Hey! You have just read the story, 'Two Bad Ants,' by Chris VanAllsburg. Now, use the Internet to find out more about the author and ants. Have fun learning what it takes to write and illustrate a fun book! Enjoy creating your own comic strip using ant pictures from the World Wide Web!

The following links come from all over the World Wide Web and represent a variety of viewpoints. You may complete the following Internet activities alone or by working in a group. The purpose of this Web page is to give you a sampling of some of the aspects talked about in the story of 'Two Bad Ants.'

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you, Mrs. Peimann, a teacher at Woodland Elementary, Jennings School District, Jennings, Missouri.

Sites to Explore

The World of Chris Van Allsburg Questions:

1. Where did Chris grow up?
2. How did he get to school?
3. List the titles of five (5) of his other books and the year he published them. For assistance with this, click on the author's bookshelf.

1. Where does Chris get his ideas for stories?
2. How long does it take Chris to write and illustrate a book?

1. What do you call the scientific study of ants?
2. Write five (5) things you read from this webpage that are very interesting. Explain why you think these items are interesting.

1. Ues this reading to add two (2) more interesting items to your list of interesting ant info.
2. Draw a picture of an ant. Label the legs, head, trunk, petiole, and gaster.

1. How do ants protect themselves?
2. What do ants eat to survive?
3. Write two more questions from the links. Then add your answers.

1. Save at least three (3) pictures of different ants into a picture file. Then, copy them into a word document.
2. Use these pictures to create a comic strip entitled, 'Two Bad Ants - Episode II - The Ants Come Home.'
3. Then, think of a story about ants. Your story should 'tell' some of the information you learned, but in a fun way. What kind of story would you want to read about ants? Use pictures from the resources to help illustrate.

Conclusion

How would you chunk what you learned into clusters or a brainstorm map? Use a graphic organizer to display your new information.

What do you think is the most important thing you learned about ants?

How do you think ants affect the environment?

While exploring this sampler on Two Bad Ants, I hope you've had fun, learned, and most importantly connected with some part of this topic.

This 'Sampler' is created from a lesson written by Mrs. Grace Peimann, a teacher at Woodland Elementary, Jennings School District in Jennings, Missouri.