tortoise

Everyday

1. A tortoise is a slow animal with a hard, high shell that lives on land and can pull its head and legs inside the shell. tree →
2. Tortoises can live a very long time, some more than 100 years. tree →

In the lessons

Maths: an animal counted; often slow speed, age or a race: distance = speed × time. Science: tortoises are reptiles; they eat plants; tortoise (land) vs turtle (mostly water). Stories: «The Tortoise and the Hare» — slow and steady wins the race.

Examples

• The zoo has 5 tortoises. tree →
• A tortoise walks 2 meters a minute. tree →
• The tortoise is 80 years old. tree →
• The hare ran 10 times as fast as the tortoise. tree →
• In the story, the slow tortoise won the race. tree →
• Giant tortoises live on the Galapagos Islands. tree →
• Our pet tortoise sleeps all winter in a box of straw. tree →
• The Tortoise was very glad indeed. tree →

Note

Countable: a tortoise, tortoises; said «TOR-tus». The thing counted or a mover with a speed; distance = speed × time. Trap: a tortoise lives on land; a turtle lives mostly in water (in the US people may call both turtles).