World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson29: The Rat and the Elephant

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　reputation	/rep-yuh-TEY-shuhn/
	-the estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally
	Some baseless rumors tarnished his reputation.
2.　procession	/pruh-SESH-uhn/
	-the act of moving along or proceeding in orderly succession or in a formal and ceremonious manner, as a line of people, animals, vehicles, etc.
	A procession was held to mark the start of the festival.
3.　luxurious	/luhg-ZHOOR-ee-uhs/
	-characterized by luxury
	A luxurious victory party was held for the team after winning the championship.
4.　clumsy	/KLUHM-zee/
	-awkward in movement or action; without skill or grace:
	They could not believe that their clumsy classmate is now an Olympian.
5.　instant	/IN-stuhnt/
	-a moment:
	The shooting star was visible for an instant.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

THE RAT AND THE ELEPHANT

A Rat was traveling along the King’s highway. He was a very proud Rat, considering his small size and the bad reputation all Rats have. As Mr. Rat walked along—he kept mostly to the ditch—he noticed a great commotion up the road, and soon a grand procession came in view. It was the King and his retinue.

The King rode on a huge Elephant adorned with the most gorgeous trappings. With the King in his luxurious howdah were the royal Dog and Cat. A great crowd of people followed the procession. They were so taken up with admiration of the Elephant, that the Rat was not noticed. His pride was hurt.

“What fools!” he cried. “Look at me, and you will soon forget that clumsy Elephant! Is it his great size that makes your eyes pop out? Or is it his wrinkled hide? Why, I have eyes and ears and as many legs as he! I am of just as much importance, and”—

But just then the royal Cat spied him, and the next instant, the Rat knew he was not quite so important as an Elephant.

A resemblance to the great in some things does not make us great.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	Which animal was described as very proud?
2.	Why did the Rat envy the Elephant?
3.	How did the Rat realize that he was not as important as he thought himself to be?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	How do you think the Elephant would have responded had he heard the Rat’s comments?
2.	Do you think the Rat had the right to compare itself with the Elephant? Why or why not?
3.	Why do you think the Rat compared itself with such a huge animal?
4.	The fable’s lesson is “A resemblance to the great in some things does not make us great.” Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
5.	Do you think it is helpful to compare yourself to others? Why or why not?

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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