World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson127: The Lark and Her Young Ones

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　wheat	/weet/
	-a plant whose yellowish-brown grain is used for making flour, or the grain itself
	My grandfather used to own a wheat field.
2.　reap	/reep/
	-to cut and collect a grain crop
	Farmers nowadays still reap crops traditionally.
3.　hail	/heyl/
	-a hail of things, usually small objects, is a large number of them that hit you at the same time and with great force
	The hail of arrows from the castle tower looks like rain from afar.
4.　rustle	/RUHS-uhl/
	-if things such as paper or leaves rustle, or if you rustle them, they move about and make a soft, dry sound
	I can hear the bushes rustling behind us, be careful.
5.　flutter	/FLUHT-er/
	-to make a series of quick delicate movements up and down or from side to side
	Every summer, stray birds flutter about near my window.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

The Lark and Her Young Ones

A Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. As the days passed, the wheat stalks grew tall and the young birds, too, grew in strength. Then one day, when the ripe golden grain waved in the breeze, the Farmer and his son came into the field.

“This wheat is now ready for reaping,” said the Farmer. “We must call in our neighbors and friends to help us harvest it.”

The young Larks in their nest close by were much frightened, for they knew they would be in great danger if they did not leave the nest before the reapers came. When the Mother Lark returned with food for them, they told her what they had heard.

“Do not be frightened, children,” said the Mother Lark. “If the Farmer said he would call in his neighbors and friends to help him do his work, this wheat will not be reaped for a while yet.”

A few days later, the wheat was so ripe, that when the wind shook the stalks, a hail of wheat grains came rustling down on the young Larks’ heads. “If this wheat is not harvested at once,” said the Farmer, “we shall lose half the crop. We cannot wait any longer for help from our friends. Tomorrow we must set to work, ourselves.”

When the young Larks told their mother what they had heard that day, she said: “Then we must be off at once. When a man decides to do his own work and not depend on any one else, then you may be sure there will be no more delay.”

There was much fluttering and trying out of wings that afternoon, and at sunrise next day, when the Farmer and his son cut down the grain, they found an empty nest.

Self-help is the best help.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	From whom was the Farmer about to ask help to reap the ripe wheat?
2.	What did the young Larks tell their Mother Lark when she came home?
3.	What did the Farmer and his son see on the day of the wheat’s harvest?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	How did the Farmer handle the situation?
2.	If the Larks and their Mother did not leave their nest, what do you think the Farmer and his son would do?
3.	“When a man decides to do his own work and not depend on any one else, then you may be sure there will be no more delay.” Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
4.	How do you define self-help?
5.	What must we do in order not to depend on others at most times?

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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