1. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

2. Introduction In the novel, My Side of the Mountain, Sam captures and trains a peregrine falcon. The falcon captures small animals for Sam's meals and becomes his faithful companion. In this activity you and your group will research the falcon and create a newsletter.

3. The Task You and other members of your cooperative group will create a newsletter about peregrine falcons.

4. The Process: Exploring the Web, Creating a Product  Visit the sites listed below and learn about the falcon:  Falcons - drawings for the artist member of the group Falcons  Falcons - migration and nesting habits of this group of peregrines Falcons  General Facts www.factmonster.com www.factmonster.com  Webcam http://www.peregrinefund.org/falconcam/http://www.peregrinefund.org/falconcam/  Peregrine Fund - successes of the endangerment program and brief description Peregrine Fund  Why is it important to protect large birds?  How did falcons become endangered? Are they on the endangered list now?

5. Your Jobs  In this activity you and your cooperative group will create a newsletter. First select jobs that you want and then follow the direction for that job.  Geographer. In your article, describe the habitat and the nest locations  Biologist. In your article, give a clear description of the falcon, its breeding habits, and its chance of being endangered.  Author. Write a 10 or more line poem based on facts from the research and a fictional story  Artist. Copy/paste into text boxes three of the photos to the newsletter as illustrations for the other sections  Sports/ Special Interest. In your articles, include any unique characteristics of the falcon and also a description of falconry. Check with other group members to be sure information is not being duplicated.  Layout Editor: Create Newspaper banner, format. Save in yellow folder

6. How You Will Be Graded  Your newsletter will be graded on the following criteria:  ability for the group to work productively and all members contribute  all sections are present in the newsletter  newsletter is visually attractive with a title and sections clearly labeled  newsletter is easy to read (legible) and informational  web sources are cited