Lesson Plan - Saving Sharks

Watch a Video: What You Need to Know About Sharks

Discuss: Why are sharks important to their ecosystems?

Preview Words to Know

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

• reputation 
• depleted

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about some threats that humans pose to sharks.

1. Why do sharks need human protection? Sharks need human protection because people kill about 100 million of them a year, and many species are at risk of extinction. The main threat to sharks is overfishing. Some sharks are killed for their fins, and others are scooped up by accident in nets meant to catch other fish.

^{(RI.4.2 MAIN IDEA)}

2. According to the article, why do many people fear sharks? Many people fear sharks because they think of one shark species— the great white shark. This fierce predator is just one out of more than 500 shark species.

^{(RI.4.5 CAUSE /EFFECT)}

3. How does the author support the claim that the loss of sharks is bad for oceans? The author explains that large sharks eat other fish and large sea creatures, keeping those populations under control. Sharks also keep other ocean species strong by preying on sick or weak animals.

^{(RI.4.8 REASONS AND EVIDENCE)}

FEATURED SKILL: Write a Summary

Use the Skill Builder “Be a Summary Superstar” to have students write an article summary.

^{(RI.4.2 SUMMARIZING)}