Weird but True!

4
300 Outrageous Facts
A RIF GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES
Themes: General Information
Grade Level: 3rd to 5th grade
Book Brief: Did you know a lemon can power a
lightbulb? Read to nd out 299 more
weird but true facts!
Author:
National
Geographic
Kids
TIME TO READ!
RELATED ACTIVITIES
BRAIN FREEZERS
According to the book, you can beat brain freeze by
pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Test
it out with these frosty treats!
Materials: small plastic cups, aluminum foil or plastic
wrap, popsicle sticks
Combine your favorite avors (juice, drink mixes, etc.)
to make popsicle mix. Fill cups with mixture. Cover
the cups with foil or plastic wrap; put a popsicle stick
in the middle of each. Freeze until solid.
FAMILY FACTS
Make a collection of weird but true facts just for your
family! Ask every family member to think of at least
three weird facts about themselves. Put all the facts
together into a list or book.
Whose facts are the weirdest?
PUZZLE IT OUT
Materials: thin cardboard or cardstock, paper, glue,
scissors, markers or crayons
Make your own jigsaw puzzle! Draw a picture on the
paper. Glue the paper to the cardboard; let dry. On
the back of the cardboard, draw
puzzle piece shapes. Cut the cardboard along the
puzzle piece lines. Reassemble your picture!
TECHNOLOGY LINK
Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQwLmGR6bPA
to watch the video of the Lego man from the book
getting launched into space!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
Weird but True! (2009),
Weird but True! 2 (2010),
Weird but True! 3 (2011).
Before reading, build
background: Ask your child
to think of the weirdest or
most random fact they know.
Where did they learn it?
While reading, make connections: Which facts from
the book are familiar? Do any of the facts make you
think of things youve seen happen?
After reading, ask questions:
Which fact was most surprising?
Which facts did you already know?
Did any of the facts seem too weird to be true?
How would you test them?
Who do you think came up
with all these facts?
TIME TO READ!
Before reading: Ask the children to think of the weirdest or most random facts they
know. Who has the wildest fact? (This book will work best if you read a few facts out
loud, then let children explore the rest of the text on their own.)
RELATED ACTIVITIES
PUZZLE IT OUT (AGES 6-12)
Materials: thin cardboard or cardstock, paper, glue,
scissors, markers or crayons
Let children make their own jigsaw puzzles! Have
them draw a picture on the paper. Glue the paper to
the cardboard; let dry. On the back of the cardboard,
draw puzzle piece shapes. Cut the cardboard along
the puzzle piece lines. Let them trade puzzles with a
friend and solve!
WALL OF WEIRD (AGES 7-12)
Materials: paper, markers or crayons
Tell children to think up at least
one weird but true fact about
themselves. Have them write
their fact on a sheet of paper
and draw an illustration to go
with it. Display all the facts on a
group wall of weird.
WIRD BUT TRU (AGES 9-12)
Materials: paper, pencils,
markers or crayons
They dont have to write a
whole novel, but can the
children write a short story
without using the letter e?
Have them write a story
about the weirdest thing
that ever happened to
themwithout using the
letter e! Let them
illustrate their stories.
TECHNOLOGY LINK
Visit www.youtube.com/
watch?v=MQwLmGR6bPA
to watch the video of the Lego man from the book
getting launched into space!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
Weird but True! (2009), Weird but True! 2 (2010), Weird but True! 3 (2011).
TECHNOLOGY LINK FOR KIDS www.rif.org.kids
Weird but True! 4
300 Outrageous Facts
A RIF GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY COORDINATORS
Themes: General Information
Grade Level: 3rd to 5th grade
Book Brief: Did you know a lemon can power a
lightbulb? Read to nd out 299 more
weird but true facts!
Author:
National
Geographic
Kids
NOTE TO EDUCATORS
Extension Activities for Educators also available.
TIME TO READ!
BEFORE WE READ,
LETS LOOK AT...
The Cover: Show students
the front cover and ask
them about the title. What
predictions can they make about the book based on
the title? What genre do they think it is?
The Pictures: Briey ip through the pictures and
explain that this text is full of hard-to-believe facts.
Prior Knowledge: Ask students to share the weirdest
or most random facts they know. Who has the wildest
fact? Where did they learn it? Are all the facts true, or
are some of them urban legends?
Vocabulary: Vocabulary will vary
from page to page.
Purpose for Reading: This
book will work best if you
read a few facts out loud, then
let children explore the rest
of the text on their own or at
a learning center. Encourage
them to make connections
between the new facts
they learn and what they
already know about the
topic.
WHILE WE READ
MONITORING
COMPREHENSION
After reading a few facts, ask:
Which fact is the weirdest?
Which fact is the least surprising?
Had you heard any of these facts before?
Do you know any other interesting facts about
this topic?
LETS THINK ABOUT
Our Purpose: How does what you learned connect to what you already knew? Did any of the facts change your
way of thinking about the subject?
Extending Our Thinking: How could we test out some of these facts to see if theyre really true? Pick one or two
facts and brainstorm ways you could verify them. Is it something you could research, or would
you need to do an experiment? Briey discuss the danger of learning trivia without learning
anything else about a topic.
Weird but True! 4
300 Outrageous Facts
A RIF GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS
Themes: General Information
Grade Level: 3rd to 5th grade
Book Brief: Did you know a lemon can power a
lightbulb? Read to nd out 299 more
weird but true facts!
Author: National
Geographic Kids
Content
Connections: Math, Science,
Social Studies, Art, Technology
THINK-TAC-TOE ACTIVITY OPTIONS
Individual students can choose an activity to complete.
Student pairs or cooperative groups can work together on a choice of their own.
Educator can assign an activity for an individual, pairs, or groups.

NO WAY!
Some of these facts seem too weird
to be true! Pick three of the weird-
est. Research to nd out more about
them. Are they really true? Share your
ndings with a poster or PowerPoint.
Writing, Science
FACT FINDER
Did the authors of this book leave
out any interesting facts? Make a list
of at least ve fun facts that arent in
the book. Write a letter to National
Geographic explaining why they
should use your facts in their next
book!
Writing
GOING UP!
How do you think a space elevator
would work? Create your own design
for one. How high does it go? What
do you do when you reach the top?
What is it made of? How fast does it
go? Label your design.
Science, Engineering, Technology
WIRD BUT TRU
You dont have to write a whole
novel, but can you write a short story
without using the letter e? Write a
story about the weirdest thing that
ever happened to youbut dont use
the letter e! Draw a picture to go
with your story.
Writing, Art
PLAYING CHICKEN
How many people are there in the
world right now? Visit www.census.
gov/main/www/popclock.html.
If there are twice as many chickens
as people, how many chickens are
there? Wait an hour and repeat the
process. How much did the popula-
tion grow in an hour?
Technology, Math, Social Studies
RING OF STONE
Make your own model of
Stonehenge using materials you
have in the classroom. Research to
nd out more about Stonehenge.
Where is the original? How old is it?
Who built itand how?
Engineering, Art, Social Studies
WEIRD PROBLEMS
Write at least three math word
problems using facts from the book.
Solve your problems. Trade prob-
lems with a partner to see if you can
stump each other!
Math, Writing
SOUND EFFECTS
Visit www.seaworld.org/animal-info/
sound-library to hear some animal
sounds. Practice your descriptive
writing by writing a poem or short
story about a trip to the zoo. In your
poem, describe the noises of at least
three diferent animals.
Writing, Art, Technology, Science
SATURN DAY
How can there be a whole planet
with no land? Research Saturn to
nd out. Make a poster, brochure,
or PowerPoint with at least 5 facts
about Saturn. How big is it? What
is the surface made of? How far is it
from Earth?
Science, Math
STEAM-THEMED: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, MATH
Weird but True! 4
300 Outrageous Facts
RIF EXTENSION ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS