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Monthly Themes

Endangered Animals

Writing Prompt

Persuasion:

The Plains Zebra and the African Elephant are endangered animals and need help to keep from becoming extinct. If the animals in this photo could talk, what might they say to persuade you to help save them? Have students write a paragraph about what they might say.

Activities

Grades K–2: Science/Art
Endangered Animal Mobiles

Students can create endangered-animal mobiles. After coming up with a list of endangered animals, have students choose five animals to include on each of their mobiles. Students can draw pictures of their animals, find photographs in old magazines, or download pictures from the Internet. Then have students decorate a white paper plate. Attach each animal picture to one end of a string, and then attach the strings to the decorated paper plate.

Grades K–2: Science
Animal Memory Game

Have students see how many tries it takes for them to match pictures of endangered animals.

Grades K–2: Science
Animal Play

Have children learn some facts about bear behavior and have some fun imitating bears. Children might also enjoy imitating other endangered animals, such as a tiger, panther, bald eagle, or desert tortoise.

Grades K–4: Science
Colorful Animals

Have students color pictures of their favorite endangered animals. Older students can read a fun fact about the animal as well.

Grades K–6: Science
Rare Matches

Students can match pictures of rare animals.

Grades 1–8: Science
Quizzes

Test students' knowledge about endangered animals.

  • Do You Know Me? (grades 1–2) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_1-2_quiz.pdf
  • Do You Know Me? Answer Key (grades 1–2) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_1-2_quiz_key.pdf
  • Endangered Animals (grades 3–5) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_3-5_quiz.pdf
  • Endangered Animals Answer Key (grades 3–5) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_3-5_quiz_key.pdf
  • Endangered Animals (grades 6–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_6-8_quiz.pdf
  • Endangered Animals Answer Key (grades 6–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_6-8_quiz_key.pdf
Grades 1–8: Science
Word Finds

Have students find words related to endangered animals hidden in a puzzle.

  • Endangered Animals (grades 1–3) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_easy_wf.pdf
  • Endangered Animals Answer Key (grades 1–3) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_easy_wf_key.pdf
  • Endangered Animals (grades 4–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_hard_wf.pdf
  • Endangered Animals Answer Key (grades 4–8) (PDF file)
  • http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/february/pdf/endangered_hard_wf_key.pdf
Grades 2–5: Language Arts
Cybercritters

Have your students send virtual panda postcards to friends and family, telling about the importance of protecting endangered animals.

Grades 3–5: Social Studies/Science
Taking Animals out of Danger

Students will identify animals that are endangered, learn what issues endanger the animals, and name steps that can be taken to save the animals from extinction.

Grades 3–5: Science
Wild Postcards

Students can teach others about protected species by creating endangered animal postcards to send to family and friends. Students start by cutting 6-inch x 4-inch rectangles out of cardboard or poster board. They can decorate the front of their postcards with pictures of endangered animals cut from old magazines or downloaded from the Internet.

Grades 3–5: Science
Animal Homes

Endangered animals need protected habitats. Have your students create dioramas of different habitats for endangered animals.

  • Endangered!
  • http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/
Grades 3–5: Mathematics/Science
How It Adds Up…

Have your students use basic mathematical operations to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of overfishing on a threatened species, the Patagonian toothfish (also known as the Chilean sea bass).

Grades 4–6: Poetry/Science
Poetic Creatures

Students will investigate the characteristics, behavior, and habitat of a particular animal species. They will demonstrate their knowledge by writing poems that incorporate what they have learned.

  • Animal Poems
  • http://www.eduplace.com/activity/animal_poems.html
Grades 4–8: Science
Crossword Puzzle

Have students test their knowledge of endangered animals.

Grades 6–8: Science/Social Studies
Global Alert Maps

Create “Global Alert Maps” to show where endangered animals live. Have students label four endangered animals per continent on a map of the world.

Grades 6–8: Science
Animal Rescue

Start your own “Endangered Animal Rescue Campaign.” Have students create posters that will help persuade people to protect endangered species. Posters should include information about what people can do to help, as well as facts about the endangered animal.

Grades 6–8: Science
Animal Updates Chart

Have each student track the status of an endangered animal and then create a chart about the animal's habitat, why it is endangered, and what is being done to protect it.

Houghton Mifflin