Using Websites in Class

  In this section you will find 2 40-minute lessons following the “Warmer, Web, What’s next” model suggested by Dudeney & Hockly.

Both lessons have been made for a group of 7th-graders in a bilingual public school in CABA. 

I hope you find them interesting and useful!

Objectives

By the end of this unit, students will hopefully be able to:

• Identify and describe some causes of endangerment for animal species.

• Recognize and name of some endangered animal species, both in Argentina and in Latin America.

• Judge the concept of animal extinction and its impact on nature.

Lesson 1: Understanding Endangered Species

Materials: Whiteboard and projector, pictures of various animals, maps of Argentina, Latin America and the world. 

Activity 1 : Charades & Categorization

Steps:

• 1. T will write on the board 2 columns. “Endangered Species” “Not Endangered Species”

  2. T will prepare slips of paper with the names of some animals shown in the video and other animals like pets or farm animals. 

  3. One student takes a slip and acts out the animal for their classmates to guess.

  4. Once guessed, the teacher asks: "Do you think this animal is in danger or not? What makes you say that?"

  5. When all the animals have been mimicked and guessed, T will focus on the “Endangered” column and ask students "What do you know about these animals? Why do you think they might be in danger?"

3. Then one animal will be assigned to each group and they will have to write on the board what dangers those animals are facing:

   • Habitat loss

   • Pollution

   • Hunting/Poaching

   • Climate Change 

   • Introduction of invasive species

4. For each cause, ask a follow-up question to encourage deeper thinking: "How does pollution affect a tortuga marina?" "What happens when a forest is cut down for a new building?"

5. Briefly introduce the term "extinct" as the final stage of endangerment. "If we don't help, what happens to these animals? They can disappear forever, they become extinct." 

What's Next (10 minutes)

Activity: "Protecting Animals"

Procedure:

T will say to ss: "So, we've learned why animals are becoming endangered. Now, what can we do about it?"

Homework/Pre-task for next lesson: T will tell the class "Think/investigate about one endangered animal from Argentina. Just bring the name written on your folder for next class.” 

Lesson 2: Local & Global Endangered Species and Action

Materials: Whiteboard and projector, pictures of various animals, maps of Argentina, Latin America and the world.

Web (30 minutes)

• Activity: "Local Action" - Collaborative Poster

• Procedure:

  1. Revisit the list of "How to Help" ideas generated at the end of the last lesson.

  2. Introduce the idea that even small actions can have a big impact. "We talked about how animals are in danger. What can we do to help?"

  3. Each group will have to create a fake Instagram posts of the animal with the following information and different pictures they can look online:

Post I - Basic Information:

• Common Name: The name by which the animal is most commonly known (e.g., Jaguar, Giant Anteater, Southern Right Whale).

• Animal Group: What type of animal is it? (Mammal, Bird, Reptile, Amphibian, Fish, Insect, etc.)

• Physical Description:

  • Size (average length, height, weight).

  • Coloration and any unique markings.

  • Distinctive features (e.g., large claws, long snout, specific feather patterns).

Post II. Habitat and Ecology:

• Geographic Range: Where can this animal be found in Argentina? 

• Diet/Food Source: What does it eat?

• Behavior:

  • Activity patterns (nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular).

  • Social structure (solitary, live in groups/herds).

  • Reproduction (how often they reproduce, number of offspring, parental care).

Post III. Endangered Status:

• • Conservation Status: Why are they in danger?

What's Next (5 minutes)

• Activity: "Our Promise to Animals" & Future Steps

• Procedure:

  1. Each profile and posts will be shared by the school social media.

  2. Each group will briefly present their animal and ideas to the class, as practice.

  3. In the following weeks, the groups will deliver presentations to the 6th form classes as part of a campaign to create a small awareness campaign for our school about one specific Argentine endangered animal.

Resources

N. (2007). How to Teach English with Technology Book and CD-ROM Pack by Dudeney, Mr Gavin, Hockly, Ms Nicky (2007) Paperback. Longman.