Saving Big Cats from Extinction

 

Overview:
In this lesson the students will understand that taking away the things that living things need in order to survive will make them become extinct.

Materials required:
Computer with Internet connection, desktop publishing program and Kidspiration software

Vocabulary:
a. habitat      b.  location      c. endangered        d. extinction

Procedures:
This lesson is structured in the style of Bloom's Taxonomy.  It is meant to integrate higher level thinking skills into this unit.  The activities listed below are set up to be completed within a week. 

Activities:

Knowledge- Learn what extinction means.  Make a list of the big cats that are on the endangered list; students can use a table inserted into a word processing document for list.	Comprehension- Choose a big cat.  Explain why people would want to save it for extinction in a short report.
Application- Using any paint/draw application make a drawing showing lions and tigers in their natural environment. Explain how their habitats provide for the needs in short report.	Analysis- Make a cluster of a endangered cat pointing out the things that is making it endangered using the software Kidspiration.
Synthesis- Using desktop publishing, such as The Student Writing Center, make a “Save the Big Cats” poster. The student use their own creativity to make people understand how important this is.	Technology Connection-   The Big Cats Information Page- learn all about the big cats, such as lynx, cheetah, lion, leopard, tiger, jaguar, mountain cat, ocelot...

Extension:
Get involved with helping big cats at Big Cat Campaign, at the same site, students can adopt a tiger or lion Born Free. Class can also adopt a big cat at the St. Louis Zoo.

Home Learning:

The students will (with the help of their parents) write a letter to the state governor, a state senator or state representative explaining that he/she should pass laws that would protect the natural habitats of big cat and other endangered animals in your state.

Evaluation:
The students will make a listing of four reasons why big cats are becoming extinct. Here a few examples: big cats, such as leopards, are killed by poachers for their body parts (they are considered medicinal in parts of the Far East), big cats starve because their food source becomes limited (man has destroyed the natural habitat for farming, such as in the rainforest), big cats are poisoned because of agricultural dumping of chemicals in water sources (man is trying to kill bugs that eat crops), and big cats are killed because they live too close to villages and towns (man has moved closer and closer to big cats natural habitats).

Resource List: 

 

Race for the Big Cats- at this site, the class can make a donation to help big cats and learn big cat trivia

 

Big Cats for Kids- at this student-created site, students can learn about big cat conservation

 

 

 

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