The Last Bear

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

After April’s mother passed away, her father threw himself into his work, leaving her yearning for more quality time together. The announcement of their relocation to an uninhabited Arctic Circle island for his weather measurement project sparks hope in April’s heart for a closer bond with her father.

Upon their arrival, April discovers her father’s work still keeps him busy, providing her with the perfect opportunity to embark on a solo adventure to explore the untamed Bear Island. In her explorations, she stumbles upon an unexpected sight – a polar bear, a creature that’s not supposed to be on Bear Island. April is left with a pressing question: how did the bear end up there, and what can she do to ensure its safety?

Over time, April gradually earns the trust of the polar bear, forging an unbreakable friendship. As she grows emotionally distant from her father, April becomes resolute in her determination to return the bear to its rightful habitat, no matter the challenges she faces.

“The Last Bear” is a beautifully crafted story enriched by the evocative illustrations of Levi Pinfold. It’s a poignant tale that will capture the hearts of young readers, blending the excitement of Arctic Circle life with elements of danger and a heartfelt exploration of April’s relationship with her father. This book also delves into the critical issue of climate change, reminding us of the impact one person can have.

Though the setting is the frigid Arctic Circle, “The Last Bear” radiates warmth that will linger in the memories of young readers for a long time.

Chapter 1

For the first chapter of The Last Bear, we have decided to deepen the understanding of your class by focusing the questioning on: April, her father and their relationship, Granny Apples, the house they live in and what the tells us and the new job April father is applying for. Our questions are aimed at Year 4/ Year 5, which include SPAG related questions, similes, synonyms, sequencing the events and more.

These 12 comprehension questions are great for LKS2 classes when working on The Last Bear for a whole class reading book, helping to reduce your planning time and workload.

Summary

As we read Chapter One of The Last Bear, we are introduced to April Wood, a young girl whose life is characterised by an unconventional sense of normalcy due to her scientist father’s erratic schedule and her solitary existence in a cold, dusty house following her mother’s death. April finds solace and fascination in the company of urban foxes in her back garden and prefers animals to humans. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her father receives a letter offering him a job at a weather station on Bear Island in the Arctic Circle. Excited by the prospect of adventure and spending time alone with her father, April eagerly anticipates their journey to the remote island, despite Granny Apples’ repeated warnings about the dangers they may face, including polar bears.

As April and her father prepare for their journey to Bear Island, excitement and apprehension fill the air. April’s father is determined to embark on this adventure, dismissing Granny Apples’ concerns about potential dangers. Despite her initial concerns, April’s curiosity and anticipation overshadow any fears she may have, and she eagerly watches as their plane takes off, marking the beginning of their journey to the Arctic Circle and the start of what promises to be a life-changing adventure for both of them.

Chapter 2

Chapter Two of “The Last Bear” delves into April and her father’s journey to Bear Island. As they Journey across the sea on the boat they meet the Captain and Tör.

In Chapter 2 of the book, your Year 4 / Year 5 / Year 6 class will reflect on the characters a bit more and make inferences based on the information provided. In addition to this, your class will answer some retrieval-based questions and learn key information and terminology linked to sailing to deepen their topical understanding as well as their understanding of the story thus far.They will also look at identifying adverbs, sequencing events and more as they progress through our online comprehension questions.

Chapter 3

The style of the questions in chapter 3 have changed a little bit, with a bit more text, less multiple choice questions, cloze style structure, synonyms within a given piece of text, adjectives and more.

Sample Vocabulary Question
Q: Which word in the extract means the same as ‘covered’?

‘the island was shrouded in a thick, wet fog that made seeing anything almost impossible. But none of this was enough to stop the tremor of electricity that hummed through her veins.’

Sample Inference Question
Q: What does this tell us about April’s father’s intentions on Bear Island?

“Dad! Look at all the things we can do together!” she said breathlessly. “Tomorrow we can go to the mountains and take the sledge?” She spun around thinking he was still in the room, but there was nothing apart from the echo of her own voice. Pushing down her disappointment, she peered through the window and watched as he entered the meteorological cabin and shut the door behind him.

A. April’s father is there to build his relationship with her.
B. April’s father is there to explore the sights.
C. April’s father is focused on the job he has to do.
D. April’s father wants to include April in his work.

Summary

In Chapter Three of The Last Bear, April quickly realises that this isn’t going to be much of a ‘bonding’ trip with her father so is forced to find solace by exploring the island’s rugged terrain and observing its wildlife.

Meanwhile, April’s father becomes increasingly preoccupied with his work, leaving April to navigate her new environment largely on her own. Despite their growing distance, April remains determined to prove herself capable and resourceful, taking on tasks such as gathering firewood and exploring the island’s coastline.

Chapter 4

Sample Retrieval Question
Q: What was April waiting on at the beginning of this chapter?

A. Her dad to suggest a walk or adventure.
B. If she could find the last polar bear.
C. Tör visiting.
D. The snow stopping.

Sample Vocabulary Question
Q: Which word from the passage means the ‘person before him’?

“Hmmmm?” He was engrossed in the paperwork his predecessor had left and failed to feel the weight of her stare. “I need to get started on the temperatures. You go without me.”

Summary

April, eager for adventure, decided to explore Bear Island alone after her father, engrossed in his work, declined to join her. Despite the biting cold and difficult terrain, she set off in search of the polar bear she thought she saw, excited by the prospect of discovering something new. After hours of walking without any sign of the bear, she returned home, feeling a mix of disappointment and awe at the stark, lonely beauty of the island.

Over dinner, April learned from her father that Bear Island was named for the polar bears that once lived there, but had since disappeared due to hunting and the melting ice caps. Her father explained how the ice caps’ retreat prevented bears from reaching the island from their nearest population in Svalbard, nearly 250 miles away. The realisation that no polar bears could return to the island saddened April, deepening her sense of isolation and the impact of climate change on wildlife.

The questions in this chapter start off with text from the book and cover new vocabulary, word meanings, making inferences, personification, notable events as well as answering some retrieval questions.

Chapter 5

Our comprehension questions aimed at KS2 focus on retrieval questions as well as encouraging your Year 4 / Year 5 class to think deeper into statements and short pieces of text to make inference, identify some authorial techniques such as a hyperbole and simile, and more.

Sample Language Question
Q: What does this mean?
‘In the couple of weeks that followed, the pair of them settled into a rhythm.’

A. They began to listen to music at dawn.
B. They got used to the movement of the floating ice caps.
C. They got into a regular routine on Bear Island.
D. They couldn’t get into a regular routine on Bear Island.

Sample Language Question
April ‘wore about a thousand layers’.

This is…
A. a metaphor.
B. a hyperbole.
C. a simile.
D. accurate.

Summary

When reading Chapter 5, your class will discover in that in the weeks after arriving on Bear Island, April’s father focused on his work, leaving April to explore alone. She spent her afternoons searching for a polar bear she believed was on the island, discovering its natural beauty along the way.

One day, driven by the sound of a distressed animal, April ventured to an old whaling station at Walrus Bay. There, amidst an eerie fog, she encountered a magnificent polar bear, marking a significant turning point in her adventure.

Chapter 6

Sample Homophone Question
Q: Which group of words are missing from the passage?

“Why, _______ beautiful,” she breathed out. “_______ the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Look at you! _______ like…” she reach for a word to try to describe him…

A. you’re | You’re | Your
B. you’re | You’re | You’re
C. your | Your | Your
D. you’re | Your | You’re

Summary

In Chapter 6 of “The Last Bear,” April watched in awe as the majestic polar bear stood on his hind legs, radiating confidence and strength. Overwhelmed with emotion, she whispered her admiration, tears streaming down her face. She carefully observed him through binoculars, noting his beauty but also his desperate thinness and matted fur, signs of hunger.

April soon noticed the bear’s front left paw was tightly bound with blue plastic, causing it to swell painfully. Despite her desire to help, she felt powerless without anything sharp to free him. As the sun set, she promised to return, moved by the bear’s sadness and determined to find a way to assist him.

Chapter 7

We open our set of questions exploring April’s feelings, using and applying knowledge of punctuation, finding adjectives and synonyms, ordering alphabetically, making inferences and using the text to answer retrieval questions as well as sequencing the events of the chapter.

Summary

Your KS2 pupils will learn that in this Chapter, April wondered how the bear ended up on the island and why previous meteorologists hadn’t seen him. During dinner prep, she seized her dad’s Swiss Army knife and set off to Walrus Bay, determined to help the bear. After picking up litter and eating oat biscuits, she spotted the bear just three meters away. Speaking quickly to keep her courage, she explained her plan to use the knife to help with his injured paw and reflected on the island’s beauty despite its desolation. Nervous but resolute, she looked up at the bear, ready to assist.

Chapters Overview

Chapters Overview
In The Last Bear we have created 29 question sets.

Each set consists of:
– 4 Retrieval questions
– 4 SPAG questions
– 4 Deeper questions (authorial technique, inference, sequencing, summarising, similes, metaphors etc.)

How does our website work?

1. You will assign each child in your class the questions of a particular chapter.
2. They will login and complete the questions online.
3. You will view the ‘Results’ section and see how each child did.

Results
Green means that the child got the question right first time.

Orange means that the child got it right but it took a few attempts – a number will be displayed inside to show how many attempts.

Red means that the child didn’t get the question correct – a number will be inside the red box to show how many failed attempts.

Interpreting the Results
Select a range of chapter question sets in the results section and choose a child. Next you will be able to see all completed activities and look for patterns, areas of strength and areas for improvement.