Why There Are No Tigers In Africa

Why There Are No Tigers In Africa Creative Writing Resource Devised and written by: Julie Laslett & Caroline Webster Copyright: Dramatic Media Limited 2011

The Beginning of the story introduces who is involved, and where and when the story takes place. The Middle of the story. This tells the reader the action and events of the story, and describes what happens next. Brer Rabbit And The Tiger Once upon a time in Africa there was a big fierce tiger, a she-tiger, ten feet long from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail. Her legs were strong, her claws were sharp, and her greedy eyes shone like polished glass. She was a fierce and powerful cat and all the other animals were afraid of her. In amongst the green leaves and brown bark of the bush, there also lived Brer Rabbit. He was small and grey with long ears, and a nose that twitched. One day, as Tiger was walking through the bush, she heard the plop-plop of big rain drops, as they splashed on the leaves. The ground smelt warm and damp, and a gentle swirling breeze blew and whislted through the trees. Brer Rabbit, what are you doing? said Tiger, surprised that the rabbit hadn t run away like all the other animals, frightened by her rumbling roar. Brer Rabbit would have run away if he had seen Tiger coming, but he d been too busy eating. Now he had to think very quickly so he began to pull vines from off the trees. Oh, Tiger, don t you know, there s a storm coming? I m going to tie myself to a tree in a minute, with these long vines, so that the storm doesn t blow me away. When the storm comes anyone who isn t tied to a tree will be blown away. Will they? said Tiger. Oh, yes said Brer Rabbit, pulling down vines very quickly. Dialogue between the characters is shown using speech marks... Tiger looked worried. Very worried. She looked at the vines and wondered how she could tie herself to a tree. In a frightened voice as thin as the wind blowing across a blade of grass she said, Brer Rabbit, could you tie me to a tree too please, so that I don t blow away? So Brer Rabbit wound the vines round and round until Tiger was bound as tight as a drum. Then, he ran off with a skip and a bounce because there was no storm coming. It was all a trick to escape from Tiger. You can imagine how Tiger felt. First she waited for the storm to come, but it never did. The rain stopped, and the wind grew still. Then she tried to untie the vines, wriggling her muscular body and lashing her long tail. But she couldn t set herself free. At that moment a Giraffe came gliding by, as beautiful as a dancer. Tiger cried for help. But if I untie you, you ll eat me, said the Giraffe, and ran away as fast as she could. The Tiger s eyes grew wide with anger, and she let out a furious, rumbling roar. A Vulture heard her angry roar and approached the Tiger. The Vulture agreed to set the Tiger free, as long as she would always leave some meat after a kill. Descriptive language that describes the Tiger, and helps the reader imagine what she looks like. Descriptive sentences that describe where the action takes place, and what Brer Rabbit looks like. Descriptive language that describes the rain and the wind. Similes - a descriptive figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another for dramatic effect. Simile used to describe how the Giraffe looks. Descriptive language that describes what the Tiger s roar sounds like.

The Middle of the story. This tells the reader the action and events of the story, and describes what happens next. The End of the story concludes the narrative and shows how the events have had an impact on the characters. Tiger was still very angry with Brer Rabbit, and was determined to kill him. Day after day she roamed the bush looking for him. Then one day, through the shimmering heat, she came up behind him on top of a rock, gazing into a lovely cool pool. Brer Rabbit, I am going to eat you, said Tiger. Brer Rabbit froze. He hadn t heard Tiger approach, but he thought very quickly. Oh, don t eat me yet, he said, his voice shaking with fear. Look, said Brer Rabbit, Look down there at that beautiful golden ball. Tiger stepped forward. What golden ball? she said. Brer Rabbit pointed to the reflection of the sun in the pool below. It gleamed and glittered and filled the pool with brightness. Ah, if only we could get that golden ball out, said Brer Rabbit. We d be richer than the king if we had that. I could get it out, said Tiger. For both of us, she added quickly, though she really intended to grab the ball and run away with it. You re too small to carry it, but I could get it out. Could you? said Brer Rabbit. That would be nice, but when you get hold of it, don t let it slip or it will go deeper and deeper. Quickly Tiger dived in, but she came up spluttering, without the ball, and cried a desperate rumbling roar. Brer Rabbit called out: Tiger, my friend, be brave, be bold. Go deeper and deeper to find the gold. Tiger dived deeper, but she came up again without the golden ball. She was spluttering and gasping, but Brer Rabbit urged her to have another go. Tiger, my friend, be brave, be bold. Go deeper still to find the gold. This time Tiger dived so deep, cutting her way through the swirling water, that she never came up again. She dived so deep that she came out on the other side of the ocean in India, where she lives to this day. Once again clever Brer Rabbit had tricked the Tiger, and that s why there are no Tigers living in Africa today. A descriptive sentence that helps the reader imagine the heat and the pool of water. A descriptive sentence that helps the reader imagine what the pool looks like. Descriptive language

The purpose of this resource is to enable pupils to complete a creative writing assignment, and understand the key features of fictional writing. Creative writing involves a fictional story, invented by the imagination, with fictional characters, places and events, explained through descriptive language. NB: Answers to the questions and sample material are provided for the teacher in blue ink. Part 1 Aim: To identify and understand the structure of a story. Teacher reads Brer Rabbit And The Tiger to the class. Explain to the class that a story always has a Beginning, Middle and End, and involves a main character whose journey the reader follows. The journey of the story challenges the main character through a series of surprising events, which they have to overcome. At the end of the story, the main character has usually changed in some way. The main character in this story is the Tiger. Pupils should take notes in their exercise books. The Beginning The beginning of a story always sets the scene for the reader, and introduces who is involved and where the story takes place. The who involved in a story are the characters. Ask the class - What do we mean by character? A person or creature represented in a story. A character is a person whose story we are told. Ask the class - who are the characters in the story they have just heard? The main characters are Brer Rabbit and Tiger. Additional characters are the Giraffe and the Vulture. The where a story takes place is described for the reader, so that they can imagine the place where the story happens. A good writer will always use descriptive language to help the reader imagine where the story is set. The Middle The middle of the story is where the action takes place, and takes the reader on a journey with the characters. The middle of s story always involves a series of surprising events, that present the main character with challenges that they have to overcome. Ask the class what happened in the middle of the story about Brer Rabbit and Tiger? Tiger meets Brer Rabbit. Brer Rabbit tricks Tiger, ties her to a tree and escapes. The Tiger makes an agreement with a Vulture, who unties her from the tree. When Tiger is free, she searches for Brer Rabbit and threatens to kill him. But clever Brer Rabbit tricks the Tiger again. Remember to talk about the challenges that the main character has to overcome. E.g. The Tiger is tied up and has to escape. How does she acheive this? She makes an agreement with the Vulture to always leave some meat after a kill so that the Vultures can eat. 1

The End The end is the conclusion to the story, and usually shows how the main character has been affected by their journey. Ask the class what was the end of the story? Tricked by Brer Rabbit, the Tiger swims through the pool to India, and the rabbit escapes. How is the Tiger affected by the events of the story? She swims so deeply, trying to get the gold that she ends up in India, and this explains why there are no tigers in Africa. 2

Part 2 Hand out copies of the story to the class. Aim: To understand the structure and language of the story. The Teacher writes the first two introductory paragraphs onto the board. Ask the pupils to copy the paragraphs into their books. Analyse The Beginning Of The Story Use the annotation of the story to explain the key features of story writing. Start by analysing the beginning of the story. Pupils should take notes in their books. 1. Identify the characters. How does the writer help the reader identify the main characters? The writer introduces the main characters within the first two paragraphs of the story, and uses descriptive language to help the reader imagine what the characters look like. 2. Identify where the story takes place. How does the writer tell the reader where the story is set? The writer uses descriptive language to describe the bush, so that the reader can imagine where the story takes place. Analyse The Middle Of The Story Take a section from the middle of the story, and write it on the board. Pupils should copy it into their books. Use these paragraphs and the annotations to explore the writing. How does the writer use language to describe characters and events, in order to entertain the reader? For example: At that moment a Giraffe came gliding by, as beautiful as a dancer. Tiger cried for help. But if I untie you, you ll eat me, said the Giraffe, and ran away as fast as she could. The Tiger s eyes grew wide with anger, and she let out a furious, rumbling roar. A Vulture heard her angry roar and approached the Tiger. The Vulture agreed to set the Tiger free, as long as she would always leave some meat after a kill. The first sentence in this section from the story, includes a simile. The teacher writes the explanation of a simile on the board. Pupils should take notes in their books. A similie is a descriptive figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another for dramatic effect. The Giraffe is described as being as beautiful as a dancer. Ask the class to write another simile that describes how the Giraffe looks or moves. For example: The Giraffe s neck was as long and strong as the trunk of boabab tree. The Giraffe moved as slowly as a leaf floating on the wind. Here is another example of a simile: The Tiger s eyes shone as bright as the moon on a clear night. 3

Ask the class to suggest new similes to describe the Tiger. For example: The Tiger roared as loud as thunder. The Tiger s fur was a smooth as silk. The Tigers claws were as sharp as knives. As the action progresses in the middle of the story, the writer uses descriptive language to help the reader visualise the characters and events. For example: The Tiger s eyes grew wide wth anger, and she let out a furious, rumbling roar. The writer lets the reader know that the Tiger is very angry by describing her eyes and the quality of her roar. She didn t just roar, she lets out a furious, rumbling roar. Ask the class to suggest other ways to describe the Tiger. Write these new sentences on the board. Pupils should take notes in their books. For example: The Tiger was strong. As she walked, her muscles flexed beneath her shining fur. When she roared, the Tiger showed her dangerously sharp teeth. The Tiger has big furry feet that hide her long, sharp claws. Ask the pupils to write their own sentences that describe the Vulture. For example: The Vulture has an ugly bald-head, with piercing eyes, and a long sharp beak. This section from the story also includes the use of speech marks. These marks let the reader know that a character is speaking. But if I untie you, you ll eat me, said the Giraffe. Ask the pupils to imagine more conversation between the characters, and write their own sentences using speech marks. For example: I do not trust you Tiger, you have such big teeth, said the Giraffe. Giraffe said, You look so angry Tiger, and I think you will eat me up. Analyse The End Of The Story The end of the story is the conclusion of the tale, and shows that the main character, the Tiger, has come to the end of her journey. 1. Identify the use of descriptive language? The writer uses descriptive language to describe the Tiger swimming. 2. What has happened to the Tiger? She has swum so far that she ends up in India. The events of the story have created a lasting change for the main character, the Tiger - she no longer lives in Africa. 4

Part 3 Aim To enable pupils to write a story about a boy called Smiley, following the structure that was explored in Part 2. The teacher explains to the class that they are going to write a story together. The story is about a young Gambian boy called Smiley, who is always bright and cheerful. However, one day Smiley loses his favourite toy, his hoop, and also loses his smile. He goes on a journey to find his hoop and is challenged by surprising events and characters. Eventually he finds his hoop and gets back his smile. This is just an outline of the story. Working together, the class will create the detail of the characters and events, using descriptive language, to make a full and entertaining story for the reader. The Beginning Of The Story The main character in the story is a young boy called Smiley. In order to build up the character of Smiley, ask the following questions and discuss with the class: How old is Smiley? What does he look like? Where does he live? What does his home look like? Who does he live with? The pupils should take notes and write them in their exercise books. They will use these notes later to write their own version of the story. The Middle Of The Story Smiley has lost his smile, because he has lost his favourite toy, his hoop. The middle of the story should involve Smiley being challenged by characters and events, which he has to overcome, in order to get his hoop back. Ask the class the following questions: How does Smiley feel? What has happened to his hoop? Where is the hoop? Who does he meet and talk to about his lost hoop? Who helps Smiley to find his hoop? (A person or an animal?) What does Smiley do to try and get his hoop back? The pupils should again take notes of the story ideas that are discussed. 5

The End Of The Story Tell the pupils that the story ends with Smiley finding his hoop. Ask the class the following questions: How does Smiley get his hoop back? How does he feel at the end of the story? What affect have the events of the story had on Smiley? What has happened to his smile? The pupils now have notes about the structure and events of the story. They are going to use these notes to write their own version of Smiley s Story. 6

Part 4 A Aim: To write a story with support and guidance. Whole class or group activity Write The Beginning Of The Story To help pupils with starting their story, write the beginning paragraph on the board, leaving gaps to be filled in. Once upon a time in a village called. there lived a young boy known as Smiley. Smiley was... years old and lived in a compound with... Surrounded by the beautiful greenery of cashew trees, the village was... He was known as Smiley because he loved playing with his hoop, which he found... Ask the class to give examples of information to fill the gaps. Encourage pupils to use their imaginations, and invent interesting details that will help the reader visualise Smiley and his home. For example: Once upon a time in a village called Maduka there lived a young boy known as Smiley. Smiley was eleven years old and lived in a compound with his mother, father, grandparents, and four brothers and sisters. Surrounded by the beautiful greenery of cashew trees, the village was a small collection of compounds and houses that stretched along a dusty red road. He was known as Smiley because he loved playing with his hoop, which he found one day in the bush, just outside the village. When the opening paragraph has been written on the board, ensure the pupils copy it into their books. Part 4 B Individual pupil work Using the notes they made earlier in Part 3, pupils can now write the rest of the story, the middle and the end. Encourage the pupils to include the following: A story needs a clear beginning, middle and end. Describe your characters so that the reader knows how they look and feel. Describe where the story takes place, so that it paints a picture in the reader s mind. Try and put something in your story that makes it different and exciting. 7

Part 5 Aim: To enhance the pupils understanding of story telling by comparing a selection of stories. Read The Stories When the pupils have written their stories, share them with the rest of the class. This can be done as follows: The teacher reads a selection of stories to the class The teacher selects pupils to read their story to the class Organise the class into small groups and each pupil reads their story to the group Discuss the different ways in which the stories have been told. E.g. What do you like about this story and why? Which character did you like most in the story and why? What is different about this story? How did the story make you feel? Part 6 Recount A Well Known Gambian Story Aim: To embrace local stories and demonstrate an understanding of how a story is told. Katchikali Crocodile Pool The teacher tells the story of the Katchikali Crocodile Pool. Discuss with the class the following: Who is involved in the story? Where does the story happen? What happens in the story? How does the story end? Explain to the pupils that like all stories, the Katachikali Crocodile Pool has a clear beginning, middle and end. The pupils should be able to identify these parts of the story. Ask the pupils to recount other traditional Gambian stories. 8

Part 7 Aim: To write an original story. Explain to the pupils that they are each going to write a story. Some of the stories will be selected by the teachers and sent to England, where they will be recorded onto an audio CD. Write A Story - Ask the pupils to choose one of the following titles: When Grandpa Lost The Washing The Magic Of The Boabab Tree The Barrow Boy And The Fisherman Jessame s New Dress The Visitor Why Gambian s Smile The Boy Who Couldn t Dance Lost In The Bush The Dusty Road Out Of Town Mustafa Takes The Goat To Market The Starling Who Couldn t Sing The Monkey Thief Amie s Adventure In The Market Auntie Kaddy And The Wedding Party The Children Who Lived On The Beach When Abdullah Crossed The River Gambia The Big Flood The Day The Sun Didn t Shine 9