Lesson Plan - Manatees on the Move

Watch the Video
Play the video “What You Need to Know About Manatees.” Ask: What are some dangers manatees face?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• herbivores
• facility

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them identify some ways rescue workers helped the manatees survive.

1. Why did rescue workers step in to try to help the three manatees?
Rescue workers stepped in to try to help the three manatees because the animals had been found swimming alone without their mothers to care for them. The article explains that “manatee calves stay with their mothers for about two years. But these babies’ moms were nowhere to be found.” 
^{(RI.4.5 Cause/Effect)}

2. According to the Words to Know box, what are herbivores? What clues in the article help you understand this meaning?
The Words to Know box explains that herbivores are animals that eat only plants. One clue in the article that helps you understand this meaning is that “adult manatees eat about 100 pounds of seagrass a day.” Another clue is the phrase “graze so much.”
^{(RI.4.4 Vocabulary)}

3. Why do you think workers at the Cincinnati Zoo arranged the manatees’ greens at the bottom of a tank to look like seagrass?
You can infer that workers at the Cincinnati Zoo arranged the greens at the bottom of a tank to look like seagrass in order to help the manatees learn how to forage for seagrass at the bottom of a waterway. This would help prepare the manatees for their return to the wild.
^{(RI.4.1 Inference)}

FEATURED SKILL: Reading a Diagram
Use the skill builder “Manatee Close-Up” to spotlight physical adaptations that help manatees survive in their underwater homes. Have students work in pairs to answer the questions. 
^{(RI.4.7 Text Features)}