Endangered and Threatened Species Curriculum

These materials focus on selected Alaskan species that are threatened, endangered, or at risk. Learn about wildlife population dynamics, the factors that may place species at risk, and efforts by people to help wildlife species recover.

These curriculum materials are focused on Alaskan species that are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with particular emphasis on those found on islands and shorelines included in the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge as the means to highlight important science and social studies concepts. The teaching packet is designed to help you introduce the concepts of "biodiversity" and "endangered" to your students in a hands-on interactive way.

Download the entire Curriculum here

Or download individual sections:

Introduction
Section 1 - Biodiversity & Habitats
Section 2 – T & E Species in Alaska
Section 3 –Population Dynamics
Section 4 – Human & Natural Influences
Section 5 – Special Stories
Resources

Species covered in this activity guide include:

Short-tailed Albatross (endangered)
Kittlitz's Murrelet (candidate species for listing)
Aleutian Shield Fern (endangered)
Pribilof Rock Sandpiper (vulnerable)
Aleutian Canada Goose (recovered species)
Northern Sea Otter (Southwestern Alaska population, candidate for listing)

•   Section 1 introduces the concept of biodiversity and habitats - key elements in the survival of plants and animals in ecosystems around the world.

•   Section 2 introduces you and your students to the Endangered and Threatened species of Alaska, with a few key species selected as focal points.

•   Section 3 provides activities to help you and your students explore some of the factors that contribute to changes in population size and population dynamics. Activities focus on extinction, carrying capacity and counting populations.

•   Section 4 includes activities that look at human and natural events that can have a catastrophic impact on species and human interventions that have had both positive and negative effects on local populations.

•   Section 5 is focused on special stories about endangered species and on successful recovery efforts by wildlife management agencies. Here you will have an opportunity to do a fun puppet show about extinction and lead your students through two flannel board stories about recovery efforts for the Aleutian Canada Goose and the Short-tailed Albatross.

•   The Resources section includes appendices with information on the Endangered Species Act, and Coloring Pages for younger students.

Additional information and activities about the threatened Steller's Eider and the endangered Spectacled Eider can be found in the Alaska Sea Duck Activity Guide

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