World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson139: The Mole and his Mother

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　mole	/mohl/
	-a small mammal that is almost blind, has dark fur, and lives in passages that it digs underground
	It was the first time the child has ever seen a mole up close.
2.　conceit	/kuhn-SEET/
	-the state of being too proud of yourself and your actions
	There was so much conceit in his voice.
3.　frankincense	/FRANG-kin-sens/
	-a thick sticky liquid that produces a sweet smell when burned and comes from a tree that grows in East Africa and Asia
	Frankincense is also used in traditional medicine.
4.　peer	/peer/
	-to look carefully or with difficulty
	We peered through the window to check if there was anyone inside.
5.　pebble	/PEB-uhl/
	-a small smooth round stone, especially one found on a beach or in a river
	The children are throwing pebbles into the pond.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

The Mole and His Mother

A little Mole once said to his Mother:

“Why, Mother, you said I was blind! But I am sure I can see!”

Mother Mole saw she would have to get such conceit out of his head. So she put a bit of frankincense before him and asked him to tell what it was.

The little Mole peered at it.

“Why, that’s a pebble!”

“Well, my son, that proves you’ve lost your sense of smell as well as being blind.”

Boast of one thing and you will be found lacking in that and a few other things as well.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What did the Mole say to his Mother?
2.	Why did the Mole’s mother put frankincense in front of him?
3.	What was the Mole’s answer?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	How will you describe the Mole in the story?
2.	If you were the Mole’s mother, would you also teach him a lesson? Explain your answer.
3.	Why did the Mole try so hard to cover his flaw than accept it?
4.	How do you deal with boastful people?
5.	Do you remember any personal experience similar to the story? Please share.

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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