The Loch Ness Monster Lesson : 9 Grade 6

Introduction Today’s lesson is about the elusive Loch Ness Monster and Trees. The lesson will teach you to paraphrase and summarize text, to recall, inform, or organize ideas. A good summary usually tells what the whole story is about but focuses only on the supporting details included in the story. 2

The Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland that holds the largest volume of freshwater in the United Kingdom. But rather than being known for its size, it is famous for the mysterious legend of the Loch Ness monster. The Loch Ness monster is the most debated, mythical creature, and the most commonly speculated one to be from a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs, that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. For hundreds of years, people have reported catching a glimpse of a huge creature in the lake while others have shared photos they claim to have taken of this sea creature. The legend is so great that even scientists have been intrigued and many have conducted experiments and come up with theories to try and explain what people could be witnessing. 3

The Loch Ness Monster It has been proposed that Nessie as the Loch Ness monster is commonly called could be a prehistoric creature called a plesiosaur, an animal that spanned up to ten meters in length and has long been considered to be extinct. Adrian Shine, the leader of a British team called the Loch Ness Project, has spent over 30 years trying to rationally explain the monster sightings by researching the ecology of the region. If in fact a large creature was living in the lake, there would have to be evidence of a food chain for it to survive. A creature like the Loch Ness monster would most likely eat fish, which in turn would live off large quantities of microscopic animals called zooplankton. There would have to be enough zooplankton in the lake to support populations of larger animals. In addition, if creatures similar to plesiosaurs lived in the waters of the Loch Ness, they would be seen very frequently as they would have to surface several times a day to breathe. 4

The Loch Ness Monster Eye witnesses have often mentioned seeing an animal throwing back its long neck from the water, but Forrest claims that plesiosaurs couldn’t do that. The simple fact is that a plesiosaur’s neck is too stiff. The bones of the neck interlock and there are tall spines on top of them so the neck can’t go straight out of the water, he says. But it is not impossible for prehistoric creatures to still be around today. In 1938, South African fishermen caught a gigantic fish that turned out to be a Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish thought to be extinct for the past 80 million years. Because of murky water filled with peat, it has been hard for divers to properly investigate the depths of the Loch Ness and the life that exists there. The advent of SONAR*, a measuring instrument that sends sound waves into water and measures distance by calculating the time it takes for an echo to travel back to the source has proved to be useful for probing the mystery since the waves can detect any objects that come in their way. *abbreviation for Sound Navigation And Ranging 5

The Loch Ness Monster In 1987, Operation Deepscan took place - the biggest SONAR exploration of Loch Ness. Boats equipped with SONAR were deployed across the whole width of the lake and they simultaneously sent out acoustic waves. BBC News reported that the scientists had made sonar contact with a large unidentified object of unusual size and strength. The researchers decided to return to the same spot and re-scan the area. 10. After analyzing the SONAR images, it seemed to point to debris at the bottom of the lake, although three of the pictures were of moving debris. Shine speculates that they could be seals that got into the lake, since they would be of about the same magnitude as the objects detected. But no one has been able to confirm their identity. 11. Similarly, many people have captured photos of monster-like creatures that have never been explained. Many have been dismissed as forgeries, others were artists impressions. The most trusted one was called the Surgeon’s’ Photo, since it was taken by well-respected surgeon Robert Wilson. 6

The Loch Ness Monster 12. For about 50 years, the true story behind the picture was a mystery, but it was finally revealed to be a hoax started by a man called Marmaduke Wetherall. Attempting to prove to the world that Nessie exists, Wetherall had already claimed to have found monster-sized footprints near the Loch, but when the casts he sent to the Natural History Museum in London were analyzed, they were found to be hippopotamus tracks! As revenge, he made a model of the monster and photographed it on Loch Ness. He managed to persuade Wilson to pass it off as his own, since he knew that no one would believe him after his hippo prank. 13. Although the sightings could be hoaxes, there could be geological interpretations: seismic activity in the lake could cause disturbances on its surface that could be mistaken for Nessie. Over 200 years ago, a major earthquake with its epicenter in Lisbon, Portugal caused water disturbances in the Loch more than 1500 km away. Reports state that a wave about two or three feet high was seen traveling up and down Loch Ness, says Robert Musson, the principal seismologist at the British Geological Survey. 7

The Loch Ness Monster 14. But should geological explanations fail, psychology may be able to provide some insight. Helen Ross, a psychologist and expert on illusions, thinks that myth is so powerful that people can convince themselves that an ordinary object floating in the water is a monster. When something really ambiguous is there, people often don’t know what they’re seeing and they can see all sorts of strange things, she says. It’s a bit like seeing faces in the fire or ink blots appearing as all sorts of creatures. 15. Until physical evidence of the Loch Ness monster is found like the creature itself or its skeleton it may be hard to convince most scientists that it exists. Perhaps the sightings are simply an example of the human fascination for mystery and intrigue, and the awe that many people have for the natural world. 8

Check Your Understanding What is the story about? a. it is a true story set in the beautiful scenario of the Scottish Highlands b. some quarrelsome scientists, each of whom is trying to prove their theory c. an imaginary monster that is supposed to live in a lake called Loch Ness d. theories of people’s vivid imagination and the power of hallucination 9

Check Your Understanding Who or what is Nessie supposed to be? a. a ghostly apparition or phantom b. a long-surviving plesiosaurs, now extinct c. an oversized frightening eerie looking sea monster d. an evil spirit that surfaces occasionally in the lake which is something very typical in Scotland 10

Check Your Understanding Where is the immediate setting of the passage? a. lonely uninhabited open areas of Scotland b. jungles that dot Scotland c. haunted mountain areas where people seldom go d. a huge lake in Scotland 11

Check Your Understanding 4. What is the Loch Ness famous for? a. its size – it holds the largest volume of freshwater in UK b. its beautiful natural surroundings c. the huge variety and quantity of rare fish found in the waters d. for the mysterious legend of the Loch Ness monster 12

Check Your Understanding Eye witnesses have often claimed seeing an animal throwing back its long neck from the water…. What is the scientific explanation that denies this claim? a. a plesiosaur’s neck is too stiff and the bones of the neck are interlocked so it is not possible b. a plesiosaur does not need to breathe air, so it need not come out of the water c. the lungs of a plesiosaur are naturally filled with oxygen bags, so there is no need of one to surface out of the water d. a plesiosaur swallows live and whole fish and other underwater creatures that give out enough oxygen supplies 13

Check Your Understanding What prevents underwater divers from properly investigating the depths of the Loch Ness? a. people are scared of being attacked by the monster b. there are tales of people who have dived under and disappeared, and never returned again c. the murky water filled with peat make it hard for the divers d. people are haunted by the specter of the apparition looming 14

Check Your Understanding What is the instrument being used to probe the depths of the water? a. RADAR b. SONAR c. LASER d. X-RAY e. Seismograph 15

Check Your Understanding In 1987, Operation Deepscan took place – the biggest SONAR exploration of Loch Ness. What was the discovery / result of the above? a. a group of seals b. a Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish thought to be extinct c. a large unidentified object of unusual size and strength, which turned out to be accumulated debris d. a hippopotamus 16

Check Your Understanding 9. What was the secret behind the photographs that people claim to have clicked and circulated? a. they were forgeries b. they were versions of models created by mischief makers c. they were touched up versions of artists impressions d. all of the above / none of the above 17

Check Your Understanding 10. What is the best conclusion that can be reached regarding Nessie? a. unless physical evidence of Nessie is found, like the creature itself or its skeleton, it may be hard to convince scientists b. when geological explanations fail, psychology plays a major role, and imagination becomes a real thing c. this is totally false and impossible; people are wasting time money and energy on it d. maybe there is some truth to it, or else the rumors / tales / claims could never start 18

Tree huggers Children of the fragile forest gather around Where bird song seems to be the loudest sound A place called Summer, green as you could please A place where we all proudly hug the trees. Hug trees for the walnuts and sweet apples For the shade above small country chapels For giving squirrel and crow a place to live For the priceless gift of oxygen they give. Follow your feet across a woodland floor Beneath the tall and ancient sycamore Under redwood, under tall blue pine Come with me and form an endless line. 19

Tree huggers Join the boy whose name is simply ME Take your turn and hug a mighty tree A wish we cast upon an August breeze A dream to cross the seven sacred seas. Release it now, just like a big balloon... A prayer to reach the mountains of the moon To citizens of Earth alas we say Go find yourself a tree to hug today! And if a grownup says, Don’t be a fool! Or Is that what they’re teaching you in school? Just find this poem and read this simple rhyme It’s cool to HUG a TREE from time to time! 20

Tree huggers Children this is how the world can be Making Earth plan A and not plan B Wear Change! Share Change! Sing Change! Bring Change And start by hugging a tree! Todd-Michael St. Pierre writes poems, songs and plays for children. He is a storyteller at schools throughout the southern United States. 'Treehuggers' is part of a collection. 21

Check Your Understanding 11. What is the poem about? a. the beauty of trees b. the types and varieties of trees c. the many uses of trees d. show the world you care, hug trees 22

Check Your Understanding 12. What are some of the gifts we get from trees apart from shade, as mentioned in this passage? a. wood for our use and wood products b. pears, plums, and peaches c. walnuts and apples, and oxygen d. chestnuts and oranges, and oxygen 23

Check Your Understanding 13. The author asks you to make a wish. Where will the wish reach? a. rivers, woodlands, and green pastures b. seven seas, and mountains of the moon c. farmlands and prairies, and the snow topped mountains d. the four corners of the earth, the stars and the sky 24

Check Your Understanding What is the message at the end of this poem? a. acknowledging all forms of art b. appreciating all forms of nature c. acknowledging change openly d. being grateful to God 25

Check Your Understanding 15. Which would be the best summary of this poem? a. start a trend, hug a tree b. thank the tree, hug a tree c. it’s cool to hug a tree, no matter who is watching, or who says what d. love the trees for their fruits and oxygen 26

Summary Today’s lesson has taught you to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas. 27

Great job today!