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Total Duration:
Greater than 120 Minutes
Materials and Resources:
Copy Paper to Print Brochure
Colored Pencils
Blue or Black Ink Pens
Red or Green Ink Pens for Peer Editing
Technology Resources Needed:
Interactive White Board
Computer with Video Projector
Speakers for listening
Tablet, iPad, or Bring Your Own Device (Be sure to follow your school policy on BYOD)
Internet Access or Access to Computer Lab
Background/Preparation:
Prepare a template of the brochure project for each student. A sample template is provided in the attachments. Discuss endangered species and ask students to begin thinking about animals they care about that may be endangered. Post a list of endangered species in the classroom for students to begin researching.
Engage:
1.) Engage students in learning about endangered species by exploring as a class one or two animals of their choice on Crittercam. Students are able to use Crittercam to explore animals in their own habitat. Crittercams are worn by animals and capture video, sound, and other information. Students are able to interact with the website to explore the animals of the world.
2.) Review animals listed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species list. This site doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. It does, however, contain useful information on what species are currently endangered, which is updated monthly. The entire list can be downloaded. This information includes species information by type.
Explore:
3.) Choose an animal or plant that is considered to be an endangered species and complete a brochure of information describing the species.
4.) Students research and explore the endangered species of their choice.
Explain:
5.) Students use the information they have learned about the endangered species to create a brochure and persuasive presentation on how to save the animal.
The brochure should include the following panels. Detailed instructions are included in the handout linked above.
Students should create a rough draft of their brochure to include the following:
Panel 1 – Common name and picture of your plant or animal (color copy or drawing). List the domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Panel 2 – Student name, teacher, date, and list of resources
Panel 3 – Students should answer the following questions:
Describe the appearance and habitat of the animal.
Explain why the animal is best suited for the environment.
Explain why it has been selected for the endangered list and describe plans for protecting or breeding these organisms.
What steps are being taken to save the species?
Why should we try to save these organisms?
What benefit do we get from them?
Panel 4 – A picture of the continent where the species lives. Students should also write a paragraph describing the location, habitat, and climate of the location. (Students can search theIUCN Red List of Threatened Speciesto find information about endangered species.) IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environmental and development challenges.
Panel 5 – Investigate how many living members of that species are still alive and create a bar graph showing the decline of the species over the past 20-100 years OR create a bar graph on the weight or reproduction rate of the species. Any Mathematical statistics can be used in the section of the brochure. Write a paragraph explaining the statistics or graph. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Program)
Panel 6 – Students write a persuasive paragraph on how they feel about the organism and persuade others to help.
Elaborate:
6.) Working in diverse learning groups, students will peer review each other’s rough drafts.
7. ) After the peer review, students will complete the final copy of the endangered species brochure project.
8.) Students will present the persuasive paragraph to the group and then to the class.
Assessment Strategies
Evaluate:
Scoring Rubric is provided in the instructions to the brochure.
Acceleration:
As an extension to the project, students can create a presentation (e.g., Prezi or PowerPoint) from each page of the brochure.
Intervention:
A template with the information outlined for the student to fill in can be provided for exceptional education students. A peer tutor will be assigned to work along with students who need extra help with grammar, spelling, and computer skills.
View the Special Education resources for
instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations
for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.