Activate prior knowledge and brainstorm questions about black bears.
- Show a photo of a black bear. Ask students what they know about black bears. What do the bears need to survive? (food, water, a place to hibernate, etc.) As a class, come up with a list of questions about black bears.
- Ask: Have you ever seen a large animal like a bear in the wild? Where? Discuss what students know about how to act if they encounter large wild animals. (back away slowly, make noise, etc.) Ask: Why might black bears show up where humans are? (Humans now live in places that were black bear habitat, and bears travel to find food.)