PROCEDURES:

Several days prior to the lesson, ask students to talk to parents, grandparents, or older neighbors who remember what kind of animals lived in their community 20 to 25 years ago. If students are from urban areas, consider expanding the boundaries to neighboring suburban and/or rural areas.

Next, pass out the worksheet "Past to Present". Review with the class the term "adaptation" (changes in the behavior or structure of plants and animals that help them adjust to changes in their surroundings). After the students have completed the worksheet, have them share their findings about what animals lived in the community in the past.

The class can make a master list of the animals that have lived in the community in the past, and compare it with the list of animals that live in the community at the present time. Students should be asked to explain why the lists might be different.

Some areas you might ask students to discuss are:

What changes to the animals' habitats might have contributed to changes in the list? (examples might include home construction, roads, industrial projects, deforestation, draining of wetlands) Be sure to discuss the original condition of the animals' habitats before these developments occurred.

What human activities have helped wildlife in the community? (examples might include bird feeders, setting aside of park land or wildlife refuge, cleaning up soil, water, and air)

What changes have occurred in the human habitat of the community? (examples might include farmland developed into housing, population density)

Distribute copies of the worksheet "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Pinelands". Discuss the terms "threatened" and "endangered" and relate these to changes in the Pinelands habitats that might have influenced the condition of the animals listed on the worksheet.

EVALUATION:

Check student worksheet "Past to Present". Students will also show comprehension by participating in classroom discussion.

Follow Up Activities:

1.Have students research and report on a Pinelands animal that is threatened or endangered.

2.Have students research what is being done to help endangered and threatened animals both in the Pinelands and across the United States.

This lesson will introduce the students to the following vocabulary words:(Click on a word to see its definition-use your browser's BACK button to return to this page)

adaptation, endangered, extinct, pollution, populations, threatened

Science standards:

5.1-All students will learn to identify systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.

5.6-All students will gain an understanding of the structure, characteristics, and basic needs of organisms.

5.7-All students will investigate the diversity of life.

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