Did you know that around 90 Australian plant and animal species are considered to be critically endangered? That’s a very frightening statistic!

An endangered species is a type of organism that is at significant risk of extinction in the near future. This label is determined by many factors, including a drastic reduction in population size, a limited habitat size or a steep decline in habitat quality.

This set of reading passages has been designed by our teacher team to educate your students about some of Australia’s endangered species. It enables students to build their comprehension skills while simultaneously teaching them about the challenges these animals face and the threats to their survival. 

The Australian endangered animals featured in this resource are:

• Koala
• Greater Bilby
• Tasmanian Devil
• Orange-Bellied Parrot
• Northern Corroboree Frog
• Western Swamp Tortoise
• Eastern Curlew
• Leadbeater’s Possum
• Mallee Emu-Wren
• Spotted-Tailed Quoll

After reading these species snapshot passages, students are then required to answer 10 comprehension questions based on the content in the text. Questions include multiple-choice, true/false and free-response questions.

This Australian endangered species worksheet can be downloaded as a black-and-white PDF or an editable Google Slides file. Read on to explore how you can use this resource in multiple ways in your science lessons on friction! 

Further Explore These Australian Endangered Species

This worksheet about some of Australia’s endangered species makes a great starting point for further investigation into these threatened animals. Here’s how you might like to further extend this activity: 

1. Choose an Animal – Have students choose one of the animals from the resource that they would like to learn more about.
2. Develop Questions – Have students develop questions that focus on what they would like to know about their chosen animal. For example:
   • What are the primary threats to this species?
   • What is the current population trend?
   • What conservation efforts are in place to protect this animal?
   • How does the loss of this species affect the ecosystem?
3. Conduct Research – Have students research their chosen animal using various resources such as books, scientific journals, reputable websites and documentaries.
4. Present Research – Have students present their research using a method of their choice. Options include written reports, posters, PowerPoint presentations, videos or even a combination of these.

Download for National Science Week 2024!

Use the dropdown menu on the Download button above to access either the easy-print PDF  or the Google Slides version of this resource. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template before accessing it.)

As this resource contains an answer page, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file before removing the pages you wish to photocopy for the students.

Please consider printing this resource double-sided for sustainability purposes.

This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a Teach Starter collaborator.

We Have You Covered for National Science Week 2024!

If you’re looking for more resources related to the National Science Week theme for 2024, you’ve come to the right place! Click below for more teacher-created activities to teach your students about environmental conservation and species preservation.

teaching resource

Environmental Impact Science Experiments

Use these simple science experiments to teach your students about environmental issues such as oil and water pollution, soil quality and climate change.

teaching resource

Species Survival Scenario Task Cards

Explore how to save endangered species during National Science Week 2024 with this set of 16 species survival scenario cards.

teaching resource

Australian Habitat Preservation – Inquiry-Based Project

Use this habitat preservation project to teach your students about how to help conserve a threatened Australian environment for future generations.