What does it mean when an animal is endangered and what can we do to help? Meet one of the National Zoo’s most endangered species and learn how staff care for these special animals.
This virtual school program is part of Conservation Classroom, a collection of monthly lessons for K-5 students. Each lesson has four elements: wonder (video), engage (live virtual program), act (activities), and connect (video). Follow along with all four parts or pick and choose the videos and activities you want to explore.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 5-ESS3-1
endangered species, conservation
Free
Wonder
I wonder... what does it mean to be endangered? Explore endangered species, why we should care and things we can do to help them survive.
Me pregunto… ¿qué significa estar en peligro de extinción? Explore las especies en peligro de extinción, por qué deberíamos preocuparnos y qué podemos hacer para ayudarlas a sobrevivir.
¡Próximamente vídeo en español!
Engage
April 9, 2025 at 2pm Eastern
In this free, live virtual program, students will meet two endangered species and learn what they can do to help.
Program is hosted in Zoom webinar. Please note: audio and video are disabled for participants, but students can still engage via polls, chat, Q&A and emojis. The program recording will be made available approximately 48 hours after the live program. Need to watch sooner? Check out last year's recording.
Language & Access: English, Spanish (simulcast), American Sign Language interpretation, and live English captions.
Act
During the live program, follow along circling conservation actions that save species. After the program, write and draw your Earth Day pledge. Share your drawings with us at nzp-education@si.edu.
Hojas de actividades disponibles en español: Acciones Que Salvan Especies y Mi Compromiso Del Día de la Tierra. Comparta sus dibujos con nosotros en nzp-education@si.edu.
Connect
Meet Kaden, a zoo educator who inspires us all to take action to protect wildlife and wild places. As part of their "unZOOsual" career, Kaden works in-front-of and behind the camera to create amazing educational content for viewers like you!
For Educators
Educator's Materials
Conservation Classroom: Saving Endangered Species is best suited for grades K-5. The full lesson consists of two videos, a live program, and two activities. Refer to the Smithsonian Learning Lab collection to help teach this lesson.
Letter to Guardians
After participating in the live program, print or send the following letter to guardians, explaining what their student learned in this lesson and how they can continue to engage from home.
Carta para el tutor
Después de participar en el programa en vivo, imprima o envíe la siguiente carta a los tutores, explicando lo que su estudiante aprendió en esta lección y cómo pueden continuar participando desde casa.
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