Endangered Species

Summary

Using group work and the "Four Corners Game"idea, this lesson introduces students to the endangered species issue. The lesson consists of gathering and recording simple information on six main endangered animals from different regions around the world, and playing a short quiz game to review the material.

Level: *

Grammar

Reading and listening, filling in information.

Materials

Endangered Species Animal Facts (to be cut out), Endangered Species worksheet, Species World Map.

Background Information

The issue of endangered species is an environmental concern, because animals and plants provide important food, medicine, clothing, and other materials that humans depend on to live. Yet, human beings are the main threat to endangered species for the following reasons:

• By cutting down forests and turning undeveloped land into cities, many animals have lost their natural habitats (homes).
• Poaching and hunting of animals like the elephant, tiger, and panda has become too common because of the high profits people earn from selling these animals' body parts.
• Animals take in harmful chemicals and pesticides through polluted air, food and water resulting in birth defects, infertility and fatal illnesses.

As a result of human impact on the environment, thousands of species have already disappeared (become extinct) or are endangered (on their way to extinction). Scientists estimate that 5 to 50 species per day disappear in the world. In Japan, 21% of its animals (258 species) and 17% of its plants (899 species) are on the verge of extinction.

Procedure

1. Start by writing "endangered species" on the board and ask the class if they can read/understand it.
2. With your hands, cover the "en" and "ed" on endangered; most students will recognize danger. See if they can work out what endanger or in danger means — you can demonstrate this by pretending to hit your JTE!
3. To help them guess the meaning of species, give examples of different animals that students know until someone says animal in English or Japanese.
4. Do the same for plants, and then explain that species include animals, plants and any other living thing.

Note

This lesson concentrates on endangered animals, but make students aware that many plants and insects are also endangered. Write down the six animal names on the board and see if students recognize them.

Four Corners Game

1. Before class, cut out the facts on each animal with the name of the specific animal written on the back. At the start of class, place the information by fact (not by animal) around four corners of the classroom, plus on the teacher's desk (five spots in all). Number the spots from 1 to 5.
2. After the class introduction, divide students into six groups (4-6 students). In each group, have students number themselves from one to six.
3. Hand out the worksheets and world maps to each student. Assign each group one animal. Explain to students that they will walk over to the corner of their corresponding number to find a piece of information on their animal. Let any #6 students pair up with another from the group.
4. Students return to their group to share their information and record it on their worksheets (tell students it's better if they read out the information rather than show it). Allow the groups 10 minutes to finish. Have dictionaries on hand for students to use.
5. Tell students to mark their animal's home on the map and to fill in the name of the other animals.
6. The ALT and JTE should walk around and make sure each group understands its information.
7. Students who finish early can draw a picture of their animal in the space provided at the bottom of their worksheet.
8. When all of the groups are finished, regroup students so that all the #1s sit together, #2s and so on. Now every group should have one fact sheet on each animal, and they are ready to play the "animal quiz".

Animal Quiz

Have a set of questions ready to ask the students based on the information they have collected. Make some of the questions relevant to more than one animal. Draw a point box on the blackboard. Explain to students that in order to answer the questions, every person in the group has to check their worksheet so that they can pool their information. Give points to the first group who can answer the question correctly. Have a bonus question in which the answer includes all of the animals, e.g. "Who is the main enemy of endangered species?" (humans) or "What is something that all of the animals are losing?" (their homes). The group with the most points wins.

Acknowledgments

Contributed by Samantha Berman, Kagoshima-ken ALT.