Lesson in Fables
Fables are read when you want sharp insight, gentle humour and lessons in life.
Using fables to develop speaking and listening skills.
Reading/listening and discussing fables in English classes is an effective technique to develop speaking/listening skills. This paper considers an opportunity of using fables:
1) to work with grammar and vocabulary;
2) to discuss an abstract idea and illustrate it with a literal or concrete example;
3) to analyze cause and effect relationship of events;
4) to analyze the morals of fables and discuss real life examples;
5) to listen to opinions of others and to defend one’s own point of view;
6) to add description and invent one’s own dialogues;
7) to find proverbs expressing the morals of fables;
8) to invent modern day fables – change the characters and (or) the setting and rewrite the fable for the modern day world.
Fables demonstrate to children that different peoples have the same thoughts and aspiration.
Listen to the fable.
THE BAT, THE BIRDS, AND THE ANIMALS
The Birds of the air and the Animals of the fields were going to have a war. The Birds asked the Bat to fight on their side, but the Bat said, “I can’t fight on your side. I’m an Animal.”
Then the Animals asked the Bat to fight on their side. “Oh, I can’t fight on your side,” answered the Bat. “I’m a Bird.”
The Birds and the Animals later came to an agreement and there was no war.Then both the Birds and the Animals celebrated and had a feast.
The Bat wanted to join the Birds, but the Birds said, “You can’t come to our celebration. You are an Animal.”
Then the Bat went to join the Animals but the Animals said, “What are you doing at our celebration? You are a Bird. Go away.”
So the Bat learned that he, who is not on one side or the other, has no friends.
Answer the questions:
1. Who are the main characters in the Fable?
2. What do the characters do? Say?
3. What is the setting of the fable?
4. What is the lesson of the fable?
Using Grammar
1. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space.
The Birds of the air and the Animals of the fields were (1)________ to have a war. The Birds asked the Bat to fight on their side, but the Bat said, “I can’t fight on (2)________ side. I’m an Animal.”
Then the Animals asked the Bat to (3)_______ on their side. “Oh, I can’t fight on your side,” answered the Bat. “I’m a Bird.”
The Birds and the Animals later came to an agreement and (4)_____ was no war.Then both the Birds (5)_______ the Animals celebrated and had a feast.
The Bat wanted to join the Birds, (6)______ the Birds said, “You can’t come to our celebration. You are an Animal.”
Then the Bat went to join the Animals but the Animals said, “What are you doing (7)_______ our celebration? You are a Bird. Go away.”
So the Bat learned that he, who is (8)_______ on one side or the other, has no friends.
2. Read the text and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word that should not be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (V). If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word.
| 1 | The Birds of the air and the Animals of the fields were going to have had |
| 2 | a war. The Birds asked for the Bat to fight on their side, but the Bat said, |
| 3 | “I can’t fight on your side. I’m an Animal.” |
| 4 | Then the Animals asked the Bat to fight on their side. |
| 5 | “Oh, I can’t fight on your side,” answered the Bat. “I’m a Bird.” |
| 6 | The Birds and the Animals later had came to an agreement and there was |
| 7 | no war. Then both the Birds and the Animals were celebrated and |
| 8 | had a feast. |
| 9 | The Bat wanted to join to the Birds, but the Birds said, |
| 10 | “You can’t come to our celebration. You are an Animal.” |
| 11 | Then the Bat went to join the Animals but the Animals said, “What are you |
| 12 | doing at the our celebration? You are a Bird. Go away.” |
| 13 | So the Bat learned that he, who is not on one side or the other, has no friends. |
3. You want the missing information (XXXX). Write questions with who.
1. XXXXX were going to have a war.
__________________________________________________________
2. The Birds asked XXXXX to fight on their side.
__________________________________________________________
3. Then XXXXXX asked the Bat to fight on their side.
__________________________________________________________
4. XXXXX later came to an agreement.
__________________________________________________________
5. The Bat went to join XXXXX.
__________________________________________________________
Key:
1. 1. going; 2. your; 3. fight; 4. there; 5. and; 6. but; 7. at; 8. not
2. 1. had; 2. for; 3. V; 4. V; 5. V; 6. had; 7. were; 8. V; 9. to; 10. V; 11. V; 12. the; 13. V
3.
1. Who was going to have a war?
2. Who did the Birds ask to fight on their side?
3. Who asked the Bat to fight on their side?
4. Who later came to an agreement?
5. Who did the Bat go to join?
4. Give Russian equivalents for the following English proverbs. Choose the best moral for the fable.
1. He who hesitates is lost.
2. From bad to worse.
3. Better an open enemy than a false friend.
4. He who wants a friend must be one.
5. Cause and Effect Relationships
There are certain actions taken by the Bat which result in certain consequences.
The Bat refused to fight on the side of the Animals, and as a result they didn’t let him join their celebration.
The Bat refused to fight on the side of the Birds, and as a result they didn’t let him join their celebration.
The Bat was not on one side or the other and did not have friends as a result.
6. Possible dialogues between the Bat an the other characters may be added.
One day the Bat met an owl and asked him, “Who won the war?”
The owl answered, “We didn’t have a war. We came to an agreement. Everybody is happy. We are going to celebrate and have a feast.”
“Oh, I want to join your celebration. I like festivals. I don’t want to miss such an event,” said the Bat.
“I don’t think it is a good idea because you wasn’t with us when we had a hard time. You are not our enemy, but you are not our friend,” answered the owl.
So the Bat decided to try to join the Birds…
7. Possible thoughts of the Bat, his argumentation/reasoning why he was not on one side or the other.
“The Animals didn’t harm to me. Why shoud I fight against them? And the Birds didn’t harm to me. I don’t want to fight on one side or the other. I am neither on the side of the Birds nor on the side of the Animals. I prefer to remain neutral. I think it is the best position.”
8. A Modern Day Fable
The Institute, The Humanitarian institute, and The Technical Institute
Some institutes teach humanities. Some institutes are technical. But there was one institute that wanted to teach students everything in the world. It called itself the Institute. In autumn there were a lot of students in the Humanitarian Institute. The Technical Institute also had a lot of students. But the Institute had only one strange student who didn’t know what he wanted to study. So the Institute could not begin working. The Institute said to the Humanitarian Institute: “You have too many students. Assign some students to us.”
“No. You are not Humanitarian,” was the answer.
The Institute asked the Technical Institute: “You have too many students. Assign some students to us.”
“No. You are not Technical,” was the answer.
So the Institute learned that he, who is not on one side or the other, has no students or followers.
By Olga Kosikh, 8th grade
Literature:
1. Erin Bouma. Fabulous Fables // English. 2005. No. 6, 7, 10.