Read it, then sort the animals. Pick Little, Middle or Big for the reading. Print the pack for four pages: the reading, a cut-and-sort, a worksheet and the answers.
Read
Some animals need our help. There are not many of them left. Scientists count them and keep a list. People help by keeping their homes safe and clean. You can help too: pick up litter and learn about them.
Scientists keep a list of how wild animals are doing, called the Red List. Many animals are doing fine. Some need help, and some are in danger, which means very few are left in the wild. Most often it is because their home is shrinking or changing: forests are cut down, rivers get dirty, or the weather changes. The good news is that people can help. Parks and protected places keep homes safe, and some animals that were in danger, like the bald eagle, are doing fine again. You can help by learning, picking up litter and saving water.
The IUCN Red List is the world's list of how wild animals and plants are doing. Experts look at how many are left and how fast that number is changing, then put each one in a group, from Least Concern (doing fine) through Vulnerable and Endangered to Critically Endangered. The biggest reason animals end up on the danger end is habitat loss: the places they live are cleared, split up or polluted. Climate change, too much fishing and animals brought to places they don't belong cause trouble as well. Conservation works, though. Protecting land and sea, cleaning rivers and careful laws have helped animals recover; the bald eagle and the humpback whale were once in trouble and are now listed as doing fine. Scientists, park rangers and ordinary people all play a part.
Sort it
How is it doing? Sort each animal by its place on the Red List.
💚 Endangered animals: read
Reading level: Little
Some animals need our help. There are not many of them left. Scientists count them and keep a list. People help by keeping their homes safe and clean. You can help too: pick up litter and learn about them.
Reading level: Middle
Scientists keep a list of how wild animals are doing, called the Red List. Many animals are doing fine. Some need help, and some are in danger, which means very few are left in the wild. Most often it is because their home is shrinking or changing: forests are cut down, rivers get dirty, or the weather changes. The good news is that people can help. Parks and protected places keep homes safe, and some animals that were in danger, like the bald eagle, are doing fine again. You can help by learning, picking up litter and saving water.
Reading level: Big
The IUCN Red List is the world's list of how wild animals and plants are doing. Experts look at how many are left and how fast that number is changing, then put each one in a group, from Least Concern (doing fine) through Vulnerable and Endangered to Critically Endangered. The biggest reason animals end up on the danger end is habitat loss: the places they live are cleared, split up or polluted. Climate change, too much fishing and animals brought to places they don't belong cause trouble as well. Conservation works, though. Protecting land and sea, cleaning rivers and careful laws have helped animals recover; the bald eagle and the humpback whale were once in trouble and are now listed as doing fine. Scientists, park rangers and ordinary people all play a part.
Endangered animals: cut and sort
How is it doing? Sort each animal by its place on the Red List. Cut out the cards and glue each one in its box, or write its name there.
Common garter snake
Wild turkey
Giant manta ray
White-tailed deer
Axolotl
Western gorilla
West Indian manatee
Hellbender
Leatherback sea turtle
😊 Doing fineLeast Concern: there are plenty in the wild.
🤝 Needs helpVulnerable: it could be in danger soon.
⚠️ In dangerEndangered or Critically Endangered: very few are left.
Endangered animals: worksheet
Circle the right animal. Then answer the last two in words or a drawing.
Which one is "doing fine"?
Bornean orangutanCoyoteGiraffe
Which one is "needs help"?
Komodo dragonPolar bearHarbor seal
Which one is "in danger"?
Spotted salamanderWhale sharkSperm whale
Why do some animals end up in danger? Write one reason.
Write or draw one way people can help wild animals.
Endangered animals: answer key
Cut and sort
Doing fine: Common garter snake, Wild turkey, White-tailed deer
Needs help: West Indian manatee, Hellbender, Leatherback sea turtle
In danger: Giant manta ray, Axolotl, Western gorilla
Worksheet
Which one is "doing fine"? Coyote
Which one is "needs help"? Polar bear
Which one is "in danger"? Whale shark
Any of: their home is cut down, split up or made dirty; the weather changes; too much fishing.
Any of: protecting parks and wild places, cleaning rivers and beaches, picking up litter, saving water, learning and telling others.
Every answer comes from the animal pages on peabody.kids, where each animal’s homes and Red List status are listed with their sources.
For teachers: grades 2–5, April, for Earth Day
NGSS 3-LS4-4: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
NGSS K-ESS3-3: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air and other living things.
Common garter snake
Wild turkey
Giant manta ray
White-tailed deer
Axolotl
Western gorilla
West Indian manatee
Hellbender
Leatherback sea turtle