July 23-August 5, 2015 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event: Massive Exhibit Shines a Light on Endangered Species
For three hours on August 1, videos of endangered animals were displayed on New York’s Empire State Building. Two artists created this exhibition to showcase the plight of endangered species. Cecil, the lion from a Zimbabwe national park who was killed in a recent poaching incident, was honored along with 160 endangered animals. The display served as a reminder of the harm deforestation, habitat destruction, poaching, and pollution causes the planet’s many endangered creatures. Last year, the WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) claimed that the populations of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles have dropped by more than half since 1970.
Objective:
Endangered species are living things threatened with extinction—that is, the dying off of all of their kind. Thousands of species of animals and plants are endangered, and the number increases each year. Most biologists consider a species endangered if they expect it would die off completely in less than 20 years if no special efforts were made to protect it, or if the rate of decline far exceeds the rate of increase. Until the last few centuries, species became rare or died out as a result of natural causes. Today, species mainly become endangered because of competition with domestic and nonnative animals, loss of habitat, overhunting, and the global trade in wildlife. Laws and conservation programs are helping to reduce endangerment worldwide. Many wild species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Various organizations publish lists of endangered species to improve public awareness. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore endangered species and other conservation topics.
Words to know:
- Conservation
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
- Deforestation
- Endangered species
- Extinction
- Poaching
- Wildlife conservation
- WWF
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name some endangered animals. (Students might name American crocodiles, Asiatic lions, blue whales, California condors, cheetahs, giant pandas, orangutans, rhinoceroses, sea turtles, tigers.)
2. Ask your students to debate “Scientists should clone animals that are endangered.”
3. Have your students debate, “Money spent on protecting endangered animals is money well spent.”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Animal Extinctions Since 1600 timeline.