Endangered Animal Lesson - Manatee

Objective: The third grade student will be able to describe a West Indian Manatee and list information pertaining to habitat, behavior, lifespan/endangered status. Anticipatory Set: The teacher will read the story Sam the Seacow. The students will discuss the reasons why manatees are endangered although they have virtually no natural enemies. Vocabulary: Endangered, extinction, shallow, estuaries, migratory, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, vegetation, submerge, mortality, entanglement, pollution.

Procedures:

I. The students will view the Save the Manatee Club (SMC) Internet site:

MANATEE FACTS

II. The students will work in cooperative groups to answer questions to gain insight into manatee habitat, behavior and life span/endangered status.

A. In cooperative groups the students will choose jobs:ie leader, recording secretary, and reader.

B. The leader will enter the web site mentioned above.

C. The reader will read the section aloud to the rest of the group.

D. The group will work cooperatively to answer the teacher-made questions.

E. The recording secretary will write the group's answers on the appropriate worksheet.

III. The questions based on the web site mentioned above are as follows:

A. Description:

1. What color are West Indian Manatees?

2. What is the shape of a manatees tail?

3. What is the length and weight of an average adult manatee?

4. What two animals are the manatee's closest relatives?

B. Habitat:

1.What type of water do manatees live in?

2. In winter, what is the only state that manatees can be found?

C. Behavior:

1. What three things do manatees do most of the time?

2. Are manatees omnivores , herbivores or carnivores?

3. What do manatees eat?

4. What is different about the way manatees breathe compared to other mammals?

D. Lifespan/Endangered Status

1. How many natural enemies do manatees have?

2. How many years can a manatee live in its environment?

3. List three reasons why manatees are endangered.

4. Approximately how many manatees are left in the United States?

5. As part of the Florida Manatee Sanctuary law, what will happen to people who annoy, hunt or disturb a manatee?

Closure: The students will use the information they attained from the website to write a report detailing the manatee. In their cooperative groups they will create a life size manatee using the description obtained in the website reading.

Assessment: The students will be graded based upon their final report, life size manatee project and a multiple choice test that will be taken individually. Save the Manatee Club Home page

Additional Manatee Web Sites

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