We Speak for the Trees!

Designed by Gwyn Holmberg - University of San Diego

Introduction

Science based curriculum for students in 3rd grade (could be adapted for other grades) about understanding and caring for the environment. Focused on the ideas of how people impact the environment which in turn affects all living organisms both positively and negatively. Suggested time frame: 2 weeks
Standards Addressed Essential Question
How are people, plants, animals, and their environment connected?
Life Sciences 3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organisms chance for survival. a. Plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction b. Examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands c. Living things can cause changes in the environment where they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial d. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations e. Some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared; some of these resembled others that are alive today Other Standards Included (see individual activities): Investigation and Experimentation Common Core Language Arts

Enduring Understandings
Living organisms are affected by the environment they live in both negatively and positively People can have both negative and positive impacts on the environment and other living organisms Organisms adapt to changing environments or become endangered or extinct

Facets of Understanding
Explain: Characteristics of environments and organisms What causes an organism to become endangered or extinct How organisms adapt to their environment Actions and events that cause environmental change Apply Understanding of how organisms are affected by their environment to how to help them Interpret How organisms are suited for their environment Environmental changes both natural and not, and their effect on organisms The reasons for the physical or behavioral changes organisms have gone through over time Empathize With other living organisms and their needs for successful survival Gain Perspective Why organisms exist in certain parts of the world How or why animals change How or why some animals do not exist anymore or did not exist in the past Gain Self-knowledge Their role (as an individual and as part of a community) in the protection or harm of the environment and organisms Overcome the Naive view of: Their actions do not make an impact The same organisms have always existed and in the same way they appear now

Learning Objectives
Knowledge: Organisms and their environment have a reciprocal relationship Different organisms live in different environments Different environments and organisms have different characteristics Organisms adapt or die out based on changes in their environment People have an effect (either positive or negative) on their environment The meanings of endangered and extinct The reasons that organisms become endangered, extinct, or adapt Skills: Describe Discuss Compare and contrast Explain Identify Experiment/hypothesize Dispositions: Taking care of the environment is important for all living organisms

Assessments
Formative: 1. Students identify cause and effect relationships between people, the environment, and its organisms 2. Students identify how organisms adapt to their environment or become extinct 3. Students explore ways to reverse the negative effects that people have had on the environment Summative: 1. Students identify an endangered animal, its environment, and the reasons why it is endangered, they then create an action plan for a way they could help save that animal.

Table of Contents
1. The Worlds Around Us (Background Knowledge Lesson) 2. Adapt or Die! (Background Knowledge Lesson) 3. Chain of Events p. 20-24 p. 25-27 p. 17-19 p. 5-16

4. Because Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot 5. Bringing Back the Bar-ba-loots p. 28-32

The Worlds Around Us

*Background knowledge Students will learn about different environments around the world and the plants and animals that live in them. They will use edcanvas (see Teacher Background)to create interactive virtual eld trips. Suggested Time Frame - three days, one hour each

Standards Met
3rd Grade Life Sciences: 3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organisms chance for survival. a. Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments such as oceans, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. 3rd Grade Common Core Language Arts Standards 3.RIT.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text 3.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic3.W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Met

Organisms and their environment have a reciprocal relationship Different organisms live in different environments Different environments and organisms have different characteristics Identify characteristics of environments, plants, and animals Explain why organisms are suited for their environment

Facets of Understanding Met

Explain: Characteristics of environments and organisms Interpret How organisms are suited for their environment Gain Perspective Why organisms exist in certain parts of the world

Teacher Background
In order to understand evolution, adaptations, and related concepts, students should first understand that areas of the world have very different characteristics, and that the organisms in them have different characteristics that help them live there. Edcanvas is an online tool to create interactive presentations. The website is free to use and share with others with a link or QR code. There is a short introductory video to show and explain how to use edcanvas. You can put websites, videos, pictures, prezis, powerpoints, and more into a multi-page presentation and search within the website. Students should already have a good understanding of how to use the technology including how to type, how to search for websites and videos, how to tell what is a good source (ex. .edu, .org, .gov). They should also have an introduction to edcanvas. Students should talk about expectations for working together in groups well.

There are many different environment types that may be used depending on the number needed. Some suggested environments are tundra, deserts, oceans, grasslands, wetlands, jungle, rain forest, and forest.

Materials Needed
Computers, netbooks, or iPads (amount needed may vary based on group/project structure/availability) edcanvas sample (QR code and link) http://www.edcanvas.com/lessons/IjRBbI-V8By-tQ/desert-field-trip Related Magic School Bus Episodes (available on youtube, California streaming, or as DVDs): In the City, Rain Forest Ecology, Gets Swamped, Hops Home, All Dried Up *Many of these episodes may apply to other activities, see descriptions of each episode at www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/tv/index.htm Travel Journal (see attached) Edvancas Field Trip Rubric (see attached)

Activity Description
This activity is an introduction to the unit to help students understand what an environment is, what types of organisms live there, why they live there, how the characteristic of the environment and how the organisms are suited to each other. Start by showing a Magic School Bus episode related to environments or habitats. Have a discussion about habitat or environment and what it means. Explore as a class what kind of environment was shown in the episode, what kind of organisms exist there, problems that occurred with the environment or organisms and why. (Be sure to watch the episode beforehand to prepare questions and be ready for the discussion) The teacher should introduce the other types of environments or create a list with the students depending on their grade level and prior knowledge. The teacher should show their own edcanvas (sample provided above) to model expectations for creaing the virtual field trip and teach students about one of the environments. They may also interact with it on their own and answer questions as an introduction depending on availability of technological resources. It would be helpful to use the same environment seen in the Magic School Bus episode to expand on the information learned. Students are then placed into groups for each environment. Suggested groups: ocean, tundra, jungle, rain forest, grasslands, wetlands, forest, desert. Suggested activity format: Students must create edcanvas with minimum* of: Cover page with name and picture of the environment (ex. Desert) Video about the environment Website about a real example of that environment (ex. Sahara Desert, Mohave Desert) Website, with picture and information, about an animal native to that environment (ex. Gila monster) Website, with picture and information, about a plant native to that environment (ex. Saguaro cactus) Each should include two questions for viewers to answer (in comments or in a Travel Journal-see attached) Students will tour the environments and answer questions in comments or Travel Journal *Requirements may vary based on grade level and ability

Assessment Suggestions
Rubric for group field trip presentation (create as a class or use attached) Students each complete Travel Journal with information about each environment Create class chart with descriptions of each environment using journal entries or answers to questions

T ravel Journal of
_________________________________________________

Ocean ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

T undra ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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Desert ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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Jungle ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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Grasslands ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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Rain Forest ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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Desert Example
The desert is very hot and dry. It does not have a lot of rain. There are gila monsters in the desert. They hide when it is cold. The Saguaro cactus grows in the live. desert. It does not need a lot of water to

(Drawn Picture)

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Field Trip Rubric

1 Points Structure
Includes less than 4 of the elements

3 Points
Includes at least 4 of the elements

5 Points
Includes all elements: Cover, video, specific desert information, animal information, plant information Two questions for students to answer on each page. Questions are clear and thought out.

Questions

Includes 1 or fewer questions on 4 of the pages. Questions are basic or too simple (example, yes/no answer).

Two questions for each students to answer on at least 4 of the pages. Every page has at least 1 question. Questions are clear, may be a little more basic. Webpages are from seemingly good sources and have mostly grade level appropriate with a good amount of information. Student did some work, may have been off task a small amount. Every page is filled out with mostly complete sentences and a picture, may not be as detailed as a 5.

Sources

Webpages are hard to read, unrelated, unclear, not grade level appropriate, or from unreliable sources. Student did not contribute sufficiently to the project, off task frequently. Missing one or more pages, pictures not included or little information written.

Webpages are reliable and from good sources (ex. .edu, .gov, .org) and have lots of information that is easy to read. Student participated in the project and was on task. Every page is filled out with complete sentences showing understanding of the environments and a picture.

Peer Grade

Travel Journal

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Adapt or Die!
*Background Knowledge Students will learn how changes in the environment cause organisms to either adapt, die out, or move to a new location. Suggested Time Frame - two days, one hour each

Standards Met
3rd Grade Life Sciences: 3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organisms chance for survival. a. Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments such as oceans, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. d. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations e. Some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared; some of these resembled others that are alive today

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Met

Different environments and organisms have different characteristics The meanings of endangered and extinct The reasons that organisms become endangered, extinct, or adapt Organisms adapt or die out based on changes in their environment

Facets of Understanding Met

Explain: What causes an organism to become endangered or extinct How organisms adapt to their environment Interpret How organisms are suited for their environment Environmental changes both natural and not, and their effect on organisms The reasons for the physical or behavioral changes organisms have gone through over time Gain Perspective How or why animals change How or why some animals do not exist anymore or did not exist in the past Overcome the Naive view of: The same organisms have always existed and in the same way they appear now
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Teacher Background
*Evolution is the process of natural selection of beneficial adaptations or genes over time which help animals to survive and reproduce. This concept is important for students to understand because it is an essential part of life and understanding of biology which will have a large focus in later years. It explains why and how animals change over time, and why some animals are endangered or extinct. Students should already be introduced to the concepts of evolution, adaptation, endangered, and extinction before doing these application activities.

Materials Needed
plastic spoons and forks chopsticks rubber bands paper cups hard beans or other small, hard, round objects computers or netbooks The Concord Consortium website (includes many games for students to explore evolution/adaptation) http://concord.org/activities/virtual-greenhouse http://concord.org/activities/natural-selection http://concord.org/activities/mystery-plant-adaptation http://concord.org/activities/experiment-ecosystems http://concord.org/activities/changes-environment Other resources http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/great-links-for-kids.php http://www.mnh.si.edu/mammals/index.htm

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Activity Description
This activity has two components in order to help students better understand the concepts of evolution, adaptation, and extinction. The first should take place in a large open space, preferably outside. Each student will start with one different utensil (see suggested list under materials section) to use as a beak and a paper cup for a stomach. The teacher will then spread the beans out in the marked area and the students will have one to two minutes to eat as much food as they can using only their given utensil (using anything else including fingers and the paper cup will result in disqualification). At the end of the time each student will count how many beans they were able to eat. Depending on class size, the 5 birds who had the least to eat will die off. The remaining students who gathered an even number of beans will get to adapt and choose one of the types of utensils to use along with their original in the next round. Again give them one to two minutes to gather as many beans as they can, count the beans, and the 5 birds who got the least food die out. You may continue with as many rounds as are needed. Students who die off may record on a paper using tally marks which types of utensils were able to eat the most beans and which types of adaptations were made. *In the original round the chopsticks should generally collect the smallest amount of beans and the spoons the most. Students should see the chopsticks becoming endangered and possibly extinct through the game. -An alternative change may be to introduce a new type of food partway through the process, such as life savers, which would be easier for the chopsticks to pick up quickly and more difficult for the spoons. In the second activity students will use interactive evolution games on the computer in order to interact with the process of evolution with plants and animals. (See suggested links above in materials) Students may be separated into groups so that each game is being played by a small amount of students to have a variety of experiences. The students should play the game and then have a chance to meet with a group of students who all played different games to share what their experience was and what they learned.

Assessment Suggestions
Student written reflection on evolution experience, highlighting the different stages they went through, how they became more effective at surviving or not and why. Students jigsaw and share their experience with the game they played on the computer

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Chain of Events
Students will use the story The Lorax to see how peoples actions can negatively impact the environment and the organisms into it. It will focus on the cause and effect chain that led to the destruction of the Street of the Lifted Lorax. Suggested Time Frame - one day, one hour Standards Met
3rd Grade Life Sciences: c. Living things can cause changes in the environment where they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial d. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations 3rd Grade Common Core Language Arts Standards 3.RIT.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text 3.RL.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a ext, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers 3.RL.3 Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events 3.RL.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections 3.RL.7 Explain how specific aspects of a texts illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Met

Organisms adapt or die out based on changes in their environment People have an effect (either positive or negative) on their environment The reasons that organisms become endangered, extinct, or adapt Identify cause and effect relationships between actions of people and impact on environment/organisms

Facets of Understanding Met

Explain: What causes an organism to become endangered or extinct Actions and events that cause environmental change Interpret Environmental changes both natural and not, and their effect on organisms Empathize With other living organisms and their needs for successful survival Gain Perspective How or why some animals do not exist anymore or did not exist in the past Gain Self-knowledge Their role (as an individual and as part of a community) in the protection or harm of the environment

and organisms Overcome the Naive view of: Their actions do not make an impact The same organisms have always existed and in the same way they appear now

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Teacher Background
The Lorax by Dr Seuss is a book about the environment and how the actions of the Once-ler cause a once beautiful land to become polluted and its animals to leave. It is a very visual book with the changes in the environment and the causes laid out very clearly in the text and in the pictures. It is a helpful book for showing students the impact that people have on the earth when they do not take care of its resources (trees, air, water). There are also two movie versions of the book, one a short, about 20 minute, video that follows the book more carefully, and another full length movie. Sample list of cause and effect (there are more specific cause and effect relationships in the book that you may pull from) Once-ler cuts down a tree = The Lorax comes A person buys a thneed = Once-ler cuts down more trees Lots of trees are cut down quickly = There is not enough food (Truffula fruit) for the Bar-baloots so they get sick and leave Factory makes smogulous smog (may want to define smog) = The Swomee-swans cant breathe or sing and leave Machine makes gluppity-glup which goes in the water = The Humming fishs gills get stuck and they leave The last Truffula Tree is cut down = there are no more trees, everyone leaves, the Lorax leaves The little boy is given the last seed = ? (this effect is not given but can have students predict) Students may need assistance in making their paper chains, possible solutions are to have adult helpers, students peer helpers, or help the students individually as they finish.

Materials Needed
The Lorax book by Dr Seuss Chart paper Paper chain strips (see attached) Tape, glue, or stapler Pens and pencils

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Activity Description
Introduce The Lorax book, a book about what happens when people do not take care of the environment. Read the book out loud to the glass, stopping to ask questions, point out cause and effect relationships, explain words (ex. smog). Also helpful to connect it to students own lives (would you want to swim in that water? Give example of nearby place with pollution, ex. LA for Southern California. Would you rather live in the street of the Lifted Lorax before or after the Once-ler came?) Sample questions: Why did the Once-ler cut down the tree? Why does he keep cutting down trees? Why is the Lorax upset? Why did the Bar-ba-loots (Swomee-swans, Humming fish) have to leave? How are the pictures changing? What does that tell us is happening? Why did the Lorax leave? What did the Lorax mean by unless? What does it mean when the Once-ler says Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not.? What do you think the boy will do with the Truffula Tree? What will happen next? What could the Once-ler have done differently? During the book reading, or after the book is finished, use chart paper and as a class create a cause and effect chart. It should highlight the problems in the environment (the bad air, water, loss of Truffula Trees, the animals all leaving, etc) and list the events that led to these things (Once-ler cutting down trees, making a factory which puts out smog and glup, etc). Students will then be given paper strips. They will pick one of the animals who had to leave and work backwards through the story naming the events that caused it. They will get the sentences checked off by the teacher, trace over them in pen, then create a paper chain to show the chain of events. (see attached materials) Students may then share their chain of events with the class, a group, or a partner (preferably who chose a different animal). Display the paper chains in the classroom to publish student work.

Assessment Suggestions
Students create a chain of events working backwards from a major problem in the book and correctly identifies the causes in the correct order. Formative assessment includes students answers to questions during the reading and class participation to create a cause and effect chart.

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The Problem:

Because:

Because:

Because:

Because:

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The Problem: The Bar-ba-loots left the Street of the Lifted Lorax

Because: They were getting sick and had no Truffula Fruit to eat

Because: The trees were disappearing

Because: The Once-ler was cutting them all down

Because: The Once-ler wanted to use Truffula Trees to make thneeds to sell

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Because Someone Like You Cares a Whole Awful Lot

Students will, in groups, examine the environmental problems caused in the book, The Lorax, and explore how to reverse the damage. This is a Project-BasedLearning lesson driven by students wonderings and explorations. Suggested Time Frame - one week or more, one hour a day Standards Met
3rd Grade Life Sciences: c. Living things can cause changes in the environment where they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial 3rd Grade Investigation and Experimentation: 5. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding, and to address the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will: a. repeat observations to improve accuracy, and know that the results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation. b. differentiate evidence from opinion, and know that scientists do not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed. c. use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events and measurements. d. predict the outcome of a simple investigation, and compare the result to the prediction. e. collect data in an investigation and analyze them to develop a logical conclusion.

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Met

People have an effect (either positive or negative) on their environment Identify cause and effect relationships between actions of people and impact on environment/organisms How to make hypotheses and test them in experiments Identify a problem and attempt to find a solution Describe the experimental process

Facets of Understanding Met

Explain: Actions and events that cause environmental change Interpret Environmental changes both natural and not, and their effect on organisms Empathize With other living organisms and their needs for successful survival Gain Self-knowledge Their role (as an individual and as part of a community) in the protection or harm of the environment

and organisms Overcome the Naive view of: Their actions do not make an impact
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Teacher Background
Students will need to be familiar with the book The Lorax, by Dr Seuss, it is recommended that the activity Chain of Events comes before this activity to help students with prior knowledge. This is designed as a Problem-Based-Learning activity which should be driven by the students. Depending on the age, ability, and resources available to the students this activity can be more or less directly guided by the teacher. Here is a good resource for information about Project-Based-Learning http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning Since this is a large project with various materials decided on by the students, it is a good idea to try to get donations from parents or local companies or plan ahead to get possibly useful materials to provide students with (this could also help them come up with ideas to try).

Materials Needed
The Lorax by Dr Seuss Scientist journals (Black and white journal books suggested) Various materials decided on by the students

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Activity Description
Start off by introducing the book, The Lorax by Dr Seuss (if using activity Chain of Events then just remind students of previous discussion and reference the students work/events chart; if not using activity see activity for suggestions for how to discuss the book during reading). Briefly discuss the major problems in the environment and their causes in the book and write those problems on the board. May be helpful to use the pictures in the book and how the environment changed. (air is polluted with smog, water is polluted with gluppity-glup, there are no more trees) Compare to similar problems happening on our own earth. Trees being cut down, especially in rain forests so animals losing their homes. Places like Los Angeles with large amounts of smog. Water in places becoming polluted with trash (reference oil spill or island of trash in the oceans). Ask what will happen if these problems get worse on our planet? (Students come up with responses, ex. Just like in the Street of the Lifted Lorax the animals will go away and no one will want to live there) Explain that scientists are trying to find ways to solve these problems and others in order to keep our planet clean and protect the environment and its animals. (See examples in links below) http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/spills/ http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/ http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-devices-reduce-air-pollution Students should have time to write their wonderings as a scientist about these problems; how to prevent them and how to fix them, in their science journals. They should then have time to share as a class or in small groups. Explain that scientists still havent figured out all the answers, and as a class you will be scientists will explore ways to prevent/reduce/reverse the problems in the environment in order to bring back the Barba-loots. The whole class may focus on one problem in multiple groups or each group may focus on a different problem/solution. In groups they should brainstorm their approach to the problem they are looking at, determine materials they will need, and start working on their project. Students should have ample time every day for a period of time in order to and write in their science journals about their process. *In order to incorporate technology and give students an audience they could also blog about their process, kidblog.com is a free blog website which is safe and secure for students who do not need an email to access and post as a part of a class. Students may comment feedback and suggestions on the blog posts. Or groups can do an in-progress presentation where they get input from their peers. Emphasize that even if their idea does not work it is okay, it is the effort and experimentation that counts. Even professional scientists have not figured it all out, and all face failure frequently. At the end, groups should present their project design, hypothesis, question, and results. This may be done in science fair format where each group has a space while others wander around and can look, or it can be one group at a time presenting to the rest of the class. Administrators, parents, and other classes may also be invited to see the presentations to give the students a wider, more authentic audience. Since student projects and ideas will vary considerably, it can be useful to design a rubric together with the class where they decide with the teacher which elements are important to include in their project http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/rubrics/involving-students.cfm

Assessment Suggestions
Keep track of student journal entries, should have one entry per day with wonderings and observations Periodic share-outs by the groups with the rest of their class to see progress Final presentation of process and results (class created rubric)
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Bringing Back the Bar-ba-loots

Students will, individually or in groups, learn about an endangered animal, its environment, reasons why it is endangered, and create an action plan how they could help save this animal. Suggested Time Frame - two to three days, one hour each day
Standards Met
3rd Grade Life Sciences: b. Examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands c. Living things can cause changes in the environment where they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial d. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations e. Some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared; some of these resembled others that are alive today Common Core Language Arts 3.RI.5 Use text features and search tools to locate information relevant to a given topic effectively 3.W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others 3.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Met

People have an effect (either positive or negative) on their environment Identify cause and effect relationships between actions of people and impact on environment/organisms Identify a problem and attempt to find a solution Organisms adapt or die out based on changes in their environment The meanings of endangered and extinct The reasons that organisms become endangered, extinct, or adapt

Facets of Understanding Met

Explain: Actions and events that cause environmental change What causes an organisms to become endangered or extinct Apply Understanding of how organisms are affected by their environment to how to help them Interpret Environmental changes both natural and not, and their effect on organisms Empathize With other living organisms and their needs for successful survival Gain Perspective How or why some animals do not exist anymore or did not exist in the past Gain Self-knowledge Their role (as an individual and as part of a community) in the protection or harm of the environment and

organisms Overcome the Naive view of: Their actions do not make an impact

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Teacher Background
There is a website for the Lorax Foundation which is working to protect different environments and endangered animals along with educate children and adults about these problems. There are many great resources on the site to use with students. http://www.seussville.com/loraxproject/ This activity focuses on empathizing with endangered animals, understanding the problems they face, and discovering how even as young students, they can make a positve impact on the Earth. Access to the internet is required for this activity in order for students to be able to research information about their animal. Students should understand how to use the internet, read a webpage and take notes on information they read, and access other pages through links on a website. http://www.arkive.org Arkive is a very helpful website about endangered and extinct animals with extensive resources. This is a good website to have students use to find out information about their animal (or find an animal).

Materials Needed
Stuffed animals of specific animals (optional) QR reader (optional) Bringing Back the Bar-ba-loots graphic organizer (see attached) Science Journal Internet access

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Activity Description
Review the concepts endangered and extinct (should have some prior knowledge of these). In groups or individually, students will be responsible for researching an endangered animal. If groups (options to organize) Prearrange groups, have a stuffed animal representing their endangered animal with a QR code (or link) to the corresponding Arkive webpage for that animal. Have students pull a QR code, or name of an animal, out of a bag to determine groups Let students chose groups and animal from arkive.org or the Lorax Foundation If individual, students may either pick their own animal from arkive.org or the Lorax Foundation, or pull a QR code or name of an animal out of a bag Students will use the arkive.org website to research their animal. Suggested information they have to find is the name and description, habitat and environment, needs, why the animal is endangered, what efforts are being made to help it (if any), and interesting information. Students should also view and keep the link for at least one video to share in their presentation. Optionalstudents have to use the links at the bottom provided about the animal to get information from a minimum of one additional website. Students then write in their science journal to come up with an action plan through which they could make a positive impact for their specific animal. It should be something that they could actually do (optionally they have to actually take steps to implement part of their action plan. for example making a public service announcement video or writing a persuasive letter to an official in that country asking for help and explaining why this is important). Students should create a presentation, and share it with the class, about their animal including the information researched in the graphic organizer, a video, images, and their action plan (plus steps taken if included). This can be presented using edcanvas (see The Worlds Around Us activity for information on edcanvas), a blog (such as kidblog.org), a self-filmed video, or other forms deemed appropriate by the teacher.

Assessment Suggestions
Students complete graphic organizer with information about the animal (see attached) Students create a presentation about their animal with action plan (see attached rubric designed for group presentations)

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31

1 point Graphic Organizer One or more parts of the organizer are not lled out Presentation is hard to navigate and hard to nd information, few or no visuals One or more sections of the project is missing, little information included

2 Points All parts of the organizer have something applicable written Presentation may be a little confusing to navigate, few visuals

3 Points All parts of the organizer are lled out in detail Presentation is clear, easy to navigate, has many visuals

4 Points

Presentation

Sections

All sections of the project are included, some areas may have little information

All sections of the project are included, basic amount of information included

All sections of the project are included with more detail (name, description, habitat, needs, why endangered, efforts to help, interesting information)

Video

Video not included or not applicable to animal Group member was not helpful, did not contribute an equal amount, was off task

Informative video about animal included Group member helped, contributed an equal amount to the project, may have been off task occasionally Group member was helpful, on task, contributed over and beyond to the project, took leadership role when needed

Peer Grade

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