Year 5
This term, Year 5 is reading the novel The Last Bear by Hannah Gold.
The story follows an 11-year-old girl named April, who travels with her father to a remote island in the Arctic. While she is there, she discovers a lonely polar bear that has been left behind as the sea ice melts. Throughout the novel, April shows courage, kindness and determination as she tries to help the bear find its way home.
To complement this, we are learning how to write formal persuasive letters. Using what we discover in The Last Bear, along with nonfiction readings, we are writing letters to the Director of the Arctic Council, persuading them to continue protecting polar bears and their Arctic habitat.
Below are some examples of persuasive paragraphs which students have written:
I am Professor Wilson of the Arctic University. The polar bear population is in a critical condition due to climate change, habitat loss and human activities. Therefore, I urge you to take immediate and decisive action to protect and preserve this endangered species.
Flynn
Firstly, climate change is having a horrific impact on polar bears. Ice caps are melting and it’s causing habitat loss. Scientists say the ice caps are melting as fast as anything. I insist that Arctic Council take the devastating effects seriously.
Ned
Firstly, the polar bears population is getting lower and lower due to the loss of the Arctic ice melting away. This means that polar bears have to swim further to get to their food. Polar bears are one of a kind. It’s not like there will be a new type of bear just like the polar bear. I urge you to do something. Wouldn’t you want to save a fierce, tough and strong wonderful animal?
April
Furthermore, it is essential to enforce stricter rules on gas and oil explorations. They are harming the polar bears by reducing their natural warmth if the oil gets on their fur. Climate change is also making it easier to explore the Arctic for resources. It harms polar bears and other wildlife. Environmentalists say that there are increased levels of oil and gas pollution in the environment. I demand a protected sanctuary for polar bears.
Sienna H
My name is Harry, and I am a Year 5 student at Mt Eliza Primary School in Australia. The polar bear population is suffering with human behaviour, climate change and habitat destruction, destroying the last couple thousand of the scared bears. Therefore, I urge you to take immediate action to save and preserve these amazing creatures.
Harry W
My name is River and I am a student at Mt Eliza Primary School and I am from Croatia. The polar bear community is getting lower and lower and you aren’t helping, so you better start helping polar bears or else!!! They’re going to go extinct and no people want that to happen. So I need you and all your buddies to go and help those polar bears so they don’t go extinct, they're a global icon!!!
River
My name is Lachlan and I am a student at Mt Eliza Primary School in Australia. The polar bear population is in shocking condition due to climate change, illegal hunting, and habitat loss. As a result, I demand you to take urgent action to protect this vulnerable creature.
Lachlan
Secondly, polar bears are scary, I know, but think they're just like us. They have families, feelings, and maybe they care. Just imagine killing the main thing of your life is the same thing as killing the population of polar bears. Accordingly, about 85% of the world agree with me, plus they're right. I am right about the polar bears. I'm just trying to say that please just take action for them please. And the more we hunt them the more they hunt us!
Kai