Extinction
This encyclopedia article has a subheading "Environmental Change" that fits the standard and give s a good explanation of why environmental changes can cause extinction of some species. The explanation includes the difference between animals which have many offspring and those that have fewer at a time. Also, species that forage in cities may have a greater chance of surviving changes than those in wilderness areas or streams. Great, short explanation, easy to understand this section.
At the fourth grade level students are able to understand some cause and effect relationships. This article can be utilized to not only explain environmental changes causing extinction but can lead the students into writing their own cause and effect stories/paragraphs.
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