Lesson 7: Animals in the Environment

Ask your child to select one of the species of animals on the page used for Activity 1. Encourage him to locate more information about the animal, including where it is found, what its predators are, what its food sources are, and the reasons why it is endangered. He can organize his thoughts on the activity sheet called "An Endangered Species."

SCAMPER is a creative thinking activity that can be used in a variety of different ways. Today your child will use the SCAMPER technique to modify or change the animal that he has researched so that it can have a better chance at survival. Ask your child to follow the instructions on the "SCAMPER" page and illustrate the "modified" endangered species in its habitat at the bottom of the page.

Ask your child to write a song, poem, or short speech from the perspective of the endangered species he researched. This should be a plea from the animal to tell people what makes it important and what should be done to help protect it. Share the example below. It can be read as a poem or sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Your child's poem does not have to rhyme.

I am a panda black and white,
You must learn how to treat me right.
My land you are taking from me,
Cutting down every last tree.
Conserve my habitat is what I ask.
Please don't lose this animal of white and black.