What a Wonderful Resource!

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: IT’S ALIVE!
Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower—a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn’t live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest?Acclaimed authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson have teamed up to create a series of sneaky stories about the natural world designed to amaze, disgust, and occasionally bamboozle you. (Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins, June 2017)



Over the next few weeks in library, we will be using this book as a jumping off point for learning about new and interesting plants and animals, while also delving into research strategies.  In this age of news versus propaganda, students need to be more vigilant consumers of information. This book provides an excellent platform for creating this dialogue.  In addition, the authors and other teacher-librarians have provided resources to use in class to help students start to question what they read and are told on the internet.

Week One - 

We are reading Chapter Two together, and then each group will try to decide which article was the fake.  They have to give me one reason why they thought it was the fake, then I revealed which one was a lie.  We talk about what they noticed that made them think it was fake, i.e. images that looked fake, more or less scientific references, unrealistic facts, etc.

Week Two - 

We are reading Chapter Five together.  Each student has a copy of the chapter for reference.  After reading, each student will use this list of resources:

Chapter 5: Medium Animals

A. Invasion of the Tree Octopods
Columbia Tribune: http://www.columbiatribune.com/1c5d9e44-f3c6-5326-be8e-d6047f3663a6.html
University of California: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/inverts/mollusca/cephalopoda.php
Zapatopi: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/animal/octopus-mollusk

B. The Extraordinary, Extra-Cranial Life of Mike Modern Farmer
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/08/heres-chicken-can-live-without-head/
Scientifc American: https://blogs.scientifcamerican.com/running-ponies/meet-miracle-mike-the-chicken-who-lived-for-18-months-without-his-head/
Time: http://time.com/3524433/life-with-mike-the-headless-chicken-photos-of-a-famously-tough-fowl/
BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34198390

C. Olmy Goodness, Tiny Dragons!
AmphibiaWeb: http://amphibiaweb.org/species/4229
IUCN Species Programme: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18377/0
Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/05/28/olm_proteus_anguinus_also_known_as_baby_dragons_live_in_slovenia.html
Postojnska: https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/come-and-visit-us/vivarium-proteus/

This is a resource list of all of the websites used to research each of the articles in the book.  Students can review these resources and then decide which article is the lie.  The idea is to evaluate the sources of information before making a final decision about the content.

If you would like more information about this book and the resources available, check out Laurie Ann Thompson's website and this great set of resources, created by Suzanne Costner.