Elephant Poaching

Lesson Plan for Grade 7, Environmental Science

Prepared by Mr. Larry Humphrey
OVERVIEW & PURPOSE
There are many animals that are killed all over the world by poachers for the use of
their body parts and they dont just kill them to eat them, they harvest what they want
and leave the animal to rot. The main animals that are included in poaching are
elephants. There are many ways that people can help this cause and prevent the
extinction of African elephants.

EDUCATION STANDARDS
1. The environmental impact of killing elephants
2. The effects of poaching and what will happen if it continues: Elephants can
become extinct and other animals can also be effected throughout the food
chain.
3. How volunteering, donating, etc will help the elephant breed: It will prevent
elephants from becoming extinct and will help with creating new solutions.

OBJECTIVES
1. What is poaching? The illegal killing of animals for the parts of their bodies that
you can use to make a profit.
2. Why are elephants killed illegally? Poachers kill elephants so that they can sell
their tusks on the black market and make ivory products such as buttons, piano
keys and billiards balls.
3. What can people do to stop it? People can spread the word, raise money, sign
petitions and volunteer to make a difference in the lives of elephants in Africa.

MATERIALS NEEDED
1. Poster Board (30)
2. Colored Markers
3. Colorful Construction Paper
4. Scissors
5. Glue

VERIFICATION
1. Take one poster board, colored markers and a few pieces of construction paper.
2. Decorate the poster with the markers and construction paper to spread
awareness about elephant poaching.
3. Turn your poster board in at the end of class.

ACTIVITY
You will use the markers and construction paper to make a poster that has information
about elephant poaching. It should include two pictures to catch the readers
attention(20 points), an explanation about poaching(10 points), three ways that people
can help(40 points) and two things that can happen in the future if we dont stop
poaching(30 points).