LEARN NC

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

Really wild animals: Will people change them forever?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/14/g35/faywild.html

A lesson plan for Grades 4–5 Science

Provider: National Geographic

About this resource

Appropriate grades
4–5
Subjects
science (environmental science)
Provider
National Geographic

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This lesson from Xpeditions asks students to consider the ways in which human activities in the rain forest might affect the behaviors of some well-known African mammals, particularly in the Congo River Basin.

Students will:

  • read Congo Trek field reports and list the animal species and their interactions with the people on the trek
  • discuss the differences between wild and domestic animals
  • hypothesize the impacts of human contact with wild animals
  • research the behaviors of gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants, and write paragraphs explaining how these animals' behaviors might be affected by human contact
  • pretend they have just returned from Congo Trek, and prepare statements they would provide to a local news crew regarding human impacts on African animals

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Science (2005)

Grade 4

  • Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation.
    • Objective 1.01: Observe and describe how all living and nonliving things affect the life of a particular animal including:
      • Other animals.
      • Plants.
      • Weather.
      • Climate.
    • Objective 1.03: Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help animals survive in a particular habitat.
    • Objective 1.04: Explain and discuss how humans and other animals can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats.

Grade 5

  • Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.
    • Objective 1.06: Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems.
      • Habitat reduction due to development.
      • Pollutants.
      • Increased nutrients.