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Mystery
Lesson Plan
English
7
50 Minutes
Chelsea Werner

Instructional Unit Content

Standard(s)/Element(s)
Content Area Standard
ELACC7RI1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from text.
ELACC7RI8: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the
claims.
TAG Standard
Advanced Communication Skills
The student supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinions of others.
Advanced Research Skills
The student gathers, organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes data from multiple sources to support or
disprove a hypothesis.
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills
The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant
information.

Summary/Overview
The focus of this lesson is to solve a mystery to determine whether or keeping animals in
captivity is ethical and humane.

Enduring Understanding(s)
At the end of this lesson the student will understand that
a. Theme parks, like SeaWorld and others, make a profit off of the continued captivity
of marine life.

Revised April 2009

b. Studies show that orcas live longer in their natural habitat

c. Marine theme parks contend that letting visitors see the animals up close inspires
them to care more about sea life
d. Endangered animals can be bred under the expert care of zoo professionals
Essential Question(s)
Is it humane and ethical to keep animals in captivity?

Suggested Vocabulary
Ethical, marine, endangered, ethical
Procedure(s)
Phase 1: Hook
1. Poll the class on who would like to become a doctor or lawyer. What do these two
professions have in common? How are both professionals like detectives? What
common skills do both need to develop to solve mysteries within their profession? What
other professions solve mysteries?
Phase 2: Examine the Content
1. Share the Mystery. Distribute Growing Debate Over Whales and Dolphins in
Captivity to students. After reading about the debate, students will work individually to
develop a list of tentative hypotheses.
2. Present the Clues.
a. Distribute the clues for Meeting 1. Students will use information from H1 and
their previous knowledge to complete the statement to contribute to solving the
mystery.
b. Distribute the clue for Meeting2. Students will use information from H1 and their
previous knowledge to complete the statement to contribute to solving the mystery.
3. Each team will categorize its clues and determine cause and effect relationships.
4. Based upon patterns/data found within the clues, each team will refine its hypothesis
and propose a solution to the mystery.
Phase 3: Synthesis Activity
5. Each Ethics Team will create a political cartoon or flow chart to share its solution to
another team. Each student will act as an ethical advisor and a write letter to their

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government describing whether or not keeping animals in captivity should be legal. They
will also formulate an opinion and explain what measures they feel their government
must take to ensure their claims.
6. Class Discussion: Share and defend opinion
Summarizing Activity
Wraparounds
In a circle, each student will take a turn telling
Something I will use from what I learned today
Something I will remember from today
A significant AHA! from today
Resource(s):
Handout: 1 Growing debate over whales and dolphins in captivity by Orlando Sentinel
Handout 2: Study Shows Elephants in Zoos Live Shorter Lives by Doris Lin
Handout 3: Why Zoos Matter
Handout 4: Ethics Team Solution

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Handout 1

Growing debate over whales and dolphins in captivity

By Orlando Sentinel
10.16.14
ORLANDO, Fla. For some time now, the belief that it is wrong to keep
large marine mammals in aquariums has been growing. In response, some
marine parks are eliminating or having fewer dolphin shows.
SeaWorld is a park that features marine animals like dolphins and whales.
The animals do tricks, though many people think it is cruel to keep the
huge sea creatures in tanks much smaller than the vast ocean.
Orlando-based SeaWorld is planning to build bigger tanks for its orcas,
also known as killer whales. It currently has no plans to stop shows or
breeding at its three theme parks.
SeaWorld says its whales and dolphins are healthy and happy. Letting
people see them up close, it says, gives visitors an emotional bond with the
animals, inspiring them to care more about marine life.
However, some experts disagree. Animals in captivity suffer from stress,
boredom and confinement. Intergenerational bonds are broken when
individuals get sold or traded to other aquariums, and no pen or tank can
compare to the freedom of the wild.

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Handout 2

Study Shows Elephants in Zoos Live Shorter Lives

By Doris Lin
A study published in Science magazine in December, 2008, finds that zoo
captivity shortens elephants' lives. An international team of researchers
examined data from over 4,500 elephants, and found that African and
Asian elephants in zoos live much shorter lives compared to African
elephants in Kenya's National Park .
The team's analysis revealed that African zoo elephants had life spans of
about 17 years, whereas those in the wild lived 56 years. The median life
span for Asian zoo elephants was nearly 19 years, but in the Myanmar
wild, it was almost 42 years. Death rates for infant Asian elephants were
especially high in zoos.
One risk factor for Asian zoo elephants is being moved between
institutions, with early removal from the mother tending to have
additional negative effects. Another risk factor is being born into a zoo
rather than being imported from the wild, with poor adult survivorship in
zoo-born Asian elephants apparently being passed in early infancy.

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Handout 3

Why Zoos Matter

The world around us is changing fast. Species of wildlife are facing global
extinction on a massive scale. About 21% of the world's mammal species,
about 12% of the bird species and about 33% of all amphibian species are
threatened with extinction.
Zoo professionals are experts on breeding small populations of
endangered species. That knowledge, too, has become valuable to
scientists working with wildlife populations. This helps keep endangered
animals around for future generations.
People learn at zoos. They learn in our formal classes, lectures, camps,
teacher workshops, distance learning, zoo tours, overnights and outreach
programs. Informally they learn from keeper chats, docent volunteers,
interpreters, signage and special exhibits. Most important, they learn from
observing zoo animals.
Why do zoos matter? Basically, because we care. Because we want to keep
this planet's amazing wildlife around for future generations.

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Handout 4

Use all of the clues that you received from the four meetings to decide whether or not
keeping animals in captivity is ethical and humane. Record your solution in the box.
Ethics Team Solution

Prepare your report to share with another group.

Revised April 2009