World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson34: A Raven and a Swan

PART A_1

Let’s learn vocabulary. Listen and repeat the words and the sentences with your tutor.

PART A_2

1.　envious	/EN-vee-uhs/
	-wanting something another person has
	The crowd was envious of the performers’ talents.
2.　alter	/AWL-ter/
	-to make different in some particular, as size, style, course, or the like; modify
	The teacher wanted to alter the activities she has given.
3.　coal	/kohl/
	-a hard, black substance that is dug from the earth in lumps and used as a fuel, or a single piece of this substance
	The miners got lots of coal in this area.
4.　woods	/woodz/
	-an area of land covered with a thick growth of trees
	The children nearly got lost in the woods.
5.　marsh	/mahrsh /
	-ground near a lake, a river, or the sea that often floods and is always wet
	The ravens enjoy staying at the marsh.

PART B_1

Let’s read the story. Please read them aloud, and I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

PART B_2

A Raven and A Swan

A Raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of the Swan, because her feathers were as white as the purest snow. The foolish bird got the idea that if he lived like the Swan, swimming and diving all day long and eating the weeds and plants that grow in the water, his feathers would turn white like the Swan’s.

So he left his home in the woods and fields and flew down to live on the lakes and in the marshes. But though he washed and washed all day long, almost drowning himself at it, his feathers remained as black as ever. And as the water weeds he ate did not agree with him, he got thinner and thinner, and at last he died.

A change of habits will not alter nature.

PART C_1

Let’s answer comprehension questions. Please answer them based on the story.

PART C_2

1.	How did the Raven feel towards the Swan? Why?
2.	What idea did the Raven think of and what did he do about it?
3.	What happened to the Raven and his plan?

PART D_1

Let’s discuss the story. Please answer the questions below and express your opinions.

PART D_2

1.	What do you think the Raven should have done instead?
2.	Have you ever felt the same way as the Raven? What happened?
3.	How important is it to be contented with who you are?
4.	Why do you think that people become envious of others?
5.	What does the fable’s lesson mean to you?

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

Now, let us review the things that you learned in this lesson.

ではこのレッスンで学んだことを振り返りましょう。

(Please give a short feedback on how your student did on your class.)

	Grammar 文法	Pronunciation 発音	Vocabulary 単語	Comprehension 理解
GOOD	文法の誤りはほとんどなく、完全な文章で話すことができる	ほとんどの単語をはっきりと正しく発音することができる	習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を理解し、質問に正しく答えることができる
FAIR	文法の誤りはあるが、完全な文章で話すことができる	発音の練習が必要な言葉がいくつかある	たまにミスはあるが、習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を完全に理解するのは難しく、質問に正しく答えられないときもある
POOR	文章で話すのは難しく、単語だけで話すことができる	発音の練習が必要である	習った単語と表現を少しだけ使うことができる	文章を理解するのは難しく、質問に答えるのは難しい

TUTOR FEEDBACK

GRAMMAR
Good:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with minimal grammatical errors.
Fair:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with evident grammatical errors.
Poor:	Was able to speak using words only.
PRONUNCIATION
Good:	Was able to pronounce most of the words clearly and correctly.
Fair:	Mispronounced a few words.
Poor:	Mispronounced most of the words.
VOCABULARY
Good:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class.
Fair:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class and made a few errors in word choice.
Poor:	Used only a few words and expressions.
COMPREHENSION
Good:	Was able to understand the passages and answer the questions correctly.
Fair:	Had a little difficulty in understanding passages and answering questions.
Poor:	Had a hard time understanding passages and answering questions.

Parts of this lesson material are based on:
An eBook from The Project Gutenberg.
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