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Lesson Plan: Python Patrol
Learning Objective
Students will explore the impact that invasive Burmese pythons are having on the Everglades and identify ways people are trying to solve the problem.
Text Structure
Problem/Solution, Cause/Effect
Content-Area Connections
Life Science
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.6, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.10, L.4.4, SL.4.1
NCSS: People, Places, and Environments
TEKS: Science 4.9
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a Video: Wanted: Invasive Species
Discuss: What are some ways species have “invaded” new locations?
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
Have students think about how pythons are affecting the Everglades.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. Why are Burmese pythons considered an invasive species in Florida?
An invasive species is one that is introduced to an area and harms native species. Burmese pythons were originally brought to the U.S. from Asia and are now eating many other species in the Florida Everglades.
(RI.4.4 DOMAIN-SPECIFIC VOCABULARY)
2. Why does the author note that adult Burmese pythons have few predators in the Everglades?
The author makes this point to show that there are few checks on the number of Burmese pythons in the Everglades. The population is growing.
(RI.4.8 AUTHOR’S PURPOSE)
3. Why are Burmese pythons hard to find in the Everglades, according to the article?
The article explains that the snakes’ scaly, spotted skin is good camouflage. It allows them to hide in the grass of the Everglades.
(RI.4.5 CAUSE AND EFFECT)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Problem and Solution
Use the Skill Builder “What’s the Problem?” to have students explore the problem/solution text structure of the article.
(RI.4.5 PROBLEM AND SOLUTION)