Corduroy, Beady Bear, Bearymore and Jesse Bear, plus more!

Bears in Literature is a comprehensive literacy resource built around a large collection of fiction and nonfiction bear‑themed books. It provides structured weekly routines for reading responses, comprehension, word study, and creative thinking. The teacher section outlines how to model responses, transition students from whole‑group to small‑group to independent reading and set individualized goals. The resource also includes detailed background information on real bears, their habitats, behaviours, and characteristics, supporting cross‑curricular science connections.

This resource consists of reproducible worksheets for 53 different bear‑related books, each offering comprehension questions, phonics and word‑study tasks, and higher‑order thinking prompts. Creative activities including drama, stuffed‑animal crafts, painting, research projects, and writing tasks extend learning and allow students to demonstrate understanding in varied ways. Teacher evaluation sheets, student tracking sheets, and laminated folder setup instructions support long‑term organization and individualized reading programs.

Learning Expectations

1. To familiarize students with an author and his/her writings and style of writing.
2. To develop the literacy strategies necessary to obtain meaning from print.
3. To read to find new information about a topic, deriving it from print and pictures.
4. To develop the student's ability to think and write creatively.
5. To identify and describe elements of stories including characters, setting, plot, and theme.
6. To make inferences while reading and support them with evidence from the text.
7. To expand and reinforce vocabulary through story-connected word study.
8. To encourage oral language development through structured discussion and retelling.
9. To expose children to the pleasure and enjoyment of books and diverse authors.

Introduction Includes

Teacher Notes: background information and instructional tips for each book

Teacher Input Suggestions: ideas and prompts for introducing each story and guiding discussions

Ideas for Introducing Difficult or Unusual Vocabulary Words: strategies for pre-teaching key terms

List of Skills: overview of literacy and cross-curricular skills developed throughout the unit

Teacher Evaluation Sheet: rubric and observation tool to assess student participation, comprehension, and response quality

Student Activity Tracking Sheet ("My Activity Tracking Sheet"): student self-monitoring tool to record completed reading activities

Templates: a post card and bookmark template, a bear head shape book and Boastful Bear’s Reading Award

Common Core Standards Alignment

Common Core Standards Met Detailed List

Canadian Curriculum Standards Alignment

Canadian Language Arts Detailed Expectations (Grades 1–3)

Reading Activities

Students will need a dedicated place to record their answers, as the chapter‑question pages are not designed for writing directly on them. Before beginning the reading activities, set students up with a workbook or folder system so all their responses, stay organized and easy to assess.

Each story includes:

•  Comprehension Questions
•  Word Study
•  Thinking About the Story
•  Answer Key for all Stories

Reading Activities Book List

1. Where's My Teddy?
2. Bear's Bargain
3. Bear Shadow
4. Happy Birthday, Moon
5. Mooncake
6. Moondance 
7. Skyfire
8. Thank You, Brother Bear
9. The Big Honey Hunt
10. The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team
11. The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone 
12. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
13. The Bear
14. Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear
15. Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear! 
16. How Do You Say It Today, Jesse Bear? 
17. Bruno in the Snow
18. Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
19. Little Polar Bear
20. Little Polar Bear Finds a Friend 
21. Beady Bear
22. Bearymore
23. Corduroy
24. A Pocket for Corduroy 
25. Otto the Bear
26. Angel and the Polar Bear
27. Alphabears - An ABC Book
28. Numbears - A Counting Book
29. Teddy Bear for Sale 
30. Jolly Snow 
31. Old Bear Tales Grizzwold
32. Who Wants an Old Teddy Bear? 
33. The Runaway Teddy Bear
34. He The Bears of the Air
35. Honey Paw and Lightfoot
36. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
37. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See?
38. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See?
39. Blueberries For Sal 
40. Father Bear Comes Home
41. Little Bear
42. Little Bear's Friend
43. Little Bear's Visit
44. How Teddy Bears Are Made
45. Animals in Winter
46. Ben and the Bear 
47. Birthday Bear
48. Bear
49. For Teddy and Me 
50. Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?
51. Let's Go Home, Little Bear
52. You and Me, Little Bear
53. The Biggest Bear

Creative Activities:

These activity cards are designed for flexible classroom use and work best when prepared ahead of time. Color, mount, and laminate the cards to create durable center materials that can be placed on tables, tucked into literacy bins, or handed out individually. Because the cards do not include writing space, students will need a notebook, workbook, or reading folder to record their responses. Setting this up before beginning the author study ensures that all comprehension, creative writing, and reflection tasks stay organized, easy to assess, and ready for conferencing.

1.  Drama
2.  Bread Dough Ornaments
3.  Stuffed Animal
4.  Cookies
5.  Storytelling
6.  Painting
7.  Alphabet Book
8.  Bear Research
9.  Write a Bear Song
10.  Make a Bear Bookmark
11.  Bear Birthday Party
12.  A Bear Postcard
13.  Story Book Quilt
14.  A Recipe for a Bear
15.  Bear Rules
16.  A Bear Game Board
17.  A Bear Passport
18.  A Acrostic Poem for a Bear
19.  Limerick
20.  Choose a Title
21.  Book Poster

Start saving TIME today!

We give you 100's of NO PREP! lessons to download so you can do what you love! TEACH! 

Take the leap and join today!