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Scientists Discover New Rodent Species

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Subjects

  • Arts & Humanities
    -- Language Arts
  • Science
    -- Life Sciences
    ----Animals
  • Social Studies
    -- Current Events
    -- Geography
    -- Regions/Cultures

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.

  • The rat is a member of the rodent family.
  • A guinea pig is a member of the rodent family.
  • A new rodent was recently discovered.
  • Some people eat rodents.

News Words

Introduce these words before students read the article:

  • Laos -- a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Vietnam (find Laos on a map)
  • kha-nyou (prounce kah-neeyoo) -- a species of rodent found in Laos
  • rodent -- a mammal with sharp teeth for gnawing things; the rodent family includes rats, beavers, and squirrels.

Read the News

Click for a printable version of this week's news story Scientists Discover New Rodent.

Reading the News

You might use a variety of approaches to reading the news:

  • Read aloud the news story to students as they follow along.
  • Students might first read the news story to themselves; then call on individual students to read the news aloud for the class.
  • Arrange students into small groups. Each student in the group will read a paragraph of the story. As that student reads, others might underline important information or write a note in the margin of the story. After each student finishes reading, others in the group might say something -- a comment, a question, a clarification -- about the text.
  • More Facts to Share

    You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this week's news story.

    • The kha-nyou represents the first new mammal family to be discovered since the bumblebee bat was discovered in Thailand in 1974.
    • Southeast Asia is home to some other recently discovered species, including the soala, a long-horned rain forest cow discovered in the early 1990s and the large-antlered muntjac, a member of the deer family, which was found in the late 1990s.
    • Scientists believe kha-nyous likely evolved tens of millions of years ago from other rodents. Their closest living relatives are likely found in Africa.

    Comprehension Check

    Revisit the Anticipation Guide at the beginning of this lesson; ask students to respond again to the statements in it.

    • The rat is a member of the rodent family. (true)
    • A new rodent was recently discovered. (true)
    • Some people eat rodents. (true)

    You might follow-up that activity with some of these questions:

    Recalling Detail

    • Where was the new rodent found? (in Southeast Asia, in the country called Laos)
    • What is the name of the new rodent? kha-nyou
    • What does a kha-nyou look like? (It is about one-and-a-half-feet long; it has a long furry tail, long whiskers, and stubby legs.)

    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.)

  • To the north, Laos is bordered by China.
    Laos borders the South China Sea.
  • The capital city of Laos is Vientian.
  • Vientian is located at about 18 degrees North latitude.
  • Laos is a landlocked country; it borders no oceans or seas.
  • Vietnam borders Laos on its western border.

    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 World

    National Standards

    LANGUAGE ARTS: English
    GRADES K - 12
    NL-ENG.K-12.2Reading for Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.3Evaluation Strategies
    NL-ENG.K-12.4Communication Skills
    NL-ENG.K-12.6Applying Knowledge
    NL-ENG.K-12.8Developing Research Skills
    NL-ENG.K-12.9Multicultural Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.12Applying Language Skills

    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  

    See more recent news stories in Education World's New Story of the Week Archive.

    Article by Gary Hopkins
    Education World®
    Copyright © 2004 Education World

    2005
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