IT IS A TYPICAL day at Cedar Bog. Silence, broken only by the trilling of the toads, the call of the birds, and the sounds of the inhabitants going about the business of survival.
Suddenly - the peaceful routine is broken! Something is out there! A noise that is not heard often is ringing loudly and clearly through the fen!
It's the Fen Monster!!!!!! ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, there really isn't a Fen Monster. Cedar Bog is not inhabited by a frightening unknown creature. But just for a moment, pretend there is a Fen Monster.
What would it look like?
What kind of adaptations would it have to survive in the ecosystem of the Bog?
What would it eat?
What would it's home look like?
How would it act?
Use what you know about wetland animals to create a new species of animal that could survive in Cedar Bog. Describe it in detail, answering all the questions above. As it's discoverer', you can give it a name - even a scientific name! Draw your animal, but keep your drawing a secret!
Next, give your description to someone and ask them to draw your animal. You can get their description and draw their animal. When you are done, compare the original drawing to the one your friend drew and see how well you described your animal in words.
Teacher Notes:
This project will help your children show how much they have learned about wetland animals. It is also an opportunity to practice descriptive writing. If you have other classes doing this project at the same time, each class could trade descriptions and work on the Fen Monster Project. Another option for those with keypals is to send the descriptions by e-mail and have the keypals draw the monster from the description. The drawings can then be scanned and sent to each school for comparison.
What You Will Need:
- Writing paper
- Drawing paper
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Pencil
- If you are sending this project out to another school -
Scanner or Envelopes and postage
Objectives:
- Understand how animals adapt to their environment.
- Write a descriptive paragraph.
Ohio Science Outcomes:
- Grade 4 - #1 - Create and/or use categories to organize a set of objects, organisms, or phenomena.
- Grade 6 - #3 - Make inferences from observations of phenomena and/or events.
- Grade 9 - #15 - Compare and/or contrast the diversity of ways in which living things meet their needs.
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