65. Telling about Wild Animals[77]

65. Telling about Wild Animals[77]

Sometimes boys and girls play menagerie. Each makes believe that he is the keeper or trainer of some wild animal. When his turn comes, he stands before the class and tells about the animal that is supposed to be in a cage at his side.

AFRICAN LION

Oral Exercise. Choose the animal of which you will play that you are the keeper. Then tell the class about this animal. Tell everything interesting that you know or can find out about it. Perhaps the following list of questions will help you to think of what to say:

1. What does the animal look like? What is its size, color, and shape?

2. Where does the animal live?

3. How does it live? How does it obtain its food?

4. Is the animal very different from most wild animals in any important ways?

5. Can it be easily tamed?

Group Exercise. 1. The two following accounts are such as a make-believe trainer might give of a lion. One of these is much better than the other. Can you tell which is the better one?

2. What do you like in the first account? Notice that all of the sentences begin in the same way. Do you like that?

3. Do you like the word frames in the second account? What is the difference in meaning between dangerous and cruel?

4. After each talk the class should tell whether that talk was more like the first or the second of these accounts:

I

The lion is a large animal. It has four legs, one on each corner. Its body is covered with yellow hair. It has a shaggy mane. It has a long tail. It lives in the wild parts of Africa. It will eat human beings.

II

Ladies and gentlemen, the big animal that you see in this cage is a lion. See his beautiful yellow coat. See the shaggy mane that frames his head. You probably know that the lion is a dangerous beast. But do you know that he is the most dangerous and cruel of all the wild animals? The father of this fine-looking specimen before you was caught in Africa. Human bones and several copper bangles were found in his den.

BENGAL TIGER