Current Events Lesson Plan: April 29 – May 4, 2016
Current Event: Monster Monday: Loch Ness Search Discovers Monster!
Researchers recently announced that they had discovered the remains of a monster during an underwater survey of Loch Ness, a deep lake in northern Scotland. However, experts quickly realized that the object they detected was the remains of a model of the Loch Ness monster that was used as a prop for a motion picture, and not the actual Loch Ness monster itself. The Loch Ness monster is a legendary animal that some people believe lives in the lake. According to the most common descriptions, the monster has flippers; one or two humps; a thick, tapering tail; and a long, slender neck. Some believe the Loch Ness creature may be related to a dinosaurlike reptile. But no scientific evidence has been found to support any of these claims, and most biologists believe the monster does not exist. Several scientific expeditions have explored the waters of Loch Ness, including one sponsored by World Book in the 1960’s. Yet none of these expeditions has produced any clear evidence for the monster’s existence.
Objective:
Cryptozoology is the study of unknown or undiscovered creatures. Cryptozoologists conduct their research under the assumption that many legends of monstrous creatures, such as Bigfoot, dragons, the Loch Ness monster, and the Yeti (also called the Abominable Snowman) may have a basis in real living things. Some of these beasts may yet exist undiscovered. A potentially undiscovered creature is sometimes referred to as a cryptid. Cryptids are typically known through legends and unknown to science. Today, several individuals and groups investigate various mysterious creatures. They argue that several animals, such as the gorilla and the okapi, were once unknown to science and that other creatures may still be discovered. However, the search for Bigfoot and other cryptids has been marked by sensational hoaxes. Cryptozoology remains a popular subject for books, websites, and television shows. However, most scientists dismiss cryptozoology as a pseudoscience (false science). The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore the Loch Ness monster and other legendary creatures.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about Scotland. (They might say Scotland is in Europe; it is one of the four major political divisions that make up the United Kingdom; Edinburgh is its capital, and Glasgow is its largest city; golf and soccer are popular sports in Scotland.)
2. Macbeth, the subject of a play by the famous English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, was king of Scotland from 1040 to 1057. Have your students name some other plays attributed to Shakespeare. (They might say Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.)
3. Ask your students whether they think the Loch Ness monster or other cryptids exist.
4. Ask your students why they think cryptozoology is a popular subject for many people.