The class will discuss the topic of endangered species and will choose a specific endangered animal on which to focus. Following the example of the jaguar on the TIDES site, the students will answer questions about their animals’ habitat and how it became endangered. Teachers can choose from several activities that include; creating a pamphlet, graphing the causes of endangerment, choosing a cause, situation cards and reading and writing poems.
Created by Jenny Willmer, October 2006
Michigan Benchmark 5: Ecosystems SCI.III.5.E.5 Human Effects
Goal # 7 The student will know that the earth's environmental balance can be easily disturbed. Objective: Students will be able to describe the positive and negative effects of humans on the environment.Students will utilize the science process by classifying, inferring, predicting, and communicating.
Children will utilize map skills.
Post a large world map. Find your country and state location and mark the spot. Ask children what they know of endangered or extinct animals. Why are some animals endangered? Share expository texts of some of these animals. As the children learn about different animals, provide children with the opportunity to find pictures from magazines, the computer, or to draw and label their own picture of the endangered animal to affix on a card. Together, locate where that specific animal could be found on the world map.
Encourage each child to find out why the animal they chose is endangered. Then provide sharing experiences for the whole group. Look for patterns or similarities in the causes of endangered animals. Chart and/or web these causes.
Tell the children that you chose to focus on the jaguar as an endangered animal. Direct them to the jaguar study site: Jaguar Species Survival Plan, Yucatan, Mexico
Post the following questions for the children's focus as you share the jaguar information with them.
As a group, explore this site and answer the questions above.
Each child can make a pamphlet about the endangered animal he or she chose. Each pamphlet should include:
After gathering the data from the class, graph the results for the causes of animals becoming endangered.
Choose a specific cause to focus on, such as habitat destruction- study rainforests and the animals in them. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry provide good discussions of rainforests, endangered animals, food chains and habitats.
Look at the “situation cards” on the jaguar study Create your own situation cards; “What would happen if...?”
Read the poem, “Flowers Won't Grow” to the class. Encourage children to write their own poem involving the concepts of conservation, pollution, or endangered animals.
