Never seen a jackalope?  Not even sure what it is?  Well, you’ve come to the right place.  You’ll get the whole wild story right here. 

You see, the jackalope didn’t start out with horns.  First he was a plain old hare.  You know, a jackrabbit.  The horns came later, along with a corny fairy godrabbit and a cranky coyote.   And the troubles those horns brought-hooo-wee!  It sure makes for a hare-raising tale!

With gut-busting brew of sassy storytelling and outrageous art, Janet Stevens and Susan Crummel finally give the jackalope his due.  After all, he’s long been part of American legend-isn’t it time to tell the real story.

Harcourt, Inc.

Strategies & Activities

Teacher Tips from Susan Stevens Crummel can be found on her website

http://www.susanstevenscrummel.com/teachertipsjack.htm

*        Ideas for writing and illustrating animal stories

*        Make a Heritage Family tree

*        Word Play

*        Imaginative Writing

*        Readers’ Theatre script

 Comprehension strategy – Making Connections

Activating background knowledge and relating it to what is being read helps readers personalize their reading.  Encourage students to make textual connections between Jackalope and familiar fairy tales/nursery rhymes. Ask them to give the name of the story they reference and compare the characters/plots from their text-to-text connections.

 Illustrations

Janet Stevens, the illustrator, is known for her use of anthropomorphism.  Explain to students that this is a technique in which she gives human characteristics to the animals in her pictures.  Allow students to study her illustrations on each page and discover the human-like qualities of the characters.  On a chart, record the name of the characters and list their examples of anthropomorphism.

 Myth or Fact?

A myth is a form of folklore used to explain an animal’s existence or appearance. 

Ask students if they believe the jackalope is a real animal or a myth.  Have students work in small groups to conduct online research of the jackalope and decide if they believe it to be real or fictitious.  Students will present their finding orally and should be able to explain/defend their group decision.

Caution: Many websites for “jackalope” are not appropriate for children.  Preview possible sites prior to this assignment and provide a list for the students of those that are approved.

Two examples:

http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/jackalope.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WY-Jackalope.html

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