Why Care About Polar Bears?


*Polar bears live in very cold climates, and do not inhabit the southern hemispheres of the world.

*There are currently five polar bear nations (or places in which polar bears live):  These include the United States (Alaska), Denmark (Greenland), Russia, Norway, and Canada.

* There are only 20,000-25,000 polar bears currently living in these areas

*Polar bears are rapidly becoming endangered.  It is estimated that if global warming patterns continue, that the polar bear will be extinct by 2050.

*Global warming is a big problem for polar bears because they have adapted to live in extremely cold conditions in temperatures such as -50 degrees F.


* They also have two layers of fur, a thick layer of blubber, and small ears and tail to keep them from losing a lot of heat.

*Since the polar bear can keep warm so well, they easily over heat when doing any kind of major activity, and can die from heat exhaustion.

*Polar bears mainly feed on seals, and hunt for them on large blocks of ice in the ocean.  As the ice melts and does not reform (due to global warming) the polar bears have no place to go and look for food.

*This results in poor nourishment for polar bears, which causes them to become more weak, and less likely to defend themselves from their predators (humans and other polar bears).

*We need to help stop global warming and save the polar bears because polar bears are very important to the Artic food chain.

*Polar bears are the largest mammal in the Artic food chain.  They feed on seals and sometimes even large whales. 

*Without the polar bear, the seal population would expand, causing a decrease in their main food source (fish), which would eventually cause the seals to become extinct.  The disturbance in the food chain would continue from there, causing a lot more things to become endangered.
Site Evaluation

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/


     
Accuracy and Athority
This website was founded by Dan Guravich, who was a wildlife photographer.  Polar bears international is a non profit organization created to help save the polar bears.  The website says that its primary goals are to: 
  • Conserve the world's polar bears through research and education
  • Serve as a central educational resource on polar bears worldwide
  • Promote teamwork and encourage constructive dialogue
  • Build an organization that is international in scope.


The website also says that all of thier officers and directors are volunteers and do not get paid.  All of the past and present higher up officers are listed.  Also, it mentions that all of the office space they use for their ogranization has been donated, and very little of their money goes towards office and technology needs.
Content Relevance-  This website is very useful if you are trying to find information about polar bears.  It tells you everything about them, such as where they live, what they eat, their role in the Artic food chain and frequently asked questions about the animal.  It also explains the reasons why polar bears are endangered, and what we can do to help them.  There are also galleries and videos to help explain various topics associated with polar bears.  Another interesting thing about the site is that it offers opportunities for younger people to get involved in helping with this cause.  It has information on leadership camps, ambassador centers, and the adventure learning progaram.

The website also has a gift shop and a place where you can donate money to help save the polar bears (the proceeds from the gift shop help the polar bears too).   In addition to all of these things, the site also has tools for teachers, that include lesson plans and maps.  Starting in November the site will have a web-cam of polar bears in the tundra that will be updated daily, and also offers a satellite bear tracker where you can view where the polar bears currently are.
Currency and Coverage-  This website is very up to date.  As I have mentioned before, it will soon have a web-cam uploaded daily.  Also, the copyright at the end of the page is 2008.  The website also lists many of the projects that people in the website are currently involved in doing.  You can tell that this site is very well maintained.
Design and Navigation-  This website is very easy to navigate.  It has links on left hand side of every page (such as "About Us, All About Polar Bears, and Tools for Teachers") to other pages on the site, for easy navigation.  Also, if you drag your mouse across these links another menu appears for additional pages on the website.  The site also has a search bar, which makes finding information very convenient.
Additional Resources-  The site does not have many additional resources.  The only ones that it lists are the sites for thier corporate sponsors.  These links included sites such as: canada-goose.com, inspiredbronze.com, and wildlifeadventures.com.

Smartboard Activity
Concept Map
Graphs about Polar Bears
WebQuest
Podcast