This story is sure to get your kids talking and writing.
Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya tells the story of a zoo in Tokyo during the bombings of WWII. Fearing the zoo would be destroyed and animals would trample free through the streets, they decide to kill the animals. When the elephants refuse to eat the poisoned food and injections fail, the elephants eventually starve to death.
T-Chart: Have the students divide the paper into two sections, forming a T down the middle of the page. Label one side DETAILS and the other side REACTIONS. Students then choose five details from the story and list them on the T-Chart.
Then have the students record their own reactions, opinions, to the five listed details on the opposite side. This activity can also be completed as a whole class using large chart paper. The students could then use the class chart to write their own personal thoughts and reactions in their own journals.
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