their environment, they still face

a life threatening problem. These animals are dependent on the pack ice for hunting. With the

warmer temperatures in the Arctic, the ice is melting earlier in the summer and forming later in

the fall. As a result, polar bears have less time to hunt and store up fat for the frigid winter. If this

warming trend continues, according to the World Wildlife Federation, polar bears could be extinct

by the end of the century.

As a possible solution to the problem, several

wildlife groups have rallied and succeeded in

having the bears listed as "threatened" under the

Endangered Species Act . Listing the bears as

threatened provides some types of protection for

the polar bears. For example, being on the

threatened list ensures that no one can take

any action that may further jeopardize the safety

of the bears. That would include protecting their habitat from any harmful manmade changes.

Hopefully, with the help of these wildlife groups, the polar bear will continue to wander on our

planet for many decades to come.

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Two polar bears cling to a piece of sea ice. The

thin ice and water show the scope of the problem

of climate change.

©Shari Abbey 2013

Cause/Effect Paragraph 1 •Explain why people are intrigued with polar bears. •Explain why a polar bear appears to have white fur. Paragraph 3 •Explain why polar bears can survive in cold temperatures. Paragraph 5 •Explain why polar bears are in danger of losing their habitat.

Description Paragraph 2 •Describe the physical characteristics of a polar bear. Paragraph 3 •Describe the characteristics that enable a polar bear to stay warm in frigid temperatures.

Sequence Paragraph 2 •Explain the step by step process of “still hunting”.

Compare/Contrast Paragraph 4 •Explain how polar bears and brown bears are alike and different.

Problem/Solution Paragraph 5 •Describe the problem of climate change and the solution to this problem.

Writing Your Text Structure Paragraphs

Plight of the Polar Bear

The following are possible topic ideas to help you write your own text structure paragraphs. Use the writing frames as a guide. Be sure to include the signal words.

©Shari Abbey 2013