There are only 350,000 elephants left in the world today, and some experts estimate the illegal ivory trade could wipe out what's left of the population in as little as 10 years. Education and activism around this problem is the goal of the International Fund for Animal Welfare's 11th annual Animal Action Week, which runs October 4-11. Whether teachers decide to mark the week in their classrooms or tackle the topic later in the year, IFAW has made a curriculum pack available at its Web site (www.ifaw.org), along with some cool online elements, such as video footage of elephants in the wild as well as practical tools for starting a grassroots ban-the-ivory-trade campaign. In addition, teachers looking for a discussion starter can request a free 12-minute video narrated by actor/heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.
Susan Brooks-Young is executive editor for T&L.
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