Friday, April 5, 2013

Anansi The Spider and teachers in the Chan Family.








In school, I often use the British Council's interactive lessons in teaching how, Anansi the Spider got his long thin legs. This story comes from West Africa and the Caribbeans. With the adult students, I give them a lesson of the Slavery History. I give them strings of wool  and get them to tie my hands and tell them to pull. This I tell them is the spider web. They pull the legs of Anansi and have lots of fun.



Some of my children are from Africa, and they are very happy to be learning this story. We use a potato to make stamps and make a before and after of Anansi. The we go to the school grounds and look for Anansi.

How did Anansi get his thin legs? Have you guessed? According to legend, Anansi didn't have thin legs, rather, he had short stubby legs. Anansi was greedy and cunning. He got his friends to pull his web when they were ready for him. Of course, by the time a few friends pulled the webs, his legs got thinner,

In the story, one of Anansi's friend cooked kumara, New Zealand's sweet potato.



There are many teachers and principals in the Chan family. Father was once a lecturer of a teachers' training college. We have two, Margaret Kit Yok and John Chok You who are university professors., and if I dare steal their thunder, my husband was one too.

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