Animal Stories
This year, my grade read Squirm by Carl Hiaasen. The story follows Billy on a journey with his step-sister, Summer, to rescue an endangered panther and, later, their dad. After that, led by our librarian, we did research on a specific endangered animal of our choice. I chose to do research on a species of orca called the southern resident killer whale, also known as the SRKW. Then, using our research, we wrote a story from the animal’s point of view, talking about the threats to them and how we can help. After that, with the help of local artist Peg Gignoux, we made homemade books out of paper. First, we had to help paint multiple sheets of paper with different colors to make the scene we were going to put in the book. Then, we chose a big sheet of paper for the base of our book where we were going to put our scene and story. Next, we made a scene related to our book with the scraps we cut. I made a polluted ocean to symbolize the threats to my animal with mountains in the background. Next, we chose two pieces of cardboard for our cover and glued them on. Finally, we cut out our story on a colorful sheet of paper and glued them on.
If you are interested in reading my story, here is a tiny snippet of the beginning. To read the rest of my book, come visit in the Gateway building.
CHOMP!!! This salmon is so tasty!!!! Oh, I didn’t see you there. Hi, my name is Phoenix, and I am a Southern Resident Killer Whale, also known as the SRKW. My scientific name is Orcinus Orca, and I live in the vibrant and salty oceans from the rocky bays of Central California to the icy waters of Alaska. I am a member of the J-Pod, the most famous pod of the remaining three in the wild. Every day, I wake up to the sound of my older brother and my friends’ calls, with the ocean current tugging me awake. Unlike other orcas, we only eat Chinook salmon. Today, my pod has found a huge school of them for breakfast. My heart thunders with excitement as we take chase. After breakfast, it’s playtime!! Later, some other orcas or dolphins usually join in the fun! Finally, it’s time for dinner and bedtime. Fun fact! Did you know that we sleep with half our brains off?
