Create a Fen Monster

(3-8 grade/45 minutes-several class periods)

Activity in Brief:

Using what you have learned about wetland animals, create a new species that could live in Silver Lake Fen..

Objectives:

Students will use this opportunity to practice descriptive writing and show what they have learned about wetland animal adaptations.

Correlation with Science Standards:

Unifying Concepts and Processes- Systems, Order and Organization

Unifying Concepts and Processes- Form and Function

Life Science- Characteristics of Organisms

Life Science- Organisms and Their Environment

Advance Prep:

Talk about wetland animal adaptations.

Materials:

Paper for writing and drawing, crayons or colored pencils. If you choose to send this out to another school, you may wish to use a scanner or envelopes and postage.

Procedure:

It is a normal day at Silver Lake Fen. The toads are trilling, the birds are singing and then suddenly the peaceful routine is broken! Something strange is out there- It’s the FEN MONSTER!!!

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 fen? What would it eat? What would its home look like? How would it move around?

Use what you know about wetland animals to create a new creature that could survive in the fen. Describe it in detail, answering all of the questions above. As its 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 another student and ask them to draw your animal. You can take their description and draw their fen monster. When you are done, compare the original drawing to the one your friend drew and see how well you described your animal in words. You could even send your description to a student at another school and see what they draw.

Adapted from: Cedar Bog Education, Ohio Historical Society