Lesson Plan: The Great Sea Monster Mystery/Mermaid or Manatee?

Essential Questions

• How do scientists study hard-to-access animals?
• Why do humans create stories to explain the unknown?

Literature Connection

• Nonfiction: Grayson by Lynne Cox 
• Novel: Sasquatch by Roland Smith

Activate Prior Knowledge (5 minutes)

Give students a minute or two to list mythical creatures they can think of (examples: dragons, unicorns, mermaids, Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster). Ask why they think people believe tales of these creatures. After a brief discussion, tell students that they will read two articles about  how people came up with fantastical stories to explain what they couldn’t understand.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the title and subtitle (the text below the title) of the first article. Why do you think the creature in the illustration caused fear among humans? Why do you think scientists have had a hard time proving it was real? Sample answer: The creature in the illustration looks scary. It could use its tentacles to grab things. It also looks very large. Scientists may have had a hard time proving it was real if the creatures were hard to find; for example, if they lived very deep underwater.
• Read the title and subtitle of the second article, and look at the images included with it. How would you describe the mermaid? How would you describe the manatee? Sample answers: The mermaid looks scary. It’s frowning, and its rib cage is showing. The manatee is cute. It is chubby and looks a bit like a land animal.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (tentacles, hacked, captivity, depths, mammal) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles discuss what kinds of mysterious creatures people have found underwater and how they’ve reacted to them. 
• Tell students that after they read, they’ll synthesize information from the article to better understand the mysteries of the deep sea.

Guide students to read the articles. Once they understand them well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

• In the first article, what does the term tall tale mean? What context clue helps you understand what the term means? (vocabulary) Sample answer: The term tall tale means something like “made-up story.” The clue to its meaning is the sentence that says there were hints that the kraken might be real. We can tell from this sentence that a tall tale is the opposite of something real.
• What are some reasons giant squid are hard to find? (key details) They live thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean. They also have huge eyes that help them to see danger.
• In the first article, what is the central idea of the section “It’s Alive”? (central idea) The central idea of this section is that scientists have gotten close to catching a live adult giant squid but have never succeeded.
• According to the second article, what are some ways manatees and other sea cows are similar to humans?  (compare and contrast) Manatees and other sea cows breathe air. In addition, some stand upright on their tails in shallow water, similar to the way a human stands upright.

Critical-Thinking Questions (15 minutes)

• Why do you think humans are interested in mysterious creatures in the deep sea? (critical thinking) Sample answer: We are a curious species. We like to explore and expand our knowledge of the world. Learning about animals that live in remote places can teach us about our environment and help us try to protect it.
• In “The Great Sea Monster Mystery,” we learn about humans’ reactions to contact with giant squids: mostly fear and some curiosity. What about the giant squids’ reactions to contact with humans? How do you imagine the squids felt when they saw ships for the first time? How might their reaction explain their behavior? (critical thinking) The squids were probably scared when they saw ships for the first time. They might have thought that the ships were giant creatures that were trying to harm them. This would explain why they attacked the ships. Another possible explanation is that the squids were simply curious about the ships, and they were using their tentacles to feel around in order to better understand what they were seeing. 
• Do you think humans have the right to capture giant squids for scientific study, knowing that they might accidentally harm or even kill the squids in the process? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Encourage students to consider the fact that scientists largely believe that squids can feel pain, just as land animals can. It’s important to weigh the benefits to our scientific understanding of the giant squid against the potential pain and suffering of the individual animal.

• Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete our Synthesizing Skill Builder.  (Click here to view all of your Skill Builders.)
• Writing Prompt: Reread the opening section of “The Great Sea Monster Mystery,” which describes Theophilus Picot’s experience with a giant squid. Now pretend you’re the squid. Write a paragraph describing what happened from your point of view as a giant squid. (For instance, you might start with, “I was swimming along, looking for food, when I felt something poke me.” )