Introduction

Back in the old days before 1994, students had to use coloring books, magazines, photocopiers, their own drawings and the library to illustrate their work. These are still good things, but now you can also use the World Wide Web. Explore the Internet links on this page and look for images of the amphibian your are studying and its environments. Imagine that you're a photographer in cyberspace and your job is to come back from a virtual photoshoot with lots pictures to illustrate your book! What's collected can then be pasted on a Word document and used as a picture file as you write and illustrate your metamorphosis book.

Keep this question in mind as you work:

How can I collect photographs that illustrate the metamorphosis of the American toad, wood frog or spotted salamander?

Instructions

1. Explore the Internet sites linked below. You're looking for facts, quotes, examples, images, sound clips, videos, and animations that you think are important aspects of the topic.

2. When you find something you like, check its Web page for a copyright notice. Often, students are encouraged to copy things that will only be used in the classroom. Sometimes people don't want their work copied at all. A good practice is looking for an e-mail link on the page and then using it to ask permission.

3. Copy any text you want by dragging across the words, then using the Edit - Copy command on the menubar. Paste what you highlighted into a basic text editor, word processor, desktop publishing program or multimedia program.

4. Save images you like by downloading them. Paste the images you've downloaded into a multimedia, paint or desktop publishing program (like HyperStudio, Clarisworks, or PageMaker) or use one of the graphics viewers listed as Tools on this page to display your collection of images.

5. Be prepared to cut anything that copyright owners tell you they don't want you to have.

6. Once you have collected your information, go over it carefully so that you can give clear and thoughtful reasons why you found the things you collected especially important.
   

The Internet Resources

• Yahooligans! Animals - Contains pictures of American toad, and wood frog as adults only.

• Frogs and Toads of Virginia - Pictures of American toad,and wood frog in all three stages.

• Massachusetts Amphibians and Reptiles - Drawings of wood frog larvae and adult, American toad adult and spotted salamander adult. E-mail address for artist included.

Salamanders

• Salamanders of Virginia - Pictures of spotted salamander in all three stages.

Vernal Pools (frogs, toads, salamanders)

• Rhode Island Vernal Pools - Pictures of ponds where frogs, toads and salamanders might lay their eggs. Under Table of Contents go to Photos or Species for pictures of adult American toads, wood frogs, or spotted salamanders.

• New Jersey's Vernal Pools - Three pictures of vernal pools and one of spotted salamander adult.

Ponds (frogs & toads)

• Newburyport, Mass. Tours - Picture of the Frog Pond at the Mall.

Forests (salamanders & toads)

• Massachusetts Association of Professional Foresters - Four images of the forest, the habitat of adult toads & salamanders.

Tools

References

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Get definitions to many words quickly.

Roget's Thesaurus

Find words that have similar meanings to words you run across.