Project - Endangered Animals Essay

Step 1: Choose an endangered animal

• Browse some animals
  • WWF list
  • IUCN Red list
• Choose ONE animal
  • Choose something INTERESTING we DO NOT KNOW (i.e. NOT the Giant Panda)
  • Do NOT choose Narwhal (the example essay topic)
  • Choose a SPECIFIC species (i.e. “Amur Tiger”, not just “Tiger”)
  • DO NOT choose animals that are “extinct” or “extinct in wild”. Stick to “Critically endangered”, “Endangered”, “Vulnerable” or “Least concern”

Step 2 - Homework

• Read the example
• Read two articles about your animal.
  • Japanese OK (except advanced classes).
  • Take notes.
  • If animal doesn’t have 3 problems, maybe change your topic.
  • If animal doesn’t have 3 solutions, maybe change your topic.
  • Find good sources

Step 3 - Read more and start writing

• Read two more articles.
  • English only
  • Take notes
  • You will write 2 sentences about each problem and solution. Do you have enough materials? If not read more articles (Japanese OK)!

Tips on Arrangement

We will write four or five paragraphs. Example has five paragraphs.

• Write an Introduction Paragraph
• Write a Description Paragraph (optional)
• Write a Problems (Cause-Effect) paragraph - see also write a cause-effect paragraph
• Write a Solutions (Summary-Response) Paragraph
• Write a Conclusion paragraps

Tips for Invention

If you can’t find a problem in the articles you read, try searching for problem keywords AND the name of your animal.

__Remember that your solutions and problems don’t need to match exactly. For example, fixing deforestation fixes hunting (no forest roads, less hunters). __

• Common problem keywords are
  • habitat destruction
  • overdevelopment
  • tourism
  • deforestation
  • climate change
  • pollution
  • invasive species
  • land animals mostly: hunting, or poaching(illegal hunting)
  • sea animals mostly: bioaccumulation, bycatch, overfishing, boatstrike
  • indirect problems (things that make the problem worse) conflict, corruption
  • big mammals: traditional medicine
• Common solution keywords are
  • NGOs for animal (Save the Tiger), habitat (Mangrove Action PRoject), or general (WWF)
  • Wildlife preserves
  • Farmer compensation
  • Ecotourism
  • Sustainable Development
  • Laws (national, international, trade agreements like CITES)
  • Consumer awareness (if animal or habitat is part of food production) e.g. dolphin-safe tuna

Tips for Style

• You’re talking about ALL of an animal group.
  • You can talk about the animalS or THE species. Don’t mix
  • Plurals or ‘the’.
    • Emperor penguins enjoy eating ice cream
    • Emperor penguins enjoys eating ice cream
    • The Emperor penguin enjoys eating ice cream
    • Emperor penguin enjoys eating ice cream
    • Emperor penguins eat fish, so they like sushi a lot
    • Emperor penguins eat fish, so it likes sushi a lot
    • The Emperor penguin eats fish, so it likes sushi a lot
    • The Emperor penguin eats fish, so they like sushi a lot
• Capitals for place names NOT for animal name
  • Amur tiger, Siberian tiger, Malaysian elephant, Bornean orangutan
  • amur Tiger, siberian tiger, Malaysian Elephant, Bornean Orangutan
• Avoid definitions for animals that are defined by name
  • “The Saola is a kind of deer that lives in Vietnam”
  • “The Siberian tiger is a kind of tiger that lives in Siberia”
  • Use partition instead for animals, use the family and a different fact
    • “There are seven kinds of tiger, of which the Siberian….”
    • “The Siberian tiger is the only member of the big cat family which plays tennis”
• Also
  • Check the list of common mistakes
  • Link is here