ARKive School Museum

What are endangered species and why are they endangered?

What is an ARKive School Museum?

This school had an exhibit in their museum about the sizes of different endangered species.

We are going to use the images and information on the ARKive website to help us create our School Museum.

What is an endangered species?

Hawksbill turtle

Tiger

Blue whale

Yellow-eyed penguin

Why do species become endangered?

Golden-crowned sifaka

Habitat loss Hunting

Cape fox

Pollution

Black bear

Can you think of any other reasons?

Let’s look at the polar bear

Why is the polar bear endangered?

How can we share the story of the polar bear and other

endangered species?

What is an ARKive School Museum?

Why not create a giant world map and look at where different endangered species can be found?

You could create masks of different endangered species to teach people about species they never knew existed!

You could look at the size of different endangered species – how do you compare to a whale?

Turn a polar bear … into an exhibit!

STEP 1. Research and learn fun facts about the polar bear on ARKive and find out why it is endangered

STEP 2. Create your own polar bear mask, using the template on ARKive

STEP 3. Write a poem or a short story, or act out a skit about saving the polar bear for your ARKive School Museum.

Giraffe

Green turtle

Animal eggs

FACT: Giraffes have very long necks which help them reach the leaves at the tops of trees.

FACT: Less than 1 out of every 1,000 turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood.

FACT: Birds and reptiles lay eggs of all different colors and sizes.

EXHIBIT: Draw and decorate a life-sized giraffe head and neck. Place markers on the wall at different heights. See what you can reach by yourself and what a giraffe can reach with its long neck.

EXHIBIT: Fill a box or jar with 1,000 cotton balls and ask visitors to pull out the number of hatchlings (cotton balls) they think survive to adulthood. Share with them the real answer - just one!

EXHIBIT: Print a variety of pictures of egg-laying animals along with a picture of the eggs they lay. Ask visitors to match up which eggs match which species and why.

More exhibit ideas

It’s your turn to find unique species and facts

ClassroomActivity

Share the facts you’ve found and choose the species for your exhibit!