Pandas and Other Endangered Species

Educational, Fun, Interesting, Informative, Helpful 

Pandas and Other Endangered Species by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Published by Random House, Copyright 2012

This Magic Tree House Fact Tracker book showcases tons of photos, illustrations, information, and fun facts as it explores some of the world’s most endangered animals. All of Jack and Annie’s questions about pandas and endangered species are answered in this nonfiction companion to Mary Pope Osborne’s “A Perfect Time for Pandas.”  

Grade level: 4

Lexile Measure: 880L

Description: Nonfiction

Suggested delivery: Independent aloud 

Electronic Resources:

Video Preview

Students can watch this short video clip to get an idea of the things they will read about in the book. It may help them decide if this book is something they would be interested in reading. 

Magic Tree House Website

This is a good website for students to visit if they are interested in the series. The site includes lots of information about the author and the books. They can preview some of the books and find a list of every book in the series if they want to read more. The website also includes a “Fact Tracker Showdown” trivia game on some of the nonfiction books in the series. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Species – a group of plants or animals that are alike in certain ways

·         Conserve – to keep something safe from being damaged or destroyed

·         Habitat – places where certain plants and animals live

·         Pollution – the process of making land, water, and air dirty and not safe or suitable for use

·         Endangered – used to describe a plant or animal that has become very rare and could die out completely

·         Extinct – no longer existing

·         Hibernate – to spend the winter sleeping or resting

·         Omnivore – an animal that eats both plants and other animals

·         Nutrients – a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow 

Before reading: Have students create a KWL chart either about pandas or endangered animals in general. They should fill out the “Know” and “Want to know” sections before they start reading.

During reading: Give students a list of important vocabulary words that appear in the book. As students read, have them fill out the definitions to create their own glossary for the book. Some definitions are clearly stated in the book while others must be determined using context clues or prior knowledge.

After reading: Have students complete their KWL charts by filling in the “Learned” section about pandas and endangered animals using information that they have acquired from the book. Put students in small groups and use the Socrative Student app to have students compete in a "space race" using vocabulary words from the book.
 

Writing activity: Sometimes animals become endangered due to changes on the planet or natural selection, but often their endangerment is caused by humans. Have students write an article for an environmental magazine about ways we can help endangered animals and prevent animals in the future from becoming endangered or extinct. They can use information from the book or do additional research on their own. There are several books and websites provided at the end of the book that may be useful. 

 Boyce, N.P., Osborne, M. P. (2012). Pandas and Other Endangered Animals. New York, New York: Random House.