Third Grade
Worksheets
Polar Bear Ice-Capade
"Mama, Mama," cried the two young polar bear cubs. "Where are we going?"
"Shh," growled their mother. "I am looking for seal holes in the ice."
"What's a seal?" asked Paul.
"It is a very tasty animal," said Mama Bear. "It spends much of its life in the water."
"There is no water here," said Pasha. "How will we find a seal?"
"The water is under the ice," said Mama Bear patiently. "Seals keep air holes open so they can breathe. You must be very quiet so the seal doesn't hear us and swim away."
The cubs were quiet for a little while. They followed their mother over the ice and whispered to each other. From time to time the family climbed over dunes of drifted snow.
It was hard to remember to be quiet. They raced to get ahead of Mama going up the dune and tumbled laughingly down the other side.
Once they saw another white bear at a distance. Mama sniffed the air. It was a male polar bear. Mama quickly moved behind the drift and away from him. He would kill her cubs if he could. She would not give him a chance.
Finally, Mama Bear found what she was looking for - a hole in the ice. She could already smell the seal that was hidden from sight.
"You cubs will not be able to stay quiet beside me. You may play on that snow drift." She pointed at it with her nose. "I can see you there. Stay out of trouble."
