Thursday, January 5, 2017

Task 5: Just So Stories

     A "Just So" story is a story in which the author imagines an explanation as to how or why a plant or animal came to be.
     The explanation develops systematically which leads naturally to the ending.  All the essential (important) parts of a good story should be used: a beginning, introduction of characters, setting, plot (or problem), development, and ending.

     The JOST SO STORIES is a book written by a very famous teller of tales, Rudyard Kipling.  Maybe you also know that Kipling spent his boyhood in India.  His nurse told him many of the old legends of the people of India, and later he wrote these down and called them JUST SO STORIES.

     One of Kipling's funniest stories is "The Elephant's Child," in which he explains that the elephant got his trunk because he asked too many questions. You may want to go to the library and read that story to see how Kipling handled this story writing task.

     Following is a list of examples--possible themes you may want to think about or use.  It would be nice if you could think of your own question to base your story upon, however.


                        1. How the camel got its hump.
                        2. How the leopard got her spots.
                        3. How the rhinoceros got his skin.
                        4. How the starfish came to be.
                        5. Why the weeping willow weeps.
                        6. Why the octopus has so many arms.
                        7. How the Bald Eagle became bald.
                        8. Why the pig's tail is curly.
                        9. Why mice have long tails.
                       10. Why mice love cheese.
                       11. Where the zebra got its stripes.
                       12. Why the chipmonk has stripes.
                       13. Why the rabbit has long ears.
                       14. Why the guinea pig has no tail.



     Be imaginative.  Make your story something you might want to read to or have read to the class, or perhaps to another class.
(Taken from Rick Swallow Website: http://www.timelessteacherstuff.com/)

No comments:

Post a Comment