Description
Click here to see the full PDF preview of this set of Earth Day Research Activities.
This resource is also sold in my Earth Day Activities Bundle with an Earth Day Trivia Game. See the bundle here!
FAST FACTS ABOUT THESE EARTH DAY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
- Recommended for: Grades 4-7
- Lesson Duration: 4-6 lessons (about 45 minutes each)
- Formats: PPT, Google Slides, PDF
- Editable: YES, all text is editable
STUDENTS WILL NEED:
- pen or pencil
- computer and/or library books for research (four free endangered animals databases are linked in the instructions)
- copies of vocabulary activities (your choice which ones you use)
- copies of research guide and essay template – can be printed front-to-back on same page to save paper for Earth Day!
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL GET
- Student Research Guide – 9 questions about the endangered animal of their choice + essay template (2 pages)
- Endangered animals vocabulary words crossword puzzle (1 page)
- Dictionary skills practice activity for endangered animals vocabulary words (1 or 2 pages, depending on how much space students need to write in definitions)
- Detailed, step-by-step directions for teachers with prep instructions, divided by Days 1-6
- Answer Keys to all (3 pages, all are editable except crossword puzzle)
- Everything except the crossword puzzle is editable in PPT, Google Slides, and PDF
EARTH DAY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, DAY ONE:
- Introduce students to the Endangered Animals Research Activity
- PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation featuring profiles and photo of 27 endangered or recently extinct animals.
NOTE: You will not have time to go over many animals in the presentation on Day One. I have included directions for setting up slide timings, so you can play the slides while students work on vocabulary activities or their research guides.
Scrolling the presentation while students work will help them select the animal they want to do and to see the vocabulary words used in the presentation.
DAY TWO (OPTIONAL):
- Vocabulary activities
- You can choose from crossword puzzle (with separate word bank) or a dictionary skills activity completed in groups of four
- If you feel your students already know the vocabulary words, or if you need to shorten the unit by one day, you can skip Day Two.
DAYS THREE AND FOUR:
- Students use books and websites (links included) to research the endangered animal of their choice.
- Complete research guide and two-paragraph essay on Days 3-4.
DAY FIVE (OPTIONAL):
- I included an extra day in case your students need it to complete their research. This is a very interesting research project, and some students get so into it that they lose track of time.
- If some students need Day Five to complete their Research Guides, you are going to have some early-finishers.
Day Five early-finishers can:
- complete the vocabulary crossword (if not used on Day Two)
- continue to browse the four endangered animals research links included in the lesson plan
- help students who are struggling to finish their Research Guides
- read picture books, middle grade fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books recommended in the editable Recommended Reads list
DAY SIX:
- Students share what they learned in an Inside-Outside circle. Directions for Inside-Outside circles are included with the lesson plan.
27 PAGES OF PRINTABLES INCLUDE:
- table of contents so you can find what you need quickly (1 page)
- lesson plan template, 100% editable, aligned to AASL, CCSS, and TEKS standards (4 pages)
- detailed lesson procedures for each daily lesson – includes prep checklist for 2-3 weeks before and for each day, plus six lesson objectives (8 pages)
- endangered animals research guide + essay template (2 pages)
- Recommended Reads for Earth Day and endangered animals. This list includes 24 current (through 2023) picture books, middle grade fiction, nonfiction, and poetry selected by a certified school librarian.
- printable list of 39 endangered animals, grouped by mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, insects, and marine invertebrates (1 page)
- dictionary skills practice activity – All 18 words appear in the endangered animals presentation (2 pages)
- vocabulary words crossword puzzle (1 page) – same 18 words as in dictionary skills practice activity
- answer keys (3 pages)
ENDANGERED ANIMALS PRESENTATION INCLUDES:
- 32 editable slides
- Thoroughly researched by a seasoned school librarian
- updated regularly since animal threat statuses can change; last updated in March 2023
- 27 animal profiles – Each profile includes a full-color photo of the animal, information on current endangered status (as of March 2023), location, habitat, number left in the wild, and interesting facts. See full list of animals below.
ENDANGERED ANIMAL PROFILES INCLUDE:
- mountain gorilla
- Asian tiger
- black rhinoceros
- ring-tailed lemur
- Yangtze giant softshell turtle
- giant panda
- hammerhead shark
- great white shark
- polar bear
- Chinese river dolphin
- manatee
- amur leopard
- hawksbill sea turtle
- Sumatran rhino
- orangutan
- Asian elephant
- blue whale
- pangolin
- Galapagos penguin
- hippopotamus
- coral
- whale shark
- giraffe
- California condor
- axolotl
- golden toad
- thylacine (also called Tasmanian tiger)
ENDANGERED ANIMALS VOCABULARY INCLUDES:
- endangered
- extinct
- critically-endangered
- vulnerable
- conservation
- habitat
- breeding programs
- biodiversity
- poaching
- urbanization
- trophy-hunting
- lifespan
- omnivore
- carnivore
- herbivore
- carrion
- species
- deforestation
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
- Earth Day Trivia Game (Grades 4-7)
- Endangered Animals Library Lesson (Grades 3-6)
- Earth Day Activities Bundle (Grades 4-7) – includes this research unit + the Earth Day Trivia Game (Grades 4-7)
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