Welcome to the Teacher Toolbox! Here you will find a broad variety of instructional resources to compliment your students' viewing of Saving a Species: Cheetahs. Use these materials to construct lesson plans, spark discussion, and inspire your students to become active participants in preserving the world we share with wildlife.
See Cheetah Video Series
Reference
Vocabulary
- adaptation: a modification of an organism that makes it more suited to live in its environment. Adaptations help an organism survive.
- camouflage: coloration that allows an animal or other organism to blend in with the surrounding environment.
- captive breeding: carefully planned breeding of animals in a protective facility in order to increase the species’ total population.
- conservation: taking care of our environment by wisely managing its resources.
- carnivore: animal that primarily eats the flesh of other animals.
- endangered species: a species whose numbers have decreased significantly and is threatened with extinction.
- environment: the total surroundings and forces that act upon a living thing. These surroundings include physical factors such as light, heat, water, weather, and the structure of the earth. They also include other animals.
- food chain: a straight-line diagram that shows “who eats whom” in an ecosystem.
- food web: a diagram that shows the many complex interconnections of "who eats whom" in an ecosystem.
- habitat: the natural environment of a species (plant or animal) that provides the food water shelter required for it to survive.
- herbivore: an animal that eats primarily plants.
- overhunting: killing more animals than the species’ population can replace through natural breeding rates.
- prey: an animal eaten by another animal.
- predator: an animal that eats another animal.
- population: a group of animals of the same species that live in the same area and have the opportunity to breed with each other.
- savannah: a grassy plain.
- scent: marking—the method of using odor to communicate.
- species: a group of plants or animals that are genetically similar and so are able to reproduce with each other.
- threatened species: a species whose numbers are decreasing and likely to become endangered.
- vulnerable: a species that is likely to become endangered unless its circumstances for survival improve.
Resources
Activity Descriptions | K-4
Activity Descriptions | 5-8
Pre & Post-Viewing Questions
Under the Hood
- Cheetahs are built for speed. Can you give two examples of adaptations cheetahs have that enable them to reach top speeds?
- All of that power comes at a price. Can you describe what happens when cheetahs run at top speeds?
Cheetah Speed, Part 1
- How many yards did the cheetah run before it hit top speed? How far is this distance when converted to the metric system using meters, centimeters, and millimeters?
- Cheetahs have about a 50% chance of success for taking down prey. Describe the sequence of a successful cheetah hunt.
Social Lives of Cheetahs
- Cheetahs sometimes live in social groups. What are these groups called? How is living in a group beneficial to cheetahs?
- As few as 10% of cheetah cubs survive to adulthood. Describe the challenges that wild cheetahcubs face and what the mother cheetah does to try to protect them.
Cheetah Speed, Part 2
- During the slow-motion replay a cheetah and a runner race down the football field. How much further is the cheetah ahead of the runner from the one yard line, two yard line, etc.?
- Using the split screen image showing the cheetah and the runner side by side, compare and contrast the physical adaptations each uses to achieve their top speeds.
Cheetahs—The Human Connection
- Cheetahs and humans are living in close proximity to each other. On a map identify and compare the cheetah's historic range to its modern day range. Explain why it's different.
- How are dogs, like the Anatolian shepherd helping to lessen human/cheetah conflict? What are some other conservation efforts around the world that are helping cheetahs?
- Brainstorms ways you and your family can help cheetahs.
