UNIT
4 INTRODUCTION
LAUNCH TEXT | ARGUMENT MODEL
This text presents an argument, a type
of writing in which an author states and
defends a position on a topic. This is the
type of writing you will develop in the
Performance‑Based Assessment at the end of
the unit.
As you read, think about the way the writer
Rethinking
the Wild
presents a position. Notice ways in which the
writer weaves together elements of story-
telling and informative writing in support of
the argument.
NOTES
1
T here are seven billion people on the planet, and each of us
has an impact on the animals and plants we share it with.
It’s a constant give-and-take, and people have strong opinions.
Even though the correct course of action isn’t always obvious,
sometimes the needs of human beings have to take priority.
2 In Jon Mooallem’s book Wild Ones, he describes the attempt of
one organization to save the whooping crane from extinction. It’s
a story that may challenge what you thought you knew about the
sometimes competing interests of people and animals.
3 The North American whooping crane—one of the few living
relics of the Pleistocene era—suffered a huge drop in population
in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In 1860 there were
1,400 whooping cranes. In 1941 there were just 15, and in 1967 the
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
whooping crane was listed as “endangered.”
4 Mooallem explains how Operation Migration planned to save
the whooping crane by raising a new flock in Wisconsin. The hard
part would come next: getting the birds to migrate to Florida.
Here’s how they did it: they led the birds there themselves. In a
disguised aircraft, that looked and flew like a bird, they flew along
with the flock. They avoided talking, and even wore all-white
costumes, so that the cranes wouldn’t get too comfortable with
humans and would remain wild.
5 When the cranes reached Florida, they were put into a
“release pen” with no top netting, so the birds could fly away
themselves when they were ready. The complex was surrounded
by houses. In fact, it was practically in the backyard of a couple
named Gibbs. And that’s where the second part of the story starts.
356 UNIT 4 • PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What effects do people have on the environment?
6 The Gibbses—an elderly couple who’d lived there for
50 years—loved nothing better than to sit on their back porch, NOTES
sip tea, and watch the birds as they fed from the two bird feeders
they’d set up in the backyard. There were all kinds of birds
around—but the Gibbs’ favorites were the whooping cranes that
had started showing up lately.
7 As far as Operation Migration was concerned, this could
destroy their project. Unless something were done about those
feeders, the birds would continue to hang around the Gibbs’
house. They would no longer be wary of people, and wouldn’t be
able to survive on their own.
8 After explaining the situation to Mrs. Gibbs, representatives
from Operation Migration asked her to remove the feeders from
her backyard. She refused! Her husband, it turns out, was dying of
Alzheimer’s and the only thing that made him happy and brought
him into the present was seeing the family of whooping cranes in
his own backyard.
9 The scientists were unmoved by Mrs. Gibbs’ story. They were
thinking of the birds that people had spent 24 hours a day trying
to keep wild. They were thinking of all the time and money they
had invested in this group of cranes. But in the end they had to
back down. How can you ask a woman to choose between her
husband and a flock of birds?
10 According to Jon Mooallem, Mrs. Gibbs did what any of us
would do. As humans, we’re hard-wired to put our particular
set of needs above others. We also have a responsibility to be
the earth’s caretakers, because of the power we have over other
species. And sometimes we have to be comfortable balancing our
needs with theirs. ❧
WORD NETWORK FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
Vocabulary A Word
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Network is a collection of
words related to a topic. As
you read the selections in
this unit, identify interesting
words related to the idea impact
of people and the planet
and add them to your Word PEOPLE
extinction AND THE
Network. For example, you
might begin by adding words PLANET
from the Launch Text, such as survive
impact, extinction, and survive.
Continue to add words as you
complete this unit.
Tool Kit
Word Network Model
Rethinking the Wild 357
UNIT
4 INTRODUCTION
Summary
Write a summary of “Rethinking the Wild.” A summary is a concise,
complete, and accurate overview of a text. It should not include a
statement of your opinion or an analysis.
Launch Activity
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Let the People Decide Consider this statement: Mrs. Gibbs was wrong
in refusing to remove the bird feeders from her backyard. Decide your
position and explain why you feel this way.
• Prepare a brief statement that expresses your position. Include
reasons why you feel as you do. Your statement should be written as
a short speech designed to influence people.
• A class discussion will be conducted as if it were a political campaign
gathering. When the “campaign” begins, have your statement ready.
• When it’s time for you to speak, deliver your statement as if you were
giving a political speech. Try to persuade those listening to agree with
your position.
• The class will vote on whether Mrs. Gibbs was right or wrong when
she refused to remove the bird feeders.
358 UNIT 4 • People and the Planet
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What effects do people have on the environment?
QuickWrite
Consider class discussions, presentations, the video, your own
knowledge, and the Launch Text as you think about the prompt. Record
your first thoughts here.
PROMPT: Arethe needs of people ever more important than the
needs of animals and the planet?
EVIDENCE LOG FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Review your QuickWrite.
Summarize your point of view Title of Text: Date:
in one sentence to record in CONNECTION TO PROMPT TEXT EVIDENCE/DETAILS ADDITIONAL NOTES/IDEAS
your Evidence Log. Then, record
evidence from “Rethinking the
Wild” that supports your point
of view.
After each selection, you will
continue to use your Evidence
How does this text change or add to my thinking? Date:
Log to record the evidence you
gather and the connections you
make. This graphic shows what
your Evidence Log looks like.
Tool Kit
Evidence Log Model
Unit Introduction 359
