The Gradual Elephant: Resources
UK National Literacy Strategies IB Primary Years Programme
US Common Core State Standards
Synopsis
Mpole is a 12-year-old African elephant who has been forced to leave the herd. He must now prove himself by passing The Seven Tests (Mitihani Saba) so that he can become Accepted as a young male.
Mpole’s problem, however, is that he does things gradually…and that includes thinking. How can he possibly succeed?
With the help of Sheena, perhaps – the clever (and cheeky) little black-and-white cat who has sneaked back to Baragandiri National Park with the Allen family on their second visit there.
But a test much bigger than Mitihani Saba awaits them…
“This animal adventure story has appeal for readers of all ages and works at many different levels. It is fast paced, exciting, serious and at the same time humorous. It is a very entertaining and rewarding read. I highly recommend this book.” Amazon.com Reviews
“A welcome addition to a tremendous series.” Nebraska Icebergs Reviews
Resources
"Exceptionally detailed (130+ pages) lesson plans covering every aspect of this story." TES Australia Primary Team
To view a sample chapter and the teaching resources designed to help young readers explore it fully, click on the following link:
Four full versions of the Teaching and Learning Resources are available for free download. Click on the link below to any version you wish to access. (For quicker initial viewing, open the pdf version.) Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Get in touch: litworks@live.com
Please note that since the Word files are quite large they may take some time to download. If a Word file opens as 'Read Only', save it to your computer under a different name. If you have difficulty downloading a file, right-click on the link and select 'Save Target As'.
o Teaching Copy (pdf): Download
o Teaching Copy (Word): Download
o Student Copy (Word, allowing space for student responses): Download
o Student Copy (Word, condensed, for use when students have separate workbooks): Download
(If you intend to use the materials only for your own reference you may find it helpful to have the .pdf version - to which no changes can be made - so that you always have an intact set. If, however, you would like to be able to modify the resources so that they better match your own needs, to print them out only in part, or to incorporate them into your own teaching materials, then you will find that the Word versions provide that kind of flexibility.)
Themes and Topics
o Families, and how family members interact
o How societies organise themselves
o Adventure and risk-taking
o Animal (and human) nature
o How things work
o Personal and group identity
o Friendship and gratitude
o Humour
o Promises
o How we think
o Tests and challenges
o Belonging
o Competitions and rules
o Becoming whatever we want to be
o Peer pressure
o Prejudice and individual differences
o Wisdom
o Animals and people in competition with each other
o Death and dying
Cross-curricular teaching ideas
Additional suggestions for work across a range of curricular areas can be found on the Teaching Library website. Click here.
Illustrations
Please note that copyright to the illustrations is held by PakaMdogo Press. Use of the illustrations is allowed for educational purposes only (within schools which have purchased copies of the book), or for private purposes. The illustrations must not be copied to any public medium.
Right-click on a link, then 'Save Target As' to download and save the illustration, which you will then be able to print out as you wish:
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Chapter One
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Page 2
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Chapter Ten
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Page 141
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Chapter Two
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Page 13
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Chapter Eleven
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Page 153
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Chapter Three
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Page 25
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Chapter Twelve
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Page 165
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Chapter Three
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Page 29
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Chapter Thirteen
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Page 171
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Chapter Four
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Page 36
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Chapter Fourteen
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Page 179
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Chapter Four
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Page 47
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Chapter Fourteen
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Page 181
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Chapter Four
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Page 50
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Chapter Fifteen
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Page 189
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Chapter Five
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Page 60
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Chapter Sixteen
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Page 195
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Chapter Five
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Page 64
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Chapter Seventeen
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Page 200
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Chapter Six
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Page 78
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Chapter Seventeen
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Page 204
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Chapter Six
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Page 81
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Chapter Eighteen
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Page 206
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Chapter Seven
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Page 89
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Chapter Eighteen
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Page 210
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Chapter Eight
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Page 109
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Chapter Nineteen
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Page 214
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Chapter Eight
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Page 116
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Chapter Twenty
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Page 215
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Chapter Eight
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Page 118
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Baragandiri Map
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Chapter Nine
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Page 124
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Sheena Portrait
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Chapter Nine
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Page 134
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