Précising: porcupine
Learning Objective
We are learning to précis passages of writing.
Context: porcupine
Credit: BBC One - Serengeti
Clip Description
A porcupine has a a very unusual appearance. This is because its body is covered in approximately 30,000 quills (hollow, sharp spines) of varying sizes. In Latin, the word ‘porcupine’ means ‘quill pig.’ However, they bare no relation to pigs; they are, in fact, large rodents that belong to the same family as squirrels, rabbits, rats and mice. Like these animals, they have large, rootless front teeth (incisors) that never stop growing. To keep them in check, they must constantly gnaw on hard surfaces.
In this fascinating clip, two hungry leopards come face-to-face with a pair of plucky African porcupines. The boldest porcupine soon goes into attack mode and reverses into a leopard. There can only be one outcome. What do you think this is?
Word Challenge
Imagine that you were the leopard who ended up with a quill embedded in his face. Make a list of the emotions that you may have experienced both before, during and after the porcupine attacked you.
e.g. (before) excited, (during) afraid, (after) embarrassed, …