Course: Issues in Canadian Geography CGC1D

Unit: Interactions in the Physical Environment 

Lesson Title: Endangered Animals

All lessons are dependent on how quickly the students learn. Each student is different and it is
important to tailor the lesson and assignment to their specific needs and skill level. Students may
become frustrated throughout the lesson, it is important that you have another lesson or activities
for the students to do. Not all students may want to share their work with their peers. It is
important to ask the students if they are willing to share their work. You can teach a smaller
portion of the lesson each day and allow the students to have a quiet work period for the rest of
the class and extend these lessons over one or two weeks. Important to remember that not all
students will cooperate, and may need time to adjust to their new surroundings.

Lesson Plan

Prior to this lesson:

 Students will have done their research on the endangered animal of their choice. 
o Teacher will need to print information and resources for the students.
 Students will have watched the video trailer of Racing Extinction as the Minds On
portion of the lesson plan. 

Overview/Inquiry Question: 
 In this lesson, I will teach the students about endangered animals, how humans hunting
these animals is effecting the physical environment, economic and social reasons as to
why these animals are being hunted, and provide reasons why hunting endangered
animals need to stop.

Learning Goals:
 Students will learn about endangered animals, and why they are being hunted. Also, the
effects of hunting these animals has on the natural and/or physical environment, and
reasons why the hunting needs to stop.

Success Criteria:
 Students will conduct research on an endangered animal of their choosing, and answer
the questions listed below: 
 Why is the animal endangered and how is the animal being hunted?
 Economic reasons why the animal is being hunted (how much the animal
is sold for?)
 What parts of the animal is being sold?
 Where in the world the animal is hunted? 
 Provide a detailed map of the world and place dots on each
specific location the animal is being hunted. Then draw
arrows to where (specific locations) these animals are being
sold (black markets).
  How this animal being hunted effects the physical environment, and the
earth’s physical processes?
 Political issues that have been raised about Canada’s beliefs on
endangered animals.
 What Canada and other countries have done to protect the endangered
animals. They will research laws that have been put in place to protect the
animals, as well as different organizations that protect the entire worlds
endangered animals, not just Canada’s. 

Materials Needed: 
 Teachers computer to watch video
 Printed information and resources for each student endangered animal

Minds on:
 Students will watch the video trailer of the movie called Racing Extinction. This will help
capture the students attention, and get them interested in the topic. 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwxyrLUdcss
 Lesson Plan

Curriculum Expectation(s):
 The Physical Environment and Human Activities: 
 Analyze various interactions between physical process, phenomena, and
events and human activities in Canada. (Focus on: interrelationships;
Geographic Perspective) 
Specific Expectation: 
 B1.1 Students will analyze environmental, economic, social and/or political implications
of different ideas and beliefs about the value of Canada’s natural environments, and
explain how these ideas/beliefs affect the use and protection of Canada’s natural assets.
 How does the protection of wildlife relate to one’s beliefs about the value
of wildlife?

Overview/Inquiry Question:
 In this lesson students will come up with their own protection plan for the endangered
animal they have chosen. They will answer this question, “How does the protection of
wildlife relate to one’s beliefs about the value of wildlife?”
 Protection Plan Criteria
o Pick an endangered animal from anywhere in the world.
o Answer the following questions:
 Where does this animal live?
 Why is this animal considered to be endangered?
 Who is hunting the animal, and how?
 Are there political reasons as to why this animal is being hunted?
 Why are people hunting the animal? What value does it have? (Economic)
 What is happening to the environment when this animal become extinct?
(Food chain)
 Are there any laws in place against hunting this animal?
 How do these laws or lack of laws relate to the countries beliefs about the
value of wildlife? (opinion)
 What laws would you change or add to protect the animal you chose?
 How do these laws represent what you believe about the value of wildlife?

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Subject/Topic & Grade Level: Interactions in the Physical Environment, Grade 9

Learning Goals:
 Students will understand the importance of developing their own protection plan for their
endangered animal.
 Students will understand, “How does the protection of wildlife relate to one’s beliefs
about the value of wildlife?”
 They will answer this question, “How does the protection of wildlife relate to one’s
beliefs about the value of wildlife?”
  Students will already know what laws Canada has put in place to stop killing of
endangered animals, as well as the laws in other countries. They will know that people
are still killing endangered animals illegally, their protection plans they create will help
implement things even further. 
 Students will have to back up their protection plan with how and why. 

Success Criteria:
 Students will develop their own protection plan for their endangered animal.
 Students will use a mapping technology to show where in the world their animal is
located.
 Student will explain Canada’s laws and involvement with endangered animals
(information on this is taught in the lesson prior).  
 Students will present/explain to their peers what Canada and other countries have been
doing to protect these animals based on their beliefs. Students will also present/share their
own protection plan to their peers.

Materials Needed:
 Paper
 Pencils
 Erasers
 Printer for teacher

Lesson Description:
1. When students arrive in class I will start the lesson off by asking the students multiple
choice, and true and false questions to grab their attention. The questions I will ask will
be about different wildlife programs, organizations, and statistics.
- The multiple-choice & true and false questions are:
 True or False WWF stands for World Wildlife Fund. (Answer: True)
 Blue Whale is under which conservation status?
a) Least Concern
b) Endangered (Correct Answer)
c) Vulnerable
d) Near Threatened
 Wildlife Conservation Society is currently working on protecting which
regions?
a) Africa
b) Asia
c) The Americas
d) Ocean
e) All of the above (Correct Answer)
 Javan Rhino is under which conservation status?
a) Endangered
b) Vulnerable
c) Critically Endangered (Correct Answer)
d) Near Threatened
 CWF stands for?
 a) Canada’s Work Force
b) Canada’s Wolves Foundation
c) Canadian Wildlife Federation
d) Canada’s Wasp Foundation
 Sea Turtle is under which conservation status?
a) Critically Endangered
b) Vulnerable (Correct Answer)
c) Near Threatened
d) Least Concern
 True or False, PAWS stands for Performing Animal Welfare Society?
(Answer: True)
 Sumatran Elephant, Sumatran Orangutan, Sunda Tiger, and Western
Lowland Gorilla are all under which conservation status?
a) Endangered
b) Least Concern
c) Vulnerable
d) Critically Endangered (Correct Answer)
2. I will share with student’s information about black markets in different parts of the world.
As a class, we will discuss why these black markets exist, and what they think people
partaking in these illegal markets believe (about wildlife). 
- Students will focus on using Gritzner’s theory. What is where? Why there? Why
care?
- Information I will give the students about black markets:
 Black markets happen all around the world, and animal trafficking is the
4th largest illegal market in the world. It makes approximately $20 billion a
year.
 These black markets happen here in Canada. Some examples of animals
that are sold in these black markets are, eel meat, bear genitals. Also,
exotic animals, like parrots, and tigers.
 In October 2016, police stopped a boat from crossing the St. Lawrence
river from the U.S. This boat contained 205 live reptiles, including South
American red-footed tortoises, a serrated hinge-back tortoise, Chinese
striped turtles, African side neck turtles, Jackson’s chameleons and green
iguanas. This shipment was intended for pet stores in Canada.
 Other countries that are heavily involved in illegal animal black markets
are, Africa, South-East Asia, China, Latin and Central America, USA,
Europe.
 An example of illegal wildlife trade that is well known is, poaching
elephants for ivory and tigers for their skin and bones.
 People are involved in these illegal black markets because there is a lot of
money to gain from selling these animals.
 The consequences however can be jail time and/or a fine. An example,
trafficking bear parts is six months in jail and/or $250,000 fine.
3. Students will come up with their own protection plan for their endangered animal. The
student’s protection plan will demonstrate their beliefs on wildlife. 
 4. Students will present their protection plan, and findings about an organization (from
previous lesson) to their peers.

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Connection to the Geographic Inquiry Model and Geographic Concepts of Thinking 

Concepts of Geographic Thinking: 

 Patterns and Trends
 Interrelationships (YES)
 Geographic Perspective (YES)
 Spatial Significance (YES, in following lesson plan)

Inquiry Process: 
 Formulating Questions (YES)
 Gather and Organize (YES)
 Interpret and Analyze (YES)
 Evaluate and Draw Conclusions (YES)
 Communicate (YES) 

Geospatial Skills: 
 Foundational elements
 Spatial representations (YES, in pervious lesson)
 Technology 
 Fieldwork 

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Minds on: 
 I will start class by asking multiple choice and true
and false questions on animal protection
programs/organizations. This will be a fun activity
that will help the students become engaged. 

Action:
 Students will be conducting their own animal
protection plan for the endangered animal they
picked. 
 They will answer this question, “How does the
protection of wildlife relate to one’s beliefs about
the value of wildlife?”
 Students will have to back up their protection plan
with how and why.
 They are applying the skills by hand writing their
protection plan.
Conclusion: 
 This lesson will be wrapped up with the students
sharing their findings to their peers, and handing in
their hand-written document to me for assessment.
 Students will take five minutes to do a self-
evaluation at the end of class.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lesson Implementation:
 Step one: Students will arrive in class and I will ask multiple choice and true and false
questions on animal protection programs/organizations (Questions listed with lesson
description).
 Step two: I will share information with the students about black markets in different parts
of the world (Information of black markets listed under lesson description).
 Step three: As a class, we will discuss why these black markets exist. 
 Step four: As a class, we will discuss why they think people partake in these illegal black
markets (Possible answers can be, economics, social/cultural).
 Step five: Students will have their own work time to plan their own protection plan for
the animal they have chosen. Students will need to back up their answers with how and
why.
 Step six: Students will also add in their write-up from the previous class, about an
organization they researched.
 Step seven: Students will share their findings to the class on the organization they picked,
and explain their protection plan. 
 Step eight: Students will end class with a five-minute self-evaluation. 

Minds on: 
 I will engage the students by starting off the class with multiple choice and true and false
questions on animal protection programs/organizations.

Action:
 Students will discuss why black markets exist, and why they think people partake in
them. 
 Students are exploring this topic by answering the question, “How does the protection of
wildlife relate to one’s beliefs about the value of wildlife?”
 Students are working on creating their own protection plan, and providing reasons for
how and why they are going to implement changes. 

Conclusion and Consolidation:

 This activity will be wrapped up by the students presenting their protection plan, and the
organization of their choice to each other in groups of four.
 Students will finish class with a five-minute self-evaluation. 
Extend your geographical thinking: 
 Students will analyze interrelationships between Canada’s physical characteristics and
various human activities that they support (B1.2). 
 Students can study how hunting these animals effects the natural and
physical environment. What happens to ecosystems when an animal
becomes extinct. 
 Students will assess environmental, economic, social, and/or political
consequences for Canada of changes in some of the Earth’s physical
processes.
 As a class, we will watch the movie called Racing Extinction over two days. Students
will have time in class to discuss in groups the importance of wildlife. While watching
the movie, students will have questions to answer to keep them on task.

Assessment Opportunities:
 For: 
 I will grade their protection plan and the information they gathered on an
organization after class to provide them with final feedback. 
 Give the students exit card that will ask them the following questions:
 What surprised you the most about what you learned today?
 What is one thing that confused you about what you learned today?
 I will start the following lesson answering the student’s
answers/questions about what they are confused about,
before moving on to new material.

 As: 
 I will provide students with feedback on their protection plans while they
are working on them independently during class.

 Of: 
 Grading the student’s assignment (what they handed into me at the end of
class) will allow me to keep track of which students spent their time well,
and got the assignment done during the class time (formative).
 After the students, have presented to their peers, they will take five
minutes to self-evaluate (summative). This will allow me to see how well
they think they have done on the assignment. I will also ask questions in
the self-evaluation of how they feel personally (happy, sad, etc), this way I
am able to understand if the student may be struggling today, which could
be reflected in their work. 

Sources and Additional Resources 

 Movie link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ6dpDdpSEc
The following lesson:
 Students will create a poster on all the information they gathered for their protection plan.
 Students will present their posters to their peers (ideally each student having a different
animal). 

Materials Needed:
 Poster boards
 Glue
 Scissors
 Computer for teacher to print student’s information and resources
 Printer for teacher use only
 Pencils
 Erasers

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