World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson19: The Gnat and the Bull

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　buzz	/buzz/
	-a low, vibrating, humming sound, as of bees, machinery, or people talking.
	The buzzing sound from his mother’s phone scared the toddler.
2.　tip	/tip/
	-a slender or pointed end or extremity, especially of anything long or tapered:
	She injured her fingertips from playing the guitar too often.
3.　horn	/hawrn/
	-one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain hooved mammals
	An amateur photographer was able to take a photo of a white goat with huge horns.
4.　settle	/set-l/
	-to place in a desired state or in order:
	The new club members settled on one corner of the classroom.
5.　conceit	/kuhn-SEET/
	-an excessively favorable opinion of one’s own ability, importance, wit, etc.
	The applicant was not hired because she was full of conceit.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

THE GNAT AND THE BULL

A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull’s pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.

“You must be very glad to have me go now”, he said.

“It’s all the same to me”, replied the Bull. “I did not even know you were there.”

We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor. The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	Where did the Gnat rest for a moment?
2.	Did the Gnat inform the Bull that it is leaving?
3.	How did the Bull respond to the Gnat?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	How would you describe the Gnat?
2.	How would you describe the Bull?
3.	How do you think the Gnat react upon knowing that its presence did not matter to the Bull?
4.	The fable’s lesson is “We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor. The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.” Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
5.	In your opinion, what makes a person conceited?

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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