Black Bears in Florida : Educator's Corner

Educator's Corner

Welcome parents and educators! Here you will to find black bear related information and activities for children.

The Florida Black Bear Curriculum Guide, a joint project of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Defenders of Wildlife, is a comprehensive series of lessons on the natural history and conservation needs of Florida's black bear. Designed to educate and stimulate teachers and students in grades 3-8.

The Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario Canada has kid’s activity books and teacher ecology guides designed for various grade levels available online at: http://bears.mnr.gov.on.ca/.

The following additional activities can serve as extensions and supplements to the lessons included in The Florida Black Bear Curriculum Guide.

Bearly Born. 1992. pp. 6-9 in Project WILD Activity Guide, Western Regional Environmental Education Council, Boulder, CO.

How Many Bears Can Live in This Forest? 1992. pp. 134-137 in Project WILD Activity Guide, Western Regional Environmental Education Council, Boulder, CO.

What Bear Goes Where? 1992. pp. 98-99 in Project WILD Activity Guide, Western Regional Environmental Education Council, Boulder, CO.

Bears: An Interactive Animal Kit. 1998. (Includes a poster and cassette). Scholastic, New York, NY.

Brandt, C. G. Maine Black Bear Research And Field Study Activity. The National Health Museum, Activities Exchange.

Smith, K. R., and Bush, A. H. 1994. Investigating Science Through Bears. Teacher Ideas Press, Englewood, CO.

Wexo, J.. 1987. Bears Zoobooks. Wildlife Education, Ltd., San Diego, CA.

Additionally, the Central Florida Zoological Park (Sanford, FL) offers two outreach programs on bears, one for primary grades and one for upper elementary grades, designed to complement The Florida Black Bear Curriculum Guide. To schedule a program, contact CFZ Education Registrar at (407) 323-4450 EXT. 123.

You may also want to look for these books, magazine articles, and videos at your local library.

Media List

See bibliography for black bear research publications and literature.

 Books & Magazines about Bears in General

Anderson, T. et al. 1992. Black Bear: Seasons in the Wild, Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN.

Bauer, E. A. 1985. Bears in Their World, Outdoor Life Books, New York, NY.

Bauer, E. A. 1996. Bears: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN. Burk, D. 1979. The Black Bear in Modern North America, Amwell Press, Clinton, NJ.

Cox, D. J. 1990. Black Bear, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

DeBruyn, T. D. 1999. Walking with Bears: One man's Relationship with Three Generations of Wild Bears, Globe Pequot Press.

Domico, T. and Newman, M. 1988. Bears of the World, Facts on File, New York, NY.

East, B. 1977. Bears, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY.

Grossman, J., and Alt, G. L. 1990. Learning to Live with Bears, National Wildlife, 28(3):4.

Jenkins, K. L. 1995. Black Bear Reflections, ICS Books, Merrillville, IN. Hoagland, E. 1976. Red Wolves and Black Bears, Random House, New York, NY.

Matson, J. R. 1967. The Adaptable Black Bear, Dorrance, Philadelphia, PA.

Shepard, P. and Sanders, B. 1985. The Sacred Paw, Viking Press, New York, NY.

Stirling, I., Knight, F., and Kirshner, D. (Eds.) 1993. Bears, Fog City Press, San Francisco, CA.

Stirling, I., Knight, F., and Kirshner, D. (Eds.) 1993. Bears: Majestic Creatures of the Wild, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA.

Audiovisual Resources about Florida Bears

The Imperiled Bears of Florida. 1995. Multi-media display (8' x 8') available free to libraries, museums and nature centers throughout Florida. Laurie Macdonald (727) 821-9585, Field Coordinators for the Habitat for Bears Campaign.

Understanding Human/Bear Conflicts in Florida. 2002. 7:15 minute video. Distributed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission using this order form.

Audiovisual Resources about Bears in General

Bears: Kings of the Wild. 1991. 23 minute video. Distributed by Britannica, Chicago, IL.  

Season of the bear. 2002. Volume I (American Black Bear) and Volume II (Black Bear Cubs) available on video and DVD. To order contact CoveBear Home Entertainment by visiting their website or contacting them via mail at Kate Marshall Graphics, Inc., CoveBear Studios, 11770 Haynes bridge Road, Suite 205-209, Alpharetta, GA 30004.

The Bear Facts, The Story of a North Carolina Treasure. Available on DVD from the State of North Carolina Wildlife Natural Resources. You may contact them via e-mail, mail or phone at 1-866-945-3746.