research possible solutions to help their endangered species.
create a recovery plan.
reflect and journal about their endangered species plans.
view Dr. Jane’s scrapbook.
read a chapter from Dr. Jane's Reason for Hope book.
interview someone who has persevered through difficult times and write a report.
find their own symbols of hope, songs, or poems.
Dr. Jane’s Lesson
Dr. Jane has experienced many milestones
in both her professional and personal lives. Despite many of
the obstacles she encountered while researching chimpanzees
at Gombe, she has managed to maintain the study for over 40
years. Similarly, although she has suffered from personal loss
and notes the effects of a world often at war, she continues
to talk of hope in her role as the United Nations Messenger
of Peace. One of the ways Dr. Jane maintains her strength is
by collecting small symbols of hope. Students can review Dr.
Jane’s scrapbook
to understand how hope helps individuals persevere through difficult
times.
Books, encyclopedias, other printed resources about endangered
species
Connecting to the Content
Discovering a problem and researching
its cause and effects is the first step in alleviating the
situation. The next and more difficult step is to create a
plan to solve the problem. Students gain experience in helping
to solve a seemingly insurmountable problem by developing
a species recovery plan. The emphasis is on what the student
can do locally to help the endangered species. But if the
endangered species is not local, students can continue to
help their species through fund raising and public outreach.
Students learn there is almost always something they can do
to help alleviate a problematic situation.
Direct the class to examine possible
solutions to help their endangered species.
Examine Possible Solutions to Help Your Endangered
Species
Have students use the acronym HELP to find what actions
are being taken to save their endangered species. Access
the HELP worksheet and complete it by identifying
possible solutions to help your species. Students can brainstorm
their own actions as well as research the internet and library
for existing projects.
Have students create a recovery plan for their endangered
species and identify what they can do to help the species.
Create a Recovery Plan and Help Your Endangered
Species
Instruct the class to think hypothetically and pretend that
they and their classmates are in charge of developing the
recovery plan for their endangered species.
Have students develop recovery objectives and provide
an explanation of how the recovery actions address threats
to their endangered species.
Have them use the ideas they generated from the
HELP activity.
Have them examine past and ongoing conservation
efforts, the people and/or groups involved, and
the challenges they have faced.
Ask the class to consider the time frame in which
these objectives need to be met.
The final part of the recovery plan is for students
to identify what they can do locally to help save their
endangered species.
If students selected an endangered species in
their community, they might be able to work with
local scientists to help their species directly.
Have them contact organizations in the area that
are helping the species they researched and ask
what they can do.
If students' species are not in the area, they
can explore other ways to help. For example, they
could:
raise money for conservation efforts.
develop a lesson plan to educate the community
about the threats to their species.
Once you have completed your endangered species project, complete an activity report.
Have students reflect and complete their journal entries by considering how their project will impact animals, people, and the environment.
Part 2: Reflect on Human Perseverance
Despite many challenges in Dr. Jane's personal and professional
lives, she never gave up. Have the class access Dr.
Jane's scrapbook to see how she learned from these
challenges and moved forward.
Have each student interview a person who has persevered through difficult times and ask them to write a report that includes their questions and responses.
Have students complete one of the following:
Find a symbol of hope that has special meaning and bring it to class.
Select a song or poem that has special meaning and bring it to class.
Assessment
Have students:
demonstrate the meaning of the word perseverance.
demonstrate their knowledge of recovery plans.
share their endangered species recovery plans.
communicate how their plan will affect animals,
people, and the environment.
Extensions
Students may find an individual who is helping to save endangered species and
interview the person about a recovery plan or invite him or her to speak to the class.
Terms
Hine’s emerald dragonfly –
Lives in special wetlands called “fens”; is
an endangered species found in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,
Missouri, and Alabama.
Perseverance – To persist in a
state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences,
opposition, or discouragement.
