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Infographic,

The Amazing Axolotl: Your New School Mascot?

Here’s why an axolotl should represent your school!

From the March/April 2023 Issue
Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    This infographic presents fun facts about the axolotl, an amphibian from Mexico.
  • Structure
    Information is presented with text and images around the central image of the axolotl. Two sidebars are included.
  • Language
    The language is mainly familiar. The word amphibian is included and explained.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required. The infographic mentions Mexico, TikTok, and Minecraft.
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.7, W.1 Grade 4: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.7, W.4.1 Grade 5: RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.7, W.5.1 Grade 6: RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.7, W.6.1
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.9d, f; 4.12c Grade 5: 5.9d, f; 5.12c Grade 6: 6.8d, f; 6.11c
  • NGSS
    LS1.A: Structure and Function LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms

Presentation View
See Student View

Jim McMahon/Mapman ® (Globe); Mojang Studios (Minecraft); Banco de Mexico (Money); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

Meet the Axolotl!

Pronounced (AK-suh-lah-tuhl)

It’s an amphibian from Mexico. Most amphibians live in water as young and on land when they get older. But the axolotl spends its whole life in water.

Here’s why I should represent your school!

  • My cute little mouth works like a vacuum to suck in food.
  • If I get hurt, I can regrow my skin, limbs, tail— or even parts of my heart and brain!
  • My feathery gills help me breathe underwater.

By the Numbers

  • They can swim 10 miles per hour. That’s nearly twice as fast as the world’s fastest human swimmer!
  • They are 9-12 inches long on average.
  • There are fewer than 1,000 of them in the wild. (Many others are kept as pets or studied in labs.)

Celebrity Status


The axolotl is already famous

  • On TikTok Pet owners can’t stop sharing videos of these critters.
  • In Video Games Finding axolotls in the video game Minecraft helps you battle enemies.
  • On Money In 2021, Mexico put an axolotl on a new bill.

Write to Win

Imagine your school wants to change its mascot. Use facts from the infographic to write a speech to convince students to choose the axolotl. Send your speech to “Axolotl Contest” by May 1, 2023. Five winners will each receive a Storyworks prize. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

This infographic was originally published in the March/April 2023 issue.

video (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Activities (3) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Reading and Discussing 

2. Writing

3. Ideas to Engage and Inspire

1. Reading and Discussing 

Project the infographic as students follow along in their magazines.

Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the infographic.

Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to

  • explain something to you?
  • convince you of something?
  • tell you how to do something?

Have students look over the labels and images surrounding the central image. Ask:

  • How are they related to the central image? (They provide details about the main idea.)

Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.

Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.

2. Writing

Preview the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box.

Download and distribute the guided-writing activity that goes along with the infographic.

Have students respond to the writing prompt. If you wish, send their responses to our infographic contest. 

3. Ideas to Engage and Inspire

Have students create their own infographics! Download our “Make Your Own Infographic” activity from Storyworks Digital.

Text-to-Speech