Stories with Backwards Animals

 Once we got to know our Backwards Animal, we got creative with story writing. I gave the students various prompts to choose from, helped them story map a clear beginning, middle, and end, and off they went on an adventure with their backwards animal! I love how these students incorporated what they created (diet, appearance, personality) into their stories!

"A Day With My Animal" Style

A Day With The Occeg, by Mina (4th grade)

        Have you ever heard of an occeg? I bet you haven't. I guess it was just luck that I met one.

        I was in the aquarium with my friend when I came across a medium-sized hole in the wall. I looked very closely and saw a tiny green face pop out.

        I s-l-o-w-l-y tiptoed forward, and picked him up. He purred hello, but growled to others who saw him. I walked out of the aquarium with him. It was still the morning, and the lizard-like creature seemed to absolutely LOATHE the sunlight. So I cupped my hands over him as he curled up inside.

        "C'mon! I'll take you to the ship dock and we can go fishing!" I said excitedly. I knew it was weird to talk to something that couldn't talk, but it felt nice for some reason. When we got there, it was absolutely perfect! No one was there, and there was only one fishing rod left! The breeze was blowing on my face playfully as though it wanted to play with me.

        "C'mon, you can come out now, it's sunset, and I think you'll really like it," I said to the creature.

        I thought that I should name it, so I thought and thought and thought. Then, the idea hit me like a BAM! The creature looked like a gecco with webbed hands and had gills. So I spelled out "gecco" backwards, which spells "occeg," and I made its full name: "The Legendary Occeg." Then, as though it could read my mind, he purred in delight! I guess he liked his name!

         I pulled out a fishing rod and attached some bait. As soon as I felt a great, hard tug, I pulled with all my might. And to my surprise, the occeg. helped too, and was incredibly strong! When the fish finally came out of the water, it was a gigantic salmon! Because I didn't want fish right then, I pushed the salmon toward the occeg, and it gobbled it up like it was nothing! 

        After hours and hours of fishing, I had a whole pile of fish for the Occeg. I also had a brand new friend.

Dear Diary/Journal Entry style

 The Sweet Adventure, by Anya (5th grade) 

Dear Diary,

Today has been a very interesting day. To understand why it was interesting, we have to go all the way back. 

At the start of the day, my sister started banging rudely at my door. She finally figured out how to open it. She jumped in like some sort of superhero, and then she told me we were going to the candy shop. I was so excited to go to the candy shop because I had been waiting to go for so long. Cotton candy was my favorite. I love the way it  melts in my mouth, and  the way my hands are always sticky after, and even the way I feel sad when I finish. 

When we reached the candy shop, I smelled the sweet candy scent. I ran to the cotton candy machine, while my sister ran to the chocolate river. Every time I come here it feels like I am in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The employee came to get me cotton candy. My mouth was watering! But the cotton candy machine started making these weird noises. Like Frr and grr and feh.

Poof! A creature popped out of the machine. I know I sound crazy, but he really was there. Promise. It had cotton candy fur, it was cat-like, and also it looked like a unicorn, but instead of a horn, it was an ice cream cone upside down, with ice cream melting on the top of his head.

He jumped off the counter, grabbed cotton candy and ran down the street. I ran after it, trying to keep my pace steady. I needed to get my cotton candy back! As soon as I thought that he jumped over a fence, I picked up every bit of courage I had, and jumped as high as I could. I got lots of splinters, but I was too far in the chase to go back now. I reached the creature about to run into a wall. The creature stopped midway and took a breath. He dropped the cotton candy. I got my cotton candy back!

The creature said “Tac”. What did Tac mean? I assumed it was his name. And it turns out I was right, because he wrote something in the air. It said “I must leave now.” 

I looked at him and waved goodbye. He ran off giggling. I was confused but happy. I got my cotton candy back and I earned a friend.

Scientific Documentary Style

Drehpehs Namreg Documentary, by Aubrey (6th grade)

Very few know about the mythical being that guards the borders of the dream land and the waking world. The mythical being, otherwise known as the Drehpehs Namreg, is only seen by few people.

I am Aubrey, the animal scientist known around the world sent by Colossal Biosciences to find the Drehpehs Namreg on May 2nd, 2034. Why, might you ask? Well, the few people who HAVE glimpsed the Drehpehs Namreg almost always live next to rainforests. Every spotting has also occurred during the rainy months. So, the exploration is going to be in the Amazon Rainforest. 

Within five hours of landing in Brazil, Tula, my robot drone and I, set out for the dense trees. I should explain, the Drehpehs Namreg is nocturnal. So of course, we had to explore in the dark. On the first day we found nothing that would help us, other than a few carved stones from the first people living here.

For a whole week it was the same, not even a foot print of our goal. Then on the eighth day of exploring, we finally found something helpful. Some ripped up palmer mango (the Drehpes Namreg’s favorite) hidden in the tall bushy grass. This was a good sign, as we were getting closer and closer to our goal. On day 10, Tula did some exploring without me. She found a few bite marks on a Rosewood tree, which according to my 10 years of animal study, does not belong to any species we know of that live in the world.

A few more days of exploring the edges of the forest, it was finally time to go deeper. It would be much more dangerous as we continue our excursions. Animals such as the Black Caiman or the giant centipede, could be a major setback to the project. We were looking for the entrance to the dream world. Colossal Biosciences have provided a high-tech radar system for us, that way we were able to see any suspicious animal activities. We concluded that the center of the rainforest is where the Cave of Dreams is located.

It took three days and three nights to reach the surrounding area of the cavern. A ring of towering Mahogany trees guarded the sides. A stunning cave of amethyst crystal stretched as far as the eye could see ——— and there, standing in the middle, was the most majestic creature I’ve ever set my eyes on. Tall as a wolf, but with the posture of a leopard. Wings with feathers like silk, tucked in neatly against the spine. The tongue of a snake for a tail, swinging back and forth as if trying to hypnotize you. Its fur was glowing silver with occasional streaks of brown rust and dark indigo. For a moment those startling eyes looked into mine, one glowing blue and one foggy gray. In a blink of an eye, my whole life flashed in front of me. Many questions were answered for me in mere seconds. After that little vision, the Drehpehs Namreg stared me in the eye one last time, then disappeared, leaving me dumbfounded.

I was shaken back into reality when Tula beeped in alarm, “What’s wrong?” I asked her —— no response. I listened more carefully and heard a sound like a person was stomping on the forest floor, but much more — dense. As if there was a fast marching band of little animals. I scoured through the list in my head of all the animals that live in the Amazon. A type of snake? No, it wouldn’t explain the pattering sounds of feet. The armed spiders? Then why did it sound like a stampede?

Then it hit me, Eciton Burchellii. Otherwise known as the stamping ants. They hunt in “stampedes” and crush any tiny creatures living on the forest floor. As the drumming band came closer, I scrambled onto one of the Mahogany trees next to me. A wave of dark glistening insects swarmed the ground beneath me. Luckily, they didn’t notice me and there were no snakes in the tree. 

After the wave passed, I eased myself down the tree until my boots touched the ground. Tula’s “face” changed into a confetti cannon blowing up to celebrate our victory. I smiled, as we made our way back to camp. I kept thinking on how to write my documentary.

               Well, I guess I’ll have to start at the beginning.