What can English language skills teach us about protecting wildlife? Head to the African savanna with Chester Zoo and discover the lives of the people working on the front lines of conservation. Start with a close-up look at a rhino, then explore real-life stories from rangers who protect animals and their habitats.
Read about the challenges rangers face and the incredible encounters they have, from tracking poachers and finding snares to caring for newborn animals and following the clues left behind by elephants. Along the way, you'll discover how vivid, descriptive language can help readers picture a place, understand an experience, and connect with the people and animals at the heart of a story.
Then it's your turn! Use the African savanna as inspiration to experiment with descriptive language, imagine what happens next, and create your own account of an encounter in the wild.
Don't miss the descriptive writing worksheets that go with this lesson!
Ranger tales! Our friends at the Chester Zoo have put together some written accounts of real-life rangers' animal encounters. Read about:
- Waiting to catch a poacher
- Setting a snare
- Finding an elephant
- And more!
Then you'll use those to reflect on how descriptive writing can enhance storytelling and eventually write your own!
These worksheets accompany a Chester Zoo interactive lesson on descriptive writing.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
In Protecting the Redwoods, Earth's Tallest Trees, host Simon Reeve journeys to the towering redwoods, some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. These giants are in danger, with 95% of the original redwoods already cut down and poachers still threatening their survival. But conservationists are stepping up, using methods like biomimicry to bring these mighty trees back to life, all while Simon climbs 250 feet to see it firsthand! This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Americas With Simon Reeve, in which Simon Reeve explores the landscapes, cultures, and wildlife of North and South America.
In Tracking Forest Elephants, naturalist Steve Backshall searches for forest elephants in the Loango National Park in Gabon. Together with two guides who are former poachers, they come across a forest elephant in its element. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In Protecting Rhinos From Poachers, naturalist Steve Backshall flies across a wildlife reserve to locate Rodney, a male rhino. Rodney is tranquilized, then Steve attaches a collar to him so that he can be located and protected in the future. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In The Story of Thandi the Rhino, naturalist Steve Backshall goes in search of Thandi, one of the only white rhinos known to have survived a poacher attack. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In Rhino Poaching in Africa, naturalist Steve Backshall explains the impact that poachers are having on the endangered white rhinoceros. Poachers kill rhinos to sell their horns. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
What can English language skills teach us about protecting wildlife? Head to the African savanna with Chester Zoo and discover the lives of the people working on the front lines of conservation. Start with a close-up look at a rhino, then explore real-life stories from rangers who protect animals and their habitats.
Read about the challenges rangers face and the incredible encounters they have, from tracking poachers and finding snares to caring for newborn animals and following the clues left behind by elephants. Along the way, you'll discover how vivid, descriptive language can help readers picture a place, understand an experience, and connect with the people and animals at the heart of a story.
Then it's your turn! Use the African savanna as inspiration to experiment with descriptive language, imagine what happens next, and create your own account of an encounter in the wild.
Don't miss the descriptive writing worksheets that go with this lesson!
Ranger tales! Our friends at the Chester Zoo have put together some written accounts of real-life rangers' animal encounters. Read about:
- Waiting to catch a poacher
- Setting a snare
- Finding an elephant
- And more!
Then you'll use those to reflect on how descriptive writing can enhance storytelling and eventually write your own!
These worksheets accompany a Chester Zoo interactive lesson on descriptive writing.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
In Protecting the Redwoods, Earth's Tallest Trees, host Simon Reeve journeys to the towering redwoods, some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. These giants are in danger, with 95% of the original redwoods already cut down and poachers still threatening their survival. But conservationists are stepping up, using methods like biomimicry to bring these mighty trees back to life, all while Simon climbs 250 feet to see it firsthand! This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Americas With Simon Reeve, in which Simon Reeve explores the landscapes, cultures, and wildlife of North and South America.
In Tracking Forest Elephants, naturalist Steve Backshall searches for forest elephants in the Loango National Park in Gabon. Together with two guides who are former poachers, they come across a forest elephant in its element. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In Protecting Rhinos From Poachers, naturalist Steve Backshall flies across a wildlife reserve to locate Rodney, a male rhino. Rodney is tranquilized, then Steve attaches a collar to him so that he can be located and protected in the future. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In The Story of Thandi the Rhino, naturalist Steve Backshall goes in search of Thandi, one of the only white rhinos known to have survived a poacher attack. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In Rhino Poaching in Africa, naturalist Steve Backshall explains the impact that poachers are having on the endangered white rhinoceros. Poachers kill rhinos to sell their horns. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.