fix the sentence
Sentences from the passage with the capitals and punctuation removed — rewrite each one correctly.
A Black Bear by a Mountain Stream
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Color a black bear beside a mountain stream and learn about its life in the Great Smoky Mountains. Read “A Bear by the Stream” to explore the bear’s habitat and habits.
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Reading activity
Optional · Reading: Lower ElementaryAdd a reading worksheet
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A Bear by the Stream
A black bear stands beside a clear mountain stream. Water slips over rocks near its paws.
The bear lives in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park spreads across parts of Tennessee and North Carolina.
Trees grow thick on the mountain slopes. Streams run down through the woods.
A black bear has thick fur, small ears, and a short tail. Its strong legs help it walk, run, and climb.
Despite its name, a black bear is not always black. Some black bears have brown fur.
The bear may drink from the cool stream. It can also find food in the woods nearby.
Black bears eat many kinds of food. They eat berries, nuts, and plants. They also eat insects and sometimes meat.
A bear has a strong sense of smell. Its nose helps it find food, even when the food is hard to see.
In spring, fresh plants grow in the woods. Later, berries and nuts give bears more food to eat.
In fall, bears eat a lot. The extra food helps them store fat for winter.
When cold weather comes, a bear rests in a den. A den may be inside a hollow tree or another sheltered spot.
Bears are wild animals. People in the park should stay far away from them and never feed them.
Food scraps can draw a bear close to people. Keeping food and trash put away helps keep bears wild.
The stream flows on through the forest. It is one part of the bear's mountain home.
Glossary
- slopes: Land that goes up or down at an angle.
- fur: Thick hair that covers an animal's body.
- insects: Small animals with six legs.
- hollow: Having an empty space inside.
- sheltered: Protected from wind, rain, or cold.
Comprehension questions
What animal is this passage mostly about?
Where does the bear live?
How do the bear's strong legs help it?
What are two kinds of food black bears eat?
How does a bear find food that is hard to see?
What do bears do in fall before winter comes?
Why do bears eat a lot in fall?
What might happen if people leave food scraps out?
What does “sheltered” mean when it describes a spot for a den?
How should people act when they see a bear in the park?
Printables & worksheets
More ways to practice with this story — every sheet is built from the text itself, answer key included where it counts.
Get all 4 sheets as one workbook
One PDF with a cover, a contents page and every answer key at the back — color the page in, then keep going on paper.
vocabulary
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
Explore a Black Bear’s Mountain Home
Download this free coloring page and bring a Great Smoky Mountains scene to life. The simple outlines make it a good choice for children looking for printable coloring pages about animals.
Pair the coloring page with the reading passage “A Bear by the Stream” to learn about black bears, their food, and their forest habitat. Comprehension questions and a glossary support young readers as they explore the topic.
Use this activity in the classroom or at home for a creative way to combine reading and coloring. It is a useful addition to a collection of free coloring pages for lower elementary learners.