1Book Review EDUC 0319 Kenneth L.

Jones Title: UFOs: Fact or Fiction Number of pages: 24 Author of the Book: Laura DAngelo Illustrator: Vladimir Pcholkin Genre: Nonfiction Publishing Company and Dates: Scholastic Inc., 1999 Awards Received: None Appropriate Audience: Intermediate (5th grade) Summary: This was a book that covered areas on UFOs, are they real or fake? It reviewed different times when there were sightings of UFOs and discussed how the author felt about the conclusion of each situation. The times mentioned were when aliens were supposed to have been sighted in New Mexico, when flying saucers were supposed to have been seen in the sky, when people were abducted by aliens, and a few more instances that involved aliens or UFOs. Still, the entire reading posses different questions that make you say, hmmm. Aliens, could it all be possible? This is a repeated question asked by many. One very interesting statement that was made in this story was concerning the actual existence of UFOs and aliens. That comments goes as follows, if either one of these existed, why isnt there any campaigning going on promising that this matter will be resolved as a political move? If there were any visible truth to these claims, wouldnt that be a politicians number-one issue to cover? However, it did go through some different observations discussing the known and unknown with some outcomes not having any real explanation. There will always be skeptics until that one real piece of evidence is brought out into the light that cant be disputed as being something fake. Until then you will have that mass majority of people never convinced that there has ever been in existence any UFOs or aliens. And you know what, I dont blame them. Evaluation of Illustration: Illustrations consisted of photos that were taken by individuals that claimed to have had experienced these different sightings. These illustrations were reproductions of actual claims displayed in black and white photos. Some of the pictures were film clippings from certain movies that featured UFOs and aliens. Such as Independence Day, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Contact, and a few more great science fiction movies others. Even though the pictures were not considered to be the originals, they did add to the storys overall effectiveness. Evaluation of Story: I thought the story was pretty interesting. But who wouldnt find stories of this type always something to think about. With the pictures adding completeness to the story, it kept you reading on in curiosity. Having the opportunity to read the different views of believers and non-believers seems to always keep you wondering if you havent came to a solid conclusion. I think its definitely the type of

book that will have you interested throughout. And who knows, you may even receive some additional information that you havent heard before that convinces you. Classroom Uses: P.E./Movement: This game is called, Space Invaders it is another version of baseball but played inside the gym. You start by dividing up everyone into three separate teams. Make sure you have shirts to represent each team because two teams will be alternating turns at bat. Five outs are needed and a catch directly off the wall is legal. All the rest of the rules are the same as baseball with the exception of the running rules. The players having the same coloring can only run when they are at bat, while the other team wait, even if they are already on base. Only one player from each team can occupy a base. However if your team hits a home run, you get points from the other team thats on base invading your space. Example: Blue team has two players on the bases; red team has one player on base with the batter hitting a home run. That would total four points, two for the batting team and two from the other team. These points are called, Space Invader points. When that happens, then the bases are cleared of all runners with the other team unable to receive points from those runners that were on base at that time. Once the five outs are made, then the team making the last out must take the field with the other team staying where they are. Even if they are already on base they still stay there. The team coming off the field will always be the first team batting. The team scoring the first ten runs is declared the winner. Science: This assignment will consist in students working together in groups of three. What they will be involved in is creating a paper mache planet. Each group will be given a planet they must create. After reading what that particular planet has on it the student must simulate that type of effect on their planet. Example: If a group happens to have the moon, then they would have to simulate craters on their planet. First they will all start off blowing a balloon up and begin to place tissue paper all over it. Once the balloon is completely covered, they will allow it to dry. Heres where the team work comes into play. Students must agree on the special features to place on their planet project. If the planet that they are working on has objects around it and not on it, they must discuss how they want to simulate this. No matter the outcome, there must be group decisions made and implemented in order for this project to be a success. Read/Write: Students will take this time to create their own alphabet. Students will write down the correct alphabet letters and assign other alphabets or even signs to them. Students must make sure that they dont assign more than one letter or sign per letter. Example: A=%, B=&, C=H, D=@, etc The numbers will also need to be included for coding because it will stem into the math assignment. Once students have assigned all letters and numbers, they must create a sentence that will be placed in the bubble of their art project. They will also create one paragraph of coded conversation with questions they would ask an alien if they actually saw one. These papers will be exchanged with another student so that each student can decipher one another code.

Math: Stemming from the read/write exercise, heres where we start to use the numbers we created for decoding purposes. Students must make sure they are consistent in this exercise. One thing that has to be paid close attention to is placement of the numbers. If the answer doesnt contain the proper codes then it will be incorrect. Example: (9=$, 0= %, and 1=&) Then $ + % = &% Students can easily get confuse if they are not paying close attention to number placement. They will create twenty problems for their classmates to figure out. Each number created will not exceed three digits; however the answer may be more then three digits long. Right now we are limiting the problems to subtraction and addition problems. Later we will see how difficult it would be to work with multiplication and division. Art: Students will create their own version of how they may perceive an alien to look. They will draw it on poster paper with a bubble; (statement coming out of the mouth of the alien) so that they can place a coded message in it from the coded letters that they created. In order to figure out the code, the key will be placed on the back of the poster. This should be the same coded key list that was submitted for their reading assignment as well as their math assignment. Special Concerns: My concerns would have to be personal. Who really knows if aliens exist? Its all a matter of opinion. My personal view is for something that people say they have seen why anyone doesnt have any concrete evidence other than photos, which can be manipulated in so many different ways. That would be my only concern, which tends to be personal.