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Engaging Students in Conservation; Protecting the Endangered Snowleopard

Middle

Description

These five engaging lessons can stand alone or be used as a comprehensive unit to help students explore issues and topics related to snow leopards and conservation. Students will:

  • understand the pressures and the interconnectedness of these pressures that wildlife around the world face.
  • consider points of view of a variety of wildlife conservation and consumption stakeholders.
  • engage in a prescribed sevice-learning action project.

The five lessons consist of:

  • The Cat's Out of the Bag - (one class period) In groups students investigate the morphology, physical characteristics, and physical adaptations of four cat species. They then infer how these attributes contribute to the cat's survival.
  • Mountain Mixer - (one class period) Students participate in a role playing, systems thinking activity to understand the relationships among species in the snow leopard habitat before constructing a food web.
  • It Takes All Kinds of People - (two class periods) Students explore and adopt stakeholder positions. In that role, they participate in a town hall meeting in an effort to reach a concensus regarding snow leopard conservation plans that they propose and develop through alliances.
  • What's the Plan? - (two class periods) Students explore the emerging issues of human farming in snow leopard territory through a simulation activity, a creative sustainable solution activity, and  a dramatic interpretation or other visual presentation.
  • Taking Action - Students are led through the process of successfully carrying out a service-learning project of their choosing to raise money to donate to the Snow Leopard Trust or other conservation-minded nonprofit groups.

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General Assessment

Themes Addressed

Relevant Curriculum Units