World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson71: The Ass and the Grasshoppers

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　pasture	/PAS-chur/
	-grass or similar plants suitable for animals such as cows and sheep to eat, or an area of land covered in this
	She maintains the pasture for the cattle.
2.　chirp	/cherp/
	-to make a short high sound or sounds
	I hear the chirping of the birds every morning.
3.　divine	/di-VAYN/
	-extremely good, pleasant, or enjoyable
	Her voice is divine.
4.　foolish	/FU-lish/
	-stupid and not wise
	It was foolish of them to pay so much.
5.　fond	/fand/
	-to like someone or something
	She was very fond of reading so she built her own library.

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 the Grasshoppers

One day as an Ass was walking in the pasture, he found some Grasshoppers chirping merrily in a grassy corner of the field.

He listened with a great deal of admiration to the song of the Grasshoppers. It was such a joyful song that his pleasure-loving heart was filled with a wish to sing as they did.

“What is it?” he asked very respectfully, “that has given you such beautiful voices? Is there any special food you eat or is it some divine nectar that makes you sing so wonderfully?”

“Yes,” said the Grasshoppers, who were very fond of a joke; “it is the dew we drink! Try some and see.”

So thereafter the Ass would eat nothing and drink nothing but dew.

Naturally, the poor foolish Ass soon died.

The laws of nature are unchangeable.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	Why did the Ass approach the grasshoppers?
2.	What tip did the Grasshoppers give to the Ass?
3.	What happened to the Ass eventually?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	Was the Ass correct in asking and trusting the Grasshoppers?
2.	Why did the Grasshoppers fool the ass?
3.	Why do you think the Ass followed the Grasshopper’s advice immediately?
4.	Do you agree with the moral of the story? Why or why not?
5.	What are the things in your life that you consider unchangeable?

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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