Lesson Plan: Return of the Ghost Cat

Essential Questions:

• What responsibilities do humans have to protect endangered species?
• How should we balance human needs with the preservation of wild spaces?

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle. What do you think it means to “make a comeback”? Sample answer: To “make a comeback” means to become strong or successful again after having a hard time. Here, it probably means there are more Florida panthers now after there used to be very few.
• Look at the map of where Florida panthers live and read its caption. What are two things you can learn from the map? Florida panthers now live only in southern Florida. Their range used to cover much more of the southeastern United States.
• Based on the sidebar “Risky Roads,” why are highways such a danger to panthers? Make an inference. Highways run through the panthers’ natural homes. When panthers try to cross them, they might get hit by vehicles. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (cowered, species, colonists, habitat, breed, endangered) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the article “Return of the Ghost Cat” discusses how people have destroyed the Florida panthers’ habitat and are now working to save it.
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (for example, photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.
• Point out the activity at the end of the article. Tell students they’ll complete it after reading. Encourage them to keep the Think About It! question at the bottom in mind as they read.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What words or phrases does the author use to help you picture the tunnel under the highway? (author’s craft) The author uses phrases like “the ground shook” and “the loud roar of trucks” to help readers imagine what the tunnel was like for the kittens.
• Why did Florida panthers start living only in the southern tip of Florida? (cause and effect) Spanish colonists and later state leaders encouraged people to hunt panthers, and people built homes, roads, and cities that took away the panthers’ habitat. This forced the animals to move south to avoid people.
• What is the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and how does it help panthers? (problem and solution) The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a large area of connected natural land. It helps panthers by giving them safe places to live, hunt, and travel. It includes crossings, like tunnels under highways and bridges above them, so the panthers can get across busy roads without getting hurt.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• Why do you think the author chose to tell the story of Broketail and her kittens at the beginning and end of the article? Sample answer: The author probably used Broketail’s story to make the information about Florida panthers more meaningful. By starting and ending with her, readers can see the impact of wildlife crossings on one animal’s life.
• What are some ways humans hurt animals? What are some ways humans help animals? Answers will vary. Sample answer: People have caused harm to animals by destroying habitats, polluting the environment, and raising animals in factory farms. Humans have helped animals by creating nature preserves, passing laws to protect them, and rescuing endangered species.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
• Have students work independently to complete our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that you are Broketail the panther. In the voice of Broketail, write a paragraph explaining the role that wildlife crossings play in your life. Explain how you use the crossings, how they have helped you, and why you taught your kittens to use them.