Don't Just Sit There—Do Something!

Social Studies/Science

Students will become involved in efforts to preserve endangered species and environments.

What You Need

• Access to the Internet or nature publications.

What To Do

1. As a class, explore opportunities to help preserve endangered animals. Find many ideas at the Web sites of organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/action/) or in nature and conservation publications.
2. Choose an endangered-species project for the class to focus on, and then plan ways to tackle it: writing to government agencies, composing letters or articles for local newspapers, making posters, and raising money. The NWF Web site offers specific directions for writing to Congress, organizing community efforts, and other forms of action.
3. Help your students set specific goals (a certain number of letters to Congressperson X; posters in a certain number of venues; etc.) and dates by which to meet them.
4. Start a bulletin board containing information about the project's progress as well as news stories and other information about the species and its habitat.