Jungle Book. A Unit Study

Transcription

1 Jungle Book A Unit Study This is a literary unit study for The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. It is designed for students in 4 th to 6 th grade. Older and younger students may enjoy participating in the unit as well. This is a series of fictitious stories that take place in India in the late 1800 s. The three first stories are about the boy, Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by a pack of wolves. Although a number of films have been made based on this story, the literature is different. The Disney movie in particular is familiar to many pre-school children, while the actual book for an older audience. The chapters are as follows: 1. Mowgli s Brothers - Mowgli joins the wolf pack 2. Kaa s Hunting The python Kaa helps Mowgli escape from the Bandar log 3. Tiger! Tiger! Mowgli s life in the village and the demise of Sher Khan 4. The White Seal A legend of a white seal from the Bering Sea 5. Rikki Tikki Tavi A mongoose saves a family from a cobra 6. Toomai of the Elephants A boy witnesses an elephant ritual never before seen by humans 7. Her Majesty s Servants Different animals used in war discuss the role they play Some groups read all of The Jungle Book, and others choose selected chapters. Here are some options: 3 Days 4 Days 5 Days 7 Days Read only the stories of Mowgli Chapters 1-3 Mowgli Ch. 1-3 Rikki Tikki Ch. 5 Mowgli Ch. 1-3 Rikki Tikki Ch. 5 Majesty s Servants Ch. 7 All 7 Chapters OPTION: If you use one of the shorter options with selected chapters, you can give students the option of reading the omitted chapters for extra credit.

2 Before We Begin Background Information. India is an eastern country north of the Indian Ocean. At the time these stories were written, India was an English Colony. In the story, there are references to white men. At that time, virtually all the white people in Indian were British military men or diplomats and were viewed as people with power and greater technology. The people living in the native villages had brown skin. India is no longer a colony, and that distinction is long outdated. Parts of Our Unit Study Geography; Be prepared with a world map. History: Students should realize that the culture depicted was historical, and India is currently a modernized country. Just as pirates no long sail the seas, cowboys don t battle Indians in America; people in Indian villages don t live in grass huts and have their children snatched by tigers from the jungle. Animal Facts: Go Fish For some of the stories, it is helpful for the students to mentally differentiate the different animals and their roles in the story. To do this, we recommend having students make cards for the different animals. We have small fact cards for different chapters that can be cut out and taped or glued onto index cards. As an alternative, older students may research and write their own fact cards. Make a minimum of two cards for each animal. (You can make two copies of our cards, or use one copy and have them develop another fact for the second.) The cards can then be used to play a game of Go Fish. This is an optional activity to add interest to the students. Character Development: Discussion questions for each chapter are asked. Poetry: Each chapter has at least one poem. Students may enjoy hearing these poems read, and discussing the meaning. Poetry also gives students an opportunity to read poems orally themselves to strengthen their own reading skills and recognize the contribution of the poem s rhythm.

3 Room Decorations: For a dramatic touch, you may like to make a jungle environment in your room. Vines can be made by using rolls of brown paper (the kind of paper grocery bags were made out of.) Newspaper can be used as well. Roll long pieces of the paper to make vines. They can be taped to the ceiling, and draped down, the way crepe paper is traditionally draped for birthday parties. Jungle Snacks: Try different snacks for different days. Bananas Animal crackers (jungle animals, of course) Trail mix A real coconut open it and drink the coconut juice Shredded coconut compare to the whole coconut. Nature Study: Nature study usually involves investigating how animals and plants interact in their environment. Obviously, seals don t live in jungles, and tigers don t live in Alaska. Ask the students how a particular environment is suited for each animal. (What plant, and animal life is there that the animal needs? What features of the animals body allow it to live in that area?) Students can make a nature posture or collage showing how the animals and environment interact.

4 1. Mowgli s Brothers Geography: Show India and the Indian Ocean on a map. If you have a globe, play a game where the students close their eyes (or are blind folded.) You put the student s finger on the place they live, and tell them to move their finger to India. Discuss: What would your life be like if you had no modern conveniences, and you lived on the outskirts of an uninhabited jungle? Animal Facts: Play a matching game and see if they can match the animal and its fact before reading the chapter. The animals are jackal, wolf, tiger, brown bear, panther, sambhur. A coyote like animal that scavenges for food. The largest animal of the canine family, it lives and hunts in packs. The largest of the feline family, this mammal is usually solitary. Largest of the land predators, it lives in Europe, Asia, and North America. This is a leopard in Africa or Asia. In North America, cougars may be called by the same name. A deer in India or Asia Character Development: What was the Law of the Jungle? Name some of the rules. Do animals really have a Law of the Jungle? Do people? History: This story was written in It describes life in rural India then. How long ago was that? What events were happening in your country and state at that time?

5 2. Kaa s Hunting Snacks: This is a good day for the bananas since the monkeys are a large part of today s story. (They are not very popular, however.) Animal Facts: Add python and cobras to your animal fact cards. A long, non-poisonous snake that suffocates its prey A hooded, poisonous snake whose venom paralyzes its prey Snakes: What snakes are in your area? Predict what would happen if all of these snakes were in a cage together. Archeology: What happens to abandoned towns and cities? Would you like to be an archeologist? Would this city have been interesting to an archeologist? Character Development: Describe the personality of the Bandar log? Are they proud? Are they jealous? Pride and jealousy are often two sides of the same coin. How can you see that in these animals? Poetry: Have fun reading the Road Song of the Bandar Log. It is the poem at the end of the chapter. Snakes: What snakes are in your area? Predict what would happen if all of these snakes were in a cage together. Archeology: What happens to abandoned towns and cities? Would you like to be an archeologist? Would this city have been interesting to an archeologist? Character Development: Describe the personality of the Bandar log? Are they proud? Are they jealous? Pride and jealousy are often two sides of the same coin. How can you see that in these animals? Poetry: Have fun reading the Road Song of the Bandar Log. It is the poem at the end of the chapter.

6 3. Tiger! Tiger! Introduction: In this chapter, Mowgli goes to live with humans in the village. In the end, they reject him. Don t tell the students that will happen before the story is read. However, do introduce the students to the concept of the caste system before reading the chapter. Caste: India used to have a caste system. A person was born into a particular group, and they had to stay within that group all of their lives. They could not marry anyone in a higher or lower caste. Everyone knew what everyone else s caste was, and were required to treat people differently depending on the caste. The caste determined what clothes people would wear and what jobs they would do. Explain before reading the chapter: Mowgli has grown up in the jungle. He did not know about the caste. He did not try to treat people better because they were from a higher caste, or refuse to help them if they were in a lower caste. Tigers: Tigers are extremely interesting creatures. Do an internet search for more information. Or watch a documentary from the library. Antagonist and Protagonist: Sher Khan and the jackal are the antagonist. Think of other animal stories and movies. List stories (or movies) where different animals have been either the antagonist or protagonist. If you were to write a story with these animals, which ones would be antagonists or protagonists? Character Development: Mowgli had learned to control his temper when he lived in the jungle. How does this help him now? Think about it: Why was Mowgli rejected? Answers: He was not adhering to the caste. He was different. The people did not understand his relationship with the animals of the jungle. Even in countries that don t have a legal caste system, people are often rejected for some of the same reasons.

7 4. The White Seal Introduction: The stories of Mowgli are finished. The last four chapters are a series of stories with animals as the unifying theme. The story of The White Seal is the only story that does not take place in India. For this reason, it is often not included in some unit studies of The Jungle Book. The narrative of this story is quite interesting in terms of point of view. It may be a more advanced concept than some students may be able to grasp. It is written in first person with a single reference to me by an unknown narrator. What students should realize is that the story is told by Limmershin. He is a bird that witnesses the story, but has no place in it. Before the story is read: This story is told about a seal by a bird named Limmershin. Limmershin has no part in the story but he tells it. After we read the story, tell me why you think the author chose to have a bird be the one who tells the story. (Answer Birds eye view. No one else could have witnessed it.) Animal Fact: Seals An aquatic mammal with flippers. Geography: Novastoshnah - The North East Point of an island in the Bering Sea by Alaska. Lukannon one of the Aleutian Islands stretching out south of Alaska Equator Warmest place on the globe since it is closest to the sun Pacific Ocean the seals migrate north and south in the Pacific Ocean Poetry: There is a lullaby at the beginning of the chapter, and the seals national anthem at the end.

8 5. Rikki Tikki Tavi This is a famous story of a wild mongoose who becomes adopted by a British family living in India. A mongoose is a natural predator of snakes, and he soon becomes enemies to a pair of talking cobras who are determined to kill him and his new adopted family. Not the best choice of stories for children who may get nightmares from snakes. However, most children enjoy the high action of the story. After a few scary scenes, the good guys win, thanks to a brave a loyal little mongoose. Animal Facts: Mongoose A fast moving small mammal that feeds on snakes, lizards, and rodents Let s get better acquainted with a mongoose: Do an internet search to look up pictures of a mongoose. Re-read the second paragraph of the story slowly to understand what he looked like. Draw a picture of a mongoose. Animal sounds: What do you think Rikki Tikki Tavi would sound like? Think of other animal sounds. Bob white and katydids are named after the animals call. Can you think of other sounds? Writing: Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of having a mongoose as a pet. Poetry: Darzee s Chant at the end of the story. Read this several times to get the rhythm. What does this line mean: Death in the garden is dead. Describe any other phrases the student needs help understanding. The first poem at the beginning of the story has a more difficult rhythm and meaning. It can be an interesting poem for two people to recite together. Vocabulary: Bungalow A cottage Culture: If you had been a British child 100 years ago, do you think you would want to move to India, as Teddy did? What would be the advantages of traveling to another country to live? The disadvantages?

9 6. Toomai of the Elephants Introduction: Toomai is a young boy who is the fourth generation of elephant drivers in his family. The government owned elephant that he helps herd is Kala Nag, an old and loyal animal. Kala Nag and his handlers are in a camp near the jungle, helping break in the new elephants recently caught by the elephant hunters. Some men notice that Toomai has a special way with the elephants, but his father is afraid he will also become an elephant hunter that catches wild elephants in the jungle. The father feels that his status as a mahout of the plains is superior. One night, Toomai rides on Kala Nag s back as the old elephant breaks his chains and joins other elephants for a legendary dance of the elephants that no other human has witnessed. Vocabulary: Mahout a driver of elephants from India Culture: The father is from the plains of India and looks down on the people from the jungle. How does that affect how he treats his son? (Answer: He is angry and worried his son might become an elephant hunter and live near the jungle.) Zoology: Mark a chart showing the difference between Indian and African elephants. (Hint: Africa is a larger country. African elephants have larger ears that are shaped like Africa. Visit a zoo or watch a documentary on elephants. Animal Rituals: The elephant dance is a legendary ritual that the author used to tell this story. Brainstorm other rituals of wild animals. Domesticated vs. Wild animals: Read the poem of Kala Nag at the start of the story. What do you think domesticated animals remember about their former lives?

10 7. Her Majesty s Servants Introduction: Five different animals (mule, camel, horse, bullock, elephant) debate their roles in the military of India. They also compare who is bravest, and what makes them afraid. Military Animals Chart: Some students will naturally catch on to the meaning of the dialogue, others will take longer to understand what the animals are talking about. To assist students (without giving away the plot) a chart can be made which states What I Can Do at the top. Divide the paper into five columns with the five species of animals listed at the top of each column. The student can stop and write during the story, or wait until the end. The purpose of the paper is to help them identify the species of animal, and understand what they are talking about. Point of View: Kipling again developed a very creative use of point of view. This is first person dialogue, and the narrator is a human who overhears the animals talking. It is a very interesting and humorous way of presenting this story. Animal Facts The father is a donkey, the mother is a horse. A large animal with fatty deposits on the back that can carry large loads over many miles with little water Creatures that are often yoked together to work. The male is a bullock and the female is a cow. One of the fastest mammals, it has been used in military charges for thousands of years. Largest land animal with the longest life expectancy Character Development: What does the elephant mean when it says he can see inside your head? (Answer: An elephant can think of what might happen.) How does that help or hurt the elephant? Think about it: What makes the animals obey their masters and go to war? What makes the humans obey their leaders and go to war?