Helping Threatened and Endangered Animals Lesson Plan & Blog Activity

Assignment 4: Develop an Activity using a BLOG
Subject: Science                                 Topic: Helping Endangered and Threatened Animals

Grade: Fifth

PA State Standards:

Standard Area – Science 4.1: Environment and Ecology

4.1.5.D: Explain the differences between threatened, endangered, and extinct organisms.

Objective(s):

Students will be able to explain and identify what is presently being done to help save animals that are considered threatened or endangered and what they can do to help this cause. 

Materials:

• Classroom Computers
• Teacher Selected Websites
• Microsoft Word to create newsletters

Introductory Activities (motivation)

(30 minutes)

1.      In partners, students will be instructed to go to the following website: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/25/endangered.list/index.html. Students will have the opportunity to see pictures and read about animals that are threatened or endangered.

Developmental Activities

(35  minutes)

1.      Teacher will direct students attention to the following online video: "Endangered Species Day” http://www.fws.gov/endangered/ESDay/2010.html to help students learn more about the Endangered Species Act and what is presently being done to help animals in need.

2.      Teacher will initiate a conversation with students regarding important ways to help endangered species:

Discussion Focus Points:

·         Protecting animals’ habitats in National Parks, reserves, wilderness areas, and even in your backyards and along street sides by removing litter and helping trees, bushes and grass grow and remain healthy.

·         Building bird houses, eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers, and planting native plants and flowers.

·         Spreading the word to family, friends, and people in your neighborhood and by joining/forming a group that works to protect the animals in your community.

Concluding Activities & Use of Blogs

(60 minutes)

1.      In groups, Students will use Microsoft Word to make a newsletter to be posted in their community about Threatened and Endangered Animals encouraging people to help!

2.  In the same groups, students will develop a slogan regarding Helping Threatened and Endangered Animals and post it on the classroom blog. They will also submit a Persuasive Writing POST illustrating their opinions and ideas surrounding the issue and how they plan to help this cause. Each student group will also have the opportunity to constructively reply to other group postings to learn more about their classmates opinions surrounding this topic.

3. After all Blog posts are created by students in the classroom, the teacher will invite other classrooms in the school to voice their opinion regarding this issue on the blog. Students will monitor and reply to blog posts as a class. The teacher will use the blog posts as an opportunity to facilitate discussion and new learning.

4. Postings and replies by student groups will be monitored by classroom teachers to ensure for appropriate use and language.

Teacher Evaluation of the Lesson

This is a lesson that I have used in the classroom. However, I am looking forward to initiating the Blog activity as this wasn't accompanying the lesson at that time. I found that the students really enjoyed learning about Endangered Species through the use of online videos. They also were fully motivated when designing their own Microsoft Newsletter to alert the rest of the school about Threatened and Endangered Animals.

I suspect that students will be fully engaged and excited to use the blog in this activity. I believe students will be able to provide their personal opinions and passion for animals as a blog posting. I further believe that students will enjoy replying to each groups blog posting while learning how their classmates and peers throughout the school feel about this issue. Lastly, I am excited to use the blog to initiate further discussion between students and new learning.

As it will be my first time initiating a blog in my classroom, I did come upon some roadblocks including: how to upload the video on to this Blog posting, although I was able to link the URL address. When setting up the classroom blog I think it would be very useful to have the video on the blog for students to view and then comment on through their persuasive writing post! I was also not sure about how to add an attachment and if that was even possible on a blog. I would have liked to attach an example of the Newsletter students would be creating. I would have also liked to attach a grading rubric for the Persuasive Writing post.

I will provide information regarding both of these portions of the lesson plan below:

Students Newsletters will include the following:

What is a Threatened Animal?  

—  There is a problem with the animals or species

—  They may become endangered.

—  200 animals listed worldwide as threatened.

What is an Endangered Animal?

—  Animals that need our immediate attention and protection to help them from becoming extinct.

—  Causes include:

Habitat Loss, Competition from other Species, Pollution, Over Hunting, Diseases

Persuasive Writing Post will include:

Ways to Help Threatened and Endangered Animals!

—  Protecting animals’ habitats in National Parks, reserves, wilderness areas, and even in your backyards and along street sides by removing litter and helping trees, bushes and grass grow and remain healthy.

—  Building bird houses, eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers, and planting native plants and flowers.

—  Spreading the word to family, friends, and people in your neighborhood and by joining/forming a group that works to protect the animals in your community.

RUBRIC:

3: Students provided 3 details to support main idea. Students used persuasive language to support tone. Students had correct sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.

2:  Students provided 2 details to support main idea. Students used minimal persuasive  language to support tone. Students had minor sentence structure, punctuation and spelling errors.

1:  Students provided 1 detail to support main idea. Students did not use persuasive language to support tone. Students had extensive sentence structure, punctuation and spelling errors.