Life on the Edge
Get this Guide
Find Training
Students model processes that can lead to species becoming rare or endangered. Then, they become advocates for rare or at-risk species of plants or animals and create “public relations campaigns” on behalf of these species.
Objectives
Students will
- Identify the habitat components that organisms need to survive.
- Research a rare, threatened, or endangered species and give a persuasive media presentation on safeguarding that organism.
For the complete activity and more like this, purchase the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide at Shop.PLT.org and/or attend a professional development training in your state.
Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
Amara and the Bats
Amara and the Bats Grades: K-2 Written and Illustrated by: Emma Reynolds Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021 ISBN-13: 978-1534469013 Recommended Reading As Halloween approaches, fall is a great time to think about bats and their role in our ecosystems. Bats live all around the world on every continent, with the exception... Read more »
Forest World
Forest World Grades 6-8 Written by: Margarita Engle Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018 ISBN-13: 978-1481490580 Recommended Reading Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American author of many verse novels, memoirs, and picture books. From 2017-2019, Engle served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate, a two-year appointment made by the Poetry Foundation. The Young... Read more »
A Day in a Forested Wetland
A Day in a Forested Wetland Grades K-3 Written by: Kevin Kurtz Illustrated by: Sherry Neidigh Published by: Arbordale, 2018 ISBN-13: 978-1628559125 Recommended Reading A continuation of Kevin Kurtz’s award-winning “A Day In” series once again delights readers with a rhythmic, scientifically-sound look into a typical day for the animals that call the soggy forest... Read more »
The Walking Fish
The Walking Fish Grades 6-8 ISBN-13: 978-0990782933 Tumblehome Learning, Inc., 2015 Recommended Reading Imagine you are in 7th Grade and plan to spend the summer with your parents at a cabin on the lake. Imagine you pack all your new fishing gear, a gift from Grandpa, only to find out the lake water is... Read more »
EE Resources
Seek by iNaturalist
The Seek App uses image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for seeing different types of birds, amphibians, plants, and fungi and participate in monthly observation challenges.
Video: Jack Pine – Ugly but Interesting!
“Jack Pine—Ugly but Interesting!” This 6:00-minute video explains how the jack pine of Michigan is a fire-dependent species and also an important habitat for the Kirtland’s warbler, a small songbird recently removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List and on the road to recovery. This video is one of a series of BeLeaf It or... Read more »
Species at Risk and Forest Management
Use this 1:09-minute video as a resource to connect species at risk to forests. Darren Sleep, Senior Director of Conservation, Science and Strategies at SFI, explains that a species at risk is a species that is either very rare on the landscape or declining and that well-managed forests provide habitat for species at risk.
Conservation Careers: Video Series from New York
The video series On the Front Lines, created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, profiles conservation professionals working in New York’s natural lands and environments. Select the playlist “On the Front Lines” to choose from 25 videos highlighting a variety of green careers including Wildlife Biologist, Forest Health Specialist, and Environmental Educator.
Migration Game
Developed by the Smithsonian National Zoo, the Migration Game tests students on their knowledge about bird migration. Depending on their answers, students will either help or hinder Wanda the Wood Thrush get from her winter home in Costa Rica to her summer home in Maryland. Pair the online quiz with our article How Plants and... Read more »
Poster: Animals at Risk from Climate Change
Animals at Risk from Climate Change is an educational poster developed by the Global Education Project. The poster presents a succinct overview of the fundamental impacts of greenhouse gases and features 25 animals currently at risk because of climate change. Through illustrations, symbols and brief explanatory text, learn about the biological traits and environmental conditions that... Read more »
Agents of Discovery
Agents of Discovery gets students moving with an augmented reality, geo-triggered app. Students play the role of a top-secret Agent to help solve mysteries of science, culture, technology, and nature. Download the app and mission with WiFi or data and then use the app offline outdoors. Agents of Discovery includes missions all across North America. Find... Read more »
The Garden of Wisdom: Earth Tales From the Middle East
This first-hand account of nature and environmental issues in the middle east is great for ages 7 and up. Written by award-winning author Michael Caduto and illustrated by Odelia Liphshiz, The Garden of Wisdom: Earth Tales From the Middle East brings together traditional stories about earth, stewardship, and protecting endangered species. Gathered from oral tradition,... Read more »
Disneynature Explore
The free Disneynature Explore application for iPads and iPhones combines an augmented reality experience with animal behavior gameplay to encourage young students (grades PreK-3) and their families to get outside and connect with nature. In the app, 3D images of animals appear in the camera’s viewer, providing students with “wild adventures” in their own backyard.... Read more »
Animals at Risk from Climate Change Poster
This poster captures the complex interaction of biological traits and environmental conditions that cause a species to be susceptible to climate change. Thoroughly documented to studies from reliable sources, including the IUCN Climate Change Specialist Group, NASA, NOAA, the US EPA, and the IPCC, the poster features 25 animals that highlight the fundamental impacts of... Read more »
Conservation Tales: The Cerulean Warbler
Have your students learn alongside Alyssa, a young girl who gets to see firsthand how scientific research can help protect endangered and vulnerable species. This Conservation Tales book focuses on the tale of the Cerulean Warbler, a small songbird endangered in Indiana and vulnerable in other states. The book’s author shadowed researchers at a scientific... Read more »
12 Huia Birds
Do you know the story of the majestic vanished huia bird? It is one of the great tragedies in New Zealand conservation history. The story of this sacred bird with the curved beak and white-tipped tail feathers is one we can all learn from as we look to care for our environment today and in the... Read more »
Wilderness.net
Learn about wilderness history, the values and benefits of wilderness, and threats to wilderness at this website. This interagency repository of information about the more than 750 Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Park Service wilderness areas contains K-12 classroom resources. At the website, you will find webquests, quizzes,... Read more »
Dead planet, Living Planet
The report, Dead planet, Living Planet: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration for sustainable development, was a contribution to the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity. The report documents successful case studies referencing thousands of restoration projects ranging from deserts and rainforests to rivers and coasts. The report provides recommendations on how to avoid pitfalls and minimize risks to... Read more »
EPA’s Save our Species
This free coloring book will introduce you to 21 endangered and threatened plants and animals found in the United States. Print the pages and use your crayons to bring to life oceans, swamps, deserts, islands and a variety of plants and animals. If we all work together, we can continue to share the earth with... Read more »
Endangered Species Interactive Map
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has launched a web-based interactive map with information about endangered species success in every state: stories of species making strides towards recovery, audio interviews and podcasts with biologists about on-the-ground endangered species conservation, and more.
WildLab Bird
A free app that can be downloaded onto any Apple device (try iBird Lite for Android). Use WildLab Bird to learn the basics of bird identification. This application uses audio, photographs, maps, and the process of elimination to help identify over 200 bird species. Sightings can also be entered into a national bird watching database for... Read more »
Habitat the Game
The Wildlife Conservation Society and Rainforest Alliance have created a free, new app designed for students 7-12. Habitat challenges students to care for virtual endangered animals while they earn points by completing real-life missions, like recycling or visiting a park zoo.
Biointeractive’s Holiday Lectures on Science
Biointeractive’s Holiday Lectures on Science series brings current research into the classroom, bridging the gap between textbook science and real life science. The Biodiversity in the Age of Humans series asks powerful questions, such as: Are we witnessing a sixth mass extinction? What factors threaten ecosystems on land and in the sea? What are researchers... Read more »
Login to download supporting materials such as appendices and teaching tips.
LoginYou Might Also Like
Are You a Bigfoot?
Students use a carbon footprint calculator to analyze their personal contribution to carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere and design a solution for reducing their carbon footprint.
Climate Time Machine
Students explore the geologic history of a region of the world to see how past climatic changes have altered the landscape, and they create museum exhibits to model what earlier climate patterns can reveal about current global temperature trends.
Is It Only Natural?
Students explore various factors that have caused climate change in the past, analyze carbon dioxide levels over time, and construct a claim, supported with evidence and reasoning.
The Carbon Cycle
Students model the movement of carbon atoms in the carbon cycle and explore the relationship between atmospheric carbon and plants.