Teaching With Pourquoi Tales
Activities that explore other cultures and integrate language
arts and science
By
Kama Einhorn and Dana Truby
Why do chameleons change color? Why is the ocean blue?
Children are naturally curious about the wonders of nature.
To feed this interest in the natural world — as well
as inspire great imaginative writing — you can use
pourquoi tales! Pourquoi [por-kwa] means "why" in French.
Pourquoi tales are old legends told to explain why certain
events happened. These tales often start in the past, e.g.
A long, long time ago . . . and end when the explanation
is complete. Pourquoi tales are most often concerned with
animals and the natural world. As you begin to read pourquoi
tales together, encourage your students to discover similarities
and differences in the various stories. Keep a large class
chart labeled "What We Discovered About Pourquoi Tales."
As you talk about each story, record the class's new discoveries
on your list.
HOW
THE LEOPARD GOT ITS SPOTS
A Read-Aloud Retelling
A long,
long time ago, Leopard was the plain, solid brown-yellow
color of the desert. He was so plain he was almost invisible
against the brown-yellow desert. When he headed out to hunt,
Giraffe and Zebra and the other animals didn't know which
way to jump. To escape Leopard's appetite, Giraffe and Zebra
headed into the great shadowy forest. When Leopard tried
to follow them, he stood out like a bright-yellow sunflower
against a dark fence. He could not hunt at all. Giraffe
and Zebra saw yellow Leopard right away, and ran off deeper
into the forest. Leopard had to do something. He asked his
human friend to help him. So the Man carefully dipped his
five fingertips in black ink and painted spots all over
Leopard's fur. Now Leopard could blend into the shadows,
and once again he became a great and powerful hunter!
Exploring
the Tale
Talk
with the children about the story of Leopard and his spots.
Ask them to consider the story from Leopard's point of view
and from Zebra's. Is it good that Leopard was able to get
his spots and hunt again? As part of their exploration of
the story, take a vote to decide whether leopard should
have gotten his spots. Your class might want to try dramatizing
the story.
Camouflage
Counting
After
you've enjoyed "How the Leopard Got Its Spots," try this
counting-by-fives activity. In the fable, a human paints
spots on the leopard using his five fingertips held closely
together. Give each child two sheets of yellow construction
paper. One piece serves as the body of the leopard. The
children use the second sheet to draw and cut out the head
and legs. After they paste their leopard together, ask students
to dip the tips of their fingers and thumb in brown paint
to print 100 spots on their leopards. When the leopards
are finished, count their spots by fives and by tens up
to one hundred!
WHY
THE SUN AND THE MOON LIVE IN THE SKY
(Southeastern Nigeria)
A Read-Aloud Retelling
A long
time ago, when the world was new, the Sun married the Moon
and they lived happy as can be in a little cottage near
the Ocean. One day, Sun and Moon invited Ocean over to their
house for a visit. Ocean liked it so much he wanted to stay.
Sun and Moon liked Ocean, and hoped the cottage would be
big enough for all three of them. So Sun and Moon invited
Ocean to stay with them. In came Ocean with all his friends:
the whales, the fish, the porpoises, and all the creatures
that live in the sea. The water rose higher and higher in
the cottage. Soon there was no more room for Sun and Moon,
so they rose up into the sky where they have lived ever
since!
WHY
THE SUN AND THE MOON LIVE IN THE SKY
(A Zuni Legend of New Mexico)
A Read-Aloud Retelling
A long
time ago, there was no day. It was always dark and always
summer. This was because the Kachina, a very powerful people,
had stolen the Sun and the Moon and locked them away in
a box. In the dim light, Coyote and Eagle, two friends,
wandered the desert. Coyote and Eagle had always hunted
together, but Coyote could not hunt anymore because he could
not see at night. Coyote suggested that they go to find
the Sun and Moon and make them light up the world. Eagle
was worried. He reminded Coyote that the Sun and Moon were
very strong, and it was dangerous to try to trick them.
In the end, Eagle agreed to help Coyote. While the Kachina
were sleeping, Coyote and Eagle crept into their village,
stole the Sun and Moon, and headed into the hills. Coyote
told Eagle that he wanted to open the box containing the
Sun and the Moon. Eagle said no. They must wait until after
their travels and open it with their eyes closed. Coyote
grumbled. He couldn't wait to see what was in that box.
Finally he grew so curious that he threw it open. The light
of the Sun was so bright it blinded Coyote's eyes. The Sun
and Moon laughed and flew far away, up into the sky where
they are today.
Exploring
the Tale
Talk
with the children about these two tales of the origin of
the sun and moon. How are they different? Do the children
like one explanation better than the other? In the Nigerian
tale, Sun and Moon are forced up into the sky. Why does
this happen? Is it fair? Ask the children to think about
the character of Ocean in this story. How is he like the
real ocean? In the Zuni tale, the Sun and Moon are stolen
and Coyote decides to steal them back. Talk to the children
about the meaning of this story: Why did Coyote do what
he did? Was Coyote right? Encourage the children to argue
both sides. Finally, use this story as a writing prompt.
Ask the children to write about night. What would the world
be like if one morning the sun forgot to rise?
Sun,
Moon, and Ocean Poems
As you
read these tales, it's a good time to work on imaginative
language. Ask the children to write poems that describe
the sun, the ocean, or another natural feature of the Earth.
Begin with the stories. What descriptive words can students
find? Adjectives that might describe the Sun in the Nigerian
tale are generous and happy. Other "Sun-ny"
adjectives are fiery and enormous. Ask
each child to come up with twelve adjectives, and then choose
the best six for his or her poem.
Learning
About the Sun and Moon
Gather
children in a circle and invite several children to act
out each of the sun and moon fables. Then, help the class
to understand the scientific knowledge we have about the
Sun and Earth. Here's an easy way to demonstrate the relationship
between two. Stick a sharpened pencil into an orange to
make a simple model "Earth." Ask a child to act as the Earth
and hold it lollipop-style. Put a lamp without its shade
in the middle of the circle. This represents the Sun. Explain
to children that both the Sun and Earth rotate on their
own axes, and the Earth revolves around the Sun. With the
room darkened, have the child holding the Earth model circle
the lamp, while slowly turning the pencil holding the orange.
The children will see the way the light and shadow fall
upon the model, simulating night and day.
WHY
MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE'S EARS
A Read-Aloud Retelling
A long,
long time ago, Mosquitoes didn't buzz, they talked. And
talked and talked and talked. One day, Mosquito was talking
to Iguana, telling him about his vacation, about every minute
of his vacation. Mosquito would not let Iguana say one word.
Iguana was so annoyed that he walked away, leaving Mosquito
still talking. Iguana grumbled and waved her tail. She was
still grumbling when she passed her friend Snake, and forgot
all about saying hello. Snake's feelings were hurt. He felt
so sad that he slithered down a rabbit hole. "Help," yelled
Rabbit as she scurried out of the hole, terrified of Snake.
"What's wrong?" cawed Crow as he saw Rabbit racing. Danger
must be near. "Run for your lives!" cawed Crow. Monkey heard
Crow's warning and took off through the treetops, leaping
branch to branch. When monkey landed on Owl's branch, high
up in a leafy tree, Owl's nest tipped off the branch and
fell to the ground, breaking Owl's eggs. Owl was heartbroken,
so much that she didn't hoot for the sun to come up. The
whole jungle was in darkness. Everyone was mad at Mosquito.
Finally Owl hooted for the sun to come up and when it did,
Mosquito lost his voice. All he could do was buzz in everyone's
ears: "Zzzzzz! Is everyone still mad at me?"
Exploring
the Tale
Brainstorm
with the children about the mosquito who talked too much.
Ask: Is Mosquito to blame for everything that happened?
Did he deserve to be punished? This is a good story with
which to explore cause and effect, action and consequence.
Next, encourage children to explore their own feelings.
If only one person is talking, is it a conversation? Why
is it important to listen? Then ask: How would they feel
if someone broke something of theirs, as Monkey broke Owl's
eggs? What if it was an accident? After your discussion,
ask the children to write short letters from the characters:
For example, Iguana could write a friendly letter to Snake.
And
Then What Happened?
In Why
Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, one thing after another
goes wrong in the jungle! On large index cards, have children
illustrate each event, and write a sentence summarizing
the picture. Then mix up the cards and have children try
to put them back in order. The children will enjoy the mixed-up
story and learn important sequencing skills as they reorder
the events.
Mosquitoes
and Iguanas
Use this
fable as an opportunity to explore the difference between
fact and fiction. Learn the facts about mosquitoes iguanas,
owls, and the other animals mentioned in the story. In small
groups, have your students record the creature's factual
characteristics and those according to the fable.
Write
Your Own Animal Pourquoi Tales
Encourage
your students to learn about the animal world by writing
their own pourquoi tales. After reading a series of pourquoi
tales with your class, talk about the many elements they
contain. Ask your student to choose animals for their stories
that arouse their curiosity, from alligators to yaks. Encourage
them to learn about their animals using the Internet and
the library. Next, have children start to write using a
story frame: Begin with "Long ago...," and end with "...and
that's why (example: the whale has a spout!)" When the stories
are finished, have the children illustrate them and bind
them into a book titled "The World According to (name of
teacher)'s Class."
Kama Einhorn is the author of several
professional books for teachers, including Cursive
Writing Practice Pages With a Twist (Scholastic Inc.,
2002). Dana Truby is the senior editor of Instructor.
This article was originally published in the April 2001
issue.
