Lesson Plan - Manatees on the Move

Watch the Video
Play the video “What You Need to Know About Manatees.” Discuss: Based on the video, what are some dangers manatees face?

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

• malnourished 
• rehabilitation

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about the challenges involved in moving large sea animals.

1. Why does the author write that being found by rescue workers was “the start of a long journey of survival” for the three manatees?
The author writes that being found by rescue workers was “the start of a long journey of survival” for the manatees because helping the creatures would take a long time and involve many steps, including moving the manatees. The author notes, “Over the next two years, they would be transported hundreds of miles on trucks and planes before being returned to their natural habitat.”
^{R.8 Reasons and Evidence}

2. What is the section “Manatee Emergency” mostly about?
The section “Manatee Emergency” is mostly about how a decline in seagrass is putting Florida’s manatee population at risk. The article explains that “sewage and other pollution is causing seagrass along Florida’s coastlines to disappear at an alarming rate.”
^{R.2 Main Idea}

3. Why do you think Tara Lay and other workers at the Cincinnati Zoo arranged leafy greens at the bottom of a tank to look like seagrass?
You can infer that Tara Lay and other workers at the Cincinnati Zoo arranged 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.
^{R.1 Inference}

Featured Skill: Reading a Diagram
Use the skill builder “Manatee Close-Up” to spotlight some physical adaptations that help manatees survive in their underwater homes. Have students work in pairs to answer the questions on the skill builder.
^{R.4 Text Features}