With your partner read the story Dear Mother Earth by Shim Shimmel.

In this story you have learned about some of the reasons that animals are in danger of becoming extinct. Animals that are in danger of becoming extinct are classified as endangered (E) by scientist. These animals are considered threatened and need our help to survive. Animals that have vanished from the Earth are considered extinct (V). There are some animals that have dwindling numbers and are labelled as special concern (SC) by scientist. Those animals are being watched and will be put on the endangered animal list if their numbers go too low. Rare (R) animals are so few in numbers that they are at risk of becoming extinct. 

Now, I would like each of you to write down in your journals some of your thoughts and concerns about animals in danger.

Share your thoughts with your partner.

You are now ready to begin your research!  You and your partner need to work together to compile an alphabetical list of animals from the letter A to the letter Z. Just put one animal name per letter. If the animal is in need of our help, please put the letter code next to the animal name. Below is the list of categories of animals in danger.

· Endangered (E)

· Rare (R)

· Vulnerable (V)

· Extinct (X)

There are several places to look to find a list of endangered animals. There are pamphlets, posters in the hallway, and a great list included in the hotlist listed below:

Many of the books and magazines are on display in our classroom, or you may check in the library. Use the paper provided and create a booklet with a cover and title page.