Do you know why April 22 is the best possible day for Earth Day? Because it is so beautiful outside! So I am going to be a truly terrible influence–or maybe an angel in disguise–and encourage you to consider taking a mental health day next week! I’ve already created everything you need to make it happen. The sub plans are all set, and your students will still learn and have a great day while you soak up some Vitamin D. So get out there and enjoy this gorgeous weather–you know you deserve it!
This week’s New Product Thursday is about endangered animals, and it’s great whether you teach it or someone else does. It is the first part of a three-day blog series that is chock-full of ideas to get your middle school students talking about endangered animals.
In keeping with my New Product Thursday tradition, my first post for this series is a new Endangered Animals PowerPoint and Research Activity. Students of all ages love talking and learning about animals, and endangered animals tend to be of especial interest. The pack includes a 26-slide PowerPoint, short research activity, vocabulary words, list of read-alouds, and a crossword puzzle. All are aimed at middle school and designed to be an easy, fun way to learn about our efforts to save these diminishing species.
As I’ve done since January, this new product is half-off for the first 48 hours. The sale will end Saturday, April 20 at noon, EST.
Let’s start with the PowerPoint.
In my library, I sometimes set informative PowerPoints like this one to scroll automatically throughout the day. Next week on Earth Day, I will set my timings at about 30 seconds per slide and let this presentation scroll on the library TV all day long. If you use the PowerPoint this way, you may want to delete the image credit slides at the end for the scrolling version.
Another way to use the PowerPoint is with the research activity.
You could go through some or all of the slides as a group, then students could select their own endangered animals to research and make a similar PowerPoint as a class.
Next up is the research activity….
This straightforward activity requires minimal instruction and is therefore great when you *need* to schedule a sub. I’ve included a one-page, editable research guide that will apply to virtually any endangered animal. Students can select an animal from the included list of 39 animals, or they could research and find their own endangered animal. Sadly, there are far too many to choose from, especially when you add in animals that are already extinct.
Because the Endangered Animals PowerPoint uses several scientific terms, I’ve included an 18-word vocabulary list (with simple definitions) and a crossword puzzle for the vocabulary words. All 18 words appear somewhere in the Endangered Animals PowerPoint. Terms include: conservation, habitat, trophy-hunting, critically-endangered, deforestation, biodiversity, and more. The answer key is also available in the pack.
MORE POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
