Canadian Bear Officer

WORKSHEET

1. Suggested Use

Nature and wildlife focus, followed by A1-level vocabulary and grammar activities.

2. Suggested Activities 

A. Project-based learning 
Students work in small groups to create a short community action plan about how people and animals can live safely together, using the video as an example. 

Step 1: Discuss the problem. Elicit ideas from the video, e.g. what happens when animals come near people?; what problems can this cause?

Step 2: Plan a solution
Each group chooses a common animal common in their country. They think about:

• Whether the animal comes close to people

• How people can help protect it

• One (or more) rule/s or action/s people can follow

Step 3: Share the plan
Groups write 3–5 simple sentences and a short title for their plan:

They present their plans to the class and have students ask questions to find out more information. 

B. Mediation task: Collaborating to construct meaning 
Students work in pairs to create a short radio interview between a reporter and Ian Van Nest from the video.

Step 1: Provide students question prompts (or elicit) such as:

• Where do you work?

• What do you do?

• Why are the polar bears in town?

• How do you help them?

• Why is your job important?

Step 2: Have students assign themselves as reporter or Ian (conservation officer). Students then use the information in the video to answer the questions in simple language, e.g. 

Reporter: What do you do, Ian?
Ian: I help move bears away from town.
Reporter: Why do they come to town?
Ian: There is less ice. They look for food.

Pairs can record their interviews and reflect on their answers. 

C. Pronunciation task: Connected speech, consonant + vowel 
Give students a copy of the videoscript and identify words that end in consonants (or consonant sounds) which are followed by words that start with vowels, e.g. is a, less ice, has an, some other, job is, move it etc. 

Elicit what students notice about how the sounds work together (the consonant sound carries over to the vowel sound so they ‘connect’. Practise and drill the pronunciation. Have students come up with other examples they can think of. 

3. Vocabulary 

Nature and conservation 

• Bear 

• Ice 

• Cold 

• Rules 

• Safe

• Conservation officer 

• Protect 

• Nature

• Animal 

• Share

• Land 

Collocations 

• Small town 

• Famous for 

• Find food 

• Important job 

• Protect nature 

• Look for 

• Move away 

• Follow the rules 

• Keep safe 

4. Grammar

Present simple (for facts and routines):
Polar bears live in Churchill; Ian helps move bears away; People follow the rules; His job is…; People and polar bears share…

Possessives:
he vs him 

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TRANSCRIPT
Canadian Bear Officer

NARRATOR:
Churchill is a small town in Manitoba, Canada.  It is famous for polar bears. Many people come here to see them. Polar bears are big. They go on the ice to get their food. Now, there is less ice. The bears come to town to find food. Ian Van Nest has an important job.

SOUNDBITE - Ian Van Nest:
"Myself and some other officers, we work within the program to manage problematic polar bears.”

NARRATOR:
Ian is a conservation officer. His job is to protect nature, animals, and people. He looks for bears. If a bear comes too close, he helps move it away. But Churchill is the bears’ home too. Ian knows this.  He makes sure people follow the rules.

UPSOUND:
“Thank you very much.”
“No worries, looking good.“

NARRATOR:
Churchill is a special place. People and polar bears share the land. And Ian helps keep them all safe.