The Red Dragon

A long long time ago most of the animals on earth looked very different from how they look now. Some were thinner, some were taller and some had more legs than they have today.

The Rhinoceros and the Hippopotamus were very vain and always boring the other animals, asking them to admire their good looks.

"Haven't I got the most handsome face you've ever seen?" the Rhinoceros would ask, as he turned his head from side to side. "Don't you think my left side is as handsome as my right?".

"Look at my slim body" the Hippopotamus would answer. "Isn't this the most beautiful body you've ever seen?"

"Huuh!" the Elephant would trumpet. "Look at my beautiful ivory teeth. They're the most perfect teeth in the world". And he would smile, showing two rows of gleaming ivory teeth.

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Make a prediction about what this myth will attempt to explain in nature.

A prediction is what you think will happen next based on what you read and your own experience. Think about what has happened so far in the story. Then use what you know about animals to make your prediction.

First I think about what I read. The topic sentence talks about how animals looked different a long time ago. Then Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, and Elephant describe how they look. Then I think about my own experiences. I know that a hippopotamus is fat, not thin. I know that a rhinoceros is not handsome and that an elephant does not have a mouth full of teeth. This tells me that their looks will change. I predict that the story will explain why animals look the way they do.

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