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Suggested Instructional Strategies:

1. Brainstorm: a list of endangered species. Once presented, have students group the animals according to classifications such as mammals, birds, fish (can be done as a class or small group activity, with photocopied animal pictures for each group). Also, ask which animals they think may live in Canada and in British Columbia.

 

2. Reverse Jigsaw: Use a poster of an extinct or threatened animal such as a Badger or Whooping Crane and cover it with a number of pieces of paper. Slowly remove pieces of paper while students attempt to guess what the picture is. Follow with discussion about the animal and reasons for its extinction. Extinctions are due to a variety of factors including hunting, forest clearing and possibly disease or genetic factors. Some websites to help explain this: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/endangered-species

 

3. Who Am I? A few students at a time take turns having an endangered animal name tag (or picture) stuck onto a headband which is then placed on their head. In turn they attempt to guess what animal it is by asking questions, i.e. Is it a mammal, does it have feathers? A 'yes' answer gives them the opportunity to ask another question. A 'no' answer results in the next person having a turn. The first person to guess their animal wins. Continue until all students have had a turn to guess an animal.

 

4. The Lorax — The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is in most primary school libraries or online. The animals in the story leave their habitats for a number of reasons including habitat destruction and pollution. One possible solution is provided at the completion of the story. Have the students develop a list of other solutions.

 

5. Game: Disappearing Islands — Place 10 hoops on the ground. All are close together apart from one some distance away. These will represent habitats while the students will be the animals that live in them. The task is for the animals to move safely from one habitat to another as animals need to move to find food, partners or escape fire. On the call of change have the children move to a different habitat.

 

Once they find moving is easy, introduce a student as a feral animal such as a cat or fox. When they are asked to change, the feral is able to tag any other animal outside a habitat. Once tagged, the eaten animal then becomes a cat or fox. Ensure that only one animal is eaten per call of change. As the game progresses, the number of prey animals decreases as the number of feral animals increases. Question the children about the strategies they are using. Very quickly they will realize that habitats close together are a safer way to move. After several calls of change, ask the students for strategies to combat the problem, for example, remove feral animals or create more habitats. Incorporate these into the game.

 

6. Game: Tree for Me — This is a game based on musical chairs that focuses on the importance of participating in habitat conservation. Children are in groups of three. Two people face each other and join hands to represent a tree. The third person is a hollow dwelling animal. When the leader calls 'change', all animals must change trees.

 

The woodcutter is introduced to cut down some of the trees which in turn go to the woodpile. This leaves some of the animals without trees. On the call of change animals scramble for remaining trees. The game can continue until there are no trees left. Issues and variations:

 

At a relevant stage, make shelter boxes from timber in the woodpile. Introduce feral animals to further disrupt the natural ecology. Have students consider what the wood is being used for and how they participate albeit unknowingly in the cycle.

Introduce possible solutions - conserving old and establishing new habitats, the concept of reuse, reduce, recycle.

 

7. Donuts — Have the whole grade form an inner and an outer circle. An outside and an inside person face each other. In turns they complete the statement you read to them, i.e. Three endangered animals are... After they have both had an opportunity to complete the statement, the outside person moves to the next person on their left. Another statement is then addressed. Following statements could be: Some of the reasons animals become endangered are...

I can help endangered animals by...

 

At the completion of the activity students have the opportunity to process the information, develop lists of information gained and strategies to implement.