Lesson Plan - We're Back!

Watch a Video

Play “What You Need to Know About Endangered Species,” then discuss: What are some of the threats that can cause animals and plants to become endangered?

Preview Words to Know

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

• conservation
• decline

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them consider whether it’s important to protect endangered species.

1. How does the Endangered Species Act help plants and animals? Support your response with evidence from the article. The Endangered Species Act protects species by making it illegal to kill, capture, or harm any species listed as endangered. As the article states, “It protects the habitats where these plants and animals live. It also provides funding to help species recover.”

_{(RI.4.1 Text Evidence)}

2. Compare and contrast the main threats that American alligators and eastern Steller sea lions faced. Both of these species were harmed deliberately by humans. American alligators were hunted for their skins, which were used to make shoes and other products. Steller sea lions were killed by fishermen to keep the hungry sea lions from reducing the number of fish the fishermen could catch.

_{(RI.4.5 Comparison)}

3. What does the word decline mean? What detail in the text shows that the eastern Steller sea lion faced a decline? The Words to Know box explains that the word decline means “the process of wasting away or disappearing.” The article shows that the Steller sea lion faced a decline when it says that “By the late 1970s, only about 18,000 eastern Steller sea lions remained in the wild.”

_{(RI.4.4 Determine Meaning)}

FEATURED SKILL: Research

Use the skill builder “Species Spotlight” to launch a fun research project. Have each student investigate an endangered plant or animal and present to the class. To support students in the research process, see “Your Guide to Googling” on pages 4-5.

_{(RI.4.10 Reading Informational Texts)}