Watch a Video: Searching for Lost Species
Ask: Based on the video, what are some ways you could help animals in trouble?
Lesson Plan - Lost and Found
Learning Objective
Students will identify how scientists are working to find species that experts haven’t seen in the wild for many years.
Text Structure
Description, Problem/Solution
Content-Area Connections
Life Science
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1
NGSS: Earth and Human Activity
NCSS: People, Places, and Environments
TEKS: Science 3.9
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a Video: Searching for Lost Species
Ask: Based on the video, what are some ways you could help animals in trouble?
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
Note the “As You Read” question. Have students consider why experts want to find missing species.
2. Close-Reading Questions
What does the author mean when he or she writes that scientists are “on the hunt”?
The author means that scientists are hunting or searching for animal species that have not been spotted in the wild for many years.
(RI.3.4 DETERMINE MEANING)
What threats have the three animals described in the article faced?
The Voeltzkow’s chameleon has faced habitat loss as people have cut down trees. The Fernandina giant tortoise has faced hunting by animals and humans. Many silver-backed chevrotains were killed in traps set by hunters.
(RI.3.3 CONNECT IDEAS)
What did scientists learn about silver-backed chevrotains by using cameras?
Scientists put cameras in forests that took photos when animals went by. The cameras took many pictures of chevrotains, showing the animals were not extinct.
(RI.3.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Main Idea and Key Details
Use the Skill Builder “What’s the Main Idea?” to have students identify the main idea and key details of the article.
(RI.3.2 MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS)