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LARRY JACOBSEN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Night of the Grizzlies

How one summer night changed the way we care for wild places

By Lauren Tarshis
From the March/April 2021 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the cause and effect of two grizzly bear attacks in Glacier National Park as they read this narrative nonfiction article about how human behavior can affect the natural world.

Lexiles: Starter, 500L-600L, 600L-700L, 800L-900L
Guided Reading Level: Q
DRA Level: 40
Think and Read: Cause and Effect

As you read, look for what caused the grizzly bear attacks and what changed as a result. 

It was July 1967. Steve Ashlock and John Cook were enjoying a fishing trip. They were in Montana’s Glacier National Park. The 14-year-old boys hiked up to Trout Lake. It’s one of the glittering lakes set among Glacier’s forests and mountains.

There, the boys spotted a group of bears. At least two were grizzlies. What luck! They are among North America’s biggest and most powerful animals.

Steve and John understood that grizzlies could be dangerous. So the boys kept their distance. But they weren’t scared. Grizzlies usually stayed away from humans. There had never been a deadly grizzly bear attack in Glacier’s 57-year history.

That was about to change. And ideas about grizzlies—and how humans treat them—would never be the same. 

It was July 1967. Steve Ashlock and John Cook were on a fishing trip in Glacier National Park. The boys saw a group of bears. At least two of the bears were grizzly bears. Grizzlies are some of the most powerful animals in North America.

Steve and John kept far away from the bears. They knew that grizzlies could be unsafe. But a grizzly bear had never killed anyone in Glacier. So they weren’t scared.They felt lucky to see the bears.

But that was all about to change. Ideas about grizzlies would change too. The way humans treated grizzly bears would never be the same.

It was July 1967. Steve Ashlock and John Cook were on a fishing trip. They were in Montana’s Glacier National Park. The 14-year-old boys hiked up to Trout Lake. It’s one of the lakes next to Glacier’s forests and mountains.

The boys saw a group of bears there. At least two were grizzly bears. What luck! Grizzlies are some of North America’s biggest and strongest animals.

Steve and John knew that grizzlies could be dangerous. So the boys kept far away from the bears. But they weren’t scared. Grizzlies usually stayed away from people. There had never been a deadly grizzly bear attack in Glacier National Park.

That was about to change. And ideas about grizzlies, and how humans should treat them, would never be the same.

It was July 1967. Two 14-year-old boys, Steve Ashlock and John Cook, were enjoying a fishing trip in Montana’s Glacier National Park. They’d arrived the day before, excited for three days of cooking over a campfire and sleeping under the stars.

Glacier had been packed with visitors all summer. But Steve and John quickly escaped the honking cars, crowds of hikers, and trash-covered trails. They hiked several miles up to Trout Lake, one of the glittering lakes set among Glacier’s thick forests and rugged mountains.

The boys’ first day was perfect. They set up their campsite and feasted on the trout they caught in the lake. Best of all: They spotted a group of bears that came to the lake for a drink. Some were the smaller and more common black bears. But at least two were grizzlies. The boys recognized their lighter-colored fur and the hump between their shoulders.

What luck!

Glacier was filled with marvelous creatures. Hawks peered down from trees. Bighorn sheep perched on rocky cliffs. Mountain lions snuck through the trees. But few creatures inspired awe like the grizzly, North America’s biggest and most powerful animal.

Steve and John understood that grizzlies could be dangerous, and the boys kept their distance. But they weren’t frightened. They knew that grizzlies usually stayed away from humans. In Glacier’s 57-year history, there had never been a single deadly grizzly bear attack.

That was about to change.

Terror was just ahead. Two horrific grizzly attacks would soon shatter the peaceful beauty of Glacier National Park. And ideas about grizzlies—and humans—would never be the same.

JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN ® (MAP)

Where in the World: Glacier National Park

Chased From Home 


Chased From Home 


Grizzlies have lived in North America for about 50,000 years. Tens of thousands of grizzly bears once roamed the Western United States.

In the 1800s, settlers began to build homes and farms on land where the bears lived. Grizzlies were chased from their habitats. 

Stories spread that grizzlies liked to eat humans. This led many hunters to shoot or poison the bears.

By the 1970s, grizzlies had nearly vanished from the U.S. Fewer than 1,000 grizzlies remained in the lower 48 states. The safest places for the bears were in the area’s two national parks: Glacier and Yellowstone. In these parks, hunting wasn’t allowed. 


Grizzlies have lived in North America for about 50,000 years. Tens of thousands of grizzly bears once roamed the Western United States.

In the 1800s, settlers began to build homes and farms. They built them on land where the bears lived. Grizzlies were chased away.

Stories spread that grizzlies liked to eat humans. This led many hunters to shoot or poison the bears.

By the 1970s, grizzlies had nearly vanished. Fewer than 1,000 grizzlies were left in the lower 48 states. The safest places for the bears were in two national parks: Glacier and Yellowstone. Hunting wasn’t allowed in these parks.

Powerful and Sacred

Grizzlies have lived in North America for about 50,000 years—far longer than humans have. When the first people arrived, more than 12,000 years ago, tens of thousands of grizzlies lived up and down the western part of the continent.

America’s first people formed dozens of nations and tribes. Each group had its own languages, customs, and beliefs. But many of these groups shared a deep respect for bears. In Cheyenne legends, powerful bears tested the strength and bravery of warriors. To the Hopi people, bears were sacred creatures with amazing powers of healing.

Unlike black bears, which could once be found all across America, grizzlies lived only in the West. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that stories of these larger, more powerful bears began to reach the East. Some of these stories made grizzlies seem like monsters— mindless killers with a taste for human flesh.

In the coming decades, as thousands of people moved out West, many killed grizzlies whenever possible. Tens of thousands of the bears were shot and poisoned. Nearly all the rest were chased from the habitats where they had lived for thousands of years.

By the time John and Steve were growing up in Montana, fewer than 1,000 grizzlies remained in the lower 48 states. Most lived in the northern wilderness of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. The only truly safe place for a grizzly was in one of the area’s two national parks, Glacier and Yellowstone. In these parks, hunting wasn’t allowed and all animals were protected by law.

NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION (THEN); ACCENT ALASKA.COM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (NOW);

HOLGER LEUE/GETTY IMAGES

Powerful but Shy 

Powerful but Shy

Powerful but Shy 


By the mid-1900s, scientists had learned more about grizzlies. They understood that grizzlies aren’t monsters that like to eat humans. In fact, the bears are shy. They usually avoid humans.

Grizzlies do have fearsome features. They have knife-like claws that can grow to be 4 inches long. But they mostly use them to catch fish or dig for food. It’s unusual for grizzlies to attack humans. Normally, grizzly bears attack only if taken by surprise or if they feel threatened.

And so Steve and John didn’t feel afraid when they saw grizzly bears. They felt lucky. They got to see one of Earth’s most amazing creatures in the wild.

But what happened the next evening filled them with terror. The boys were out on Trout Lake. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound. They turned and saw a grizzly bear at their campsite. It was devouring their food!

The boys snuck to shore. Then they put on their boots and ran. After a terrifying 4-mile hike in the darkness, they arrived at a ranger station. They told their story to the ranger there. The man wasn’t surprised. He and other rangers had been hearing about that strange grizzly all summer.

When the boys returned to their campsite the next morning, the grizzly bear was gone. But before it left, it had ripped apart their tent—and eaten all of their food. 

Grizzlies have lived in North America for thousands of years. In the 1800s, people built homes where the bears lived.  Grizzlies were chased away or killed.

By the 1970s, grizzlies had nearly vanished from the U.S. The safest places for the bears were in two national parks: Glacier and Yellowstone. People weren’t allowed to hunt in these parks.

Scientists learned more about grizzlies over time. Grizzlies have long claws and look scary. They are powerful but shy. They mostly stay away from humans. Usually, they attack only if they feel scared or surprised.

The night after Steve and John saw the bears, something happened. And it filled the boys with fear. They heard a strange sound at their campsite. A grizzly bear was eating their food! The boys ran away. They finally arrived at a ranger station. The boys told the ranger what had happened. The ranger wasn’t surprised by their story. He had heard about that strange grizzly.

By the mid-1900s, scientists had learned more about grizzlies. Grizzly bears aren’t beasts that like to eat humans. The bears are actually shy. They usually avoid humans.

Grizzlies are fearsome. They have claws like knives. The claws can grow to be 4 inches long. But grizzlies mostly use them to catch fish or dig for food. It’s unusual for grizzlies to attack humans. Normally, grizzly bears attack only if they feel surprised or scared.

And so Steve and John didn’t feel afraid when they saw grizzly bears. They felt lucky. They got to see one of Earth’s most amazing animals.

But what happened the next evening filled them with fear. The boys were out on Trout Lake. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound. They turned and saw a grizzly bear at their campsite. It was devouring their food!

The boys snuck to shore. They put on their boots and ran. Then they hiked 4 miles in the dark. They arrived at a ranger station. The boys told their story to the ranger there. The man wasn’t surprised. He and other rangers had heard about that strange grizzly all summer.

The boys returned to their campsite the next morning. The grizzly bear was gone. It had ripped apart their tent. It had eaten all of their food.

Highly Intelligent

By the mid-1900s, scientists had come to understand that grizzlies were not mindless monsters. In fact, the bears are highly intelligent, with excellent memories. They are shy and usually avoid humans. They will eat almost anything but prefer roots and berries. In Glacier, their favorite treats are chubby little squirrels called marmots.

Grizzlies do have fearsome powers. Their front paws can crack a skull in one swipe. Their knife-sharp claws can tear apart tree stumps. Their jaws can chomp through metal and bone.

But it is unusual for a grizzly to use its deadly powers on a human. Normally, a grizzly attacks only if taken by surprise or if it feels threatened. And so John and Steve didn’t feel afraid on that July evening when they spotted grizzly bears sipping cool water from Trout Lake. In fact, they felt lucky to see one of Earth’s most amazing creatures in the wild.

It was what happened the next evening that filled them with terror.

The boys were out on the lake, horsing around on a big pile of floating logs. Suddenly, a strange sound caught their attention. They looked over at their campsite. A skinny grizzly was devouring a loaf of their bread. They hoped the bear would leave. But then it started to tear apart their backpacks.

The boys shouted at the bear, hoping that their voices would scare it off. But no amount of yelling could chase it away.

The boys weren’t grizzly experts, but something about this bear seemed unusual— and dangerous. They waited until the bear was distracted by a pan of trout they had prepared for dinner. Then they snuck to shore. They threw on their boots and ran, praying the grizzly wouldn’t chase after them.

What John and Steve didn’t know was that Glacier was in the middle of a grizzly crisis. Some grizzlies had lost their natural fear of humans and were behaving aggressively. But the real problem wasn’t the bears.

It was people.

It Was People 


It Was People 


What Steve and John didn’t know was that Glacier was in the middle of a grizzly crisis. Some grizzlies were behaving strangely. They had lost their natural fear of humans. But the real problem wasn’t the bears.

It was people. More specifically, it was the garbage that people were leaving all over the park.

Glacier was filled with litter. Food was left at campsites. Wrappers and broken bottles were left on trails. Some people in the park were even using garbage to lure grizzlies closer to humans on purpose. 

Feeding human food to a wild animal is unhealthy for the animal. It can also change the animal’s habits and relationship to its natural environment.

In Glacier, some grizzlies started to depend on garbage to survive. They began losing their natural shyness toward humans. They moved into busier parts of the park. For these bears, humans were now providing their food. 


Glacier was having a grizzly crisis. Some grizzlies were behaving strangely. They had lost their natural fear of humans. But the real problem wasn’t the bears.

It was people. Specifically, it was the garbage that people were leaving all over the park.

Glacier was filled with trash. Food was left at campsites. Wrappers and broken bottles were left on trails. Some people in the park would put garbage out for bears to eat. These people were trying to lure grizzlies close to humans.

Human food is unhealthy for wild animals. It can also change how the animals behave.

In Glacier, some grizzlies started to count on garbage to live. They were losing their shyness toward humans. They moved into parts of the park that had more people. Humans were now providing food for these bears.

"Grizzly Show"

More specifically, it was the garbage that people were leaving all over the park—leftover food at campsites, wrappers and broken bottles on trails. Glacier was filled with litter. Some people in the park were even using garbage to lure grizzlies closer to humans on purpose.

Each evening at a hotel called the Granite Park Chalet, workers would dump leftover food from the dining room into an outdoor pit. Guests would then crowd onto a balcony, clapping and shouting as they watched grizzlies fight over leftover hot dogs and chili. Some were disgusted by this cruel event. But night after night, the show went on.

Feeding human food to a wild animal isn’t just unhealthy for the animal. It can also permanently change the animal’s habits and relationship to the natural environment. In Glacier, some grizzlies started to depend on garbage for survival. They began losing their natural shyness toward humans and moved into busier parts of the park. For these bears, humans had become a source of food.

ACCENT ALASKA.COM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

DON’T FEED THE BEARS:

Bears that eat human food and garbage can lose their natural fear of humans. This puts bears—and humans—at risk.

Shocking News 

Shocking News

Shocking News 


One month later, on August 13, there was shocking news from Glacier. Two 19-year-old women had been killed by two different grizzly bears. The bears had attacked the women as they slept in their tents. Nothing had frightened or surprised the bears into attacking.

There had never been a deadly grizzly attack in Glacier before. How was it possible that in a single night, two grizzlies had become killers?

Glacier’s leaders finally had to face the truth. Garbage had caused the grizzlies to turn violent.

For years, rangers and park leaders had known trash was a problem. All summer they had been getting complaints about grizzlies spotted near campgrounds, threatening humans. But no action was taken. 

Glacier had a grizzly problem. The bears had lost their fear of humans. People had caused this problem. People had been leaving garbage all over the park. Some people even used garbage to lure grizzlies close to humans. This changed how the bears acted. Some bears now depended on garbage for their food.

On August 13, there was shocking news. Two women had been killed by grizzly bears. Nothing had scared the bears into attacking. People finally accepted the truth. Garbage had turned the grizzlies violent.

That night became known as “the night of the grizzlies.” The night led to big changes in America’s national parks. Rangers cleaned up trails and campgrounds. They also added special bear-proof trash cans. Now grizzly bears couldn’t eat the garbage.

All these changes made the parks better. Glacier is a cleaner and safer place for its 300 grizzlies. And for humans.

It was August 13, about one month after Steve and John’s grizzly scare. There was shocking news from Glacier. Two 19-year-old women had been killed. They had been killed by two different grizzly bears. The bears had attacked the women as they slept in their tents. Nothing had frightened or surprised the bears into attacking.

Grizzly bears had never killed a human in Glacier before. How was it possible that two grizzlies had become killers in the same night?

Glacier’s leaders finally had to accept the truth. Garbage had made the grizzlies turn violent.

For years, rangers and park leaders had known about the trash problem. They had been getting complaints all summer: Grizzlies had been near campgrounds. The bears had threatened people. But no one had done anything to solve the problem.

A Terrifying Hike

John and Steve made it out of the wilderness that night. After a terrifying 4-mile hike through the darkness, they arrived at a ranger station. They told their story to the ranger on duty.

The man was not surprised. He and other rangers had been hearing about that strange grizzly all summer. But the rangers had bigger problems to deal with, like the wildfires that were burning in some areas of the park.

The boys spent the night in a cabin. When they returned to their campsite the next morning, the grizzly was gone. But before it left, it had ripped apart their tent, smashed their lantern, and eaten all their food. Cans of spaghetti and chili were torn apart.

The boys left Glacier with what little camping gear they could save. Two weeks later, they’d realize that they had been lucky to escape with their lives.

NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION (THEN); ACCENT ALASKA.COM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (NOW);

THEN AND NOW:

Yellowstone National Park had “lunch counters” from the early 1900s through the 1940s. The lunch counters attracted bears with giant piles of trash. Tourists would then watch the bears eat. Today, this is no longer allowed. Instead, bear-proof trash cans stop bears from getting into garbage left by humans. And signs remind tourists not to feed wildlife.

A Lasting Change 


A Lasting Change 


That night became known as “the night of the grizzlies.” The events that night brought about a transformation in Glacier and the rest of America’s national parks.

Rangers cleaned up the trails and campgrounds. They also installed bear- proof trash cans so that grizzlies could not eat garbage. Aggressive bears were moved to distant parts of the park.

Today, picnic areas are set up far away from where people sleep. If a grizzly is seen near a trail, the trail is closed.

The new rules led to lasting change. Glacier is a cleaner and healthier place for its 300 grizzlies—and for humans. 


That night became known as “the night of the grizzlies.” The events brought about a transformation in Glacier and the rest of America’s national parks.

Rangers cleaned up the trails and campgrounds. They also put in bear-proof trash cans. This way the grizzlies could not eat garbage. Aggressive bears were moved far away to other parts of the park.

Today, picnic areas are set up away from where people sleep. If a grizzly is seen near a trail, the trail is closed.

The new rules led to changes that can still be seen today. Glacier is a cleaner and healthier place for its 300 grizzlies. And for humans.  

Shocking News

On August 13, the world woke up to shocking news from Glacier. During the night, two 19-year-old women had been killed by two different grizzly bears. The attacks were not related; they happened 7 miles apart. Neither grizzly had been surprised or threatened by people. The bears attacked the women as they slept in their tents.

How could this have happened?

In the days that followed, this was the question that echoed across Glacier’s forests and lakes. Never before had there been a deadly grizzly attack in Glacier. How was it possible that in a single night, two grizzlies had become killers?

Glacier’s leaders scrambled to give an answer. It was the heat, they said. Or the wildfires. Or maybe lightning had spooked the bears.

Rangers were ordered to track down the two grizzlies and euthanize them—kill them painlessly. One was a mother bear that had been seen with her two cubs at the Granite Park garbage pit. Her front paw was badly torn, likely from broken glass. The other bear was in even worse shape. It was starving and had broken glass in its teeth.

This was the skinny bear that John and Steve had seen at Trout Lake.

Finally, Glacier’s leaders were forced to face the truth: It was not heat or fires or lightning that had caused the grizzlies to turn violent. It was garbage.

For years, rangers and park leaders had known trash was a problem. All summer they had been getting complaints about grizzlies lurking near campgrounds and threatening humans.

Yet no action was taken. As a result, two women had died. Four grizzlies were also dead; the mother grizzly’s two cubs were also euthanized.

A Transformation

Nothing could change the tragic events of “the night of the grizzlies,” as that night in August became known. But those events brought about a transformation of Glacier and the rest of America’s national parks.

Rangers cleaned up the trails and campgrounds. They also installed bear-proof trash cans so that grizzlies could not eat garbage. Garbage pits like those at Granite Park were closed. At campgrounds, picnic areas were set up far away from where people slept. If a grizzly was seen near a trail, the trail would be closed. Aggressive bears would be moved to remote parts of the park.

Those new rules led to lasting change. Today, Glacier is a cleaner and healthier place for its 300 grizzlies—and for humans.

This past year, more than 3 million people visited Glacier. Like John and Steve, they walked the winding trails and looked out across the jewel-like lakes. A few even spotted grizzly bears.

And hopefully, they felt lucky.

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  • Grizzlies hunt with their noses. They can sniff out food a mile away.
  • Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than an Olympic sprinter.
  • Grizzlies get their name from their fur. The brown fur is sometimes gray at the tips. Grizzled means streaked with gray.
  • Grizzlies hunt with their noses. They can sniff out food a mile away.
  • Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than an Olympic sprinter.
  • Grizzlies get their name from their fur. The brown fur is sometimes gray at the tips. Grizzled means streaked with gray.
  • Grizzlies hunt with their noses. They can sniff out food a mile away.
  • Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than an Olympic sprinter.
  • Grizzlies get their name from their fur. The brown fur is sometimes gray at the tips. Grizzled means streaked with gray.
  • Grizzlies hunt with their noses and can sniff out food a mile away.
  • Grizzlies’ claws can grow up to 4 inches long. Bears use them to snatch salmon, dig for food, and make their dens.
  • Grizzlies get their name from their brown fur, which is sometimes gray at the tips. (Grizzled means streaked with gray.)
  • Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour. That’s faster than any Olympic sprinter.

Shutterstock.com

HABITAT

In the U.S., grizzly bears can be found in…

HABITAT

In the U.S., grizzly bears can be found in…

HABITAT

In the U.S., grizzly bears can be found in…

HABITAT

In the U.S., grizzly bears can be found in…

A DEEP SLEEP

In the late fall or early winter, grizzlies enter into a sleep-like state for the winter. This is called hibernation. It helps grizzlies survive the cold winter months, when food is hard to find.

A DEEP SLEEP

In the late fall or early winter, grizzlies enter into a sleep-like state for the winter. This is called hibernation. It helps grizzlies survive the cold winter months, when food is hard to find.

A DEEP SLEEP

In the late fall or early winter, grizzlies enter into a sleep-like state for the winter. This is called hibernation. It helps grizzlies survive the cold winter months, when food is hard to find.

HIBERNATION

In the late fall or early winter, grizzly bears dig a hole called a den, where they hibernate for up to seven months. During this time, bears can lose 15-30 percent of their body weight.

iStockPhoto/Getty Images (berries); Shutterstock.com (all other images)

FOOD

Grizzly bears eat almost anything. This includes:

FOOD

Grizzly bears eat almost anything. This includes:

FOOD

Grizzly bears eat almost anything. This includes:

FOOD

Grizzly bears eat almost anything, including:

AVERAGE LIFESPAN

25 years

AVERAGE HEIGHT

5-8 Feet

AVERAGE WEIGHT

800 pounds

AVERAGE LIFESPAN

25 years

AVERAGE HEIGHT

5-8 Feet

AVERAGE WEIGHT

800 pounds

AVERAGE LIFESPAN

25 years

AVERAGE HEIGHT

5-8 Feet

AVERAGE WEIGHT

800 pounds

AVERAGE LIFESPAN

25 years

AVERAGE HEIGHT

5-8 Feet

AVERAGE WEIGHT

800 pounds

THINK AND WRITE

Using details from the article, write a newspaper article looking back at “the night of the grizzlies.” Include details about what caused the attacks and how the parks have changed since then. 

THINK AND WRITE

Using details from the article, write a newspaper article looking back at “the night of the grizzlies.” Include details about what caused the attacks and how the parks have changed since then. 

THINK AND WRITE

Using details from the article, write a newspaper article looking back at “the night of the grizzlies.” Include details about what caused the attacks and how the parks have changed since then. 

THINK AND WRITE

Using details from the article, write a newspaper article looking back at “the night of the grizzlies.” Include details about what caused the attacks and how the parks have changed since then. 

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Take a Virtual Field Trip

On the Glacier National Park website students can visit the park from home. They can look at the park’s webcams, read blogs by park rangers, check out digital versions of park exhibits, and more.

Watch a Video

Before students read the article, have them watch this 2-minute video that provides fascinating background information about grizzly bears.

Visit a Website

Invite students to visit this website, which gives information about a variety of endangered animals. Students can select an endangered animal and research it further. 

More About the Article

Content-Area Connections

Social Studies: history, animals, ecology, environmental science

Social-Emotional Learning: self-management (demonstrating agency); relationship skills (teamwork); responsible decision-making (identifying solutions, consequences of actions, promoting well-being, evaluating impacts)

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, supporting details, key details, main idea, synthesizing, making connections, explanatory writing

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Watch a Video/Preview Text Features 

(20 minutes)

  • Help students prepare to read the article by showing the Background Builder Slideshow. In addition, you can show the Author Visit with Lauren Tarshis video before or after students read the story. In this video, Lauren talks about her research and writing process for “Night of the Grizzlies.”

  • We offer several reading experiences for this article. As a first read, have students either watch the Video Read-Aloud (available in your Resources tab), in which author Lauren Tarshis introduces and narrates the article as it comes to life with images; listen to the Author Read-Aloud; or read the article in the magazine or digitally.

  • Look at pages 4-5 with the class. Read aloud the title and subtitle with students. What does the illustration show? 

  • Based on the title, subtitle, and illustration, ask students to predict what this article will be about. Have them review their predictions after they finish reading.

  • Explain that the map, images, and captions on pages 4-9 provide information that will help them better understand the events of the story. Point out the infographic on page 8 and ask students to read it after finishing the rest of the article. 

  • Point out the Earth Day Story burst on page 5 and explain that this story provides ideas about how to behave kindly toward the planet and its animal inhabitants.

 

Introduce Vocabulary

(15 minutes)

  • We have highlighted in bold seven words that may be challenging and defined them on the page: vanished, fearsome, devouring, crisis, lure, transformation, and aggressive.

  • Preview these words by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, in which audio and images help students with pronunciation and comprehension.

 

Set a Purpose for Reading

(5 minutes)

  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box and the Think and Write box. These support the story’s featured skill, cause and effect. Remind students to keep in mind the Think and Read prompt as they read the article.

2. CLOSE READING

Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • First read: Read the story as a class. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section to check comprehension. 

  • Second read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab) to the class. Preview them together. Ask students to read the article again and answer the questions as a class or in small groups. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck, which contains the questions—along with other activities from this lesson plan and links to the story and Video Read-Aloud.) 

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

  1. Who do you meet in the first section of the article? What are they doing? (supporting details) You meet two 14-year-old boys, Steve Ashlock and John Cook, who are on a fishing trip in Montana’s Glacier National Park.
  2. Reread the section “Chased From Home.” In the 1800s, why were grizzlies chased from the lands they had been living on? (cause and effect) Settlers began to build homes and farms on the land where the grizzlies lived. Stories also spread that grizzlies liked to eat humans, leading many hunters to kill the bears. 
  3. Reread “Powerful but Shy.” What did scientists learn about grizzlies by the mid-1900s? (key details) Scientists learned that grizzlies aren’t monsters that want to eat humans. The bears are actually very shy and prefer to avoid humans. Grizzlies use their claws to catch fish and dig for food. Usually, they attack only if surprised or threatened.
  4. Reread “It Was People.” How did garbage cause grizzlies in Glacier National Park to lose their natural shyness toward humans? (cause and effect) People left garbage all over Glacier National Park. So instead of hunting for their food, grizzly bears started eating garbage left by people. Some people even used garbage to lure bears closer to humans. As a result, grizzlies started losing their fear of humans.
  5. What was the news from Glacier National Park on August 13? Why was this news especially shocking? (text evidence) The news from Glacier National Park was that two women had been killed by two different grizzlies in the park. This news was especially shocking because there had never been a deadly grizzly bear attack in Glacier before. Nothing had surprised or scared the bears into attacking the women. 
  6. Reread “A Lasting Change.” After “the night of the grizzlies,” what changes were made by Glacier and other national parks? (main idea/cause and effect) Rangers cleaned up trails and campgrounds in parks. They installed trash cans that the grizzlies can’t get into. Aggressive bears are moved to distant parts of the park. Picnic areas are set up far from where people sleep. If a grizzly is seen near a trail, the trail is closed.
  7. Reread the infographic “All About Grizzlies.” What two things did you learn that help explain why the grizzlies in Glacier were attracted to garbage in the park?  (text features, synthesizing) According to the infographic, grizzlies hunt with their noses. They can sniff out food from a mile away, so they would have been able to smell human food and garbage at the park. They eat almost anything, so they would be interested in people’s food and trash. 

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Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  1. Reread the last sentence of the article. How did Glacier and other parks become better places for both grizzlies and humans? (main idea) Parks were cleaner. Grizzlies could go back to finding food that is healthy for them to eat. Humans were better protected from having bad experiences with grizzlies.
  2. After reading the article, has your view of grizzly bears changed at all? Why or why not? (making connections) Answers will vary..

3. SEL FOCUS

Caring for the Environment

This article shows how human actions can have bad or good effects on the natural world.  Ask students to think about ways they can act that will help protect the natural world. Maybe that involves picking up trash in a local park or making sure every classroom has a recycling bin. Encourage students to come up with individual actions, as well as activities that can be done with others. Post the list of ideas in your classroom or online for students to refer to. You could send the list home in case students want to choose an activity to do with their families. Or when it’s safe to do so, choose a group activity that the class can do together.

4. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING

Featured Skill: Cause and Effect

  • Distribute or assign our Cause and Effect Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

  • Discuss the writing assignment in the Think and Write box. Students should sum up the main idea of their paragraph in the first or last sentence. They can complete their paragraphs in class or as homework.

GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING

  • Our new Learning Journey Slide Deck (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through it at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the slide deck to your liking.

  • Have kids listen to the Author Read-Aloud. Then convene your virtual classroom, choose the Presentation View of the article, and share your screen. Students can take turns reading aloud as they would if together in the physical classroom.

  • Have students complete the close-reading and critical-thinking questions together in a video chat or on a shared Google Doc.

  • Our new Choice Board (available in your Resources tab) is perfect for remote learning. It offers nine varied activities for students to choose from. Students can do one activity or as many as they like, working at their own pace. Most of the activities on the Choice Board can be done away from a computer.

Differentiate and Customize
For Struggling Readers

Keeping track of the two different events regarding grizzly bear encounters in this article—Steve and John’s and the two 19-year-old women’s—could be difficult for struggling readers. Read the lower-Lexile version of the article together, and ask what the title “Night of the Grizzlies” refers to. Follow up by asking why Steve and John were lucky and why the news of the deaths was shocking.

For ELL Students

Use the infographic to help ELL students build prior knowledge about grizzly bears. Before reading the article, go over the “All About Grizzlies” infographic on page 8. Be sure to point out the information on what grizzly bears eat and how they got their name. If appropriate, invite students to describe a special animal that is native to their families’ countries of origin.

For Advanced Readers

Have students read “How to Save a Baby Orangutan” from our December 2020/January 2021 issue. Then ask them to write a short essay comparing the problems faced by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park with those faced by orangutans in Borneo. Have students include information about how humans have or have not addressed the issues relating to grizzlies and orangutans.

For School or at Home

Ask students to imagine they were visitors to Glacier National Park in 1967. Instruct them to write a letter to the Glacier park rangers about all the garbage they saw in the park. Students should include details about why the garbage might be harmful to the park and what rangers could do to fix the problem.

Text-to-Speech