Pacemaker Pack: Unsolved Mysteries (Middle)

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Ages 8 - 10

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Unsolved Mysteries

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

Activities to Extend Talented Students in . te the Regular Classroom o c . che e r o t r s super

Edited by Sandy Tasker. © Ready-Ed Publications - 2006.

Published by Ready-Ed Publications (2006) P.O. Box 276 Greenwood Perth W.A. 6024 Email: info@readyed.com.au Website: www.readyed.com.au COPYRIGHT NOTICE Permission is granted for the purchaser to photocopy sufficient copies for non-commercial educational purposes.

However, this permission is not transferable and applies only to the purchasing individual or institution.

ISBN 1 86397 573 X

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Contents Teachers’ Notes ......................................................................................... Page 4 Student Record Sheet ............................................................................... Page 6 IS NESSIE THERE? .................................................................................... Page 7 WEIGHING UP THE EVIDENCE .................................................................... Page 8

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GOING ON A NESSIE HUNT ........................................................................ Page 9 DIARY OF A DIVER ................................................................................... Page 10 NESS IN THE NEWS ................................................................................. Page 11

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HOAX OF THE YEAR! ................................................................................ Page 12

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CAUGHT RED-HANDED... ........................................................................ Page 13 TRUE TRACKS OR TRICKS? ...................................................................... Page 14

FACE TO FACE ......................................................................................... Page 15 EYEWITNESS REPORT .............................................................................. Page 16

HOW TO CATCH A YETI ............................................................................. Page 17

THOSE PESKY HUMANS .......................................................................... Page 18

DO YOU SEA-MONSTERS?....................................................................... Page 19 © ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons LIVING PROOF? ...................................................................................... Page 20 CRYPTO-ZOO .......................................................................................... Page 21 •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? ............................................................. Page 22 SPACEWORDS ........................................................................................ Page 23

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BECOME A UFOLOGIST... ........................................................................ Page 24

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INTERGALACTIC ART ............................................................................... Page 25 LOOKING FROM THE OUTSIDE ................................................................. Page 26

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HOLIDAY PLANET .................................................................................... Page 27

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FACT OR FICTION .................................................................................... Page 28

A PARTING GIFT ...................................................................................... Page 29 THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE........................................................................ Page 30 TRY THIS ANGLE! .................................................................................... Page 31 MORE THAN A PILE OF ROCKS ................................................................. Page 32 ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ....................................................................................... Page 33 PERFECT PUZZLERS ................................................................................ Page 34 ANSWERS ............................................................................................... Page 35

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Teachers’ Notes This fully revised series was initially devised as a means of providing extension for students within the regular classroom, whilst catering for the needs of the teacher and providing materials that were designed along educationally sound lines.

Although the content and layout for the revised series has been completely updated, the principles behind the series remain the same, using CONTENT LEVELS as a basis for categorising activities.

The key to this approach, which we term the Appropriate Curriculum Model, is that students are presented with activities appropriate to their levels of understanding of the content together with their mastery of the requisite higher-order thinking processes.The levels are an adaptation of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, still a widely accepted and valued model of education.

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Below are the Content Levels and Indicators used in this book:

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Content Level 1

What it means

Content Level 2

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FINDING OUT: Recalling data, showing understanding through restating or extending ideas.

What the student does Answers factual questions, interprets information, describes or illustrates events.

USING INFORMATION: Using information in a new situation through extending or breaking down concepts being studied.

What the student does Problem solving based on knowledge gained. Making assumptions.

What it means

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Content Level 3 •f o rr evi ew pur posesonl y• What it means

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CREATING / EVALUATING: Putting together ideas to develop new products, making judgements based on new information.

What the student does Puts forward theories or original ideas and designs, forms and states opinions on theories.

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Moving Through the Content Levels

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It is important that higher-order activities such as those at Content Level 3 are underpinned with a solid base of knowledge — the tasks and activities aligned with Levels 1 and 2 are designed to establish and expand this. It should never be assumed that students have the requisite content knowledge, but be prepared to advance students quickly to higher-level activities if they demonstrate a sound understanding of the facts and concepts presented in Levels 1 and 2.

In considering the structure of this material, it is envisaged that in the heterogeneous classroom situation, the series can be implemented as follows:

Child Ability Level Interpretation M Above Average ____________ Emphasis on Level 2/3 M Average _________________ Emphasis on Level 2 M Below Average ____________ Emphasis on Level 1 Many pages contain activities from more than one level. In this case, the TIME taken on each part will change focus, according to the outline above. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Teachers’ Notes Using the Pacemaker Packs in the Classroom Promote interest in the theme — set up a classroom learning centre that may contain: • Books and posters; • Models and artefacts; • CD-ROMS; • Art supplies and plenty of writing and drawing paper; • A “theme” table with items brought by students from home.

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Decide on the approach to the theme that suits you and your students best: • Teacher-directed with the whole class completing teacher-assigned sheets at a specified time (teacher records progress).

• Student-directed with students working through materials at their own pace at a specified time (student records progress).

• As an interest-based approach with students working from a selection of photocopied worksheets at their own pace (student monitored and recorded).

• As supplementary materials to a unit of study.

You may wish to use this series as a Learning Centre, with photocopied sheets displayed in pockets that students can select from, perhaps set up like this:

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons IES TERp •f orr ev e ur posesonl y• Sw Y Mi Two covered strawboard sheets, hinged for easy storage and display.

Slots - for title.

Pockets for photocopied Pacemaker sheets.

Instructions for use.

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Relevant resource books for research.

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Relevant resource books for research.

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Before commencing, talk over the activities contained in the book with your class.

Encourage students to broaden their thinking to suit the open-ended nature of the upperlevel activities, helping them to understand that there is not “one correct answer”.

Outline a procedure for the activities: • How will students store and present their completed worksheets? (In a file, a booklet, a plastic sleeve.)

• How can students work on the contents? (Individually, in pairs, in small groups.)

• From where can further research sources be obtained?

• What people or organisations might be able to help?

• How and when will the sheets be available? / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Student Record Sheet

Name: .............................. ..............................

Topic: ________________________________________ Activity

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Date Finished Student Comments

Teacher Comments

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Is Nessie There?

Name: .............................. ..............................

For over 50 years, the Loch Ness monster has been a puzzle that has brought thousands of curious sightseers to this large, deep lake in Scotland.

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Although some reported sightings date back to1871, one of the first official sightings was by a Mr and Mrs McKay, who in 1933 claim to have seen the huge animal rolling and frolicking about in the water close to the lakeside road they were driving along. There were many reports of sightings following the first one, and twelve months later, a London surgeon was able to snap a photograph of the monster that showed a long slender neck and a small head extending some way out of the water.

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Since then, there have been over 3000 reported sightings of “Nessie” (as the monster became known). Over the years, the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau and other groups have used radar and sonar devices, as well as underwater cameras in an attempt to decide whether or not the monster really did exist. To date, no “watertight” evidence has been able to prove the case one way or the other.

The confusion is helped by the fact that hoaxers have faked photographs and sightings, while on other occasions people have been fooled by such things as floating tree trunks and bodies of dead cows and sheep.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons However, it is worth keeping in mind that Loch Ness, at over 300 metres in depth in some •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• places, could provide enough area for a colony of massive underwater beasts to live in.

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If there is such a creature as the Loch Ness monster surviving in the dark waters of the lake, what could it be?

There are some who suggest that is may be a survivor of a prehistoric species, such as the Plesiosaurus.

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Weighing Up The Evidence Use the information sheet “Is Nessie There?” (page 7) to help you complete the work below. Perhaps you could also include some other points about the Loch Ness monster that you have read about.

Name: .............................. ..............................

These words were all mentioned in the story. In the space provided give a meaning for each word. In the box draw a diagram to show how either sonar or radar could be used in the hunt for the Loch Ness monster.

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Sonar: _____________________ __________________________ Radar: _____________________ __________________________ Hoax: ______________________ __________________________ Plesiosaurus: _________________ __________________________ © ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Watertight: __________________

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__________________________________ What do you think?

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Collect all the evidence that you can to fill out the “For” and “Against” columns that Nessie really exists. Work together with a classmate and see if you can reach some conclusion about the Loch Ness monster’s existence.

Against Nessie . te • ____________________________ • ___________________________ o c .

• ____________________________ • ___________________________ che e r o • ____________________________ • ___________________________ t r s s r u e p • ____________________________ • ___________________________ For Nessie

Our conclusions: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Related Learning Outcome: Students will use information from a given text to research word meanings and develop their own conclusions and ideas. Subject Area/s: English - Written Language; Social Studies - Culture & Heritage / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Going On A Nessie Hunt

Name: .............................. ..............................

You are lucky enough to have been asked by the Scottish government to organise an expedition to trap the Loch Ness monster.

In the space below design an invitation to attend the Nessie Hunt and send it to a classmate. You will need to include the information below. Tick ( ) off the circles as you do them.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Name of your organisation

What to wear (swimming gear, raincoat, flippers, etc.)

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Invitation to what, when, where, why?

What to bring (cameras, rope, cage, etc.)

How the hunt is planned

Is there some sort of payment or reward?

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Decorate your invitation to make it look attractive to prospective hunters.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will include logical planning in an imaginative piece.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Diary Of A Diver As the senior diving explorer in a Nessie Hunt, you are required to fill out a diary to show the important parts of the expedition. Make sure you include pictures of the highlights as well as talking about the disappointments.

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Two y a D

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o c . che ....................................................................... e r o t r s super On the back of this sheet, draw a map to show where you travelled in Loch .......................................................................

Ness in your search for Nessie. You may wish to locate a website that shows maps of the area, e.g. www.lochnesscottages.net or look in a book on Scotland.

Design a Nessie-Camp where you and your fellow explorers can stay overnight, making sure that you include a lookout for night-sightings of Nessie.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will adopt the perspective of an imaginary character to write in a diary format.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ness In The News Write a script for a short radio play where a NEWS REPORTER is interviewing a person who has just sighted the Loch Ness monster. Include all details of the sighting and what the excited witness felt about it. To get you started, write five questions that the news reporter might ask:

Name: .............................. ..............................

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[ _____________________________________________________________ \ _____________________________________________________________ Write the script on a separate sheet. Ask your teacher for a tape recorder and record your play with a classmate. Play it to the class.

Design a BOARD GAME called “Hunt for the Loch Ness Monster”, which can be played with four people using dice and counters.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Draw a rough plan below. On the back of this page, write the rules of the game before making yourr proper copy on largep sheet ofp card.

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Get creative with chance cards, challenges, cool counters and spinners

Related Learning Outcome: Students will use a thematic approach to design a radio play script and a board game.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language; Technology - Technological Capability. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Hoax Of The Year!

What if you decided to set up a hoax in Australia — fooling people into thinking that a “Nessie-like” creature existed in a river or lake in your neighborhood.

Name: .............................. ..............................

How would you go about fooling the press and the public? Make some plans for your hoax below:

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1] How would Oz-Ness be first discovered? __________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 2] How would you let the media know? _____________________________

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3] How could your friends help you? Perhaps they could help you “discover” Oz-Ness or help you build the fake monster. _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

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Draw a cartoon strip of how you and your friends manage to pull the hoax off successfully!

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Related Learning Outcome: Students will use imaginative and logical approaches to create a plan for executing a hoax.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language, Visual Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Caught Red-Handed ...

Name: .............................. ..............................

Your secret has been discovered and someone finds out that you have organised the Oz-Ness hoax (p 12).

Fill out the police report below, including a “mug shot” of you in the police station:

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WANTED! or eB st r

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Full Name: __________________________________________________ Age: __________________________ Height ______________________

. te _______________________________________________ o Other Features: c . che e Crime: _____________________________________________________ r o t r s super __________________________________________________________ Eyes: __________________________ Hair: _______________________

Reward: ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ On the back of this page, draw yourself serving out a fitting punishment for your crime!

Related Learning Outcome: Students will combine personal details about themselves using their imagination.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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True Tracks or Tricks?

The Yeti

The Himalayan mountains on the border of Nepal, India and Tibet are believed to be the home of a huge creature known as the Yeti or the “Abominable Snowman”.

Name: .............................. ..............................

The timeline below shows just some of the many Yeti reports: 1800s 1913

Sherpas or mountain people of Nepal and Tibet report on sightings of the Yeti.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Yeti supposedly captures a village Sherpa girl.

The first non-Sherpa explorers on Mt Everest see a number of figures at above 6000 metres and later find some huge footprints in the snow.

Newspaper reports make the Yeti world famous.

1948 1951

A Norwegian prospector claims he was attacked by two Yetis.

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1921

Mountaineer Eric Shipton photographed more footprints.

Each was 23 centimetres long and did not belong to any known animal.

More Yeti stories can be found at: www.legendofyeti.com/ Description: Sherpa descriptions of a Yeti’s size range from being less than a human to reaching 5 metres tall. They have huge hands and feet, long ape-like arms and a rather pointed head.

What do the experts say? The Yeti may be a very large bear or wolf, the large Himalayan langur monkey, a human hermit that lives alone in the mountains, or even a descendant of a huge prehistoric ape.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f or r evi ew p r p ose so nl yin• Bigfoot In North-western USA, au huge man-like creature covered hair is

believed to exist in the mountains. This is known as Sasquatch or Bigfoot.

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Following stories of sightings by the creature believed to exist by Native Americans, the capture of a small Sasquatch is described in a newspaper.

Then the creature mysteriously disappears.

1924: During a hunting and camping trip, a man is captured by what he believes is a Sasquatch family and held captive for six days. He does not tell his story until years later.

1958 A plaster cast of a huge footprint is taken by a road crew working in Northwest Carolina.

1967: Film footage is taken by two men on a Bigfoot expedition. The footage shows a hairy ape-like creature walking on two legs through the forest. Scientists still remain divided on whether this footage is real.

1995: A TV film crew capture a creature walking through forest at twilight. Firstly mistaken for a bear, the film crew follow the creature until it turns around, showing a human-like face.

1988-1996 A white Sasquatch was reported to be seen by three different groups of observers. Each time, similar features were described, including a distinct limp in its gait.

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Face to Face

Name: .............................. ..............................

As a journalist in the American mountains, you meet face to face with Bigfoot. This one happens to be a friendly fellow that has been studying the English language over a number of years. It tells you that you may ask it FIVE questions, each related to a certain topic: Here are the topics for your questions:

•Food and Shelter •Family Life r o e t s B r e •Fears and Hopesoo p u k S

•Bigfoot History •Contacts with Humans

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Below, write YOUR questions and the BIGFOOT’S answers. Remember, you want to find out as much about Bigfoot as possible to report to the outside world.

X Question: _____________________________________________________

Answer: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Question: _____________________________________________________ Answer: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Question: _____________________________________________________ Answer: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Question: _____________________________________________________ Answer: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Question: _____________________________________________________ Answer: ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

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Now: Use your information to write an illustrated story called “Bigfoot —This Is Your Life”. Include pictures of what the Bigfoot might have looked like growing up, with captions providing facts about the pictures.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will plan appropriate interview questions and answers under given topics, using their ideas as the framework for a story.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Eyewitness Report Most creatures such as the Yeti and Bigfoot have rather confusing reports about them. If you lived in the local area, what questions could you ask to get a more ACCURATE picture of what has been seen.

Name: .............................. ..............................

Design an “Eyewitness Form” that people need to fill out as soon as they see the creature. You might like to think about giving space for comments on:

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u SForm 354 674 345 - Official Creature Sighting

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Where and when did you see it, who were you with, what did the creature look like, how did it move, what did it do, how did you feel? Make sure you include some space for sketches of body, face, hands, footprints, etc.

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What steps might be taken to try and make sure that the witness is not lying about their story? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Related Learning Outcome: Students will create a “form” for an imaginary situation.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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How To Catch A Yeti

Name: .............................. ..............................

Use the facts that you know about Yetis, as well as some more research about the Himalayan mountains, to make a set of instructions on how to catch a Yeti.

Get further information from http://library.thinkquest.org/10131/

Use the ideas below to make some notes then make a final copy into a poster, a flow chart or a pamphlet. Make sure you include diagrams.

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1] Where can the Yeti be found? ___________________________________ (Will you include a map?) _______________________________________

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2] How do you get there? _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

3] Who do you need to help? ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ © ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons 4] What equipment is needed for: •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Survival in the freezing, snowy mountains? ________________________

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Capturing and holding the Yeti (without cruelty, of course)? __________ ____________________________________________________________

. te o ____________________________________________________________ c . cdoe e What will youh with the Yeti when you get back home? ____________ r o r st super ____________________________________________________________

5] How will the Yeti be transported back to your country? ______________

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____________________________________________________________ 7] How will you present this information? (Poster /Flow Chart /Pamphlet) ____________________________________________________________

Better get working on it — the Yeti is waiting!

Related Learning Outcome: Students will include considerations of teamwork, personal health and safety in a fictional plan.

Subject Area/s: Health - Healthy Communities & Environments. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Those Pesky Humans Imagine that a group of Yetis had lived peacefully in the Himalayan mountains for many years, until humans discovered them and began trying to find, film and capture them.

Name: .............................. ..............................

Write an amusing Yeti-letter to the “Yeti News” complaining of the constant interruptions by those awful human beings.

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Letters to the Yeti-tor

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A group of frustrated Yetis decide to make plans to stop the humans from invading their privacy. Think of seven ways that the Yetis can use to hide from, escape from, scare or confuse humans.

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1] _____________________________________________________________ 2] 3]

4] _____________________________________________________________ 5] _____________________________________________________________ 6] _____________________________________________________________ 7] _____________________________________________________________ Related Learning Outcome: Students will write a formal letter and think of ideas from a non-human perspective.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language; Social Studies - Culture & Heritage. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Do You “Sea Monsters”?

Name: .............................. ..............................

Our sea is the most unexplored region on earth, with ocean floors reaching so far down that we really cannot be sure that we know of all the creatures that exist in the dark depths.

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In days gone by, huge sea serpents were reported by sailors. In 1947, the ship Santa Clara reported striking a 15 metre long creature which had an eellike head and a one metre diameter body. Most people did not believe the crew’s reports although one, a Frenchman named Bernard Heuvelmans, began recording sightings of sea monsters all over the world. He decided that there are seven different types of monsters that may be swimming the seas.

In the boxes below, draw a rough sketch of what you think each type looked like.

An animal the size of a whale but shaped like an otter.

A long thin whale-like creature with a row of humps along its spine.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

A merhorse with huge eyes and a mane.

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A monster with many fins and a head like a walrus.

. te o c A long-necked monster with a huge, fat body. A super-eel about 18 metres long. . che e r o t r s super

Now, transfer all these facts and diagrams onto a chart, with the heading “Sea Monsters of the World”.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will use brief descriptions to sketch unknown creatures.

Subject Area/s: The Arts - Visual Art. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Living Proof?

Name: .............................. ..............................

Of all the mysterious animals of the sea, the giant squid seems to be the one with the most evidence — several dead or dying giant squids have been washed up on shores or tangled in fishing nets around the world. Other proof includes the presence of giant squid body parts in the stomachs of whales, and enormous sucker marks on the bodies of whales showing evidence of fierce underwater battles between these two enormous creatures.

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Although many seafarers may have exaggerated the size of the giant squid, the proof of its existence leads some people to believe that there are other rare and strange creatures out there.

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Find out more about the giant squid by conducting an Internet search or finding books in your library. On a separate page, write a report that contains the following information: Source: www.mysteries-megasite.com/main/bigsearch/squid.html - Where the giant squid lives.

- What it looks like.

- Descriptions from reported sightings.

- What are its enemies?

- What are some legends about the giant squid?

- What size is the giant squid compared to humans?

Draw a scale diagram by drawing a human swimming next to a giant squid.

- Other interesting facts that you can find out about the giant squid’s body parts, eating habits, etc.

Ten things to do with a giant squid: Imagine that giant squids are actually quite commonly found. What would we do with their flesh, their suckers, their ink, their eyes and their tentacles?

Make a list, including diagrams, of ten things for which we can use this giant creature.

Jot your ideas here before you do a final copy:

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o c . c e her • ____________________________ r • __________________________ o t s s r u e p • __________________________ • ____________________________ • __________________________

• ____________________________

• __________________________

• ____________________________

• __________________________

• ____________________________

Related Learning Outcome: Students will conduct research through books or the Internet and write a brief report under given headings.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Crypto-Zoo

Name: .............................. ..............................

Cryptozoology is the study of animals that have not been proven to exist. Imagine that you are a famous cryptozoologist who has been secretly collecting strange animal specimens over the last ten years.

At last you are ready to show your creatures to the world. You decide to open a zoo that keeps the animals in an enclosure similar to their natural environment, whilst still giving the public a good viewing.

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Listed below are the animals that you have at your zoo. You may do some further research and add some other mysterious animals, including mythical creatures such as the unicorn and extinct animals such as the dodo.

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Make some notes or draw a rough sketch of each enclosure below:

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons ss oot e f N g i h B c o f L• orr evi ew pur posesonl y• nster

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On a separate page, draw an image of what the whole zoo would look like. Think about which enclosures would be close to each other, what the entry would look like, how many staff you will have working there, where the food will be stored.

o c . che e r o t r s up er What will your zoo bes called? ___________________________________

2] List three ways that you will advertise the opening of the zoo: X __________________________________________________________ Y __________________________________________________________ Z __________________________________________________________ Related Learning Outcome: Students will design appropriate environments for fictional creatures and promote their ideas.

Subject Area/s: Technology - Technological Capability; Science - The Living World. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Is There Anybody Out There?

Name: .............................. ..............................

While human beings have probably been puzzled by star movements and sky sightings for hundreds of years, it was not until 1947 that the term Unidentified Flying Object, or UFO, started to mean a strange, unknown flying machine. During that year, an American pilot sighted nine very bright objects travelling at tremendous speed in such a way that they “looked like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water”. The newspapers, on reporting the pilot’s experiences, used the term “FLYING SAUCERS” and since then, thousands of similar sightings have proved a real unsolved mystery.

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r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Photographs and film have been taken of UFOs showing a variety of shapes - saucers, domes and spheres. Air force authorities in the Uunited States and other countries are able to explain many sightings as planets, meteors, weather balloons, cloud formations and lightning. Others have proven to be hoaxes or optical illusions. However, there are still a number of sightings that have seemed unexplainable — true UFOs.

While officials often scoff, it is a fact that many UFO sightings have been made by people normally thought to be reliable and sane! One, a policeman in New Mexico, USA, claimed to have come across an oval silvery-white object slowly coming to land. When he investigated, he found two human-looking beings about the size of ten year olds standing by the object. Shortly they reentered the craft which took off and silently sped away. Later, investigators found strange burn marks on the ground where the policeman saw the craft.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Similar marks have been found in Western Australia. In 1978 a government worker discovered a • or r e vi e pu r po se sPerth. on l y row of fivef rings burned deeply intow the earth at Sawyer’s Valley near Each ring• was about

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five metres across and there was no apparent reason for them being there. In 1980 a farmer in WA found smaller but similar marks that left deep impressions in one of his paddocks. The farmer pointed out that his 14 tonne truck left little impression on the soft ground and that whatever had made the marks must have weighed at least 100 tonnes.

There have been many pictures of large “crop circles”, flattened areas of crops in farming fields that form unusual shapes. There are several theories on how people have used instruments to create these circles as a hoax.

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Astronauts too, have reported seeing UFOs while they were orbiting in space, with over 20 astronauts having made UFO reports during the American space programme.

Some people claim to have actually met aliens or been taken aboard their craft for investigations.

There are many reports of people communicating in a telepathic or “mind reading” manner, and other reports of people with strange marks on their body, thinking that they have been “tested”.

Many people believe that there are secret government agencies that have specimens of spacecraft and are testing them. Others simply have a firm belief that there is other life out there in the universe that are watching our planet.

What do you think???

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Spacewords

Name: .............................. ..............................

Visit a website (http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/ufo.htm) or read some books on UFOs and alien beings, and answer the following questions:

What is a UFOLOGIST? ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

r o e t s Bo r e pof the FIRST KIND: ok X Close Encounters u .....................................................................

S ..................................................................... ..................................................................... .....................................................................

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Close Encounters are categorised into three “kinds”.

Describe and illustrate the following:

Y Close Encounters of the SECOND KIND: .....................................................................

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Z Close Encounters of the THIRD KIND: .....................................................................

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. te o c ..................................................................... . che e r o Draw a picture of the UFO that gave us the term “FLYING SAUCER”. t r s super ..................................................................... .....................................................................

UFO

Out! d n i F -U

Related Learning Outcome: Students will explore terminology linked with unexplained mysteries.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language, Visual Language; The Arts - Visual Art. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Become A Ufologist

Name: .............................. ..............................

Conduct some research and make some notes about what you can find out on the following.

Visit: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AndyPage/ufosight.htm

X UFOs that are ILLUSIONS: _____________________________________

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____________________________________________________________

Y How a UFO HOAX could be set up: ______________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons • f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• UFO sightings that seem to be BELIEVABLE to you: _______________ ____________________________________________________________

Z

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____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

. te that seem to be NONSENSE to you: ________________ UFO sightings o c . che ____________________________________________________________ e r o t r s super ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

[

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Visit a site such as www.zerotime.com/ufo/shapes/ Describe and draw the different types and shapes of UFOs that have been reported over the years. Use the back of this sheet.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will develop their own interpretations of information that they have researched.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Intergalactic Art

Name: .............................. ..............................

Imagine that you are making a display for a UFO centre.

You need to make some models, but these models need to be based on actual sightings that have been reported.

Firstly, use your research on the different shapes of UFOs (page 24) to make a mobile.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Draw your plan for a mobile here.

Next, investigate some of the different types of aliens that have been sighted.

Check out www.mufor.org/aliens.htm Choose the one you think is most believable and make a model out of clay or Plasticine.

Draw your plan for your model here.

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Draw how you will set up your display. You will need to include models, pictures and some written information. How will you get people to be interested in your display?

o c . che e r o t r s super

Related Learning Outcome: Students will use their own research to create displays for the classroom.

Subject Area/s: The Arts - Visual Art; Technology - Technological Capability. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Looking From The Outside Science fiction films such as “ET” or “Men in Black” give us an imaginary look at what some of our alien visitors might look like. But what might they think about human beings?

Name: .............................. ..............................

On the “postcard” below, write from an alien’s point of view: “Greetings from Earth”.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Dear _______________

.................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... ....................................................................................

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Just arrived on planet Earth — you wouldn’t believe what it is like here... ................................

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•f orr evi ew pur pose sonl y• .................................................................................... ....................................

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Write or draw FIVE ways that an alien visitor might show that they come in peace:

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o c . che e ______________________________________________________________ r o t r s super ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Related Learning Outcome: Students will investigate a situation from a different perspective.

Subject Area/s: Social Studies - Place & Environment; English - Written Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Holiday Planet

Name: .............................. ..............................

Ufologists seem to think that the beings from other planets who visit us in their UFOs are far more advanced than we are.

What if the visits to Earth were simply families and tourists from some other galaxy on sight seeing tours during their annual holidays?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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What do you think a travel brochure telling about “backward” Earth might look like? Make some rough notes on this page, and then make a final copy into a booklet. Mail it to the travel agency on Alpha Centuri for approval.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons • Where to stay?

•f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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• What to eat?

• Places to see.

o c . che e • Ancient artefacts still r o r st used by human beings. super • Facts about Earthlings.

• How to avoid being spotted by Earthlings.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will look at our planet and the way we live from a different perspective.

Subject Area/s: Social Studies - Culture & Heritage, Place and Environment. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Fact Or Fiction

Name: .............................. ..............................

Do UFOs and aliens really exist, or are we just getting carried away with all the science fiction movies?

Decide whether you think aliens exist: YES or NO

Now, give five researched reasons or facts that support your view.

Be prepared to present your argument to your teacher or your class:

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Y _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Z _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

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Do a quick class tally — do aliens exist?

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No

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Place the total on the graph:

Where did you find your facts?

Write a reference list here:

• _________________________

20

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• _________________________

10

-

• _________________________ Yes

No

Related Learning Outcome: Students will form an opinion on a two-sided issue, giving reasons for their choice; and investigate classmates’ views. Subject Area/s: Social Studies - Culture & Heritage, Maths - Statistics. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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A Parting Gift

Name: .............................. ..............................

A friendly alien has been visiting you in secret for the last week. When it is time to go home, you decide to give him one gift so he can remember his time on Earth.

1] What do you give him? _________________________________________ 2] Why did you choose this gift? ___________________________________

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Draw a cartoon strip of you giving your alien friend the gift, what his reaction is, and then how he heads back to his home planet.

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Write your final goodbye message to your intergalactic visitor inside this farewell card.

Dear ...................................

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. t e o ................................................................................. c . c e her r ................................................................................. o t s super ................................................................................. .................................................................................

................................................................................. ................................................................................. .................................................................................

Related Learning Outcome: Students will create a story in the form of a cartoon.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language, Visual Language. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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The Bermuda Triangle

Name: .............................. ..............................

The Bermuda Triangle is supposedly a mysterious area of sea between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. This area has produced countless reports of disappearing ships and planes, as well as many stories of ghost ships. Ship’s instruments are also said to be greatly affected because of magnetic disturbances.

Many disappearances have been explained by natural causes. Some scientists are adamant that there are no more accidents over the Bermuda Triangle than anywhere else in the world. The area is afflicted by high seas and storms, which could certainly explain many disappearances. Despite reassurances, some superstitious travellers refuse to fly or sail over the area.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Use an atlas to find the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Copy the map into the space below and shade the triangle in your favourite mysterious colour.

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Do some further reading on the Bermuda Triangle. Make a list of five mysterious disappearances that are supposed to have happened. Visit this site: www.bermuda-triangle.org for further information.

X Y

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Z _____________________________________________________________ [ _____________________________________________________________ \ _____________________________________________________________ Write a poem inspired by the Bermuda Triangle. Decorate your poem with images of this area of sea.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will conduct research on the location and background of the Bermuda Triangle.

Subject Area/s: Social Studies - Place and Environment. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Try This Angle!

Name: .............................. ..............................

In the triangles below are many theories as to WHY ships and planes suddenly disappear in the Bermuda Triangle.

In each idea, explain HOW this explanation might lead to the loss of a ship.

You may need to do some more reading on some. Also try: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002228F/Theories/theories.htm

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S “Death rays” from the lost continent of Atlantis

The Sargasso Sea

Black holes

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Shade in the realistic explanations in red, and the unlikely ones in green.

Water Spouts

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Coral reefs

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Seaquakes

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Time warps Astrological © Read yEdPubl i cat i o ns (star / planet) influences •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

o c . che e r o t r s super Human error

Magnetic faults Choose your favourite from the unlikely green explanations and write an imaginative and interesting news report on your discovery of this as being the true answer to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will research and evaluate a variety of explanations for the Bermuda Triangle.

Subject Area/s: English - Written Language; Social Studies - Culture & Heritage. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ready-Ed Publications

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More Than A Pile Of Rocks

Name: .............................. ..............................

Stonehenge is the ruined remains of an ancient site in Southern England.

Over 1400 years from 3100 BC, people moved and modelled earth and stone to create a series of rings. Many people would recognise the sight of huge stones balanced on the top of other stones.

Teac he r

There are several mysteries surrounding Stonehenge, including exactly who built it, why they built it, and how they managed to move the massive stones over long distances to the site using only primitive tools and equipment.

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Many believe that the site was used to carry out rituals and festivals, or used as a burial site for important citizens. Scientists have also discovered that the positions of the stones line up with many astrological activities such as solstices and equinoxes. There will always be arguments against these theories. No bones have been found in the area to indicate that it was used as a burial site, and many believe the position of the stones in relation to the sun and stars is just a coincidence. Of course there are always the more unusual theories such as one that involves the site as a landing ground for UFOs.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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Today, Stonehenge is a major tourist destination of travellers to England.

In the space, design a Stonehenge souvenir that people might wish to buy. It could be a t-shirt, an ornament, a toy, a food item or a useful household object.

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Although many will argue on these theories, nobody can question the fact that Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous mysterious structures, and with a highway built just by this ancient monument, thousands of tourists flock every year to see this incredible structure for themselves .

o c . che e r o t r s sup er Find several pictures of the different angles of Stonehenge. Use dominoes to try and re-create the layout of the structure. How far can you get before they all topple over?

Visit http://www.aboutstonehenge.info/ for some images and information.

Draw a diagram showing what you think Stonehenge looked like during an ancient festival.

Related Learning Outcome: Students will use information to create souvenir designs and other representations of the subject.

Subject Area/s: Technology - Technological Capability; The Arts - Visual Arts. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Rock’n Roll Many people have wondered how Stonehenge (read page 32) was constructed thousands of years ago.It appears that the ancient people did have boats or rafts of some description, but what did they use to drag the heavy stones, some weighing up to 25 tonnes each, across land? That’s about at heavy as 25 cars!!

Name: .............................. ..............................

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Design a method of dragging the huge stones over long distances without using any modern machinery, not even horses and carts!

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Draw your idea on this page with a description of how it works.

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Related Learning Outcome: Students will devise a method of moving large stones with limited resources.

Subject Area/s: Social Studies - Time, Continuity and Change; Technology - Technological Capability. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Perfect Puzzlers - Is your spare time a mystery? Puzzle yourself with these ideas:

FINDING OUT • Interview someone who believes in UFOs, or perhaps someone that claims they have seen one. Carefully prepare your questions so that they do not criticise the person for their beliefs.

Try to focus on evidence and facts. Compose your story in a magazine-style article.

• Find out about the latest technology that is helping to solve the secret of your favourite mystery.

Write a short description on how this technology works. What has it allowed us to discover?

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

• Find out what you can about the size of a Yeti or Bigfoot footprint. Draw it on a piece of paper, measuring carefully, and then trace your own footprint inside. Can you imagine something with feet this big?

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USING

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• Set up a “Sceptics Society” - a group of people that set about proving that mysteries such as those in this book can all be explained. Collect evidence by researching one or more topics in this book and compile a Fact Page listing reasons why the subject does not exist, or giving other scientific explanations.

• Find an object at home or in the classroom. Imagine that this object is the one single item found thousands of years from now, buried under the ground. All evidence of OUR civilisation has vanished. Pretend you are a futuristic scientist. Write a report on what you THINK this mysterious object was used for.

• Using the information that you have gathered on Bigfoot and the Yeti, make a Venn Diagram that shows the differences and similarities between the two creatures.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

• Many people who have sighted strange creatures have drawn pictures from memory after the incident. How accurate is YOUR memory? Ask a classmate to find a picture of a strange creature. Get them to wave it in front of you for 30 seconds only. In about 20 minutes, try and draw a perfect image of what you saw. Compare it to the original picture to see how accurate you were.

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• Use your knowledge on unsolved mysteries to make another puzzle - a crossword for your classmates.

• Many people over time have tried to communicate with life on other planets by building large structures to show that there is intelligent life on Earth. Ideas have included planting huge patches of crops in contrasting colours and shapes, or setting fire to a large man-made “lake” topped with kerosene in the Sahara Desert. What would YOU do on Earth that might me seen from a distance far away? Write about or draw your plan.

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• Imagine that a local police station gets many residents claiming that they have seen UFOs. Make a poster giving the police five tips for calming the townsfolk down after their frightening experience.

• You are a researcher that is interested in many different types of unexplained mysteries, like the ones in this book. You travel around the world, interviewing people and go out to investigate these mysteries for yourself. Design a special vehicle that is equipped to handle the ocean (the Bermuda Triangle), snow-capped mountains (the Himalayan home of the Yeti), thick forests (Bigfoot territory), cold lakes (Loch Ness) and even outer space (UFOs). Think about what the vehicle needs to cover a variety of terrain, cope with temperature extremes, see long distances and record findings.

• Write an imaginary script for the radio contact between an American base and an army plane that is just about to disappear into the Bermuda Triangle — will any clues be revealed before contact is lost? / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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• Write a Native American Indian (tribal) song about Bigfoot. Use percussion instruments to perform your song.

• Invent and write your OWN explanation for why a certain mystery exists. See how many people think your ideas could be believable.

• The elusive Loch Ness monster is finally hunted down. Draw a picture of the event with the successful hunters, a family living nearby, the owners of a Loch Ness tourist centre and poor old Nessie herself. Above each character in the scene draw a “thought cloud” and write thoughts on the capture from each character’s point of view.

• Write a plot outline for a sequel to a movie about an unexplained mystery.

r o e t s Bo r e Weighing Upp The Evidence ok u S Answers

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Sonar: A system using transmitted and reflected underwater soundwaves to find objects / measure water depth.

Radar: A method of detecting distant objects by analysis of very high frequency radio waves reflected from their surfaces.

Hoax: A trick, story or practical joke, usually for the advantage of the hoaxer.

Plesiosaurus: A large extinct marine reptile having paddle-like limbs.

Watertight: Having no flaws or loopholes.

FOR NESSIE AGAINST NESSIE -Reports of visual sightings/number of sightings. -Many sightings have been hoaxes.

-Photographic evidence.

-Many sightings have been illusions or other animals/objects.

-Depth of the lake; could possibly house a -A significant number of creatures are required for breeding. large creature.

-Other unusual creatures have been found at -The cold water environment of the Loch is not suitable to great ocean depths. house certain animals.

-Nessie could be a “refugee” from the sea and -Sonar and Radar equipment has found little evidence to has lived for over a hundred years. support Nessie’s existence.

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Living Proof?

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• Where the giant squid lives: Northern Atlantic, from Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico; northern Norway; northern Pacific from the Bering Sea to the Sea of Japan: southern Japan, Hawaii and California. It is also found in the Southern Ocean, mostly in deep seas.

• What it looks like: 6-18 metres long, 50-300 kilograms in weight, large eyes, a beak-like mouth, eight arms and two long tentacles.

• Descriptions from reported sightings. A few live sightings have been reported but not recorded.

About 200 squid carcasses have been washed up or tangled in fishing equipment.

• What are its enemies? Whales, such as the sperm whale, are its main enemy.

• What are some legends about the giant squid? The Kraken — a many-armed animal attacks a ship; creature in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; numerous reported sightings of sea monsters and attacks by sailors of the past.

• What size is the giant squid compared to humans? Draw a scale diagram by drawing a human swimming next to a giant squid.

• Other interesting facts: They have the largest eyes in the animal Kingdom, they eat other squid. Their oesophagus runs though their brain.

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Spaceword What is a UFOLOGIST? Someone who studies unidentified flying objects Close Encounters of the FIRST KIND: A UFO in close proximity of the observer (150 metres or less).

Close Encounters of the SECOND KIND: UFO that leaves marks on the ground, causes burns or other physical symptoms to humans or animals, interferes with machinery or TV / radio reception.

Close Encounters of the THIRD KIND: Seeing aliens inside or close to a UFO. There are also Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind (alien abduction stories) and Fifth Kind (communicating with an alien).

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The Bermuda Triangle

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Location of the Bermuda Triangle.

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Try This Angle!

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The Sargasso Sea - A large area of very calm, still water exists within the bounds of the Bermuda triangle. Before powered boats it was possible to stay in this area indefinitely due to no winds.

Sailors could have dwindled their supplies and starved to death.

“Death rays” from the lost continent of Atlantis - Atlantis is believed to be a civilisation that has since been covered by water. One theory thinks that attacking rays from the submerged civilisation attacks boats and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.

Water Spouts - Tornado-like formations across the ocean may suck up and destroy ships and aircraft.

Black holes - Areas exist where the gravitational pull is so strong that all objects in its vicinity get sucked into it.

Coral reefs - Ships run aground on coral and are destroyed.

Astrological (star/planet) influences - Interplanetary forces cause craft to go missing in this area.

Time warps - Craft are sucked into a time warp that takes them to another time or place.

Storms - Fierce storms wreck ships so that little evidence of them remains.

Seaquakes - Underwater quakes disturb water and cause freak waves that can crash over ships and destroy them.

Magnetic faults - Changes in the magnetic fields around the area disturb navigation processes.

Human error - Navigation errors cause ships to get lost or run aground.

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