Science Lesson

I have a little rhyme that pops into my head when I think about science lesson plans related to extinction and endangered animals:

The sun yet warms his native ground…

The voice that used to squawk and squeak

Is now forever dumb.

(The Dodo by Hilaire Belloc)

Now, you’ve probably informed your students that we are losing many endangered species a day – most science lesson plans have this as one of the main teaching points. This delightful site is called the ARKive.  It aims to be a sort of virtual Noah’s Ark that will preserve footage, facts and photos of currently endangered animals for future generations to enjoy.

The ARKive is an absolute goldmine for quirky facts and fascinating animals (and plants and fungi) and can be used for science lesson plans of all types, not just when teaching about extinction and conservation. Lessons on classification, adaptation and habitats can all include a visit to the ARKIve’s website – or its younger version, Planet ARKive, which teachers in Grade 2 to Grade 6 will find helpful. If you’ve mastered the art of using small video clips as part of your science lesson plans, you will have plenty to choose from.

Now, this ARKive is still under construction, and is still hunting for footage of some plants, animals and fungi. The ARKive is very teacher-friendly as well as pupil-friendly and has a few science lesson plans ready made on the site – well worth checking out! But don’t forget to use this valuable and fascinating site even if you aren’t a science teacher and science lesson plans aren’t really useful for you.

English: Some of the endangered animals have really quirky names? Math: The ARKive has some startling facts and figures related to extinction that can be used in a maths class. For example, if one species becomes extinct every twenty minutes, how many species is that per day? Standard methods for using media in your elementary lessons are still the benchmark for an effective lesson. Technology should be seen as just another tool in your lesson-not the lesson.