World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson53: The Mice and the Weasels

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　despair	/dih-SPAIR/
	-the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation
	Her parents were left in despair after the accident.
2.　eminent	/EM-uh-nuhnt/
	-famous, respected, or important
	The eminent statesman delivered his speech.
3.　council	/KOUN-suhl/
	-a group of people elected or chosen to make decisions or give advice on a particular subject
	He went to the council to seek advice for his case.
4.　eager	/EE-ger/
	-wanting very much to do or have something, especially something interesting or enjoyable
	The students are eager to learn the history of the country.
5.　ornament	/AWR-nuh-muhnt/
	-an object that is beautiful rather than useful
	She bought glass ornaments for the event next week.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

The Mice and the Weasles

The Weasels and the Mice were always up in arms against each other. In every battle the Weasels carried off the victory, as well as a large number of the Mice, which they ate for dinner next day. In despair the Mice called a council, and there it was decided that the Mouse army was always beaten because it had no leaders. So a large number of generals and commanders were appointed from among the most eminent Mice.

To distinguish themselves from the soldiers in the ranks, the new leaders proudly bound on their heads lofty crests and ornaments of feathers or straw. Then after long preparation of the Mouse army in all the arts of war, they sent a challenge to the Weasels.

The Weasels accepted the challenge with eagerness, for they were always ready for a fight when a meal was in sight. They immediately attacked the Mouse army in large numbers. Soon the Mouse line gave way before the attack and the whole army fled for cover. The privates easily slipped into their holes, but the Mouse leaders could not squeeze through the narrow openings because of their head-dresses. Not one escaped the teeth of the hungry Weasels.

Greatness has its penalties.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What was discussed in the council?
2.	How were the soldiers distinguished based on their ranks?
3.	What happened after the Weasels accepted the challenge?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	If you were the leader of the Mice, what would you do to win the battle?
2.	What characteristic/s of the Weasels do you not like? Why?
3.	How important is it for us to have great leaders?
4.	What characteristics must good leaders possess?
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.
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