Our Why Stories The class read the Navajo Legend "Why Bears Have Short Tails", by Sandra Begay. According to this legend, one bear was tricked by a fox into putting his long tail into freezing water. The tail broke off and the bear ended up with a short tail. And that is why bears have short tails. The students then created their original why stories.

"Why Squirrels Have Furry Tails" by Brittany Squirrels didn't have enough fur on their tails. In the winter they got cold. One day a fairy came by and the squirrel asked the fairy for more fur. The squirrel asked the fairy, "When will you give me more fur?" The Fairy said, "When do you want your fur?" "I want my fur now", said the squirrel. And the fairy gave him his fur. At last the squirrel is now happy with his furry tail. And that is why squirrels have furry tails.

"Why Polar Bears Are White" by Brendon First polar bears were gray. The polar bear wanted to be white so he could blend in with the snow. Next a wolf came and they had a snowball fight. At the end of the fight the snowballs on the bear didn't fall off. So now the polar bear had white fur. And that is why polar bears have white fur.

"Why Rabbits Have Long Ears" by Madison A rabbit had short ears. He could not hear when his mother said it was time to go to school. He could not hear very well. Then a magic rabbit came and said, "Do you want bigger ears so you can hear better?". "Yes", said the rabbit. At last the rabbit could hear better. And that is why rabbits have long ears.

"Why Squirrels Eat Acorns" by Ilyssa Once there was a squirrel that ate leaves. When he buried them, they turned to dirt. Next a smart squirrel came along and told the other squirrel that if you bury a leaf it will not be there when you dig it up. Try something else. Then the first squirrel found an acorn on the grass. When the squirrel found an acorn it was better for him because when he buried the acorn it was still there when he dug it up. And that is why squirrels eat acorns.

"Why Iguanas Have Long Tongues" by Matthew Once an iguana was tryinig to look for something to eat. He couldn't catch anything because he has a very short tongue. He was starving so much he is not even faster than a snail. Then a magic frog came by and gave iguana a wish. Iguana wished he could have a long tongue so he could catch food. He ate so much that his stomach was full. That is why iguanas have long tongues.

"Why Skunks Smell" by Jeremy Once there was a mother skunk sleeping. Then a fox came trying to kill it. She heard the fox coming. A fairy came to save the skunk's life. The fairy said, "Do you want a wish?". The skunk said, "I want to smell so the fox will run away". It started to smell. The fox left. The skunk had babies without any animals trying to kill them. And that is why skunks smell.

"Why Foxes Are Tricky" by Brianna Once there was a fox that saw a bear that didn't see him. The bear was tricking other animals. Then the fox said to himself," I want to be tricky too". He went to a bookstore and got a book of magic. Then he read the book of magic and said, "I want to be tricky". He said a magic spell. So the book made the fox tricky. And that is why foxes are tricky.

"Why Polar Bears Are Good Swimmers" by James One day a polar bear couldn't swim to catch his food. So it went to an Eskimo Swimming School. When he was done with the swimming school he was very hungry. So he went to another polar bear and said,"Could you watch me swim and tell me how I do?". "OK", said the other polar bear. So he went to the ocean to catch some fish. When he was done eating, he was so full he took a rest. He taught the other polar bears how to swim. And that is why polar bears are good swimmers.

"Why Alligators Do Not Brush Their Teeth", by Ivan Alligators have all those teeth but no toothbrush. Next, they went to the dentist. The dentist said, "Start brushing your teeth". And the dentist gave the alligators a big toothbrush. But they cared more about eating people. They forgot about brushing their teeth. And that is why alligators do not brush their teeth.

"Why Hamsters Have Little Feet", by David Hamsters had big feet. They wouldn't fit in the cage. They ran away and almost died when they got caught in the fence. A fairy came to give them little feet. Now they had little feet. Now they could fit in the cage. And that is why hamsters have little feet.

"Why Elephants Have a Big Trunk", by Merelin Elephants had a little nose. They were not able to drink water. An elephant was eating magic, green grass and his nose got bigger. Now they could drink water. And that is why elephants have a trunk.

"Why Dogs Have Tails" by Selina First the dog didn't have a tail for wagging. If a cat chased him, he could not hit him with his tail. The magic frog gave him one wish. Then the next day he wished that he had a tail. He was happy. Now he could hit the cat with his tail. And that is why dogs have tails.

"Why Alligators Have Lots Of Teeth" by Frankie First an alligator only had one tooth. He could not chew on anything. Next he went to an alligator dentist. The dentist gave the alligator fake teeth. Then he had a lot of teeth. That's why alligators have a lot of teeth.

"Why Dogs Have Four Legs" by Brandon Once a dog had two legs and he didn't like them. He could not run fast. Everybody laughed at him. Then a magic lion came and gave him one wish. He said, "I want to have four legs like you". Then the lion gave him four legs. And that's why dogs have four legs.

"Why Rabbits Are Chubby" by Thalia There once was a rabbit name Shary. One day she saw a magical owl. The owl gave the rabbit three wishes. My first wish is a lot of carrots. The owl gave the rabbit a lot of carrots. The owl said, "Do you want anymore?" "Well I want one more wish. I want to be chubby", said the rabbit. So she was chubby. And that is why rabbits are chubby.

"Why Cats Have A Lot Of Fur" by Nadia One day the cat didn't have any fur. She was so sad. The night comes and the snow comes too. The cat got so cold and she said, "I wish I had a lot of fur". And the morning comes and the magic rabbit came. "I am a magic furry rabbit", she said. "I hear you want a wish". "Yes", said the cat. "OK, what is your first wish"?, said the rabbit. "I wish I had a lot of fur", said the cat. The rabbit gave the cat a lot of fur. "OK, are you happy now'?. "Yes", said the cat. "Thank you very much". "You're welcome" said the rabbit. So he cat and the rabbit became best friends forever. That's why cats have a lot of fur.

"Why A Chinchilla Loves Raisins" by Sean Chinchy always ate his pellets but he got sick of them. So he decided not to eat. The owners knew Chinchy's parents' owners. This happened before. So they called them and they talked for a long time. When Chinchy's owners got off the phone, they tried to give him grapes. But he still did not eat. They sat there for a long time and turned into raisins. Chinchy was really hungry. So he trued the raisins and he loved them. And that is why a chinchilla loves raisins.

"Why Horses Have Manes" by Corinne Horses did not have manes. A horse named Ginger got so cold. Everyone laughed at her. A very hairy pig came and he said, "Take some of my hair". She stuck it on her. Everyone liked her. She looked beautiful. And that is why horses have manes.

"Why Turtles Have Shells" by Gulshan Turtles didn't have shells. A turtle walked slow and had to hide to get away from his enemies. "I wish I had a shell on my back", he said. Then he thought, "Put all the shells at the beach together and make a big shell". That's why turtles have shells.

"Why Caterpillars Have A Little Bit Of Fur" by Diandra First a caterpillar did not have any fur, so he got cold at night. Then he wished he had a lot of fur. A fairy came and gave him his wish. He got his wish and he was really happy. And that is why caterpillars have fur.

"Why Rabbits Hop" by Shannan First a fox came along. The fox was chasing the rabbit. The rabbit tried to run, but that didn't work because the fox ran really fast. And the rabbit tried to hop. The rabbit wanted to hop faster and quicker, so she could beat the fox. The rabbit learned how to hop fast. The rabbit beat the fox, then went home. That's why rabbits hop.

"Why Fish Stay In The Water" by Thomas First fish were on land. They could not move. They only went wobbly. Next they found a lake. They went in it. They learned to swim. Finally they liked it. Now they go in the water. Something in their mouth makes them breathe. And that is why fish stay in the water.

"Why Dogs Chase Cats" by Thomas First dogs and cats did like each other. But the owners of the dogs did not feed them. So they had to get the cats' food. So they chased the cats away from their bowls. They chased the cats and one dog got a cat. All the dogs got the cats. And that is why dogs chase cats.

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