Name:
LESSON PLAN
Name: Jessica Harper
Date: 11-14-11
Subject: Endangered Animals
Grade Level: 4
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes
Lesson Plan Title: Endangered Species Report
Content Standard: Life Science
Materials & Resources: Computer lab/ Internet, Endangered Species Report worksheet
PLANNING
Unit Goal(s):
 GLE 0407.5.1 Analyze physical and behavioral adaptations that enable organisms to survive in
their environment.
 GLE 0407.5.2 Describe how environmental changes caused the extinction of various plant and
animal species.
Learning Objectives: Students should be able to better understand why animals become endangered and
what us being done to protect those animals from becoming extinct.
 SPI 0407.5.1 Determine how a physical or behavioral adaptation can enhance the chances of
survival.
 SPI 0407.5.2 Infer the possible reasons why a species became endangered or extinct.
Enduring Understandings:
 CONCEPT(S):
1. Students need to understand how adaptations can save an animal from becoming endangered or
extinct.
2. They also need to know what, if any, adaptations the endangered animal they chose to their report
on has.
3. They need to know the difference between endangered and extinct animals.
4. They need to be able to give reason why their animal has become endangered.
5. They need to be able to list their animals prey and predators.
6. They need to find out if there are any actions being taken to save their animal from extinction.
7. They need to know where their animal lives and if that has an effect on it being endangered.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. What does it mean to be endangered?
2. What does it mean to be extinct?
3. What are adaptations?
4. What is prey?
5. What is a predator?
6. What is a habitat? And how could it affect an animal being endangered?
7.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Language Arts:
 0401.3.9 Arrange ideas by using graphic organizers (e.g., listing, clustering, story maps,
webs).
1
Name:




0401.3.18Use resources (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, computer) to aid in the writing process.
GLE 0401.4.1 Conduct research to access and present information.
GLE 0401.4.2 Collect, organize, and determine the reliability of researched information.
GLE 0401.4.3 Present research results in a written report.
INSTRUCTION
INTRODUCTION or Anticipatory Set
Time: 10 minutes
We will begin the class by reviewing the topics we learned in science last week: habitats, predators and
prey, and adaptations. I will then ask the children if they know what an endangered animal is; if so I will
ask them to name some they think are endangered. I will then ask them what an extinct animal is and ask
them to name some that they know of.
BODY
Activities
Time: 25 minutes
I will begin by explaining the worksheet I have out on their desk. I will explain that we are going to the
computer lab so they can find the information they need to complete the worksheet. I will also ask them to
take a blank sheet of notebook paper to the computer lab with them. When we get into the computer lab I
will tell them that they need to use the internet to find three animals that are endangered and write them
on their blank sheet of paper and label them as endangered animals. They will then need to find three
animals that are extinct and write them on the same sheet of paper and label them as extinct animals. After
that is complete they will be asked to pick one of the three endangered animals and do a more in depth
search on that animal to complete their worksheet.
Practice/Assessment
Time: 15 minutes
The students will be given time in the computer lab to complete their worksheet. I will be walking around
the room answering any questions that they might have. I will also be checking that they have correctly
completed the work on the blank sheet of paper.
CLOSURE Time: 10 minutes
During the closure the students will be asked to complete the FACT #39 Paint the Picture. On the back of
the worksheet the students are expected to draw a picture of their animal, the habitat they live in, their
prey and their predators, and nothing should be labeled. If the students do not finish their research in the
time given they will have time at the end of the day to work on it at the computers in the room.
Evaluation:
Informal: This will be a completion grade based on the worksheet. The students will only be graded for
using their time wisely and completing the worksheet.
Formal: In Language Arts class we will use the information from this lesson to write a research paper.
This will be a very important grade and will count in Science and Language Arts. The grade will be based
on many things not just completion.
2
Name:
Alternative and/or Supplemental Activities/Extensions:
If we do have enough time to work on something extra at the end of class the students will answer
additional questions that I will provide that were not on their worksheet. We would also try to use another
source on our animal such as a book. If we do not have time to get to this at the end of the Science lesson
today we will work on finding information from a library book in Language Arts.
Reteaching:
We could also use the resources from the text book to teach about endangered animals. We would read
aloud or do silent reading then complete the activity from the text. There are also questions in the book
that I would ask the students to answer.
References: http://www.abcteach.com/free/e/endangered_species_report.pdf
3