Welcome to the Teacher Toolbox! Here you will find a broad variety of instructional resources to compliment your students' viewing of Saving a Species: Tigers. 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.
Reference
- Gray Wolf Animal Byte
- Endangered Wolf Center
- Defenders of Wildlife
- Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program
- Arizona Game and Fish Department
- Zoological Park Careers Infobook
Vocabulary
- Adaptation: a modification of an organism that makes it more suited to live in its environment. Adaptations help an organism survive.
- Alpha: the most dominant member and leader of the wolf pack.
- 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.
- Deforestation: the process of clearing trees and sometimes whole forests
- Dominance: showing power or higher social ranking
- 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.
- Lair: the shelter of some animals; used for birth and protection. May also be called a den.
- Overhunting: killing more animals than the species’ population can replace through natural breeding rates.
- Pack: a family of wolves that lives and works together to hunt for food and take care of the pups.
- 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.
- 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.
Resources
Activity Descriptions
- Wolf Fact or Fiction (K-4)
- Weave a Wolf Web (5-8)
- Wolves in the News (9-12)
Pre & Post-Viewing Questions
The Story of Boise
- Boise had become separated from his pack and was helped by several organizations. Each state has laws and regulations for helping wildlife in need. Research and discuss what to do in your area if you encounter an animal that needs help.
The Facts About Wolves
- Give some examples (2 or 3) of similarities and differences between wolves and domestic dogs.
- What are some of the physical characteristics wolves have that help them survive as apex predators?
The Wolf Reintroduction Controversy
- Why do conservationists want wolves reintroduced?
- Why are some people opposed to wolf reintroduction?
- What role do wolves serve as predators?
Wolf Behavior
- Describe the strategies and advantages of hunting in a pack.
- How do wolves communicate?
Wolf Conservation
- What happens to an ecosystem when wolves are removed from the food web?
- Give some examples of conservation efforts taking place on behalf of wolves.
- List ways you can help wolves.