Bear Issues

Identify a bear-related issue relevant to the community, develop and adopt a public opinion survey, perform the survey, analyze the data, develop an audiovisual presentation.

Mastery:

• Knowledge:
  • Identify an issue
  • black bear ecology
• Skills:
  • Proficient interview skills
  • develop/adapt survey analysis of date
  • public presentation of results
  • critical thinking
• Attitude:
  • Everyone has an opinion
  • Attitudes influence actions

Present Status:

• Knowledge: Little or none
• Skills:
  • Basic research skills
  • Basic graphing/charting skills
• Attitude: Little or none

Difference:

• Knowledge:
  • Begin background information
  • define issue
  • compare opinion with actual facts
• Skills:
  • Review interview techniques
  • Use of survey instruments
  • Analyze data
  • Present survey results
  • Compare/contrast opinion vs. fact
• Attitude:
  • Everyone has an opinion
  • Attitudes influence actions

Objectives:

The student will be able to:

• implement a public opinion survey
• analyze acquired data
• describe basic principles of black bear ecology
• make an audio-visual presentation publicly

Procedure:

(Can work as whole class)

1. Identify a bear-related issue related to the community.
2. Develop or adapt a public opinion survey (students work in pairs for one hour).
3. Perform the survey.
4. Analyze results and sex information separately (see sample graphs) using age groups.
5. Differentiate between opinion and facts of black bear ecology.
6. Develop an audio-visual presentation to depict results.

Audio-visual suggestions:

1. Slide-audio tape-slides may be made using transparency sheets and cardboard slide mounts
2. Transparency/audio tape
3. Video tape

Discussion after presentations:

Attitude:

1. What things are most striking when you look at the yes/no responses?
2. How does age affect the response? Sex?
3. Which responses differed the most from reality? The least?
4. What are some possible explanations for these differences? Similarities?
5. How could you summarize the results of this pact of the activity?

Food Sources:

1. What is most striking when you look at the actual and perceived food sources of bears?
2. Which response differed the most from reality? The least?
3. What are some possible explanations for these differences? Similarities?
4. How could you summarize the results of this pact of the survey?
5. What are some of the major differences between people's perception of bears and reality?

Evaluation:

1. All of the objectives can be evaluated during the presentation of results.
2. Explain how the early cultures viewed the bears as shown in cave drawings and mythology.
3. Write a fictional or factual article for a magazine or newspaper.