Scientists Discover New Rodent Species
Subjects
Grades
Grades 2-up
News Content
A new species of rodent was recently discovered in Laos.
Anticipation Guide
Before reading, ask students to agree or disagree with each of the statements below.
News Words
Introduce these words before students read the article:
Read the News
Click for a printable version of this week's news story Scientists Discover New Rodent.
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More Facts to Share
You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this week's news story.
Comprehension Check
Revisit the Anticipation Guide at the beginning of this lesson; ask students to respond again to the statements in it.
You might follow-up that activity with some of these questions:
Recalling Detail
Talk About the News
If scientists discover that the kha-nyou is an endangered species, they will want to protect it. How might that affect the people who live in the area where the kha-nyou lives? (Scientists might ask the people to make laws to stop the killing of kha-nyou. That will take away from the people one source of the food. That might be a difficult thing for people to do if there are not many food sources around.)
Follow-Up Activities
Reading and art. What does the kha-nyou look like? Have students make a list of facts they know about the kha-nyou's appearance. (It is about 18 inches long; has a long tail coated with thick fur, long whiskers, and stubby legs; looks like a combination of a rat and squirrel; has been referred to by some as a "spineless porcupine.") Then ask students to use what they know about the kha-nyou to draw a picture of it. When students have finished their drawings, share with them an image of the kha-nyou from one of these sources:
Wildlife Conservation Society
BBC
Geography. Which of the following statements tells something true about the location of Laos? Ask only those questions that are grade-appropriate. (True statements are in italic type.)
Science. Ask students to identify/make a list of animals that they believe are members of the rodent family. Then read from an encyclopedia, a Web site, or another resource the description of Rodents. Have students make a list of the animals that belong to the classification Rodent. (The classification includes animals such as the following: beaver, chinchilla, chipmunk, gerbil, gopher, guinea pig, hamster, lemming, marmot, mouse, muskrat, porcupine, prairie dog, rat, squirrel)
Assessment
Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Talk About the News questions on the news story page or in the Comprehension Check section.
Lesson Plan Source
Education WorldNational Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.3 Life Science
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.3 Life Science
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.3 Life Science
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
GRADES K - 12
NSS-G.K-12.1
The World in Spatial Terms
NSS-G.K-12.2
Places and Regions
NSS-G.K-12.5
Environment and Society
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Article by Gary Hopkins
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