Most kids love monsters. That love of monsters and legendary creatures can hook students into reading and research when they are engaged in this cryptozoology unit.
My students are 4th graders who love reading and the arts.
They are highly-motivated, hard-workers, who will appreciate the benefits this project has to offer. Like all kids their age, they are fascinated by the unknown. I would like to give them a chance to develop their research skills by giving them engaging books to read. Their love of reading about these fascinating cryptids combined with their love of sharing their learning will make this project a learning experience for not only themselves but for the other students who listen to their presentations.
My Project
Dragons, mermaids, fairies, gnomes, Bigfoot, and even the Loch Ness monster have been characters in our story telling culture. Several television shows try to prove their existence, but have they REALLY found credible evidence? The students will be pretending to be cryptozoologists (a scientist who studies and searches animals in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence) and choosing a cryptid to research. They will be answering questions like: Is there anyway these beings could be true, or could they have been mistaken as something else? The students will be conducting their own research and writing their own informative findings. They will use the texts in their small group literacy rotations to read and gather information. They will present their findings through creating a written product like a newsletter or article and by giving a 3 – 5 minute oral presentation about their favorite cryptid (legendary creature).
This book will help my students realize that all scientific investigation, cryptozoology included, requires a careful balance of skepticism and open-mindedness.
In completing this unit, the students will learn to take a critical stance when reading, while also having a little fun along the way with this engaging topic.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Moore and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
