May 23, 2012
Good morning, and welcome to Writing Wednesday, where every week there is a new opportunity to publish your creative writing on the Seymour Science blog. This week, we are asking you to read an excerpt from Seymour Simon’s book ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES, and then do your own research about sharks!
From ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES, by Seymour Simon
The shark is the most feared animal in the sea. Some sharks are large and dangerous. Others are just a few feet long and eat small fish. Sharks come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. Hammerheads, tiger sharks, and mako sharks have powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth. Some sharks can bite three hundred times harder than a human.
The most dangerous shark is the great white shark. It usually swims in the open sea. But sometimes a great white shark may attach and kill swimmers with no warning. It may even attack small boats. Its large, saw-edged teeth can rip through wood and even metal. The great white shark has a huge appetite and will eat any animal or person that it finds in its path.
Your assignment: After reading about this misunderstood animal, do some research of your own. Decide whether you agree or disagree with the author’s point of view. Go to the library or use the Internet to find other sources that will help you learn about sharks. Are these animals worthy of love, or are they just a menace? Give details and solid evidence to support your opinion.
When you are finished writing, click on the yellow "Comments" at the bottom of this post to enter your writing!
Photo: Al Giddings
Note to Educators
Note to Educators: Today’s Writing Wednesday exercise is designed to use in support of CCSS standards RI.8: Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text; W.1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons; and W.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Posted by: Liz Nealon
