If you could have an animal body, what creature would you be? Why? Draw your dream and then spin a tale about your adventures.

• 1.

  Choose an animal! What animal characteristic would you like to experience? Would you run like the wind on four legs? Or fly over your house with strong wings? Or swim to ocean depths using your flippers and tail? Use your imagination to dream up a new way of seeing your head combined with an animal, fish, or bird body.

• 2.

  Use Crayola® Color Switchers™ Markers to fill in the background first.

• 3.

  Flip the Marker and apply the special color switcher to create interesting and zany features to your nonsense creature.

• 4.

  Write an imaginative story. With Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils, write a creative story about your adventures. Tell where you live and what you eat. Do you pal around with your old friends?

Standards

• LA: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
• LA: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting or plot.
• LA: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.
• Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
• SCI: Use diagrams and physical models to support the explanation of how the external parts of animals and plants help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.
• VA: Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning.

Adaptations

• Working in teams of two or small groups, students discuss the major parts of animals and/or insects they are familiar with already. Students collaborate to create an original animal or insect that can perform a specific task such as carry books to class, doing chores for children, etc. Students write or audio-record the parts of their original animal and how they work. Students also create a sketch of their new animal or insect to accompany the writing or audio-recording.
• Students work in teams of two to discuss their background knowledge regarding animals or insects. Student "A" describes to student "B" his favorite animal, without naming the animal. Students include in their descriptions what tasks the animal or insect can accomplish. The second student listens carefully to the directions and creates a sketch of what they interpret. Show student "A" the sketch. How close did student "B" come? What is the animal/insect? Reverse roles; student "B" describes an animal or insect to student "A" and a second sketch is created.