World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson15: The Ass and His Driver

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　leap	/leep/
	-jump
	The grasshopper leaped from one plant to another.
2.　lead	/leed/
	-to afford passage to a place:
	The hallways leads to the library.
3.　stubborn	/STUHB-ern/
	-refusing to change an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or urging
	Their stubborn son packed his bags and left home without informing them.
4.　yield	/yeeld/
	-to surrender or submit, as to superior power:
	The kidnaper yielded after negotiating with the authorities for eight hours.
5.　misfortune	/mis-FAWR-chuhn/
	-adverse fortune; bad luck.
	He blamed his misfortune on his children.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

THE ASS AND HIS DRIVER

An Ass was being driven along a road leading down the mountain side, when he suddenly took it into his silly head to choose his own path. He could see his stall at the foot of the mountain, and to him the quickest way down seemed to be over the edge of the nearest cliff. Just as he was about to leap over, his master caught him by the tail and tried to pull him back, but the stubborn Ass would not yield and pulled with all his might.

“Very well”, said his master, “go your way, you willful beast, and see where it leads you.”

With that he let go, and the foolish Ass tumbled head over heels down the mountain side.

They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What was the Ass’s idea?
2.	What was its owner’s initial reaction?
3.	Did the Ass listen to its owner?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	Do you think the Ass’s idea was good?
2.	How would you describe the characteristics of the Ass?
3.	What can you say about the owner’s decision in the end?
4.	The fable’s lesson is “They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.” Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
5.	How do you deal with a friend who often asks for your advice but never listens to any of it?

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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