Writing Activities: Year 2

Polar bear

Polar bears live in the Arctic. They are very good swimmers and like to swim around the Arctic coast. They swim at about 6 miles per hour, about three times as fast as the average adult human. Polar bears have a thick coat of fur and a layer of fat to keep themselves warm, and spend more than half of all their time hunting for food. Polar bears are threatened by the melting of the Arctic ice, caused by climate change.

In this clip we see how a group of polar bear cubs is helped to learn to swim by their mother.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02m3d9r/player

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Credit: BBC Two – Natural World

Literacy idea

Imagine you are one of the polar bears in the clip. You have just had your first swimming lesson and you are now warm and dry.

Write a letter to a friend, describing your first swimming lesson.

You should…

  • Address your friend – Dear … ,
  • Explain why you are writing to them – I am writing to you today to…
  • Use words that describe what you saw, what you heard and what you felt.
  • Include any other information that you think is important
  • Sign off your letter – Lots of polar bear love, (your name)

Wider curriculum idea

Read this information about polar bears from dkfindout and make a true or false quiz for your family members or friends. Remember to note down the correct answers yourself!