Save the Manatees
For 5th
graders
By Erica R.
Plappert
___________________________
Manatees are large, gentle sea
mammals. They move very
slowly and they spend most of their time
eating, resting, and
traveling. Manatees must travel to the surface to breathe
every three to five minutes, so they
must stay close to the
surface or in shallow water. West Indian manatees are
commonly found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, bays,
canals and coastlines along the eastern United States (mostly
Florida), Central America and northern South America.
In addition to our West Indian manatee, there are also three
other species: the dugong, the West African manatee, and the
Amazonian manatee. Another
species of manatee, called the
Stellar’s sea cow, is extinct. It is believed that manatees can
live for 60 years or longer.
They have no natural enemies,
but most of their deaths are caused by humans. Sadly, all
four remaining species of manatees are endangered.
You are a
marine biologist studying the behavior of
Manatees and the dangers related to their declining population.
Print out the “Manatee Expert Page” linked here.
Using the
Web page listed below, become a manatee expert by finding
the answers to the questions listed on the “Expert” page.
Your answers do not have to be in complete sentences. Your
goal is simply to note your findings and to allow you to
become an expert on manatees.
There are many books and web pages
that you could use
to learn more about manatees, but for this activity you will
only need one website - Kids
Only Manatees & Dugongs
located at http://www.cep.unep.org/kids/kids.html. If you
would like to learn more about manatees, I can suggest other
books and websites for you.
Now that you are an expert, you may
choose one of the
following activities to show what you know!
1.
Write a letter to congress presenting your information
about manatees and letting them know
how important
manatees are to you. Ask them to help save these
creatures from extinction. Come up with a specific way
that you would like Congress to help
(ex. a certain law or
program) and offer that suggestion to
Congress.
2.
Make a poster about manatees to hang outside our
classroom. The poster must present the information that
you found and educate other students
about the dangers
affecting the survival of
manatees. The poster must be
colorful, organized, and pleasing to
look at.
3.
Write a story or poem from the point of view of a
manatee (imagine that you are a
manatee). Tell what it is
like to be a manatee, describe the
dangers you face, and
explain how those dangers make you
feel.
4.
Write, type, and send an email to Florida’s Governor,
Jeb Bush. Tell him what you learned about in
class today
and tell him that you support strong
manatee protection in
the state of Florida. Come up with a specific way that you
would like him to help (ex. a certain
law or program)
and offer that suggestion to him.
All finished?
If you finish early,
double check all of your work. If you
are positive that you are done, you may
print out a picture
from the Kids Only website and color it.
Background by