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Eden Prairie class follows Sven's polar bear trip

Sven's trip to Canada has made for a unique learning experience at Eden Lake Elementary.

Class from Eden Lake Elementary chat with Sven in Canada

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - KARE 11 Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard and Photojournalist Rob Collett are headed back to Minneapolis after seeing first-hand the effects climate change are having on the polar bear population in Churchill, Manitoba.

READ: Sven's blog posts from Churchill

It has made for a unique learning experience at an Eden Prairie classroom.

"Each day the students come in; there's a different activity that the students are required to do and all of it has been based around Sven," said Sheryl Cater, gifted education coordinator for Eden Lake Elementary.

Since September, 17 fifth graders in a gifted and talented program have been studying climate change. The class meets four times a week for an hour.

"I'm kind of fascinated about this. This is my first time learning about polar bears and it's really cool," said Noah Nieman, a fifth grader in the class.

Monday afternoon students had the chance to ask Sven their questions over the phone.

They asked him about multiple topics including climate change, the polar bears and dog sledding.

Cater said right now students are coming up with a list of things they can do to make a difference within their own community, including an energy pledge.

"They really want to make a difference. They feel very strongly about what's happening with our environment and having Sven over there has made things more real for them," Cater said.

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