Endangered Species Project

You will be working in groups of three or four for this project.  As a group, you will  choose an animal that is from a habitat listed below. 

v     Arctic

v     Antarctic

v     Desert

v     Jungle

v     Rainforest

v     Ocean

v     Freshwater Lake

v     River

v     Forest

v     Mountains

v     Grasslands

  Then, you will do research to find out everything you will need to know about that animal and its habitat in order to build your zoo.  With in your group, you will be assigned to research a certain aspect from the list below. You will need to find out:

• what other animals live there   
•  what kind of plant life exists in your habitat
• what kind of landforms there are
•  and what the climate is like
• you will need to identify the components of habitat that are essential for all animals to survive 
• why do you think this animal is endangered (ie loss of habitat, not enough food, ect)

**Remember, there are four basic needs of every animal that  must be present in a habitat in order for your animal to survive:  food, water, shelter and space.

Then you will create a summary of your zoo.  On a piece of posterboard, each person in your group will write a summary of atleast on part of the group’s habitat. Your group’s poster will need to include a description of the animal and what kind of food it eats, where it lives, and some information about its endangerment.  Give some brief information about why the animal is endangered and what is being done to help this animal.  The group will combine all three posters to form a gallery of your zoo.  You will also find a way to connect your habitats together in order to form a zoo with them.

Once you have finished doing all of your research it will be time to build your zoos.  You will build your habitat in a shoebox in a diorama fashion.  You can use modeling clay, pictures from magazines, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, sand, etc.  Basically, anything you can find to use in your diorama to represent your animal and habitat you can use. 

When the projects are completed, you and your group will present the finished product to the other fourth grade classes.  Do your best and good luck!!  Remember you only have three days to complete this project, so use your time wisely!