Lesson Plan - Lost and Found

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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.

  • conservation
  • extinct


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)

Differentiate & Extend

Multilingual Learners

Invite learners whose native language is Spanish to read the Spanish version of this article alongside the English version. Page 8 quiz questions are also in Spanish.

 

Striving Readers

Have students read or listen to the lower-level version of the article, underlining important details.

 

Critical Thinking

Discuss the play on words in the title. A “lost and found” is a place where people drop off items they’ve found or retrieve items they’ve lost. Ask: What does the phrase mean here? Why does it make sense for this article?

Text-to-Speech