Animal Fact or Fiction?

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students will create pages for a class booklet explaining various animal facts and myths, and then write poems or short stories about an animal they researched during class.

Author(s):
Michelle Sale, The New York Times Learning Network
Javaid Khan, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Consider how they know a piece of information is true or false, and specify where they might verify facts.
2. Explore the phenomenon of the cicada and its confusion with locust swarms by reading and discussing “Welcome to Cicadaville (Enter at Your Own Risk).”
3. In groups, research the facts behind various statements about animals that may be true or false, then create pages for a fact book entitled, “Animal Fact or Fiction.”
4. Individually, write poems or short stories about an animal they researched in class.

Resources / Materials:
–pens/pencils
–classroom blackboard
–copies of “Welcome to Cicadaville (Enter at Your Own Risk)” (one per student)
–resources for researching animal facts and myths (science textbooks, computers with Internet access)
–construction paper (enough for all groups to create pages for a class booklet)
–markers (optional)
–stapler or string (optional; to put booklet together)

Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following prompt (written on the board for easier student access): “How do you determine whether something you heard or read is true? Where can you look for information that would help you decide? How can you know a resource is reliable? If what you heard or read is false, what can you do to publicize the truth?” After a few minutes, allow students time to share their answers.
2. As a class, read and discuss “Welcome to Cicadaville (Enter at Your Own Risk),” focusing on the following questions:
a. What does the reporter mean by “Brood X”? b. Why have the locusts been misnamed?
c. According to Dr. Jeffrey A. Lockwood, what type of bug are locusts?
d. What misinformation is given in the article about cicadas?
e. Besides crops, what do locusts eat?
f. What is the largest locust swarm on record?
g. What do locusts and cicadas have in common?
3. Divide students into five groups. Explain that each group will be researching various animals to create pages for a class booklet that examines fun facts and myths about each animal, entitled “Animal Fact or Fiction?” Assign each group two of the following statements about a particular animal (copied onto a handout for easier student access):
–If a bear is chasing you, you should run downhill because they won’t be able to run fast enough to catch you.
–Cats always land on their feet.
–Vampire bats will bite people in their sleep.
–Mosquito bites spread AIDS.
–Earthworms become two different worms when cut in half.
–Certain lizard species can “drop” their tail and grow a new one.
–A groundhog’s shadow determines the length of winter.
–Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico every year.
–Daddy-longlegs spiders are dangerous to humans.
–Ostriches bury their heads in the sand.
For each statement, students should first research whether or not the piece of information is true or false. If it is true, group members should compile a list of “fun facts” about the animal and examine how the phenomenon described in the statement occurs. If it is not true, students should explain where the myth came from, as well as what the truth is about that particular aspect of the animal’s life. If time allows, they should go on to create a list of “fun facts” about the animal.
Once research is completed, group members should review their information and create pages for a fact book entitled, “Animal Fact or Fiction?” that examines truths and myths about their assigned animals. To make the pages uniform, instruct each group to write their assigned statements at the top of each page they create. (For example, at the top of the page that reveals the truth about ostriches, students should write: “Ostriches bury their heads in the sand.” The information on the rest of this page should identify and support whether this is true or false.) Whenever possible, students should include illustrations or pictures to explain their findings.
In a future class, pages should be compiled into a single fact book with the title, “Animal Fact or Fiction?”
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Individually, students write poems or short stories about one of the animals they researched during class. The poem could debunk a myth or tell a fictional story by incorporating some of the “fun facts” or myths researched during class.

Further Questions for Discussion:
–What is a plague?
–Why are cicadas confused with locusts?
–Why would someone put misinformation on the Internet?
–How might you react if the 17-year cicadas came to your area? Would you react the same way if a swarm of locusts came? Why or why not?
–Would you eat a bug? Why or why not?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal responses, participation in class discussions and group research, completion of fact-book pages and creative poems.

Vocabulary:
cicadas, brood, plague, apocalypse, scoured, biology, entomology, pupae, satirical, sentiment, demonically, amiss, biomass, bison, awe, fecundity, recruited, scourge

Extension Activities:
1. Read either “On the Banks of Plum Creek” by Laura Ingalls Wilder or “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. Write a book review that also focuses on the relationship the characters in the book have with nature. Examine the beliefs and attitudes of the characters, as well as the ways in which they relate to animals, plants, the earth, and other natural phenomena.
2. Create a poster illustrating the three different species of cicadas. Be sure to explain the physical differences, as well as a description of the particular noise each makes.
3. Write song lyrics educating people about the 17-year periodic cicada and helping to debunk the myths surrounding their appearance.
4. Compile a chart comparing locusts and cicadas. Be sure to include illustrations or pictures, if necessary. Examine what they eat, how long they live, the sounds they make, myths, etc.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
American History- Write a history textbook entry about the largest locust swarm on record, from June 15 to 25, 1875. Where did they appear? Why did they come at this time? Why were there so many? What damage did they cause? What made them leave?
Global History- Explain the significance of the cicada in a culture other than your own. Research the ways the insect is used, as well as which class of people used the cicada in that way. Present your findings in an oral report.
Health- Create a pamphlet explaining bug-related problems or issues that can be found in your area, such as West Nile virus, bee stings, deer ticks, wasp nests, etc. Provide a list of guidelines and precautions to help people in your community protect themselves and stay healthy.
Media Studies- Keep a diary about what it was like to live in early America. Watch the television show “Colonial House” on PBS or “Little House on the Prairie” (in syndication). For each entry, write a summary of the events you saw, and your reaction. What was it like living in early America? What did you learn from these shows? Do you think you would be able to survive during this time? Why or why not?

Other Information on the Web:
Cicada Mania (//cicadamania.com/) provides numerous links to recent cicada news, interesting and fun facts, other resources on the Web and more.
Cicadaville.com (//www.cicadaville.com/ “reveals the deadly truth about cicadas in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.”

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
Science Standard 4- Knows about the diversity and unity that characterize life. Benchmarks: Knows ways in which living things can be classified; Knows that animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that serve specific functions for survival; Knows evidence that supports the idea that there is unity among organisms despite the fact that some species look very different
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘4’)
Science Standard 7- Understands how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. Benchmarks: Knows how an organism’s ability to regulate its internal environment enables the organism to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment; Knows ways in which species interact and depend on one another in an ecosystem (e.g., producer/consumer, predator/prey, parasite/host, relationships that are mutually beneficial or competitive); Knows that all individuals of a species that occur together at a given place and time make up a population, and all populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an ecosystem; Knows factors that affect the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support; Knows relationships that exist among organisms in food chains and food webs
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘7’)
Science Standard 9- Understands the basic concepts of the evolution of species. Benchmarks: Knows that the fossil record, through geologic evidence, documents the appearance, diversification, and extinction of many life forms; Knows basic ideas related to biological evolution; Understands the concept of extinction and its importance in biological evolution
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘9’)
Science Standard 14- Understands the nature of scientific knowledge. Benchmark: Knows that all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and improvement in principle, but for most core ideas in science, there is much experimental and observational confirmation
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ’14’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘6-8’, ‘1’)
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses a variety of resource materials to gather information for research topics; Organizes information and ideas from multiple sources in systematic ways
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘6-8’, ‘4’)
Grades 9-12
Science Standard 4- Knows about the diversity and unity that characterize life. Benchmarks: Knows how organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based on similarities that reflect their evolutionary relationships; Knows how variation of organisms within a species increases the chance of survival of the species, and how the great diversity of species on Earth increases the chance of survival of life in the event of major global changes
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ‘4’)
Science Standard 7- Understands how species depend on one another and on the environment for survival. Benchmark: Knows how the interrelationships and interdependencies among organisms generate stable ecosystems that fluctuate around a state of rough equilibrium for hundreds or thousands of years
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ‘7’)
Science Standard 9- Understands the basic concepts of the evolution of species. Benchmarks: Knows that heritable characteristics, which can be biochemical and anatomical, largely determine what capabilities an organism will have, how it will behave, and how likely it is to survive and reproduce; Knows that natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited for survival in particular environments, so that when an environment changes, some inherited characteristics become more or less advantageous or neutral, and chance alone can result in characteristics having no survival or reproductive value; Knows how natural selection and its evolutionary consequences provide a scientific explanation for the diversity and unity of past and present life forms on Earth; Knows that the basic idea of evolution is that the Earth’s present-day life forms have evolved from earlier, distinctly different species as a consequence of the interactions of (1) the potential for a species to increase its numbers, (2) the genetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes, (3) a finite supply of the resources required for life, and (4) the ensuing selection by the environment of hose offspring better able to survive and leave offspring; Knows the history of the origin and evolution of life on Earth
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ‘9’)
Science Standard 14- Understands the nature of scientific knowledge. Benchmarks: Knows ways in which science distinguishes itself from other ways of knowing and from other bodies of knowledge; Knows that scientific explanations must meet certain criteria to be considered valid; Understands how scientific knowledge changes and accumulates over time; Knows that from time to time, major shifts occur in the scientific view of how the world works, but usually the changes that take place in the body of scientific knowledge are small modifications of prior knowledge
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ’14’)
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘9-12’, ‘1’)
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Determines the validity and reliability of primary and secondary source information and uses information accordingly in reporting on a research topic; Identifies and defends research questions and topics that may be important in the future
(CTSS – ‘english’, ‘9-12’, ‘4’)

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This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.