Lesson: Hope for Howlers

Play the video “The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale.” Then, before or after reading the article, spark a discussion based on the following questions:

• What are some impacts climate change can have on animal habitats?
• What tools can be used to measure how far an animal has traveled?
• What type of data might scientists collect on wolves?

• How would you describe the location of where you are to someone else? (Answers will vary.)
• Imagine a person was in another room. Make a list of the directions you would give that person to get to you, without using any names of places or items. (Answers will vary.)
• Show students the coordinate plane image in the “What to Do” box on page 11. We can use a coordinate plane to help give directions and name locations. You can move along the x- and y-axes to show the locations of different places or objects.

• What does a coordinate point on a coordinate plane represent? (an exact location)
• Does the order of the numbers in the ordered pair matter? (Yes; the first number represents the horizontal movement along the x-axis, and the second number represents the vertical movement along the y-axis.)
• How can a compass be used to describe locations on a coordinate plane? (North means to travel up, south means down, east means to the right, and west means to the left.)
• Mark a point 3 units south of coordinate point (2, 5). What is the new point’s ordered pair? (2, 2)

Have students complete problems 1 through 4 on page 11 of the article.

Skills Sheets: Level Down: Identifying and Naming Ordered Pairs (5.G.A.1) | On Level: DynaDash: Points on a Coordinate Plane (5.G.A.2) | Level Up: Plot the Picture (5.G.A.2)

SEL (Social-emotional learning activity/prompt): In this article, the scientists introduced more wolves to the island to help build a healthier ecosystem. Have students think about working in a pair versus working in a large group. Ask them to make a list of the pros and cons of each. Then hold a class discussion, allowing students to share what they wrote.

Dynamath@Home: Have students create their own coordinate plane on a sheet of paper, use grid paper, or use the “Coordinate Grid” template on DynaMath Digital to draw 3 different polygons. Then have them label the vertices, or corners, of each shape with their ordered pairs.