Name: _________________
Date:________________
Period: ________________
Mrs. McDonough/ELA
Animal Research Project
You are going to be completing a research project on an endangered
animal. The materials for this project are: index cards, highlighter,
folder or envelope, one book, three web sources (must be from Org. or
Edu), and one journal source.
The purpose of this outline is to organize the information you have
collected about your Endangered Animal into a logical order. Each
Roman numeral on the outline will be a seven to ten sentence paragraph
in your final report.
I. Introduction-Remember, the purpose of an introduction is to draw
the reader in and make the reader want to keep reading about your
animal! The introduction paragraph should be seven to ten sentences
long. You may write more than ten sentences but not less than seven.
II. Name of Animal
A) Common name of animal (example: African Elephant or Black
Spider Monkey)
B) Scientific name (in Latin) of animal- this usually includes two
Latin words, the species and genus name.
C) Is the animal classified as a vertebrate or invertebrate?
D) To which subgroup does your animal belong? For example, if it
is a vertebrate, is it a mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird, or
fish?
E) Why does the animal belong in that particular subgroup? (What
characteristics does it have that prove it belongs in this
group?)
III. Habitat**
A) In which ecosystem does the animal live? (Desert, ocean,
jungle, etc.)
B) What part of the world do they live? Be descriptive, what
continent or part of the world?
C) What does their habitat look like?
D) What adaptations has the animal made in order to survive in
their environment?
IV. Appearance**
A) What type of animal? (Mammal, bird, reptile?)
B) What does your animal look like?
C) How big is your animal?
D) What does its body look like?
E) What type of body covering does your animal have?
F) Special features (teeth, humps, claws, beaks, etc.)
** Be very descriptive when describing your animals’ habitat and
appearance. I should be able to visualize where your animal lives and
what it looks like by this description.
V. Diet
A) What does your animal eat? (Tell if your animal is a carnivore,
herbivore, or omnivore)
B) Who is involved in the animal’s food chain and food web?
C) How does it get its food?
D) How does it eat its food?
VI. Protection/Getting around
A) Who are your animal’s enemies?
B) How does your animal protect itself?
C) How does your animal travel?
D) Why does your animal travel?
VII. Endangered/Numbers
A) Is your animal endangered?
B) If so, why is your animal endangered?
C) How many of the species still exist today?
D) Where can your animal be found if not in their natural habitat?
E) What can be done to stop your animal from becoming extinct?
VIII. Interesting Facts
In this paragraph, write some interesting facts that you learned
about your animal. Maybe there is something that you thought was
unusual or unique about your animal. This information should not be
mentioned anywhere else in this paper. This paragraph should be seven
to ten sentences.
IX. Conclusion
Remember, the conclusion should wrap up your report. Again, this
paragraph should be seven to ten sentences.
Due Dates:
Date Assigned: February 18, 2015
Animal Assigned: _________________________
Parent Signature Due: February 25, 2015
25 Source Cards Due: February 25, 2015
25 Source Cards Due: March 9, 2015
Rough Draft Due: March 16, 2015
Typed Works Cited Page Due: March 16, 2015
Author Edit Rough Draft: March 19, 2015
Final Draft Due: March 26, 2015
Mrs. McDonough’s Language Arts Animal Research Paper
Dear Parent, Your child has been asked to write a lengthy (nine
paragraph) research paper. To save confusion, I have included a list of
assignments and dates that these assignments are due. Please sign the
parent conformation page to confirm that you and your child are aware
of this paper and the dates that portions of this assignment are due.
The students will have two days in the computer lab to look for
information and also have class time to write their rough draft.
Although I will be offering this time, there will be a significant amount
of time your child should be working on this at home.
Materials: One book about the animal selected. There is no need to buy
a book as the town library already has the books available. Three web
sources. These web sources should be from Org or Edu web sites as
they are the most reliable. One journal article. (I will help them find
one in class.) They will need index cards, a folder or envelope, and a
highlighter.
This assignment was assigned today, February 18, 2015 with a final
due date of March 26, 2015.
Mrs. McDonough’s Language Arts Research Paper
Assigned: February 18, 2015
Date Due: March 26, 2015
Student Name: _________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name: ___________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________