Creating an informational book about the coquí Art/PE/Music, Language Arts individual At the beginning of the coquí unit, decide if students will make either a paper book or an electronic collection of their work. The medium you choose will determine the kinds of activities you will assign and the format for products to be expected from students. Ask students to draw the cover of their coquí book. Students can paint a coquí on a sheet of paper or they can draw it on a computer using a graphic application program, depending on the type of book you choose, student abilities and available technology. Collect all student artwork and place into individual paper folders if the book is to be compiled using paper or scan the paper products into individual electronic folders if the book is to be compiled electronically. All subsequent student work for the unit is to be collected and placed, either physically or electronically, in their ëcoquí book folders' as the unit unfolds. Researching the coquí's habitat Science individual You may assign this activity as a project, or schedule some class time for students to research it. Distribute the worksheet to the students. They need to use it as a guide for their research and the write up of their findings (living conditions habitat/food, weather, impact of environment on coquí's survival, natural predators and human predation, coquí's place in the chain of life, leaves and brushes, water, etc.). Place students' work in their coquí book folders. Making a coquí terrarium Science, Art/PE/Music individual This activity is a home project. Students are to research the natural habitat of the coquí. Ask students to recreate this habitat on a small scale, using a standard size aquarium or shoebox, leaves/bushes, water, sand/soil, etc. Any art/craft techniques can be used to create this terrarium; however, a combination of one- and three-dimensional artwork is recommended Drawing the life cycle of the coquí Science, Art/PE/Music individual In class, go over the life cycle of a coquí (on the board or poster board). You may want to compare it with the life cycle of other batrachians. In class or as a home assignment, ask students to draw the coquí's life cycle, and decorate it. You might also want to ask students to make a 3-dimensional life cycle: students may use gummy frogs or any other crafts techniques and materials to realize their project (self-hardening foam and paints, for example). Writing a coquí song Art/PE/Music, Language Arts individual Download the sound file of the coquí's song. Have students listen to it, eyes closed. Ask students to imagine what the coquí is singing. Explain that Puerto Ricans hear the coquí sing ìKo-Keeî, hence the name they gave to their national frog. Ask students to write a song representing the coquí to them, using the coquí's sound as background for their song or incorporating it into their tune. You may ask that advanced students write their song in Spanish. Making a coquí mobile Language Arts class Find class pen- or key-pals from the several organizations offering this service with Spanish-speaking countries. Brainstorm with children what they want to say or ask from their pen- or key-pals. Help students organize and write the letter, whether paper or electronic. If students’ Spanish is developed, help them write the letter/email in Spanish. For Children’s Day in the Hispanic country of their pen- or key-pals, make sure that students send their pal a paper or electronic Children’s Day card. Comparing/contrasting coquís and other frogs Science small group Have students form groups of 3 to 6. Each group will be responsible for the write-up of a comparison chart between 3 to 6 frogs (depending on class size and group size), including the coquí. Assign the research on one to two frogs to each student in a group. Print the worksheet and distribute to students. Send students to the lab or assign the research on coquí characteristics as homework. When students reconvene in their groups, ask that they share the information they have each gathered on their assigned frog. Ask that they report this information on their worksheet, comparing and contrasting the data. Each student is responsible for filling-up their own worksheet. Assign the writing and illustrating of each point of comparison as individual homework. Collect, evaluate, debrief and place into individual student book or folder Making a life-size frog mobile Art/PE/Music individual Using the information gleaned in the previous activity, ask that students create a mobile representing the coquí and the other studied frogs. The mobile elements can be drawn and colored, they can be cut out pictures, or they can be 3-D paper maché. Each frog will be represented, life-size. All the elements researched for the Comparing/contrasting coquís and other frogs activity will be either written or represented with the accompanying frogs. Comparing frogs in Spanish Language Arts class Review adjectives and superlatives in Spanish as well as the vocabulary specific to the frog. Using the knowledge obtained in the Comparing/contrasting coquís and other frogs activity, ask students to compare in Spanish the different frogs according to: Size (el tamaño): la rana más pequeña, la rana un poco más grande, la rana de tamaño medio, la rana más grande, etc. Weight (el peso): la rana que pesa más ñ la rana que pesa menos. Predators (los depredadores): la rana que tiene más depredadores, la rana que tiene menos depredadores. Numbers (la población): la rana más arriesgada de todas, la rana menos arriesgada de todas. Longevity (la longevidad): la rana que vive más tiempo, la rana que vive menos tiempo. Mapping the coquí dissemination Social Studies individual Print and give out the map of the American continent. Send students to research the spread, intentional or not, of the coquí outside of Puerto Rico . Limit this activity to the Puerto Rican coquí. Ask that they identify on their maps the dates and locations of the coquí's dissemination, whether it was accidental or not, and whether they are considered pests or not. Making a ìSaved by the coquíî big book Language Arts individual Give students the following prompt: ìYou are in Panamá, staying with a farming family. A huge hurricane lands close to where you are staying. When all seems lost, you are saved by the coquí.î Ask that students create a big book story from the prompt. Send students to research Panamá in order to make their story factual and plausible. Collect big book stories and have a great story time! Making a coquí lantern Art/PE/Music individual Print out the instructions to make a St Martin 's lantern from http://www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/articles/lantern.htm or do a search for ì St Martin lanternî. Ask that students decorate their lanterns with drawings of the coquí, and follow instructions for the lantern. Hang them in your class, and run an electric Christmas light through them to get the best effect! Creating a coquí board game Social Studies, Art/PE/Music small group Set up this activity as a competition. The best board game wins! Have students form groups of 2 to 4 students. Have them brainstorm ideas for a board game that will provide accurate information about the coquí, Puerto Rico , el Yunque National Park, etc. Have students brainstorm and agree on a rubric to judge the quality of the board games. Once you have had a chance to write up the rubric, give it out to students to make sure that they understand and remember the evaluation criteria. Provide arts and craft materials, and provide time for students to work during school hours. The day when the games are due, ask students to form teams and to play the games. Invite parents, colleagues and other students to play the board games, and then to vote on the best game(s). Send the best game to your local Puerto Rican Association, or to the Chamber of Commerce in Puerto Rico . Writing a paper on endangered species Language Arts, Science individual Send students to various websites and books to research the concept of endangered species. Assign as homework the writing of a paper on the coquí as endangered species and the signification of this classification for the little frog. Give a rubric to students as you assign this research and write-up. Writing creatively about a day in the life of a coquí Language Arts, Science individual Ask students to write a fictional story about a coquí's adventures. The story is to be written in the third person, and express the frog's ìfeelings and impressionsî as it goes through the events of a typical day. The setting may be in Puerto Rico , or in Hawaii or anywhere the coquí is now being found. Students are to use the information they have learned about the coquí to guide them in their writing. The paper is to be no less than two pages long and no longer than 5 pages. Writing an argumentative paper about the coquí Language Arts individual Give students the following prompt: ìThe coquí is revered in Puerto Rico , whereas it is considered a pest in Hawaii . Should the coquí be destroyed in Hawaii ? Discuss and argue your position.î The paper is to be between three and four pages long. The paper must have an introduction/statement of the problem; the body of the paper must discuss the implications of the position the student takes in answering the prompt question; there must be a conclusion to the paper, summarizing the points made in the paper's body. The information contained in the story must be consistent with the information students have learned about the coquí since the beginning of the unit. Writing a bedside story about a coquí Language Arts individual Give students the following prompt: ìIf I were a coquíÖî Complete the story. The story is to be between one and two pages long. The story is to be a short story for bedtime reading to younger children. The language must therefore be simple, the story interesting and engaging. Have a reading session where students can read aloud their prose. The best stories may be collected and published in the school's newspaper or website. Researching the relationship between pests and environment Science, Language Arts class, individual The coquí is considered a pest in Hawaii . Ask students to research the reasons why Hawaiians are concerned with having the coquí on their island. Does it compete with other animals? Is it a threat to the ecosystem? Etc. Brainstorm with students the definition of a pest. Do students know of other pests in the animal kingdom? Plants? As an end of the unit assignment, ask that students identify one pest they are interested in knowing more about, and make the relationship between environment, native life and pest. The assignment can be a research paper, a bulleted chart, a story, etc. A rubric should be given ahead of time to students so as to make sure that students know what they are expected to do and address all aspects of the assignment. Making a coquí comic strip Art/PE/Music individual, pair Brainstorm with students the characteristics of a self-contained comic strip, such as a character concept, one self-contained idea per strip, a situation set-up and a humorous resolution. You may want to show examples of comic strips published in local newspapers. Have students brainstorm among themselves ideas for a comic strip, and discuss it with you if in doubt for their appropriateness. Help students develop their ideas for maximum humoristic effect. Students may do this activity individually or in pairs. Students may, for example, collaborate with ideas and realization (drawing, coloring, etc.) of their comic strip. Collect all strips, collate them into a booklet and publish it for the classroom. Drawing a cross-section of the coquí Science individual Send students to research the coquí and its anatomy. Have students trace a picture of the coquí, place all inside organs and label them in Spanish. Collect and place into students' individual folders. Looking for Latin American mascots Science small group Ask students which animal represents the United States . Brainstorm with them the reasons and implications to have an animal represent a country. Ask students to reflect on the implications of having the coquí as Puerto Rico 's mascot. Assign one or two Latin American countries per student and ask them to research their animal mascot and their signification for the country. Ask that they write up their findings on the worksheet, and that they either find a picture of the animal, or draw one to illustrate their writing. Collect and post students' work in the classroom as well as on the class website. Experimenting with suction cups and weight Science small group Purchase suction cups with hooks. If possible, purchase cups of different sizes. Go over the coquí's suctorial toes and their function for the frog. Explain that students will experiment with suction cups. Have students form groups of 2 or 3. If different cup sizes are available, give each student in a group a different size cup as well as a worksheet. In their groups, students are to experiment: With surfaces: ask students to try where suction cups adhere and where they do not (smooth, wet, hot, slimy, clean, etc.). They are to keep track of their experiments on their worksheets. With weight: ask students to hook different weights to their suction cups, keeping track of the surface the cups is placed on, the atmospheric conditions (humid, dry, etc.), as well as the weight of the object. If possible, ask students to keep track of the time the cup remains stuck to the wall with a certain weight. Have students reconvene in their groups and share their discoveries. Have them write a common summary of findings. Using coquí texts and legends to work with synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms Language Arts individual Download texts related to the coquí, such as the story found at http://elyunque.cet.edu/english/elportal/story1.html , or http://www.marisamontes.com/song_of_the_coqui.htm. Print it and find words in the texts lending themselves to working with synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Blank those words out, make a word bank and give to students to work with.