Species in Danger

This is an activity about endangered species. It involves specific vocabulary and reading comprehension together with a project based report.

Task 1
In groups you will compete for the words that you know in the picture below.
  1. Groups take turns to claim a word by circling it with your group colour.
  2. Then the group has to explain the meaning of the word and give an example.
  3. The other groups may challenge if they think the answer or example is incorrect. 
  4. The challenging group will lose a word if they are unjustified in their challenge.
  5. However if the challenging group is right the claiming group will lose the word.
  6. Each group will take turns to claim words.
  7. When all the words are taken, the group with the largest number of words circled in its colour wins.

Task 2
Each group will be assigned one of the tasks below.
Each group will need to present the information to the rest of the class.


Task 3

Read the definitions below.

A vulnerable species is one which has been categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss or destruction of the species home.

An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species.

A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorised as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status.

An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism's seeds or eggs—that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. They can harm the environment, the economy, or even human health.

Task 4


  • Go to Worldwildlife. 
  • Choose a category from Endangered, Critically Endangered, Threatened, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Least Concern.
  • Choose one of these species 
  • Read and report.