Ducksters
Ducksters: Endangered Animals for Kids: How They Become Extinct
How do endangered species and animals become extinct? Hunting, pollution, loss of habitat, and introduced species all play a part and are discussed on this site.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: Ology: Endangered!
After making the gameboard, play this interactive learning game that teaches about "The Endangered Species Act", a law that protects animals and plants that are in danger of going extinct.
Unite for Literacy
Unite for Literacy: Saving Animals From Extinction: Where Is the Vaquita?
Learn some facts about the vaquita, a type of porpoise that is endangered. Book includes audio narration in English and Spanish with text in English.
Other
Australian Government: Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
Read about the program that effects animals from becoming extinct. There are links to other organizations that work with the program.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Researching Dolphins as Endangered Mammals
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students work in groups of 3-4 to use the Internet for research. Students create reports and slideshow presentations (optional) defining dolphins as mammals and as an endangered species. Students will...
American Institute of Biological Sciences
Action Bioscience: Biodiversity
This site from the American Institute of Biological Sciences contains articles on a wide array of issues related to species diversity and extinction. Many articles available in Spanish.
Read Works
Read Works: Saving Hawaiian Monk Seals
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the decreasing population of the Hawaiian monk seals. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: News Flash!
This activity illustrates the interrelationship between science and engineering in the context of extinction prevention. There are two parts to the activity. The first part challenges students to think like scientists as they generate...
Read Works
Read Works: Vanishing Frogs
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about a skin fungus causing the harlequin frog species to become endangered. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in classifying and categorizing.
BBC
Bbc News: 'Frozen Ark' to Save Animal Dna
This article describes a British project to store frozen samples of DNA from endangered species. The goal is to preserve genetic information, should a species go extinct.
Bagheera
Bagheera.com: Spotlight in the Wild
This web page is part of a larger site that focuses on endangered animals and conservation efforts. This page has several topics that are all relevant like the endangered species act, mass extinction, and the bald eagle.
University of Oxford (UK)
The Learning Zone: Animals
Learn all about the study of animals--zoology through this interactive website. You will learn about the processes that make animals alive, what makes them endangered or extinct, and the tree of life.
Read Works
Read Works: Back From the Brink
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage gives information about animals that are on the brink of extinction, including the following: bald eagle, grizzly bears, Hawaiian sea turtles, and Southern sea turtles. This...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Blue Whale Sighting Thrills Researchers
National Public Radio reports on the blue whale, which has been on the endangered species list for almost 40 years. Find out why a recent siting off the coast of Alaska has given researchers some cause for optimism.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Disappearing Frogs
Kerry M. Kriger describes why frogs are on the verge of extinction and how you can help save them. [3:48]
Read Works
Read Works: Saving the Rain Forests
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about protecting the rainforest and the animals that live there. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
DOGO Media
Dogo News: Meet the Last Known Northern White Male Rhino
Article reports on the state of the white rhino species. Includes video.
California State University
Cardboard Tree and Endangered Animals Lesson
Two short art lessons in one that introduce young learners to the idea of extinct animals and habitats. Each student will be creating and painting a habitat and assembling an owl. This could be adaptable to use the extinct animal of your...
Bagheera
Bagheera.com: Golden Cheeked Warbler
This site as a whole is focused on conservation and information about threatened and endangered animals. This page covers the Golden-Cheeked Warbler and the causes of endangerment and what is being done to prevent extinction.
Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian Museum of Nature: Natural History Notebooks
This site from the Canadian Museum of Nature, a natural history museum, provides short information blurbs and fun facts on over 240 different common animals categorized by type (mammals, fish, reptiles, invertebrates, amphibians,...
Bagheera
Bagheera: Short Tailed Albatross
This site highlights the short-tailed albatross as a vanishing species. Content includes a focus on its habitat, history, causes of endangerment, and current conservation actions designed to help save it from extinction.
Other
Koko: The Gorilla Foundation
The Gorilla Foundation promotes the protection, preservation and propagation of gorillas. Learn about gorillas, including basic gorilla life and the politics of extinction, as well as a "biography" of Koko, the signing gorilla.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: How Disruptions Affect Animal Populations
Students explore the effects that ecosystem disruptions can have on animal populations. They learn about the disruptions that have driven three species-the Madagascar fish eagle, the Iberian lynx, and the rowi kiwi, to the brink of...
Curated OER
Ny Times Learning Network: Species for Sale
Students explore wildlife conservation by investigating animal species that are near extinction due to their value as commodities. Students defend the protection of an endangered species researched in class by creating an informational...