Writing Activities: Year 4

Monte Iberia dwarf frog

The Monte Iberia dwarf frog (or ‘ranita’) is one of the smallest frogs in the world, at around 1cm in length. It lives only in one place in the world, a rainforest in a small area of Cuba, and is critically endangered. Because it is so small, it has fewer teeth than other frogs, and makes a very high-pitched sound that can be mistaken for an insect. This frog was only discovered under 30 years ago. That means that when some of your teachers were born we didn’t even know it existed!

In this clip we find out some of the ways that the tiny Monte Iberia dwarf frog protects itself from predators.

Literacy idea

Imagine you are a bird with a nest of hungry chicks. Write a letter to your chicks explaining why it might be a bad idea to try to catch and eat a Monte Iberia dwarf frog. You could talk about why the frog would be hard to catch and why it might not be nice to eat anyway.

Remember to:

• Address the young birds – Dear young birds,
• Explain why you are writing to them – I am writing to you today to
• Explain why your message is so important – This is an important issue because…
• Include any other information that you think is important.
• Sign off your letter – Kind wishes, (your name).

Wider curriculum idea

The Monte Iberia dwarf frog can jump many times its own length. How high and far can you jump? You could have a competition with the people you live with.