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Why the Tortoise Has a Patterned Shell

Before the half term the children started to learn about African traditional tales.  We have read different tales and also the children really enjoyed watching a few animated Tinga Tinga African tales. These are two links that you can use to view Tinga Tinga tales at home BBC  or YouTube.

Over the next few weeks we will be learning to write our own African Traditional Tales.  We will be learning to re-tell 'How the Tortoise Has a Patterned Shell'. Please can you help your child to learn the story and use the story map below to practise re-telling this story at home.

How tortoise got his patterned shell.
Once upon a time the birds did not know how to fly. One day, crow discovered that if he flapped his wings, he could soar high above the trees.


First, he told tiger but tiger just roared. Next, he told elephant but elephant just blew his trumpet. After that, he told giraffe but giraffe just laughed! Finally, he told his friend tortoise who believed him.

Later on that day, the two friends decided to climb to the top of the mountain so crow could show all the birds how to fly. They climbed and they climbed and they climbed till they reached the top of the mountain.

Suddenly, crow jumped off the top and spread his wings so that he soared through the clouds. All the birds saw him and cheered. Then tortoise decided he wanted to fly too so he too jumped off the edge of the cliff. At that moment, he realised he did not have any wings! He tumbled down and down and down. until he smashed onto on the rocks below. 

 

Immediately, all the birds of the air flew down to help tortoise and collected all the broken pieces of his shell back together. To this very day that you can still see where all the birds of the air put tortoise’s shell back together again, piece by piece.

 

Why the tortoise story map