Teach the Class

Teach the class

For my activity in the class I haven't finalized the exact activities yet but I have a clear idea of the topics I want to cover.

First I want to have a game where I will show a pictures of different snakes on the same screen and they will be numbered from 1-5. Then I will read out a name of a snake and each table will have to guess which numbered snake has the corresponding name. Each correct table will earn a sweet prize. 

This game will have 5-7 rounds.

Second I want to have an activity in which everyone will write "SNAKE" vertically down the side of their paper. Then in 5 minutes, I will tell them to write as many words they can think of related to snakes that start with any of the letters in the word "snake". The only rule is that in order to win, you need to have at least two words for each letter of the word. (So you can just come up with words that start with S).

If time allows I will have a passage related to snakes, and I will want them to find one example of figurative language and analyze it without using any words that start with any of the letters in SNAKE.

Video Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkckhcqiwM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6raCCmAFk

Snake or nah?

1. Malagasy Leaf-Nosed Snake- These snakes are from Madagascar and they are given their names due to the scaly structures on their snouts.

2. Hairy Bush Viper- These unique snakes don't actually have hair but their spiky scales can often be mistaken for hair.

3. Spider Tailed Viper- These snakes thin, wispy scales on its tail resembles the pesky arachnids.

4. Horned Viper- These snakes are found in North Africa and the Middle East. Their horns over their eyes can often be used as weapons.

5. Elephant Trunk Snake- These Indonesian snakes are given their name from their gray, baggy skin that resembles a trunk of an elephant. They actually can't slither on land because they lack the necessary scales to do so.

Slithering into Books

Slithering into Books

From Scylla in the Odyssey to Hydra in Percy Jackson, these slithery creatures have made their presence known against the heroes of the books. Depicted as formidable opponents for the fan favorites to defeat, these serpents and snakes inflict fear and darken the entire mood of the story. 

Scylla

The Scylla made its first appearance in Homer's Odyssey. This sea monster is described as having six heads perched on snakey necks with twelve feet. Being perched on a rock, it terrorized crews that sailed across its path. One of these crews happened to be Odysseus and his team. Homer describes the event which ended in the Scylla snatching some of the crew members from the boat and gulping them down whole as described below.

"...they writhed
gasping as Scylla swung them up her cliff and there
at her cavern's mouth she bolted them down raw—
screaming out, flinging their arms toward me,
lost in that mortal struggle." - The Odyssey

Hydra

The Hydra was introduced first in Hesiod's Theogony where it is described as a multi-headed serpent that is slain by Hercules. Over the years, the number of heads of the Hydra varies. It is known to have poisonous breath and virulent blood. The legend of this mythical creature has been carried to todays bestsellers including Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Percy Jackson's first encounter with this beast is described below.

"Tyson, being a monster, was somehow able to summon the outlet bringing the Hydra with it. It was large and lizard-like, with long necks and nine heads to match. It had many rows of razor-sharp teeth, its hands were clawed, had a tail, and spat acid." - Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters

False Depictions

Due to many peoples' lack of information on snakes, snakes have received a bad reputation for being vicious bloodthirsty beasts. As I've said before in my blog, this simply isn't true. They are often harmed and provoked by humans causing them to strike in self defense. A large part of their negative depiction is due to the media.

As a fun blog, I will name few movies in which snakes are shown as killers.

1) Snakes on a Plane

 

This is a movie about killer snakes being released on a plane (hence the title) and some of the passengers efforts to escape and save as many people as possible.

2)Anaconda



This horror movie is centered around a group of people who are out to search for and kill the legendary Anaconda.

3) Razortooth



Yet another horror film about snakes / serpents. In this movie, a killer water snake is the monster that hunts down people.



Although there probably is a movie in which a snake is the "hero", I have never heard of or seen such a movie. Even on the news and books, snakes are mostly portrayed as dangerous and we are constantly warned to not go near them. So I think it's safe to say that media has a large part in creating this false depiction.