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Lesson Plan - Monster Mystery
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Learning Objective
Students will understand the origins of the story of the Loch Ness monster and evaluate the evidence on whether the legendary Nessie exists.
Content-Area Connections
History
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.10
NCSS: Science, Technology, and Society
Text Structure
Description
1. Preparing to Read
Watch a VideoAs you watch the video “Myth or Monster?,” discuss: Why do you think Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster captivate so many people?
Preview Words to KnowProject the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for ReadingAs students read, have them think about why some people believe the Loch Ness monster exists.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. Why might a fuzzy or faraway photograph make it easier to speculate about Nessie’s existence? Sample response: A fuzzy or faraway photo might make it easier to speculate about Nessie’s existence because in those circumstances, everyday items like boats or lake animals cannot be seen clearly. People can point to one of those shapes and wonder if it is a monster.(RI.4.3 Explaining Ideas)
2. What were the results of this summer’s search for Nessie? This summer’s search for Nessie failed to turn up any proof that the monster exists.(RI.4.5 Chronology)
3. What does Loch Ness monster expert Adrian Shine mean when he says that “people want to believe”? Adrian Shine probably means that it is fun or exciting for people to keep the legend alive and think that a monster lives in Loch Ness. That’s why they keep looking for Nessie even though there has been no evidence of the creature’s existence.(RI.4.1 Inference)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: TEXT EVIDENCEUse the skill builder “Three Truths and a Lie” to have students identify statements that can and cannot be supported by text evidence.(RI.4.1 Text Evidence)
Multilingual Learners and Striving Readers Support multilingual learners and striving readers by explaining that the idiom “to have one’s eyes peeled” means to watch carefully for something.
Research Search online for photos of plesiosaurs. Compare them with the Nessie images shown on pages 1-3.
Writing Prompt Have students imagine that searchers at Loch Ness actually find Nessie. Invite them to write narratives about what might happen next. Encourage them to include sensory details.
Enrichment Idea Poll students on whether they think Nessie exists. Graph the results.