such names in as many languages as you can.
2. Why do you think that people chose these names long ago?
3. If you had to choose an animal name for yourself, what would you choose? Why?
Write your own story
Telling a story is more than just giving a list of events. Good writers try to involve the reader in the story. They describe people and events clearly so that the readers can imagine them in their own minds. Sometimes they also show their feelings about the story that they are telling so that the readers can share them. To do these things, writers need to choose their words carefully.
We are going to read two short stories with the same people and events.
1. Here is the first story:
The cat
Milly found a cat in the garden. It was crying and seemed to be lost. She took it to her mother. They gave it some milk. Then it cleaned itself and went to sleep. They did not know who it belonged to.
Milly’s mother phoned all their neighbours to ask if they had lost their cat. But no one knew who the cat belonged to. Milly made a poster advertising a lost cat and stuck it on their garden gate. Her mother also phoned the newspaper and put an advertisement in the classified section.
Two days later a man came to their house. He lived in another suburb. The cat belonged to him. The cat’s name was Felix. He had wandered away from home. The man gave Milly a reward for finding his cat.
2. Now read the second version.
Felix, the missing cat
Can you imagine what it would be like to be lost and far away from home? You would probably feel hungry and frightened, and not know what to do. This is the story of a little cat who wandered away from his home, and of the kind girl who found and rescued him.
Milly was a short girl with curly black hair. She loved animals and wished she could have her own pet. She lived with her mother, Mrs Brown, in a house with a big garden.
One day, when she was doing her homework, Milly heard a sound in the garden. She went outside to see what it was. Under a bush near the gate, she found a tiny cat. His black coat (which was the same colour as her own hair) was covered with mud and he was very thin. Milly picked him up and ran inside to her mother. She was very excited and asked if she could keep him. But Mrs Brown said that he was probably lost and his owner might be very worried about him.
Milly was disappointed, but she agreed that they should try to find the cat’s owner. They gave the cat some cold milk. He drank it up quickly, and then began to clean himself. Soon his coat was soft and shiny again. Then he fell fast asleep on the blue carpet in the passage ….
That isn’t the whole story, but it’s already much more interesting.
Some ideas for telling a story
• Give descriptions of people and places, using adjectives and adverbs.
• Try to imagine what the people in the story thought and felt.
• Try to get the reader to share your feelings about the story. Choose words that show emotion and feelings.
1. You have some ideas about what makes a good story from the notes above. Complete the story of Felix, the missing cat.
2. Remember to check your work before you hand it in.
Write your own story
You have just written the last part of a story. In the next activity you are asked to rewrite a whole story.
1. The story of Greyfriars Bobby had a happy ending because Bobby was rewarded for his loyalty to his master. There is another famous British story about a loyal dog that ends sadly, both for the dog and his master. This is the story of Gelert and Llywelyn, Prince of Wales. Read the short summary of the story in the box below. It only contains the events that took place.
Summary of the story of Gelert
Prince Llywelyn lived near Snowdon in Wales long ago. He married Princess Joan, daughter of John, King of England. Princess Joan brought a gift from England for Llywelyn, a wolf-hound. Llywelyn named him Gelert. He became his favourite dog, and they used to hunt wild wolves together in the hills near the castle. Meanwhile Joan gave birth to a son. Llywelyn loved his son and was very proud of him. Gelert also loved his master’s son and used to guard the baby as he slept in his cradle. One day, when Llywelyn went out hunting, Gelert was missing. When Llywelyn returned that night, he found Gelert next to his son’s cradle. The dog was panting and covered in blood. The cradle had been knocked over; the baby’s blankets were torn and lying all over the floor. Llywelyn thought that the dog had attacked the baby. He drew his sword and killed the dog. But the dog’s dying cry was followed by the cry of a baby. Llywelyn searched under the blankets and found his son alive and unharmed. Next to the baby was the body of a wolf. Llywelyn realised that Gelert had fought and killed the wolf which had been about to attack the baby. Llywelyn buried Gelert’s body in a meadow near his house. He placed two large stones on the grave. He also built a church near the grave to thank God for his son’s life. It was said that Llywelyn never smiled again for the rest of his life. In later years, a village was built around the church and grave: it was named Bedd Gelert, which, in the Welsh language means ‘the grave of Gelert’. Today, many tourists visit the village and Gelert’s grave.
2. Use this information to tell the story in your own words. Try to show the sadness of the story in the way that you tell it.
Formal assessment: If your teacher wishes to use this activity for formal assessment, you will work entirely on your own. Here is a rubric your teacher may use.
Peer assessment: If your teacher does not take your story in for assessment, your partner will first comment on it, and then your teacher will ask some of you to read the story out loud for the class for general comment.
3. Imagine that you are Prince Llywelyn. How did you feel when you found your baby alive and realised what a terrible mistake you had made? Write an entry for your personal diary, describing what happened and your feelings about what you have done.
4. Prince Llywelyn acted without thinking. He thought he knew what had happened, and took action without making sure that he was right. Later he realised his mistake, but by then it was too late. Think of a time when you behaved in the same way. Write about it.
5. How would you behave if the same thing happened to you again? Write about this also.
Formal Assessment: Your teacher may take these two pieces of writing for assessment.
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