Endangered Species!

A WebQuery for 4th Grade

Ashley Gregg

endangered animals

Introduction

Room preparation will be an important aspect to introducing this unit to the students. The room will be prepared by the teacher hanging up posters around the room of different animals that are considered endangered. The teacher might also place stuffed animals that are endangered around the room.

Good morning class,

I see that many of you have noticed that our room has changed a little over night. Who can tell me what they have seen? (students will likely name the different animals)

There is something special about these animals that although they are very different in some ways, they still have one characteristic in common. Does anyone have any idea what that might be? (they are endangered species).

Endangered animals are those species that are in danger of going extinct. Their reproductive rates are lower than their mortality rates over long periods of time, so their numbers are diminishing. The pictures and stuffed animals you have seen around the room are animals that may disappear from our planet if we do not make some changes. We are going to be detectives and see why these animals are diminishing and what we can do to help.

Unit Question: Why is my animal almost extinct?

Guiding Question: What changes can be made to help my animal survive?

Task

By the end of this lesson, you will become an authority on an endangered animal of your choice, their habitat and what is driving them to extinction. You will be able to teach your fellow students viable information and facts related to your animal.

Students will:

Create a poster to demonstrate your findings.

o Poster must include both pictures and words.

Choose an endangered animal to research.

o Include a picture of your animal on your poster.

o Include a picture of the type of habitat the animal lives in on your poster.

Write at least one paragraph that provides interesting information about your animal.

Write at least one paragraph that describes your animal’s habitat.

Write at least one paragraph explaining what is happening to your animal to make it extinct.

o Find or draw a picture to demonstrate what is causing your animal to become extinct.

Creatively draw a picture of yourself with the animal you chose in their habitat

The Process

While researching your topic these are questions to consider to focus on your objective.

Which animal will I choose?
What sort of answers does my task require?
Where can I find the information I need?
What materials will I want to use to create my poster? (markers, glue, photos…)
What materials will I use to draw pictures of myself with the animal and in the habitat? (colored pencils, markers, paints)
Can the project be broken down into small steps?
Would a graphic organizer help me keep track of all the information needed?
Will my poster be simple to read but describe all of the information?
Do I have enough information to complete the tasks?
How will I share this with others?
Does this information make you think differently about how we can help our animal friends?
Have I checked the rubric and task to make sure that I have completed all aspects of the project?

Resources

These resources can be used to help you navigate your search. Explore these websites to find the most relevant information. While researching your topic you may use other websites, but be careful to only use legitimate website that provide accurate information.

http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/map.html

Kids Planet is an informative site that has created a list of endangered species broken down into the regions that they live in. Individual links are provided for each animal for easy use in tracking down the information.

www.earthsendangered.com/

The earth’s endangered species website entails a search site for tracking specific endangered animals and provides details about each animal and their habit. Coloring pages and activities that involve the species you are researching is also provided.

http://www.kidinfo.com/Science/Endangered_animals.html

Kid Info is a resource directory that provides links to other informative pages that relate to your topic. Activities, coloring pages, and photograph links are also provided for an easy multiple reference page.

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/

The endangered species program is sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The information on this page explains what is currently being done to assist endangered species in order for them to survive. This site also emphasizes laws that are in effect to safeguard the species.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/1460/

Endangered Species of the world is published by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This site breaks the endangered species down into classification groups with an emphasis on their scientific names along with the common names that you and I would know. Linking to your specific animal is provided under the proper classification of the species.

Evaluation

Student will be graded on the poster requirements and presentation.

Students who recieve an A will show understanding by presenting a variety of knowledge on topic (habitat, size, shape, location, food, stats), shows confidence in presentation, and meets all requirements of project.

Students who recieve a B will show a moderate understanding by presenting some of the knowledge they learned on their topic (habitat, size, shape, location, food, stats), shows confidence in presentation, and meet most of the requirements of the project.

Students who recieve a C will show some understanding by presenting some knowledge about their topic (habitat, size, shape, location, food, stats), student will demonstrate some confidence in their presentation, students will meet some of the requirements of the project.

Students who recieve a D will show little understanding of knowledge about their topic (habitat, size, shape, location, food, stats), students will show little confidence in their presentation, students meets few requirements of the project.

Students who recieve an F will show little effort in completing the project requirements and presented the information poorly.

Conclusion

With the completion of this project, you should have a clear understanding of many endangered animal species. It will take much effort for each one of us working together to ensure that these creatures will have a future! Be the change you want to see in the world!