Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 21/00) - This assignment was out of this world. Sort of.

For the past two weeks, Grade 5 students in Lynn Lalonde's class at J.H. Sissons school have toiled on the Space Alien Project.

The kids picked a sketch of an alien, coloured the alien, drew a spaceship, wrote a story on it, and then glued everything together on a poster.

And, oh yeah, they had a lot of fun, too. Just ask Kristen Hunter, who dubbed her alien Pooka, from the planet Niome.

"He has a cute round head and has pointy ears. He communicates with his fingers," Hunter explained.

No need for mere Earthlings to fear Pooka.

"He helps other aliens, bringing food."

All the same, Hunter warned Pooka can be dangerous when crossed. "He shoots lasers out of his fingers."

However, Michael Ayika confirmed Zombo of the planet Zamborinion is not to be trifled with.

"He cuts down trees for food and goes to war most of the time," Ayika said.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Ayika added, "He has lots of enemies."

Shane Bennett's alien, Electro of Zoleo, displays a similar temperament.

"He shoots fireballs," Bennett said.

Josh Brown's alien, Krump of Sumtom, has a somewhat different strategy.

"He flashes a light and the other aliens get blasted."

On the other hand, Stephen Kruger explained that his alien, Bitsum of Zumbodium, doesn't attack people.

"He works as a security guard. When he sleeps he spins himself into a cocoon," Kruger said.

Amanda Morrison picked her alien, Seeta Alouga, because of her puffy cheeks and the fact she didn't have a "cruel look."

"She's a mother of four children, three girls and a boy," Morrison said.

Lalonde said the Space Alien Project is the first lesson in her class's science fiction unit.

"It expands the imagination, opens up all possibilities," Lalonde explained.

"You give them an alien, then nothing is assumed. It's almost like they get to create their own world."