LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Endangered species scavenger hunt

This lesson will help your students better understand endangered species. It requires a field trip to the North Carolina Zoological park.

A lesson plan for grade 7 Social Studies

By Craig Smith

Learn more

  • North Carolina Zoo The homepage of the North Carolina Zoological Park. See the list of all animals in the park listed under the Media Kit. Also see the Education section to explore field trip opportunities.

Related pages

  • Singletary Lake State Park: The Singletary Lake program introduces students to the unique geology of Carolina bays.
  • Turnbull Creek Educational Forest: This is the only North Carolina Educational State Forest located in the coastal plain region of the state. Intended for use by both organized groups and the general public, Educational Forest Rangers are on staff to present programs to any requesting group.
  • Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob: Visit the Learning Center at Lake Junaluska and participate in a scientific research program that focuses on the scientific method, air quality, or soil health.

Related topics

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Learning outcomes

After completing this lesson, students should have an understanding of why some animals are endangered.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 Days

Materials/resources

  • Pictures of Endangered Animals (attachment 1)
  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Worksheet (attachment 2)

Activities

Day 1

Invitation

Divide students into groups. Give each group a couple of the pictures of endangered species and a large piece of paper. Have the groups list any observations they make on the paper. Then have the groups list any questions they may have under their observations. Each group will present its observations to the class.

Exploration

Using observations and questions provided by the group, lead the students to a discussion of why some animal and plant species become endangered.

Day 2

Exploration

Field Trip to the North Carolina Zoological Park. While at the park, have students complete the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet. All of the clues come from the signs posted in the animal’s habitat.

Hint - some habitats have more than one sign!

Day 3

Closure

Go over the Worksheet.

Writing assignment

Write an obituary for your animal. It must include a cause of death relating to reasons why the species is endangered. Include several specific details of the animals life. Conclusion should have a plea to help the species survive.

Assessment

Attitude and Effort

4 - Honors thinking of others even if disagreeing, attempts all tasks, participates, willing to try again, open to suggestions.
3 - Participates in work of the class, completes work most of the time, willing to try again.
2 - Participation is uneven, gives up easily, does not always stick to task.
1 - Fails to complete many assignments, at times gives up as soon as assignment is given, may be disruptive to class discussion.

Worksheet

4 - All answers correct.
3 - Most answers correct.
2 - Some answers correct.
1 - No answers correct.

Writing Assignment

4 - Grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization are correct. No errors in the text.
3 - Includes 2-3 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.
2 - Includes 3-4 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.
1 - Includes more than 5 grammatical errors, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 7

  • Goal 3: The learner will analyze the impact of interactions between humans and their physical environments in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
    • Objective 3.02: Describe the environmental impact of regional activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and industrialization and evaluate their significance to the global community.
  • Goal 5: The learner will evaluate the varied ways people of Africa, Asia, and Australia make decisions about the allocation and use of economic resources.
    • Objective 5.03: Explain how the allocation of scarce resources requires economic systems to make basic decisions regarding the production and distribution of goods and services, and evaluate the impact on the standard of living in selected societies and regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia.
  • Goal 10: The learner will compare the rights and civic responsibilities of individuals in political structures in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
    • Objective 10.03: Describe rights and responsibilities of citizens in selected contemporary societies in Africa, Asia, and Australia, comparing them to each other and to the United States.