Hoot

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is conservation? Think about the problems that come when people fail to protect natural resources. What happens? Do you think people have a moral obligation to help endangered species?

Teaching Suggestion: The novel's protagonist, Roy, has recently moved to Florida and discovers, through his new friendship with Mullet, a nest of burrowing owls on a construction site. The owls are a protected species in Florida, but the construction company ignores their presence. Mullet attempts to thwart construction through petty vandalism. Reviewing terms like environmentalism, conservation, and endangered species before reading and discussing why conservation is important may be beneficial.

• This article describes conservation and its importance in society.
• This article explains what an endangered species is, why we protect them, and the qualifications that make species endangered.

Short Activity

Identify protected species in your state and explore endangered species around the world. Use reputable resources to investigate these questions:

• What are the endangered species in your state?
• Why are the species considered endangered?
• How can people take small steps to protect endangered species?

Teaching Suggestion: When Roy realizes the construction site intends to build where the burrowing owls are, he gathers the community to protect the species from the construction company. Consider discussing endangered species worldwide and close to home and why species are becoming endangered. Students may find it beneficial to research endangered species in their state and other questions they have about endangered species, and then share findings with classmates. Consider recording data on endangered species in your state to refer to as students read the novel.

• This website lists endangered and threatened species by state using spatial current range.
• This 8-minute video describes 10 animals that are close to extinction.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who require an additional challenge may wish to explore conservationists’ steps to prevent the extinction of endangered species. It may benefit students to share their findings with peers. Infographics, visual aids, or brief presentations might also be helpful.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Describe a time when you felt strongly about a cause or something you believe in. What obstacles may have prevented you from supporting your cause? What did you do to overcome those obstacles? What steps did you take to make a difference? How did it make you feel?

Teaching Suggestion: Mullet, Roy, and Beatrice band together to protect the burrowing owls from construction by raising awareness in their community. Consider discussing various causes, what people can do to support them, and how small steps can affect change.