Language Arts Theme 6 – Animal Encounters Center Activity

Endangered Animals Speech

Students will learn more about endangered animals and how they might be preserved.

What You Need

• Access to the Internet
• Reference books.

What To Do

1. Choose and research an endangered animal species. For example:

· mountain gorilla

· African elephant

· black rhinoceros

· bighorn sheep

· Florida panther

· orangutan

· komodo dragon

· northern spotted owl

2. Find the following information about your chosen animal:

· What does the animal look like, and what are its habits?

· What is the animal's natural habitat, and in what part of the world is it found?

· What makes this habitat ideal for the animal?

o What kinds of foods does the environment provide?

o How does the animal protect itself in this environment?

· How is the animal's habitat threatened?

· What, if anything, is being done to preserve the species?

3. After you have gathered information on your chosen animal, write a speech to present to the class, answering the above questions and explaining why it is important to preserve that species.

Internet Resources

Endangered Animal Stories: Fifth graders from Pocantico School in Sleepy Hollow, New York have written 45 stories for endangered animals, from the Amazon manatee to the whooping crane.

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/5thgrade99/animals.htm

Endangered Species of the Next Millennium: Students in Singapore, the Netherlands, and California produced this excellent web site about endangered species. The site explores the causes of endangerment and the steps being taken to save animals that are threatened. Click on Species Profiles for in-depth information about specific animals or Media Gallery for pictures, videos, and sound clips.

http://library.thinkquest.org/25014/english.index.shtml?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0429

The World Wildlife Federation: This site offers a list of those animals considered endangered and information about the animals.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/