Lesson Plan - Monster Mystery

Read the Article

Get the Answer Key

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.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10

 

NCSS: Science, Technology, and Society

Text Structure

Description

1. Preparing to Read

Watch a Video

As you watch the video “Myth or Monster?,” discuss: Why do you think Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster interest so many people around the world? Do you believe these creatures are real? Why or why not?


Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • legend 
  • speculate
  • drones
  • detects


Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them identify one reason people might believe in the Loch Ness monster.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. Why might a fuzzy photograph make it easier to speculate about Nessie’s existence? Sample response: A fuzzy photo might make it easy to speculate about Nessie’s existence because it is hard to see clearly what is happening in the photo. People can see a fuzzy shape and wonder if it is a monster.

(RI.3.3 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.3.5 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 that the creature exists.

(RI.3.1 Inference)


3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Text Evidence

Use the skill builder “Three Truths and a Lie” to have students identify statements that can and cannot be supported by text evidence.

(RI.3.1 Text Evidence)

Differentiate & Extend

Multilingual Learners and Striving Readers  

Support multilingual learners and striving readers by introducing the challenging term Loch Ness before reading the article. Explain that loch is the Scottish Gaelic word for lake.

 

Writing Activity

Have students imagine that searchers at Loch Ness actually find Nessie. Invite them to write narratives about what might happen next. Encourage them to make sure their stories have a strong beginning, middle, and end, as well as plenty of sensory details.

 

Small Group Activity

Have students compare the drawing of the plesiosaur on page 3 with the illustrations of Nessie. 

 

Enrichment Idea

Poll students on whether they think the Loch Ness monster exists. Graph the results.

 

Text-to-Speech