In this lesson, students discover that the giraffe population in Africa is facing constant threats to its survival, and that man poses the biggest threat of all. Not only is man clearing the giraffe habitat of trees to make room for a growing human population; man is also responsible for poaching giraffes for their pelt, meat, and tail. This lesson takes a problem-based learning approach to the threats faced by the giraffe population. Students use what they learn to decide which is more humane: to keep giraffes in their natural habitats, where they can maintain their quality of life, or to relocate them to wildlife preservations and zoos, where they can be watched and protected.




Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Recognize and explain reasons why the giraffe population is threatened
  
  
• Conduct online research to learn about the giraffe's habitat, its physical and behavioral attributes, and its adaptations
  
  
• Analyze research in order to take a position about which is more important for the giraffe: survival in a wildlife sanctuary or quality of life in the wild
  
  
• Defend their positions during a class debate
  
  
• Present their positions in a position paper and oral presentation
  

Standards

Life Sciences

Standard 5, Level II, Benchmark 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=2&StandardID=5
Knows that living organisms have distinct structures and body systems that serve specific functions in growth, survival, and reproduction (e.g., various body structures for walking, flying, or swimming)

Standard 6, Level II, Benchmark 3
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=2&StandardID=6
Knows that an organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment (e.g., kinds and numbers of other organisms present, availability of food and resources, physical characteristics of the environment)

Writing

Standard 1, Level II, Benchmark 7
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=1
Writes expository compositions (e.g., identifies and stays on the topic; develops the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations; excludes extraneous and inappropriate information; uses structures such as cause-and-effect, chronology, similarities and differences; uses several sources of information; provides a concluding statement)

Standard 4, Level II, Benchmark 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=4
Uses electronic media to gather information (e.g., databases, Internet, CD-ROM, television shows, cassette recordings, videos, pull-down menus, word searches)