World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson42: The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　comrade	/KOM-rad/
	-a friend, especially one who you have been involved in difficult or dangerous, usually military, activities with
	“I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy,” the soldier said.
2.　filch	/filch/
	-to steal something of little value
	He filched small bottles of soap and shampoo from hotels.
3.　scheme	/skeem/
	-an organized plan for doing something, especially something dishonest or illegal that will bring a good result for you
	She shared her escape scheme to other prisoners.
4.　yonder	/YON-der/
	-in the place or direction shown; over there
	Melissa lives in that big house yonder.
5.　treachery	/TRECH-uh-ree/
	-behavior that deceives or is not loyal to someone who trusts you
	The servant was punished by the king for his acts of treachery.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion

An Ass and a Fox had become close comrades and were constantly in each other’s company. While the Ass cropped a fresh bit of greens, the Fox would devour a chicken from the neighboring farmyard or a bit of cheese filched from the dairy. One day the pair unexpectedly met a Lion. The Ass was very much frightened, but the Fox calmed his fears.

“I will talk to him,” he said.

So the Fox walked boldly up to the Lion.

“Your highness,” he said in an undertone, so the Ass could not hear him, “I’ve got a fine scheme in my head. If you promise not to hurt me, I will lead that foolish creature yonder into a pit where he can’t get out, and you can feast at your pleasure.”

The Lion agreed and the Fox returned to the Ass.

“I made him promise not to hurt us,” said the Fox. “But come, I know a good place to hide till he is gone.”

So the Fox led the Ass into a deep pit. But when the Lion saw that the Ass was his for the taking, he, first of all, struck down the traitor Fox.

Traitors may expect treachery.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	How did the Ass and the Fox help each other?
2.	What scheme did the Fox propose to the Lion?
3.	How did the Lion react to the Fox’s proposal?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	If you and your friend were in a danger, what would you initially do to protect yourselves?
2.	What do you think causes selfishness?
3.	What do you think pushes people to become traitors?
4.	In your opinion, how would you test someone’s loyalty?
5.	Cite and explain a situation similar to the fable’s lesson.

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.
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org