Last week, I blogged about my favorite book of the year, The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle.
The book I’m highlighting today comes in a close second.
The Bear
Report by Thyra Heder is a fictional story about a girl who is
supposed to research three facts about polar bears, and is clearly bored by the
assignment. After listing three ho-hum facts, she heads to the living
room to watch TV.
That’s when things get interesting. A polar bear suddenly
appears out of nowhere and transports the girl to his arctic environment for
some firsthand research. Initially, she is unimpressed, but as she experiences
the bear’s world, her curiosity and knowledge grows. In the final scene, the girl is
back home, surrounded by books and maps and notes and drawings, assembling the
most awesome polar bear report you can imagine.
appears out of nowhere and transports the girl to his arctic environment for
some firsthand research. Initially, she is unimpressed, but as she experiences
the bear’s world, her curiosity and knowledge grows. In the final scene, the girl is
back home, surrounded by books and maps and notes and drawings, assembling the
most awesome polar bear report you can imagine.
Why do I love this book? Because many students think research
is boring, and it just breaks my heart. I’m going to blog more about this in a
six-part series beginning next month, but for now I’d like to share two things:
is boring, and it just breaks my heart. I’m going to blog more about this in a
six-part series beginning next month, but for now I’d like to share two things:
Some words and phrases I associate with the
act of researching:
act of researching:
–Treasure hunt
–Discovery
–Exploration
–Curiosity
–Fascinating facts
–Prospecting for rare nuggets of knowledge
–Developing unique perspectives
–Books, databases, observations, interviews
–Travel
A word cloud based on words and phrases sixth
graders associate with the act of researching:
graders associate with the act of researching:
These students certainly aren’t alone. And
although I’m not sure why students have this attitude by middle school, I am
sure that books like The Bear Report can
show them that authentic research can be fun as well as fascinating.
although I’m not sure why students have this attitude by middle school, I am
sure that books like The Bear Report can
show them that authentic research can be fun as well as fascinating.
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3 Responses
Sounds like a great book–I put it on hold at my library. Looking forward to your six-part series.
I think you'll love Bear Report, too. Pat.
This spoke to my heart today. I am volunteering w/a 5th grade teacher and we are writing PB bios. They have begun to see research in a different light. I will get the BEAR REPORT to share w/them. Celebrate Science is always full of golden nuggets.