Lesson Plan - Do Gray Wolves Still Need Protection?

Watch a Video: Apex Predators: Nature’s Top Hunters

Discuss: Why are top predators like gray wolves important in their ecosystems?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• contiguous 
• conservationists

Set a Purpose for Reading

Point out the As You Read question. Have students think about how gray wolves affect other animals.

1. What are three years you’d include on a timeline about gray wolves? Why? In 1974, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) put gray wolves on the endangered species list. In 2020, the FWS removed wolves from the list. In 2022, a judge’s ruling put them back on the list in most states.

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2. How could birds and beavers be affected if gray wolves were to become extinct? Wolves hunt elk and other large mammals. If wolves were to become extinct, there would be more elk. The elk would eat the plant life that birds and beavers need to survive.

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3. Why might some ranchers have strong opinions about gray wolf protections? Gray wolves sometimes kill ranchers’ livestock, like sheep and cattle. Many ranchers say they need to be able to hunt wolves in order to protect livestock.

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FEATURED SKILL: Opinion Writing

Use the Skill Builder “What’s Your Opinion?” to have students write an opinion paragraph about gray wolf protections. 

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