Creative Writing
Animals
 Due:  Friday, September 25th

Dear Fourth Grade Friends,

     Have you ever wondered what makes the honey badger so incredibly tough?  Do cats really have “nine lives”? Why is an octopus so intelligent?  Could it be because they have two brains?  Why are grizzly bears more aggressive towards humans than black bears?  Well, if you have ever wanted to research an animal to find out your lingering questions, NOW is your chance!   Any animal you find interesting will do!

     Please write a two page single-sided report, feel free to write more if you wish, describing your chosen animal.  Attached are a few ideas to write about.  Be sure to begin your report with a catchy introduction, provide details in the body of your report, and end your report with a closing about what you have learned about your animal.  Be sure to indent each paragraph as you write. Attached is a rubric to help you along in your writing.  Most importantly, friends, have fun!

Your # 1 fan,

Mrs. Menke


 Writing Ideas

 (These are only suggestions)

• Where does your animal live?
• What does it do?
• How long does it live?
• What does it look like?
• Does it live alone or in groups?
• Does it have a special characteristic?
• How many offspring does it usually have?
• How long does it live?
• What is your opinion of the animal?
• What did you learn during your research?
• What plants or animals does it eat for food?
• How much does it eat in a day?
• Does it live with or avoid humans?
• Does it travel far or does it stay close to its home?
• What does the future hold for your chosen endangered animal?

 Please answer any of your own questions, thoughts, or ideas!

Writing Rubric

This is a guideline to help you to fulfill the writing requirements.  You should be able to answer “YES” to each of the questions below after you have finished your writing assignment.

1. Is my name on my report?                                                                                   YES       NO
2. Is my introduction “catchy”? Does it make a person want to learn more?         YES      NO
3. Did I describe how my animal looks and where it lives?                                     YES      NO
4. Did I explain the natural habitat and sources of food for the animal?                YES      NO
5. Did I tell about the special characteristics of my animal?                                   YES      NO
6. Did I write about how long my animal usually lives? (life expectancy)               YES      NO
7. Does each sentence start with a capital letter?                                                   YES      NO
8. Does each sentence end with punctuation?                                                         YES      NO
9. Did I use details to help describe my animal to make it more interesting?        YES      NO
10. Did I add what I have learned during my research in the closing paragraph?   YES      NO      
11. Did I use neat and easy to read writing?                                                             YES      NO
12. Do I have at least 3 paragraphs? (Introduction, body of details, & a closing?)   YES      NO

If you can circle “YES” to all the above, you have done a great job reporting!