Cryptozoology: pondering Big Foot

Our current theme is Mythology, and we've spent much of this week studying the (pseudo)science of cryptozoology, focused largely on the myth of Big Foot. 

We kicked off the week by viewing some infamous footage:

We've read a few different historic accounts of Big Foot (also known by several other names), including The Story of Jacko, 1884. Students spent some time breaking down what each article actually says, writing answers to the following questions: 

1. Who reported the incident? (And to whom?)
2. What was observed? (Give a precise description, including quotations from witnesses.) 
3. What was the time and date of the incident?
4. Where is the exact location that this incident occurred?
5. What information do we have about the witnesses? (What were their jobs, ages, etc?)

We applied these questions to a few written accounts. Under close scrutiny, we found that many of these questions were impossible to answer, even though they were reports published in presumably reputable periodicals. 

Big Foot has also crept into other areas of our studies, inspiring this fascinating range of portraits from Art class: 

Later in the week, we'll be investigating other pieces of evidence that are often cited when discussing Big Foot, including studying the foot size and stride length of humans.