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Urban Legend Creatures
Cathy Miyata, Nan Brien, Tracy Houser, Nicole Fougere – Curriculum Team
Grade 5
Subject Language Arts
Topic Descriptive writing
Descriptive Sentence:
Through drama, students will write a descriptive, narrative poem depicting an urban legend creature.
Curricular Outcomes or Expectations
Please see the lesson plan preview for the expectations/outcomes for your province.
Materials
" Chart paper
" Marker
Space Requirements
Classroom
Complete Description of Lesson
Getting Ready
Please take a moment to review
the “Introduction to Urban Legend
Creatures” Video
" Discuss urban legend creatures e.g. Sasquatch, Ogopogo, Windigo, Loch Ness Monster, Yeti etc. If
possible show pictures of the images of these creatures, have articles on sightings of these
creatures. Encourage research about sightings and descriptions of these creatures. Share and
discuss.
Please take a moment to review
the “Creative Visualization” Video
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" Ask the students to sit on the floor and find a quiet place for themselves in their mind. In this quiet
place they can go to an environment they actually know and create a “sighting” of an imaginary
creature through the following Creative Visualization Exercise. The following script will help create
the atmosphere for the “sighting”.
“There have been sightings of a strange creature near here. You are one of the people who actually
saw it… close your eyes and recreate the incident in your imagination…
It was dusk. You decided to go for a walk alone. You headed for a place you have heard about. As
you got closer, you developed an uncomfortable feeling; the hairs on arms raised, your stomach got
tight. You knew something was going to happen. You heard a sound…a quiet sound. You smelled
something. It was strong. Then you saw movement and out of the (wood, cave, water) emerged a
creature. You were surprised by the size, it was so… big or small, you decide. The shape of the body
was … The shape of the head was… You could see the teeth and the colour of its (skin or scales or
fur). It moved oddly. Suddenly the creature saw you. How did you feel when the creature met your
eyes? Were you afraid, curious, delighted or excited? How did that feeling feel in your body? Did you
have butterflies in your stomach? Were your palms wet? Did you suddenly have to go to the
bathroom? Then, while you had the chance, you turned and ran as fast as you could.”
Development
Please take a moment to review
the “Create a Physical Reality”
Slide
" Now ask the students to stand in their own space, facing away from other members of the class.
Create a physicalization of the creature they saw. Their recreation of the creature needs to depict
size, special features and how it moved.
" Once the students have created their creature ask them to freeze. Comment on what you observe.
(e.g. This creature is very tiny. This creature has fins. I see a strange twisted shape here. This
creature has a terrifying face.)
Please take a moment to review
the “Create a Composite Creature”
Slide
" Arrange students in four groups. Ask the students to go around their circle and briefly describe their
creature to the other members of their group and explain how the creature made them feel.
" Ask students to create a new ‘composite’ creature, by taking one aspect of the creature they saw and
adding it to the new creature. (E.g. One student’s creature had claws, so claws are added to the new
creature. One student’s creature had a snout, so the new creature now has a snout.)
" Ask each group to create a physicalization of their composite creature, depicting all the features of
the creature.
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" Each group will share their creature with the rest of the class. Ask observing students to comment
on the features of the composite creature. (E.g. The creature has flippers. The creature has
ferocious teeth.)
Application
Please take a moment to review
the “Motivation of the Creature”
Video
" Ask each group to decide how the composite creature feels and behaves. These factors will affect
how the creature moves. Students will need to consider what the creature is doing. To assist them
with the movement of the creature,
Is the creature angry and looking for a fight?
Is the creature hungry and looking for food?
Is the creature lonely and looking for a playmate?
Is the creature lost and looking for its way home?
Is the creature silly and practicing a practical joke?
Demonstrate possible behaviors and movements using one group if necessary.
" Ask each group to create a sound to go with the behavior and movement.
" When ready, ask each group to share the movement and sound of their creature with the rest of the
class. Discuss. Ask the observing students to comment on 3 things they found interesting about
the creature.
Please take a moment to review
the “Creating the Poem of the
Creature” Video
" We are now going to write a poem about our creature. To prepare for this, ask the students to again
form into their groups and consider some of the following questions and decide collectively the
backstory or history of their creature.
Where did the creature come from?
Does the creature have any family?
Why is it alone now?
Why does the creature live where it does?
How does the creature feel about itself?
Why does the creature behave the way it does?
How does the creature survive?
What is the creature afraid of?
What does the creature yearn for?
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" Ask the groups to create and write down three descriptive phrases for their creature. The following
literary devices could be used.
Alliteration e.g. growling groaning grasping
Simile e.g. as slow as an overloaded truck
Onomatopoeia e.g. swish, swish, swish
Take time to discuss these literary devices, and allow time for the students to play with them.
" To write an 8 line poem, consider the following questions:
What does the creature look like?
How does the creature feel?
What is the creature afraid of?
What does the creature long for?
Encourage descriptive, expressive answers.
" In between each of the lines, create a “chorus” part. It could reflect the way the creature sounds.
" The poem could read something like this:
Bony, crouched back,
Whining – Ha, ha, ha
As cold as an ice cream cone
Whining – Ha, ha, ha
Serving snakes to spiders is his only fear
Whining – Ha, ha, ha
Wanting, desiring, longing for friends and a funky, hairy wig.
Whining – Ha, ha, ha
Please take a moment to review
the “Performing the Poem of the
Creature” Video
" After the students have created their poem, ask them to write out a good copy on chart paper and
think about how to perform their poem.
Will they all speak together or sometimes alone?
Think about each word and how it would be best to express it. Will some part be loud or soft? Are
there any words that will be stretched out?
" When groups are ready, ask them to perform their poem. Ask the observing students to comment on
3 things they really like. How does the performance of the poem capture the essence of their
creature?
Please take a moment to review
the “Reflection” Video
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Closure
" Discuss the possibility of any one of these creatures actually surviving in the area and rarely
being seen.
Extensions
" Ask the students to choose a name for their creature and write a paragraph that tells about their
creature.

To give individual students opportunities to review or further develop their
understanding of the concepts in the above lesson, please go to the Student Zone,
Brain Games or click here
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