Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects Nancy Polette An imprint of Libraries Unlimited Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Polette, Nancy Stop the copying with wild and wacky research projects / Nancy Polette p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-1-59158-696-8 (alk paper) Creative teaching Creative thinking—Research Creative writing I Title LB1025.3.P644 2008 371.3’0281—dc22 2007050096 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available Copyright © 2008 by Nancy Polette All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher An exception is made for reproducibles, which may be copied for classroom and educational programs only Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007050096 ISBN: 978-1-59158-696-8 First published in 2008 Libraries Unlimited, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 A Member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc www.lu.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984) 10 Contents Preface ix Part One: Food for Thought Wacky Vegetables Research Report: Ode to an Onion News Release Research Report: Fact or Myth? Research Report: Ketchup Ice Cream Dictionary Skills: The TV Was His Dinner Research Report: Champion Hot Dog Eater The Greatest Recipe 10 Creative Writing: Writing a Fable 11 Research Report: K Rations 12 Resources: Food 13 Part Two: On the Move! Flying 17 Research Report: The Aviation First Nobody Wanted 18 Highlights in Aviation 19 Research Report: The Simile Report 20 Research Report: Firsts in Aviation 21 Research Skills: First to Fly in a Lawn Chair 22 Creative Writing: The Miracle Girl 23 Famous Firsts 24 Research Model: Another Alarmist 25 Research Report: Protector of the Ocean 26 Research Report: Want to Buy a Car? 27 Research Report: Ten Reasons Not to Buy a _ 28 Resources: On the Move! 29 v vi \ Contents Part Three: The Doctor Is In! Cures When there Were No Cures 33 Dictionary Practice: Why I Missed School Today 34 Quiz: An Electrical Cure 35 Doctors 36 Research Report: The Doctor Who Went to Jail for Setting a Broken Bone! 37 Creative Writing: Was She a Criminal? 38 Quiz: Firsts in Medicine 39 Resources: Medicine 40 Part Four: Crime Doesn’t Pay Quiz: Crime Doesn’t Pay 45 Research Report: Intruder Causes Traffic Jam No Ticket Given 46 Master Criminals Turned Detectives 47 Research Report: Outlaws of the Wild West 48 Research Skills: Mystery Scavenger Hunt 49 Guilty or Innocent? 50 Conclusion Paper: The Persuasive Essay 51 Resources: Crime 52 Part Five: The White House Those Surprising Presidents 57 Research Report: Favorite Songs 58 Those Surprising First Ladies! 59 Research Report: The First Ladies 60 Ghosts in the White House 61 Creative Writing: Create a White House Ghost Story 62 Quiz: The White House 63 Resources: The Presidents and Their Wives 64 Part Six: People Who Were First More Crazy Firsts 67 Quiz: Amazing Firsts for Women 68 Research Report: A Rap 69 More Little-Known Firsts 70 Research Report: Famous First Facts 72 Despite a Handicap 73 Research Report: The A–Z Report 74 Resources: People Who Were First 75 Contents / vii Part Seven: Unbelievable People Unbelievable Walkers 79 Research Report: The Youngest Runner 80 Research Report: Exercise or Meditation? 81 Creative Writing: Magnetic People 82 Dictionary Skills: Wolf Girls 83 About Misers 84 Research Report: The Acrostic 85 Research Report: Ahead of His Time 86 Research Report: The $65 Million Pants 87 Research Report: The Man Without a Country 88 Research Report: The Girl Who Chased Fire Engines 89 Research Report: People Invent the Strangest Things! 90 Resources: Unusual People 91 Part Eight: Bits of History Conclusion Paper: Did Columbus Really Discover America? (1492) 95 Impostor! (1771) 96 Research Report: Impostors 97 Research Report: The Alamo (1836) 98 Research Report: A Funeral for a Leg (1837) 99 Conclusion Paper: Fact or Legend? The Lost Dutchman Mine (1845) 100 Bits of History from the Civil War 101 Research Report: The Civil War (1861–1865) 102 Quiz: A Civil War Quiz 103 The Wild West: Was She Really a Calamity? (1865) 104 Research Report: Women of the Wild West (1850–1880) 105 How Wild Was the Wild West? (1870s) 106 Research Report: Which Town Was the Wildest? (1870s) 107 Literary Description: Wild West Towns (1870s) 108 One-Eyed Charlie, 1812–1879 109 Research Report: First Woman to Vote (1868) 110 Research Report: Stagecoach Robbers 111 Combining History and Creative Writing 112 The Beat of America 113 Research Report: It Wasn’t Mrs O’Leary’s Cow! (1871) 114 Research Report: Artifacts (1840–1890) 115 World War I (1917) 116 Main Idea: Stubby, Hero of 17 Battles 117 Research Report: The Great Molasses Disaster of 1919 118 viii \ Contents Part Eight: Bits of History (Cont.) Research Report: Disasters 119 Quiz: World War II: Operation Mincemeat (1940–1945) 120 The Dancer Was a Spy (1939–1945) 121 Research Report: Researching Women Spies (1776–1865) 122 Research Report: The Bing Crosby Code (1975) 123 Research Report: Yesterday and Today (1900-200_) 124 Research Report: A Historical Birthday Card 125 Resources: History 126 Part Nine: The Earth and Its Creatures Research Report: When The River Ran Backwards 131 Mnemonics 132 Mnemonics: The Boiling Lake 133 Treasure Island 134 Research Report: Researching Pirates 135 Creative Writing: Strange Rains 136 Creative Writing: Singing Sands 137 Endangered Species 138 Research Report: Endangered Species 139 Marvelous Mammals 140 Creative Writing: More Marvelous Mammals 141 Creative Writing: Story Outline 142 Creative Writing: The Enjoys a Holiday! 143 Animal Heroes 144 Research Report: The Newshound! 145 Resources: The Earth and Its Creatures 146 Part Ten: The Unexplained The Devil Ship 149 Research Activity: Ballad of Hunley’s Boats 150 The P-40 Ghost Plane 151 Mysterious Places: The Bermuda Triangle 152 Research Report: Mysterious Places 153 Ancient Curses 154 Write an Obituary 155 Strange Creatures 156 Research Activity: The Rhyming Acrostic 157 Resources: The Unexplained 158 Bibliography: Additional References 159 Index 161 Preface Did you know A famous French chef created her greatest recipe BEFORE she learned to cook! McDonald’s opened its first restaurant as a barbecue stand The first airmail letters went by train The top speed of the first automobile was three miles per hour A young man with no medical training served as a resident doctor in a major hospital The best way to prevent a toothache is to wear a dead mole around your neck The best way to get rid of a dead whale is to blow it up with dynamite These and many other wild and wacky (BUT TRUE) tales serve as springboards to research about people, places, animals, and events In place of the traditional research report, students create songs, poems, quizzes, games, and a host of other products while at the same time meeting national standards in reading, language arts, and information literacy The research reporting models are generic in that they can be used to report on any person, animal, place, or event Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects gives students the opportunity to explore the strange, the unusual, and the out-of-the-ordinary found on this wonderful planet we all share and to display understanding of a topic by creating unique research products in which they can take pride RESEARCH HAS NEVER BEEN THIS MUCH FUN! Introduction By the time students have reached the third grade, copying is fairly pervasive when research reports are assigned Telling students not to copy but to put the information “in your own words” is another way of asking students to take something that is written well and write it poorly Many research models encourage copying by leaving out an important step Examine this basic research model: Select a topic Survey and narrow the topic Develop questions Locate resources Take notes Organize the information Share the information ix x \ Preface The missing, and most important, step is to determine the research product upon which all other steps depend This should be step For example, in a study of ancient Egypt, if the research product is a scale model of a pyramid, the questions and resources used will be very different from the information required if the product is a one-week diary of an Egyptian slave The sample research reporting activity on page xi uses wild and wacky stories to stimulate interest in a topic It then allows students to examine and select a research reporting model with which they are comfortable (which prevents copying) To introduce the practice of doing research without copying to younger students, or to break the copying habits of older students, it is essential that information be organized and reported in new ways The mark of a literate person is the ability to encode information in a variety of ways Wild and Wacky Research provides more than 50 research reporting models that prevent copying and result in original products in which students can take pride The following models are generic; they can be used to report on any topic: • Fact or Myth? (p 6) A statement about the topic is given on one page, asking the reader whether the statement is fact or myth The answer, along with supporting data, is given on the next page • Cinquain (p 23) or diamante (p 38) These short poetry models are used to describe a person, place, or animal • Ten Reasons (p 28) This model requires the student to analyze a topic in depth to come up with 10 reasons NOT to something, for example, 10 reasons not to visit a castle, 10 reasons not to have an alligator for a pet • Acrostic (p 85) The topic is described in short sentences or phrases, with each line beginning with a letter of the topic name • A–Z Report (p 74) A variation on the acrostic The topic is presented in 26 phrases or sentences, with each phrase or sentence beginning with a letter of the alphabet • Newspaper The topic is described as news, as advertisements, as an editorial, as want ads, or as other parts of a newspaper HOW TO STOP COPYING USING WILD AND WACKY RESEARCH Share: Motivate students to research food by sharing several of the wild and wacky (but true) food tales Example: tales about the onion and the potato chip Select a Topic: Examine and choose a food (e.g., orange) Choose a Product Model: I will write an “Ode to an Orange,” which contains a description, source, contents, nutritional properties, and value to and uses by humans Develop Questions: What is the source? What are the various layers of an orange? Which parts are edible? What are the nutritional values? How are oranges used by humans? Determine Resources: Where Does Food Come From? by Shelley Rotner (Millbrook Press, 2006); Eating Right by Helen Frost (Pebble Books, 2000) Collect and Organize Data: Gather data to answer the questions and arrange the information following the “Ode to an Onion” model (page 4) Share the Product with others Evaluate: Does the “Ode” contain all needed information? Could any part of the research process have been done more efficiently? May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Copyright © 2008 xi WRITE AN OBITUARY An obituary is found in a particular section of the newspaper It is an official notice of a person’s death, often accompanied by an account of his or her life and accomplishments Check the local newspaper for an example of an obituary Paste a sample here: Often a well-known person has a longer obituary, which gives more information about his or her life and accomplishments Write an obituary for King Tutankhamen Include brief details of his life and at least two accomplishments Standards I-B, C, D, E; II-A, D, G; III-B, C, D, E, F May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Copyright © 2008 155 STRANGE CREATURES BIGFOOT In 1974 a farmer in northern Montana reported that he went to investigate when his dogs were restless and emitting strange howls The dogs refused to leave the shelter of the barn, although they seemed to be disturbed about something in the nearby woods The farmer walked toward the woods, at the same time smelling a terrible odor To the farmer’s surprise, he saw a large hairy creature at the edge of the woods It moved silently on two feet, from one tree to another It was 12 to 15 feet tall, and as the farmer watched, it disappeared into the woods, uttering a high-pitched cry This account has been repeated many times by observers in the northwestern United States and western Canada The first person to offer proof of such a creature’s existence was David Thompson, an explorer, who in 1811 measured footprints of this unknown creature that were eight by twenty-four inches In 1967 Californian Roger Patterson offered proof in the form of a somewhat fuzzy photograph Many feel that Bigfoot actually exists and is a cousin to the abominable snowman of the Himalayas, often called a yeti Those who have seen the creature include a Polish soldier in 1942, who met two of the creatures a short distance away; Italian explorer A N Tombazi, who wrote of his encounter with the yeti in 1925; and two Norwegians, who in 1948 followed tracks that led them to a pair of yetis Does this humanlike creature actually exist? Most scientists think it does not It seems strange that with all of the technology available today, no one has actually filmed or captured the creature What you think? THE LOCH NESS MONSTER Nessie lives in a freshwater lake in Scotland She is described as a plesiosaur, an extinct aquatic reptile Many people have claimed to have seen, her moving along with her long neck extending from the water, One rather famous photograph shows a large, dark object gliding on the surface of the lake Scientists, however, doubt Nessie’s existence The food supply in the lake, they say, is limited, and the plesiosaur is a sight hunter that could not find enough food in the peat-stained water In addition, the plesiosaur is a cold-blooded reptile that requires warm tropical waters for life The temperature in Loch Ness is 42 degrees Fahrenheit 156 May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Copyright © 2008 RESEARCH ACTIVITY: THE RHYMING ACROSTIC Write a rhyming acrostic about Bigfoot that includes factual information Note the example given for Nessie, the Loch Ness monster Standards I-B, C, F; II-A, D N eck extending above peat-stained water E xtinct plesiosaur, Neptune’s daughter S cientists dispute the creature’s existence S ay not enough food for Nessie’s subsistence I nsist that sightings are a joke or a hoax E ven so Loch Ness attracts lots of folks B _ I _ G _ F _ O _ O _ T _ May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Copyright © 2008 157 Resources: The Unexplained Extraordinary Events and Oddball Occurrences, by Gary Blackwood Benchmark Books, 1999 Strange appearances, disappearances, and things falling from the sky The Ghost Book, by William Jasperjohn Watts, 1989 Introduction to psychic elements, from ancient Greece to today Ghost Liners, by Robert Ballard Little, Brown, 1998 Explanations of the world’s greatest lost ships Ghosts of the Deep, by Daniel Cohen Putnam, 1993 Encounters with ghosts aboard ship The Headless Ghost, by William E Warren Prentice-Hall, 1986 Ghosts, poltergeists, and tales of the unexplained How to Find a Ghost, by James Deem Houghton Mifflin, 1988 Instructions for becoming a ghost detective Miracles: Opposing Viewpoints, by Michael Arvey Greenhaven Press, 1990 Saints, stigmata, miracle healings, and images explored Mysterious Healing, by Brian Innes Raintree, 1999 Accounts of unexplained healing Mysterious Places, by Peter Hepplewhite Sterling, 1997 From Stonehenge to Easter Island, a look at strange locales The Restless Dead, by Jim Razzi Harper Trophy, 1994 Strange real-life mysteries The Supernatural, by Rhiannon Lassiter Gareth Stevens, 2006 Explanation of parapsychology Twenty-Five Scariest Places in the World, by Phyllis Emert Lowell House, 1995 From the Tower of London to the Hall of Kings, a look at scary places 158 BIBLIOGRAPHY: ADDITIONAL REFERENCES Amazing Animals, by Philippa Perry Two-Can Publishing, 1994 The Bermuda Triangle, by Charles Berlitz Doubleday, 1974 Cat Country, by Di Frances David & Charles, 1983 The Fire Came By, by John Baxter Doubleday, 1976 Incredible But True!, by Kevin McFarland Bell Publishing, 1978 Lands of Mystery, by Judith Herbst Lerner, 2005 A Living Dinosaur, by Roy Makal Brill, 1987 Man and the Stars, by Duncan Lunan Souvenir Press, 1974 More Strange But True Baseball Stories, by Howard Liss Random House, 1983 Planet’s Most Extreme Eaters Blackbirch Press, 2005 The Probability of the Impossible, by Thelma Moss Paladin, 1979 Ripley’s Believe It or Not Scholastic, 2006 Sorry, You’ve Been Duped, by Melvin Harris Weidenfield & Nicolson, 1986 Strange and Unexplained Mysteries of the 20th Century, by Jenny Randles Sterling, 1994 Strange But True, by Thomas Slemen Robinson Publishing, 1998 Strange But True Baseball Stories, by Furman Bisher Scholastic, 1975 Strange But True Football Stories, by Zander Hollander Random House, 1967 Strange Mysteries from Around the World, by Seymour Simon Four Winds, 1980 Superweird, by Andrea Urton Lowell House, 1992 Unbelievable But True, by James Cornell Scholastic, 1974 Weird But True, by Cindy Barden Carson-Dellosa Publishing, 2004 NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLES “Adams Sails the Pacific.” San Diego Chronicle, July 27, 1969 “Fish and Frog Rain.” The Athenaeum, 1841 “The Pharmacy in the Forest.” Mother Earth News (June 1995): 40–45 “Rowers Arrive.” London Times, August 2, 1986 “Shower of Frogs.” Scientific American, July 12, 1873 “Sure Cures?” Mother Earth News (December/January 1995): 46 159 Index Aaseng, Nathan, 40 Abagnale, Frank, 36–37 Adams, Abigail, 59, 61 Adams, John, 63–64 Adams, John Quincy, 57 Adams, Sharon, 24 Adams, Simon, 127 Adamson, Thomas, 146 Adler, David, 68 African American Inventors, 91 Airmail, 17 Alamo, 126 Alamo, 98 Alligator, 46 Almost Gone 146 Amazing Aircraft, 29 Amazing Flights, 29 Ambrose, Stephen, 127 Amelia Earhart: Free in the Skies, 75 American Legion, 116 America’s Dumbest Criminals, 52 Anderson, Bloody Bill, 101 Anderson, Paul, 70 Andrea Doria, 23 Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter, 91 Antelope, 141 Animals in Motion, 146 Anthony, Susan B., 109 Around the World in Eighty Days, 132 Artifacts, 115 Arvey, Michael, 158 Atlantis, 153 Axis Sally, 50, 52 Axis Sally: Treacherous Traitor, 52 Baldasare, Fred, 63 Baker, Josephine, 121 Ball, Albert, 18 Ballard, Robert, 158 Bankston, John, 40 Banting, Henry, 39 Barklay, Allardyce, 79 Barnard, Christiaan, 39 Barnstormers and Daredevils , 17 Barnum Brown: Dinosaur Hunter, 91 Bartholdi, 96 Bartnoff, Judith, 87 Baskin Robbins, Beethoven, Ludwig Von, 73 Bellamy, Rufus, 13 Belleer, Susan, 126 Bennett, Floyd, 19 Berger, Melvin, 41 Bermuda Triangle, 152 Bial, Raymond, 64 Bickerdyke, Mary Ann, 89 Bigfoot, 156 Biggest, Strongest, Fastest, 146 Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, 126 Binti Jua, 144 Bisher, Furman, 75 Bishop, William, 18 Black Bart, 111 Blackwell, Elizabeth, 63 Blackwood, Gary, 158 Blassingame, Wyatt, 40 Bleriot, Louis, 19 Blue whale, 143 Bly, Nellie, 132 Boiling lake, 133 Bolick, Nancy, 29 Bolotin, Norm, 126 Bone Detectives, 52 Bonney, Mary, 135 Bonney, William, 48 Bourdin, Anthony, 41 Bowser, Mary Elizabeth, 122 Boyle, George, 17 Braille, Louis, 73–74 Brooklyn Dodgers, 71 Brown, Clara, 105 Brown, Molly, 89 Buchanan, James, 57 Buckley, James, 75 Bucky, 144 Buffalo, 112 161 162 \ Index Buffalo Gals: Women of the Wild West, 126 Bull Run, 126 Burger Chef, Burleigh, Robert, 29 Butler, Allan, 52 Butler, William, 53 Byrd, Richard E., 19, 21 Caiman, 143 Cain, Bob, 70 Calamity Jane, 104 Calypso, 25 Canary, Martha, 104 Car exerciser, 90 Carson, Rachel, 24 Carter, Howard, 154 Carter, Jimmy, 58 Carter, Rosalyn, 58 Case Closed, 52 Catch Me If You Can, 40 Cerullo, Mary, 146 Challenger, 119 Charles de Gaulle Airport, 87 Charlesworth, Grace, 82 Cheetah, 141 Chicago Cubs, 73 Chicago Fire, 114 Child, Julia, 10 Children of the Wild West, 126 Chinn Lee, Cynthia, 91 Chisholm, Shirley, 68 Christiaan Barnard, 40 Christensen, Bonnie, 91 Chung, Jin Nam, 87 Chung, Soo, 87 Civil War, 102–103 Civil War, 126 Civil War from A–Z, 126 Claws, Coats and Camouflage, 146 Cleveland, Frances, 59 Cleveland, Grover, 57 Clinton, Bill, 64 Cobb, Vicki, 13 Cockeyed Charlie Parkhurst, 126 Cockroach, 128 Cocos Island, 134 Cohen, Daniel, 158 Coleman, Bessie, 20–21 Collard, Sneed, 146 Collins, Eileen, 68 Congressional Medal of Honor, 36 Columbus, Christopher, 95 Condoleezza Rice: Being the Best, 75 Connors, Kevin, 71 Consumer Reports, 28 Coolidge, Grace, 61 Coolidge, Calvin, 116 Cousteau, Jacques Ives, 25–26 Crawford, Joan, 125 Created Equal, 127 Crespo, Clare, 14 Crile, George, 39 Crime and Detection, 52 Crime facts, 42 Crockett, Davy, 98 Crocodile, 143 Crosby, Bing, 123 Crum, George, Crump, Diane, 68 Cugnot, Nicholas, 27 Cushman, Pauline, 122 D’Amico, Joan, 13, 14 Dangerous Crossings, 29 Danville Academy, 101 Daring Nellie Bly, 91 Daring Women of the Civil War, 126 Day in the Life of a Colonial Doctor, 40 Death and Disease, 40 Declaration of Independence, 96 Dem, James, 158 Demerest, Chris, 146 Dendy, Leslie, 40 Devil ship U65, 149 Dickens, Charles, 115 Dinoire, Isabelle, 39 Disasters, 120 Disasters at Sea, 29 Disease Fighters, 40 Dizzy, 91 Doctors, 40 Dodge City, 107–108 Donkin, Andrew, 29 Draper, Laura, 101 Drez, Ronald, 127 Duns, Masayo, 53 Dutemple, Lesley, 29 Dwight D Eisenhower, Young Military Leader, 64 Earhart, Amelia, 19, 21 Earle, Sylvia, 26 Index / 163 Earp, Wyatt, 48 Earthquakes, 146 Earthquakes: Disaster and Survival, 127 Easter Island, 153 Eating, 13 Eating Right, 13 Ederle, Gertrude, 68 Edmund Hillary: First to the Top, 91 Edward Jenner: Conqueror of Small-pox, 40 Ehrlich, Amy, 29 Eisenhower, Mamie, 59 Eleanor Roosevelt, 64 Electrified table cloth, 90 Elephants, 128 Elish, Dan, 91 Elizabeth Blackwell: Girl Doctor, 75 Elkington, John, 138 Emeert, Phyllis, 158 Emory, Christopher, 43 Endangered species, 138–139 Enders, John, 39 European Atomic Energy Community, 25 Extraordinary Events and Oddball Occurances, 158 Extraordinary Women in Medicine, 40 Exxon-Valdez, 119 Famous First Facts, 72 FBI Director, 52 “Fee Jee” mermaid, 146 Felony, 45 Fighter Wore A Skirt, 91 Fillmore, Abigail, 59 Firebell Lillie, 91 Fisher, Leonard Everett, 40 Fleishman, Paul, 126 Fleming, Alexander, 39, 125 Flight: the Journey of Charles Lindbergh, 29 Flood, 120 Food facts, 5, Food for All, 13 Forces of Nature, 146 Ford, Antonia, 122 Ford, Betty, 59 Ford, Carin, 126 Ford, Henry 27 Forensic Science, 52 Fort Sumter, 102 Fraden, Dennis, 126 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 64 Freedman, Russell, 126 Fritz, Jean, 64 From Milk to Ice Cream 14 Frontier Doctors, 40 Frost, Helen, 13 Furman, Ashrita, 81 Gaedel, Eddie, 70 Gallagher, James, 19, 21 Garrett, Pat, 48 Geiger, Emily, 122 George Crum and the Saratoga Chip, 13 George IV, 154 George VI, 125 George H.W Bush, 64 George W Bush, 64 George-Warren, Holly, 91 Gerald R Ford Library and Museum, 64 Gerhardt, Charles, 39 Ghost Book , 158 Ghost Liners, 158 Ghosts of the Deep, 158 Ghost Towns of the American West, 126 Gibbons, Gail, 146 Gifford, Clive, 127 Glorious Flight, 75 Goats, 140–141 Going Green, 138 Good Fight, 127 Goodman, Susan, 146 Gordon, Rosalie, 17 Gormley, Beatrice, 64 Grace, Catherine, 146 Grant, Julia, 59 Grant, Ulysses S., 57 Gray, Pete, 71 Great Fire, 127 Great Little Madison, 64 Great Ships, 29 Great Unsolved Cases, 52 Green, Hetty, 84–85 Green, Jen, 41 Greenhow, Rose, 122 Gregory, Leland, 52 Greyhound, 141 Grimes, Nikki, 30 Grizzly bear, 138 Guilty or Innocent, 52? Guinea Pig Scientists, 40 Guinness Book of World Records, Gustafson, Anita, 52 Gutelle, A., 75 164 \ Index Halpern, Monica, 39 Hanson, Ole, 30 Harbor, George, 24 Harding, Warren, 61 Harlow, John, 33 Harness, Cheryl, 64 Harrison, Caroline, 59 Harry S Truman, 64 Hart, Nancy, 122 Harvey, Betsy, 64 Hayes, Lucy, 58 Headless Ghost, 158 Hear the Train Whistle Blow, 29 Hedley, J H., 18 Henry, Joanne, 75 Hepplewhite, Peter, 158 Herbst, Judith, 29 Heth, Joice, 146 Hiccup cure, 84 Hickman, Pamela, 146 Hindenberg, 119 Hirshi, Ron, 146 His Name Was Mudd, 40 History of Food, 13 History of Transportation, 29 Hitchcock, Lillie, 89 Hoban, James, 63 Hobby, Oveta Culp, 68 Holdredge, Helen, 91 Hope diamond, 154 Hopkinson, Deborah, 75 Holzer, Harold, 41 Honky Tonk Heroes and Hillbilly Angels, 91 How to Find a Ghost, 158 Huerta, Delores, 89 Hugo, Victor, 47 Hummingbirds, 128 Hunley, Horace, 150 Hurricane Hunters, 146 Hurricanes, Tsunamis and Natural Disasters, 127 Impostors, 96–97 In the Line of Fire, 52 In the Wild, 146 Ingram, Scott, 52 Innes, Brian, 52, 158 Inventions, 90 It’s Disgusting and We Ate It, 13 Jakes, John, 126 Jackson, Andrew, 36, 61, 63, 135 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 64 Jacques Cousteau, 29 Jacques Cousteau and the Undersea World, 29 James, Jesse, 49, 111 James Monroe, 64 Jango-Cohen, Judith, 13 Jasperjohn, William, 158 Jefferson, Thomas, 57, 63 Jenkins, Steve, 146 Jenner, Edward, 39 Jimmy Carter, 64 John Adams, 64 John and Abigail Adams, 64 John F Kennedy Library and Museum, 64 Johnson, Andrew, 57 Johnson, Carla, 41 Jonas Salk, 40 Jordan, Anne, 126 Joseph Lister, 40 Julia Child, 13 Junk Food, 13 Just So Stories, 141 K-rations, 12 Kachureck, Sandra, 64 Kallner, Donna, 53 Kane, Joseph, 72 Kangaroo, 141 Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend, 75 Katrina, 119 Keller, Helen, 73 Kent, Deborah, 64 Ketchup ice cream, Kidd, William, 135 Killing Germs, Saving Lives, 40 Kimmel, Elizabeth, 91 King, Roger, 29 Kipling, Rudyard, 141 Kitchen Science, 13 Knapp, Michelle, 27 Koestler-Grack, Rachel, 75 Krebs, Laurie, 40 Krull, Kathleen, 75 Ladies First, 91, 127 Laffitte, Jean, 135 LaLanne, Jack, 81 Landau, Elaine, 14 Lane, Brian, 52 Langley, Andrew, 127 Index / 165 Lassiter, Rhiannon, 158 Lauber, Patricia, 127 Leeuwenhoek, Anton, 39 Lemmings, 140–141 Les Miserables, 47 Lewis, Meriweather, 99 Life and Times of the Peanut, 13 Lightning, 79 Lincoln: A Photobiography, 64 Lincoln, Abraham, 61, 64 Lindbergh, Charles, 19, 21 Lindsay, Judy, 41 Lion, 141 Liss, Howard, 75 Lister, Joseph, 39 Lives of Extraordinary Women, 75 Llewellyn, Claire, 13 Loch Ness monster, 156–157 Lord Rokeby, 86 Lost Dutchman Mine, 100 Lotito, Michel, Louis XVI, 154 Lovelace, Ada, 90 Luddington, Sybil, 122 Macaulay, David, 29, 61 Madison, Arnold, 52 Madison, Dolley, 59, 63, 89 Magola, Miroslaw, 82 Magnetic people, 76 Mail Call, 29 Major Unsolved Crimes, 52 Mallon, Mary, Marie Antoinette, 154 Marrin, Albert, 64 Martin, Jacqueline Briggs, 91 Mary on Horseback, 41 Math Chef, 13 McDonald, Craig, 126 McDonald’s, McGovern, David, 91 McKinley, Ida, 58 McKinstry, Frank, 82 McLeese, Don, 40 McTavish, Douglas, 40 Medicine, 39 Meltzer, Milton, 29 Mercalli scale, 129 Micucci, Charles, 13 Miles, Victoria, 146 Milland, Ray, 125 Miller, Brandon, 126 Miracles: Opposing Viewpoints, 158 Misdemeanor, 45 Misers, 83–84 Mississippi River, 128 Mnemonics, 132–133 Mochel, Leonard, 67 Molasses disaster, 118 Moles, 128 Moon, Ginny, 122 More Strange but True Sports Stories, 75 Morgan, Linda, 23 Mott, Lucretia, 110 Mudd, Samuel , 37 Murphy, Jim, 98, 127 Myerson, Bess, 125 Mysterious Healing, 158 Mysterious Places, 158 Nasseri, Merhan, 87 Neild, John Cameron, 84 New Madrid, 119, 131 New York Yankees, 71 Nicholson, Dorinda, 127 Noyes, Deborah, 91 Oakley, Annie, 105 O’Brien, Patrick, 29 O’Connor, Sandra Day, 68 Old Hickory, 64 One-eyed Charlie, 109–110 Onions, Onions, 14 Operation Mincemeat, 120 P-40 ghost plane, 151 Palisade, Nevada, 106 Parker, Edgar, 115 Parkhurst, Charlotte, 109–110 Patent Office, 90 Patterson, Robert, 125 Pearson, Roy L., 87 Peel, Robert, 47 Pershing, Blackjack, 116 Phelan, Glen, 40 Picture Book of Louis Braille, 75 Pierstorff, May, 67 Piggot, Emeline, 122 Pinkerton: America’s First Private Eye, Pirates, 135 Pitcher, Molly, 89 166 \ Index Pius XII, 125 Planet Earth: Inside Out, 146 Plover, 143 Poe, Edgar Allan, 115 Polette, Nancy, 91 Popcorn, 14 Popham, John, 47 Porcupine, 141 Post, Wiley, 19, 21 Potato chips, President Is Shot!, 41 Princess Caribou, 97 Pringle, Laurence, 146 Provensen, Alice, 75 Python, 143 Quimby, Harriet, 19, 21 Raatma, Lucia, 52 Racehorse, 141 Rachel Carson, 29 Railroad Fever, 29 Razzi, Jim, 158 Reagan, Nancy, 59 Reagan, Ronald, 57 Reliford, Joe, 71 Remember D-Day, 127 Remember Little Big Horn, 126 Remember World War II, 127 Restless Dead, 158 Rice, Condoleezza, 68 Rickenbacker, Eddie, 18 Roads We Traveled, 29 Robert Fulton and the Development of the Steamboat, 29 Rodriguez, Ana Marie, 40 Rogers, Maria, 14 Ronald Reagan Library and Museum, 64 Roosevelt, Alice, 115 Roosevelt, Franklin, 57, 61, 73, 125 Roosevelt, Theodore, 57, 63, 64 Ross, Nellie, 68 Rossi, Ann, 127 Rotner, Shelley, 14 Rubin, Susan, 91 Russel, George, 98 Safety in Your Neighborhood, 52 Salk, Jonas, 39 Samuelson, Frank, 24 San Antonio, 46 San Francisco, 89, 119 San Francisco earthquake, 119 San Souci, Robert, 75 Santa Anna, 98–99 Schroeder, Andreas, 52 Science Chef, 14 Scotland, 131 Scotland Yard, 47 Scrooge, Ebenezer, 84 Searching for Grizzlies, 146 Secret Life of Food, 14 Selvakumar, 144 Shark chaser, 12 Sharks, 11–12 Sheldon, David, 91 Shelley, Kate, 67 Ship, 29 Shrew, 141 Sikorsky, Robert, 126 Simon, Seymour, 29 Singing Sands, 137 Sisk, Mildred, 50 $65 million dollar pants, 87 Snakes! Strange and Wonderful, 146 Snowball battle, 101 Snowflake Bentley, 91 Solheim, James, 14 South Pole marathon, 80 Spies, 127 St George, Judith, 52, 64 St Louis Browns, 70–71 Stanley, George, 64 Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 110 Starr, Belle, 105 Statue of Liberty, 96 Stille, Darlene, 40 Stone, Lucy, 110 Stonehenge, 153 Story of Clara Barton, 75 Story of Mary Walker, 41 Story of Medicine, 41 Strange but True Baseball Stories, 75 Stubby, 116–117 Stupid Crook Book, 52 Sullivan, Otha, 91 Sullivan, Roy, 79 Superstition Mountains, 100 Susan B Anthony: Fighter for Women’s Rights, 75 Susannah of the Alamo, 126 Index / 167 Taco Bell, Taft, Helen, 59 Taft, William, 57 Talkin’ About Bessie, 30 Taus-Bolstad, Stacy, 14 Teach, Edward, 135 Tecumseh, 61 Tessendorf, K C., 17 Theodore Roosevelt: Champion of the American Spirit, 64 Thieves, 52 Thomas, Sonya, Thomas Jefferson, 64 Thompson, Frank, 97 Titanic, 119 Toguri, Iva, 50 Tokyo Rose, 50–51 Tokyo Rose: Orphan of the Pacific, 53 Tombstone, 107–108 Touvestre, Mary, 122 Transparent shoe, 90 Treasure Island, 134 Tricycle lawnmower, 90 Truman, Harry, 57, 125 Truth About Dangerous Sea Creatures 146 Tsunamis, 146 Twenty-Five Scariest Places in the World, 158 Twenty-Six Men Who Changed the World, 92 Typhoid Mary, 41 Tyson, 144 Umbrella pillow, 90 Van Buren, Angelica, 59 Van Buren, Martin, 57 Van Lew, Elizabeth, 122 Vanderbilt, Cornelius, Veeck, Bill, 70 Verne, Jules, 132 Vernon, Caroline, 96 Vidocq, Eugene, 47 Vietnam Memorial, 123 Vocabulary, 34 Vogel, Carol, 29 Wade, Mary, 75 Walker, Mary, 36–37 Walker, Paul, 126 Walking marathon, 80 Walking Marathon, 92 Walters, Larry, 22 Walz, Jacob, 100 Warner, Emily, 19 Warren, William E., 158 Weckesser, Elden, 40 Wells, Rosemary, 41 Wendy’s, Weston, Ed, 79 What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?, 146 When I Met the Wolf Girls, 91 Where Does Food Come From?, 14 Where Washington Walked, 64 White Castle, White Christmas, 123 White House, 62–63 Whole brain model, 37 Why Don’t Haircuts Hurt?, 41 Wild Science, 146 Wildlife Detectives, 53 Williams, Kendra, 19 Wilson, Edith, 60–61 Wilson, Ellen, 60 Wilson, Woodrow, 17, 116 Winter, Jonah, 91 Wolf Girls, 83 Woman for President: Story of Victoria Woodhull, 68 Woodhull, Victoria, 68, 110 Woolf, Alex, 40 World War I, 116 World War II, 120 World War II, 127 Wormser, Richard, 52 Wright Brothers, 31 Wright, Orville, 19, 21, 30 Wright, Wilbur, 19, 21 Wyshner, Peter, 71 X-ray machine, 39 Yaeger, Chuck, 19, 21 Yolen, Jane, 14 Young Detective’s Handbook, 53 About the Author NANCY POLETTE is an educator with over 30 years’ experience She has authored more than 150 professional books She lives and works in Missouri, where she is Professor at Lindenwood College [...]... beware of the (disaster) there! Describe the event in six to eight sentences Repeat the first line Step-by-Step Model (p 82): Describe the steps in a process or historical events in the order in which they happened, then give an alternative outcome Example: I wonder why they Prepare the soil Plant the seeds Cultivate the earth Spray the crops Pick the cotton Remove the fibers Bale the lint Truck the bales... a rope still attached to the plane, dangling 20 feet into space The pilot knew that landing the plane would kill Rosalie, but the fuel supply was low What could be done? This and many other exciting tales of the early age of aviation are told in Barnstormers and Daredevils, by K C Tessendorf (Atheneum, 1988) May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects... customer who sent food back to the kitchen with a complaint Legend says that Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest men in the nation, dined one night at the Moon Lake Lodge He ordered fried potatoes and sent them back to the kitchen, saying that they were too thick The cook sliced some potatoes thinner and sent them out Once again the plate was returned to the kitchen The potatoes were still too... applied to the Navy to join the WAVES The Navy said NO! She was too tall Julia landed a job with a new spy agency, the Office of Secret Services (OSS) In her early days at the OSS Julia worked in the Emergency Rescue Equipment Branch to help pilots and air crews whose planes crashed at sea Sharks were the greatest danger the downed fliers faced Sharks smelled the blood of injured flyers and attacked them... Sumter Key words: Fort Sumter RESEARCH SKILLS Although Wild and Wacky Research is intended to help students apply those research skills that have been taught, students will enjoy creating wild and wacky excuses using the dictionary and showing their knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System by taking part in library scavenger hunts to complete a wild and wacky story xvi \ Preface MORE RESEARCH REPORTING MODELS... a showgirl in Houston, Texas, when the Gates Air Circus came to town She had done some wing walking earlier with the circus and contacted Ivan Gates about doing the first parachute jump by a woman Rosalie was hired and preparations were made The crowd was large as Rosalie climbed out onto the wing and jumped at a signal from the pilot The girl fell 20 feet and was stopped by a violent jerk Her parachute... copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited Copyright © 2008 NEWS RELEASE This news release appeared in the St Louis Post Dispatch and other major newspapers all over the country on April 1, 1996 How do you know it is a hoax? Taco Bell Buys the Liberty Bell In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is... dive to avoid the attacking planes The force of the dive lifted Captain Hedley out of his seat and into the sky Makepeace assumed that Hedley had fallen to his death as the plane continued to dive several hundred feet before leveling off It was then that Makepeace heard a thump and felt a drag on the plane’s tail Hedley had fallen in the right spot at the right time He held on to the tail and soon was... 21, 2007 SAMPLE PAGES FACT OR MYTH MYTH Multigrain foods are always made with whole grains “Multigrain” means the product was made with several grains You can’t assume that whole grains were used Ñ Answer Key: 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 are myths; 3, 5, and 7 are facts 6 May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects by Nancy Polette Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited... REPORTS • Share several of the wild and wacky stories about people Allow time for students to respond to the stories • Introduce one or more of the following models Note the information called for in each model Allow students to choose the model they want to use in reporting research on either an assigned person or a person of their choice Flight Bag/Suitcase (p 18): What would the contents tell about ... wonder why they Prepare the soil Plant the seeds Cultivate the earth Spray the crops Pick the cotton Remove the fibers Bale the lint Truck the bales Clean the cotton Spin the thread Weave the yarn... Toyota $ On the handout on page 28, name the car you would be least likely to buy, and tell why May be copied for classroom use From Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research Projects... language arts, and information literacy The research reporting models are generic in that they can be used to report on any person, animal, place, or event Stop the Copying with Wild and Wacky Research