Oxford Reading Circle
Book-2
Teacher’s Guide
Sue Gilbert
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford
OX2
6DP
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First published 2007
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ISBN-13: 978-0-19-547488-6
Printed in Pakistan at
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Published by
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INTRODUCTION
This new Teacher’s Guide has been written to help teachers to exploit fully
all the learning opportunities presented in the Oxford Reading Circle series
of reading books.
It provides, on a chapter-by-chapter basis, suggestions for how the various
points of reading covered can be taught. It also contains suggestions on how
the illustrations and texts can be used to develop language by relating the
content to the students’ own wider experiences and by encouraging them to
predict outcomes in the light of what they can see or what they have already
read. There are also some supplementary activities and games to reinforce
the teaching in a less formal way.
The Guide supplies answers for the Exercises sections of the student book
where appropriate, recognising that there are not always ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
answers and any valid contribution from a student must be welcomed, and
a variety of responses should be encouraged. There are also a number of
photocopiable worksheets (answers supplied) that can be used to assess
student’s learning and identify areas of weakness where further teacher input
may be required, either for individuals or for the whole class.
Each class is different and only the teacher will know which activities will
work with his/her students. For this reason, although the Guide can be used
as a step-by-step lesson plan, it is in no way prescriptive, and not all teaching
steps have to be followed, but I hope that every teacher will find something
that can be used to promote their students’ learning of English and in some
way help with their lesson preparation.
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
The Fox and the wolf : i (is), i (night), i (third), i (ski), ____________________ 1
Farmer Ben’s Boot: z, s (wise), s (sugar), s (measure) ______________________ 2
Flying: y (windy), y (toy), y (sky) _____________________________________ 3
The Clever Donkey: u (rude), u (tune), ea (earn), ea (cheap),
ea (dead), ea (ear), ea (bear), ea (break), ea (heart) ________________________ 3
The Elves and the Shoemaker: lf (elf), lf (calf), f (wife), ff (cliff) _____________ 4
The Fairy Flute: t (silent), l (silent), d (silent), k (silent), w (silent) ____________ 5
The Wolf and the Watchdog: alt (salt), all (ball), all (balloon),
al (walk), o (wolf), o (word), o (women) ________________________________ 6
The Guest: ch (chord), ch (choir) ch (chip), ch (machine) _________________ 7
My New Rabbit: ow (grow), ow (cow), v/w, –rm, –rn, –rt, –rd _____________ 8
The Pigeon and the Ant: ui (guitar), ui (suit), ui (ruin),
tch (ditch), ch (rick) ________________________________________________ 8
What the Donkey Said: v, w (wish), w (know), w (silent) __________________ 9
The Little Old Lady: –ttle, –tal, –tel, –bble, –ble, –bel _____________________ 9
The Kind Dolphins: l (silent), b (silent), u, ew, ough,
oe, ou, oo, o, v, w, rk, –sk, –lk, –ck, –nk________________________________ 11
Strong Together: u (up), u (use), u (ruby), u (put), u (busy) ________________ 11
The Night: –stle, scle, –ird, –ord, –erd, –urd, rch, cl, ei, ie _________________ 13
Don’t Talk: sch, sc (score), sc (science), scr _____________________________ 14
Tariq’s Gold: tongue twister ________________________________________ 14
Travellers: ur/ir/or, tr, str __________________________________________ 15
Constable Plod: c (city–cat), ph (photo), pl, ur (turn), ur (pure),
ur (curry), ur (bury) ______________________________________________ 16
My Party: thr, ea (hear), ea (heat), ea (head), ea (heart)
eo (people), eo (pigeon), eo (geography) _______________________________ 17
Walnuts and Pumpkins: g (silent), b (silent), n (silent) ___________________ 18
The Little Things that Happen: ow (crow), ow (crown), ow (flower) _________ 20
The Emperor’s Beard ______________________________________________ 20
Worksheets __________________________________________________ 25-30
Notes __________________________________________________________ 31
* The staff of the educational institution has the right to photocopy the worksheets in
this book provided that the number of copies does not exceed the number reasonably
required by the institution to satisfy its teaching purposes.
Oxford Reading Circle Book 2
Teacher’s Guide
Note:
In ‘Words to learn’, words should be taught in the way most appropriate for the students’ ability. It may be
sufficient to read through them; they may need to be taught using flashcards or on the board, or a combination
of both methods may be required. Teachers must use their own professional judgement in deciding how to do
this, but it is important that ALL students are able to recognize these words, read them fluently, and understand
their meanings in the given context.
Chapter 1
The Fox and the Wolf – i (is), i (night), i, (third), i (ski) (Pages 1—3)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Ask students to read the title and the short passage in italics. Ask students who they think is cleverer. Take
a vote and record the figures.
3.
Read pages 1–3. Discuss the way the well works. What will happen when the fox gets into the empty
bucket? (His weight will cause the other bucket, full of water, to rise.) Ask why he wants to go into the well.
(He wants to get the cheese.) Look back at the picture on page 2 and ensure the students realize that the
‘cheese’ is actually the reflection of the moon.
(Pages 4—6)
1.
Read till What a fool I am! said the fox, on page 4.
2.
Ask if the fox understands his mistake. (Yes, he sees the moon in the sky.)
3.
Explain that long stories are divided into sections called chapters, and this break is the end of the first
chapter of the story.
4.
Read to I can see it on page 5. Ask why the fox did not want to make ripples. (He didn’t want ripples so that
the wolf would be able to see the ‘cheese’.)
5.
Ask the students to predict what is going to happen.
6.
Read to the end of the story.
7.
Ask the students which animal was cleverer. Ask why the fox called the wolf brother. (to make the wolf
believe he was a good friend)
(Page 7)
1.
Ex A. Explain that the letter i makes several different sounds in English. Ask students to read the words in
the first line and identify the sound made by the i (as ‘in’). Ask for other words containing this sound (thin,
pin, stick etc.).
2.
Ask them to read the words in the second line and say if the sound is the same. Point out that the sound is
different because of the ‘magic e’ and also the ght. Ask for other words containing this sound (fine, light,
ride etc.). Students may be able to tell you if they are ‘magic e’ words or ght words.
3.
Read the words on line 3 and ask students to identify the sound. Explain that this sound is due to the ir
combination.
1
4.
Read the word on line 4 and identify the sound (ee). Explain that this is not a true English word; it has been
taken from another language.
5.
Read the four remaining words and identify their common ending. Explain that many words in English
end with this combination (station, exhibition).
6.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
7.
Ex C. Answer the questions.
8.
Ex D. Read the first pair of words. Explain that they are spelt differently but sound almost the same.
Explain the different meanings. Do the same for the second pair of words. Tell students that they need to
learn when to use the different spellings.
Chapter 2
Farmer Ben’s Boot–z, s (wise), s (sugar), s (measure) (Pages 8—10)
1.
Talk about farms and the different types of animals found on a farm. Ask students how many of each
animal they think might be on a farm. Talk about the work that farmers do, and how important farms are
for producing our food.
2.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
3.
Read page 8. Explain the meanings of a dozen (12) and a couple (2). Ask the children to work out the total
number of animals on the farm (232).
4.
Read to the end of page 10. Ask the students where they think the boot might be. Ask how Zinka is going
to find the boot.
(Pages 11—13)
1.
Read the text.
2.
Page 12: ask why the footprints were strange (one boot and one shoe).
3.
Page 13: why does cat say ‘purrrr haps’? (it means ‘perhaps’, but cats purr when they are happy). Why was
the cat looking for mice? (to eat)
4.
Ask students to predict what the problem might be.
(Page 14)
1.
Read the text.
2.
Ask how many animals are now on the farm (237).
(Page 15)
1.
Ex A. Read the words in lines 1–3 and ask the students to identify the common sound (z).
2.
Read the words in lines 4 and 5 and ask students to identify the common sound. Explain that it is not
pronounced exactly the same as sh though the sounds are very alike.
3.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
4.
Ex C. Ask the students to read the words individually and underline or circle those that are connected with
numbers or counting. (lots, nine, thirty, six, couple, dozen, a, first, last, third, second, many) Ask students
to make sentences containing each of the words.
5.
Ex D. Make a list of animals. You could organize the words according to the size of the animals. Talk
2
about what each animal provides, e.g. meat, milk, cheese, wool, yoghurt, labour. Students could draw the
animals to be arranged on a farm wall display.
Chapter 3
Flying – y (windy), y (toy), y (sky) (Page 16)
1.
Look at the text and establish that it is a poem.
2.
Tell the students that it is about the moon; ask for ideas of how the moon can be described. Students may
remember ideas from Book 1 ‘Oh! Look at the Moon’.
3.
Read the poem. Explain that runaway means free, not controlled, as in a runaway horse—it can go where
it wants.
4.
Ask the students why the poem is called Flying. Establish that the moon appears to be flying away, like a
balloon. Ask if the moon is really flying. (No, it is the clouds that are moving in the wind.) Ask why the
poet does not want to believe this. (He prefers his own explanation.)
(Page 17)
1.
Ex A. Read the words in the first line and identify the sound made by the y (ee). Ask for other words where
y makes this sound (sorry, hurry, worry.)
2.
Read the words in line 2 and identify the sound made by y. Ask for other words that end with the same
sound (cry, try, fry, shy). Explain they are usually short words with no other vowels.
3.
Read the words in line 3 and identify different sounds depending on the vowel before y.
4.
Ex B. Answer the questions
5.
Ex C. Ask students to look through the poem and identify the words which rhyme. (moon–balloon,
sky–fly, fast–past, night–white) Ask students for other rhymes for these words.
Chapter 4
The Clever Donkey –u ( rude), u (tune), ea (earn), ea (cheap),
ea (dead), ea (ear), ea (bear), ea (break), ea (heart)
(Pages 18—20)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Talk about donkeys and their reputation for being stubborn and stupid. Also talk about how donkeys are
used to carry heavy loads in areas where there are no big roads, especially in mountainous areas. Tell the
students they are going to read a story about a clever donkey.
3.
Read till onto dry land on page 20. Ask the students what the problem might be (that the salt would
dissolve in the river water).
(Pages 20—21)
1.
Read the text. Ask the students why the donkey was clever, and why he was happy.
2.
Ask the students how the old man can stop the donkey tricking him.
(Page 22)
1.
Read the rest of the story. Ask how the old man tricked the donkey.
3
2.
Activity: Bring a glass of water and some salt in a small cloth bag, to class. Put the bag in the water so that
the students can see how the salt dissolves in the water and the bag is empty when it is taken out of the
glass. You could also bring a sponge into the classroom. Let students feel its weight when it is dry and
again when it is wet. Pour the salt water into a saucer and place it on a sunny window sill. The students will
see how the water evaporates, leaving a deposit of salt, as in the salt pans.
(Page 24)
1.
Ex A. Read the words in lines 1 and 2, distinguishing between the different vowel sounds.
2.
Explain that ea can make several different sounds in English. Read the ea words line by line, stressing the
ea sound in each line.
3.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
4.
Ex C. Students should read the statements carefully and write T by those that are true. (F, F, F, F, T). Ask
students to correct the false statements.
Chapter 5
The Elves and the Shoemaker – lf (elf), lf (calf), f (wife), ff (cliff) (Pages 25—29)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Explain that the story is a fairy story. Fairy stories often have magic beings in them like fairies, elves,
witches, and also often have poor people and/or kings, queens, princes, princesses. Fairy stories always
have a happy ending for the good characters. Ask students for the names of some of the fairy stories they
know (Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, etc.).
3.
Read the story till page 28, he went to bed. Ask the students what was so special about the pair of shoes.
(perfectly made) Ask what they think the shoemaker found the next morning.
4.
Continue to read to the end of page 29. Ask students how the shoemaker could discover who was doing
the work.
(Page 30)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Explain that this is the second chapter of the story.
3.
Read to the end of page 32. Ask why the shoemaker did not leave any more leather on his bench. (he did
not want the elves to do any more work for them)
4.
Ask students who was happy in the end, and why. (both the elves and the shoemaker and his wife)
(Page 34)
1.
Ex A. Read the words aloud together; the f sound is the same in all the words. (It is not like the f in of,
which is more like a v sound.)
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex C. Elicit from the students that plurals are usually made by adding s to a word. E.g. one girl, six girls
etc. Explain that with words that end with f or fe, we sometimes make plurals by changing the f to a v and
adding es. Show them this on the board using the word shel shelves. Ask them to look at the words in Ex
C and write the plural form of each of them.
4
Chapter 6
The Fairy Flute – t (silent), l (silent), d (silent), k (silent), w (Page 35)
1.
Establish that the text is a poem. Ask students to look through to find the rhyming words at the ends of the
lines (ivory–tree, afternoon–tune, walks–stalks, street–sweet, understand–Fairyland). Ask them to
describe the pattern of the rhymes. (lines 2 and 4, 6 and 8 etc.)
2.
Look at the title. Ask what they think might be special about a fairy flute. (magic powers)
3.
Read the poem. Make sure that you do not pause at the end of line 10; there is no comma and it needs to
be carried on. Do the same for line 14.
(Page 36)
1.
Ex A. Explain that the words all contain a letter that is not pronounced. The silent letter is written at the
start of each line. Ask students to read the words correctly.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions. For question 5, words telling us about sound are: singing, tune, music, sweet;
and about movement are: walks, nodding, dancing.
3.
Ex C. Ask students to draw a line in each word to divide it into two separate words.
Revision Worksheet chapters 1—6
1.
Answers:
1.
3.
5.
7.
9.
crops
whole
couple
jolly
poor
food plants
all
two
happy
has no money
2.
4.
6.
8.
10.
cheese
paw
village
shallow
hollow
a food made from milk
dog’s foot
a small town
not deep
with a space inside
2.
1.
news
paper
2.
foot
print
3.
moon
lit
4.
shoe
maker
5.
work
bench
6.
up
stairs
7.
cup
board
8.
no
body
9.
sun
shine
10.
any
thing
5
3.
4.
Write the plural of these words:
1.
donkey
donkeys
2.
calf
calves
3.
wolf
wolves
4.
bird
birds
5.
life
lives
Answers
beat
heat
part
heart
head
dead
feel
meal
pear
bear
root
flute
grey
play
try
fly
go
sew
take
break
Chapter 7
The Wolf and the Watchdog – alt (salt), all (ball), all (balloon),
al(walk), o (wolf), o (word), o (women)
(Page 38)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Read pages 38 and 39. Ask the students why the wolf is unhappy. (cold and hungry, no food available)
Why will the wolf have to be careful in the town? (people do not like wolves and may try to catch him)
(Pages 40—42)
1.
Read as far as farmhouse together. Ask students about the life the dog leads, what work he has to do and
how he is looked after in return. What does the wolf think about the dog’s life? Do students think that the
wolf would like to live as the dog does?
(Pages 42—43)
1.
Read to the end of the story.
2.
Ask students what the wolf notices about the dog. Ask why the wolf decides not to join the dog. What is
it that the wolf thinks is more important than anything else in life? (freedom)
3.
Discuss with the students whether they would prefer the life of the dog or that of the wolf. Take a vote on
which is the better life.
6
(Page 44)
1.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
2.
Ex C. Write the homonyms from Ex D, page 7 and revise their meanings. Ask students to look at the words
in Ex C and see if they can explain the different meanings for each of the pairs. Make up sentences for each
of the words, working as a class, in pairs, or individually.
Chapter 8
The Guest–ch (chord), ch (choir), ch (chip), ch (machine)
(Pages 45—46)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Tell the students that the story they are going to read takes place at Christmas. Ask students to tell you
what they know about Christmas. Explain that, like Eid, it is a time when a lot of parties are held so
that families and friends can get together and have a good time. It is called the ‘season of goodwill’; ask
students what they think that means. Explain that Christmas is a special day and is always written with a
capital letter. Ask students what a guest is (usually somebody who has been invited to your home).
3. Read pages 45–46.
4.
Explain that carols are special Christmas songs, and carol singers go from house to house singing songs
and collecting money for charity. Explain that Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day. Explain that
Christmas trees are used to decorate homes at Christmas; coloured lights and ornaments are hung on the
trees. Often Christmas gifts are placed under the tree until it is time to open them on Christmas Day.
(Page 47)
1.
Read the text. Ask students who they think the little man is. Was he a guest? (No, he was not invited). How
has he been treated like a guest? (He was made welcome and given food and drink.)
(Pages 48—49)
1.
Read the text.
2.
Ask students how they think the man’s wife must be feeling if she has been in the car for an hour.
(Page 50)
1.
Ex A. Read the words and identify the 3 different sounds made by ch .
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions. (In answer to question 2, both Mr and Mrs Webster and some of their guests
welcomed people at the door.)
3.
Ex C. Explain that the suffix ful can be added to words and means ‘full of’. E.g. the word cheerful means
full of cheer. Ask what the word beautiful means (full of beauty). Ask students to read the words in C and
tick those that can have ful added to them ( wonder, hope, colour, help, sorrow, faith, waste, fear, power).
Go through their answers, asking them what each new word means. Students should use the new words in
sentences. (This could be a homework task.)
4.
Ex. D. Ask students to circle the odd word in each of the lists. In 1, explain that palm here means part of
the hand. Students should be able to explain their answers. (1. tail 2. birthday 3. cycle)
5.
Activity: In groups, students can act out the party scene using their own words.
7
Chapter 9
My New Rabbit – ow (grow), ow (cow), v/w, -rm, -rn, -rt, -rd
(Page 51)
1.
Ask the students to talk about any pets they might have and how they look after them. Talk about the
sounds that animals like a cat, dog, horse, cow, mouse make. Ask what sound a rabbit makes. (none)
2.
Read the poem. How does the girl’s mother explain the rabbit’s silence?
3.
Look at the rhyming pattern. Note that nose and knows are two more words that sound the same but have
different meanings.
(Page 53)
1.
Ex A. Read the words in line 1 and ensure v is pronounced correctly. Read the words in line 2 and ensure
the w is pronounced correctly. Ask for other words with ow (know, grow, throw etc.).
2.
Read the remaining words, identifying common sounds.
3.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
4.
Ex C. Ask students to identify the odd one out in each line, giving reasons for their choices. (1. sleep
2. grow 3. take 4. then)
Chapter 10
The Pigeon and the Ant–ui (guitar), ui (suit), ui (ruin), tch (ditch), ch (rich)
(Page 54)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Ask students to retell the story of The Mouse and the Lion and to recall the moral of the story. Explain
that this is another story where a small creature, an ant, is able to help a larger one, a pigeon. Ask them to
suggest how an ant might be able to do this.
3.
Talk about ants and how they live and work in colonies.
4.
Ask the students to read the text to the end of page 57. Ask them to explain how the pigeon helped the ant.
Ask how this is different from the story of The Mouse and the Lion. (the ant did not ask for help and was
not in danger from the pigeon; the two creatures did not speak to each other)
(Pages 58—59)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Explain that the new chapter indicates that there has been a change of scene or that time has gone by.
3.
Ask the students to read to the end of page 59. Ask the students to suggest what Anthony might do to save
the pigeon.
(Page 60)
1.
8
Read to the end of the story. Ask what Anthony had done and why he was nowhere to be seen. (avoiding
danger from the boy)
(Page 61)
1.
Ex A. Read the words, identifying the common sounds.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex C. Read the words in column A and ask students what the words have in common (all describe males).
Do the same for column B (all females). Ask the students to draw lines to match the pairs of words.
4.
Activity: Students could be asked to find out more about ants and the way different types of ants live and
work. Students’ work could be displayed in the classroom.
5.
Activity: Students could act out the story in groups.
Chapter 11
What the Donkey Said–v, w (wish), w (know), w (silent)
(Pages 62—63)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Remind students of the story of the donkey who carried the salt. Ask if the donkey was clever or stupid.
Ask what they remember about the donkey’s owner. Tell them the story is about the same characters.
3.
Ask the students to read pages 62 and 63. Ask what they learn about the old man. (he is greedy and makes
the donkey work very hard) Ask why he is letting the donkey rest and eat a lot. (he is planning more work
and wants the donkey to be strong) Ask what might be worrying the man.
(Pages 64—66)
1.
Read to the end of the story. Talk about the different ways that the man and the donkey react to the threat
of the invaders. Why is the man worried? (he may lose his freedom) Why is the donkey not worried? (one
master is the same as the next–they all want him to work hard.) Ask the students if they agree with the
donkey or if they think he should have run away.
(Page 67)
1.
Ex A. Read the words aloud, again checking that the v and w sounds are pronounced correctly. Remind
students that the w in swords and two and who and whose are silent.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex C. Write the words man, ant and donkey on the board. Ask the students to arrange them in alphabetical
order. Now write the words road, run and rabbit and ask students to do the same, explaining that when the
words have the same initial letter, it is necessary to order them according to the second letter in the word
(rabbit, road, run). Write the words grass, grow, graze and green on the board and ask students how they
would arrange these in alphabetical order. Ask students to complete Ex C.
Chapter 12
The Little Old Lady -ttle, -tal, -tel, -bble, -ble, -bel (Pages 68—69)
1.
Talk about old people that the children know. Ask them to say how old people are different from children
–appearance, behaviour, etc.
2.
Read the poem. Ask the students what they notice about the first and last verses.
9
3.
Ask the students to find the words that rhyme in each verse.
(Page 70)
1.
Ex A. Read the words, commenting on similarities and differences in sounds.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex C. Explain that sometimes words are combined to make other words using hyphens, for e.g. greyhaired. Ask the students to read the words in the lists and try to make hyphenated words from them. It is
likely that they will not know pickled-onion; explain that it is an onion that is stored in vinegar and tastes
sharp. (yellow-toothed; big-headed; dark-skinned; well-known; first-rate; pickled-onion)
Revision Worksheet chapters 7—12
1.
2.
Answers:
1. Dogs like to eat bones.
(T)
2. The wolf wanted to live at the farm with the dog.
(F)
3. Mr Webster invited the people from next door to his party.
(F)
4. Anthony did not say thank you to the pigeon.
(T)
5. The pigeon told Anthony Ant to bite the boy.
(F)
6. The donkey enjoyed working for the old man.
(F)
7. The donkey was not afraid of the invaders.
(T)
8. Old people often have grey hair.
(T)
Answers:
1. dish, knife, mug, plate, spoon
2. case, certain, come, crow, curtain
3. chase, cheese, chip, choir, Christmas
4. hand, happy, hard, hear, heart
3.
Answers:
1. There was a big whole/hole in his shoe.
2. Nobody knows/nose where he lives.
3. The man road/rode along the road/rode on his donkey.
4. There are seven days in one week/weak.
5. The children looked after there/their rabbit.
6. The ants wanted to fined/find some food.
7. The chain made the dog’s neck sore/soar.
4. Answers:
1. man—men
2. child—children
3. elf—elves
4. sheep—sheep
4. book—books
10
Chapter 13
The Kind Dolphins – l (silent) b (silent) u, ew, ough, oe, ou, oo,o,
v,w,rk, -sk, -lk, -ck, -nk
(Page 71)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Using pictures, talk about dolphins and some of the stories associated with them—how they are believed
to enjoy human company, how they often swim alongside boats, how they are mammals rather than fishes.
Explain that the Indus Dolphin is only found in Pakistan and is an endangered species.
3.
Read the text. Point out that the words Sukkur, Sindh and Indus are all spelt with capital letters because
they are the names of places.
(Pages 72—74)
1.
Read the text. Ask the students how the fisherman helped the dolphins. Ask how the dolphins helped the
fisherman. Ask them to describe the storm.
(Pages 74—75)
1.
Ex A. Read the words. Explain that in line 1 the l is silent; in line 2 the b is silent. Lines 3 and 4 show
different ways of writing the same sound; line 5, check pronunciation carefully. Lines 6–8 final k sound.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Exercise C. Ask the students to read the words and write down words that mean the opposite. Check
answers together. (1. kind 2. poor 3. friends 4. loud 5. anywhere 6. broad)
4.
Ex D. Refer back to Sukkur, Sindh and Indus on page 71 and ask students to recall why they are written
with capital letters. Explain that all names of countries, cities and towns, rivers, mountains, seas, etc. are
written with capital letters. We call these words proper nouns; other words that do not need capitals such
as book, table, shoe, are called common nouns. Ask students which other words are written with capital
letters (names). Write these words on the board and ask students to decide which need to have capital
letters: pakistan, shop, ali, islamabad, cricket, london, america,
5.
Ask the students for names of other countries. Write them up with capital letters.
6.
Ask students to complete Ex D. They may need to use atlases to help them. (Japan, America/Australia,
Greece/Ghana/Great Britain, Belgium/Bangladesh/Burma)
7.
Extension work. Ask students to find out more about dolphins using books or the Internet. Their work
can be presented in class and displayed on the classroom wall.
Chapter 14
Strong Together – u (up), u (use), u (ruby), u (put), u (busy)
(Page 76)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings. Ensure plough is pronounced correctly. Explain that oxen is the
irregular plural form of ox.
2.
Show the students a pencil and ask if they think it would be easy to break in half; put two pencils together
and ask the same question. Put six together and ask again. You may want to use long wooden skewers
instead and demonstrate how it becomes more difficult to break them as more are put together. Students
11
should realise that there is more strength when things are put together or work together. Tell them the
story is about this theme.
3.
Read to page 79 … not four.
4.
Ask the students why the oxen are in danger (no protection around the house). Ask how the story, so far,
has demonstrated that there is strength in unity. (The oxen are safe and can defend themselves when they
work together; the lion and jackal are weaker on their own.)
5.
Ask students to share their ideas of what they think will happen next.
(Pages 79—81)
1.
Read to grazed in the field.
2.
Ask students to explain how the situation has changed. (The lion and jackal are now working together and
the oxen are not cooperating at all.) What do they think is going to happen?
3.
Read to the end of the story.
4.
Ask students if there is any other moral in the story (You shouldn’t believe rumours; trust your friends, not
your enemies etc.)
(Pages 82—83)
1.
Ex A. Read the words aloud, stressing the different sounds made by the u. Ask students to supply other
examples of words where the same sound is found.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex C. Revise the 5 vowels and complete the words. (bellow, loudly, greater, oxen, plough, immediately,
enough, decided, else)
4.
Ex D. Students should refer back to the text to complete the blanks. (quarrel, suspect; rumbled; slope,
drawing)
5.
Discuss other ways in which groups could be stronger than individuals. (stopping bullying, a football team
working together, climbers, army, people collecting for charity etc.)
6.
Read the Nasreddin Hodja story ‘Elephant’ (below), or tell it in your own words, and discuss how this
illustrates the same point. (More information about Nasreddin Hodja is available at the end of this book
and another story of him is told in chapter 21.)
7.
Activity: In groups, students could act out the story or make up their own plays or stories to show the same
moral.
12
~ Elephant ~
Timur brought an elephant to Aksehir. The monumental animal was left alone to roam as it willed. All the
sown fields, vineyards, and vegetable gardens were ruined. On top of all that, the people of Aksehir were left in
charge of feeding the animal. In short, Timur’s elephant became the first and foremost problem of Aksehir.
‘Hodja Effendi,’ the people of Aksehir entreated Nasreddin Hodja, ‘you are the only person who is not
afraid of talking to Timur. Only you can convince him. Go tell him that we don’t want this elephant here.
Explain to him that we have had enough.’
‘You are right,’ the Hodja agreed, ‘we need to do something about this. But I am scared of talking to Timur
also. How about tomorrow, 10—15 of you and I, all together go to Timur and plead our case as a group. We’ll
be stronger that way.’ Everyone agreed.
The next morning a large group of men gathered in front of the Hodja’s house and thus the procession with
the Hodja up in front and the crowd following behind, started towards Timur’s tent. As they approached the
despot’s temporary residence, people behind the Hodja, overcome by fear of Timur’s fury, disappeared one by
one. When the Hodja was about to enter the grand tent, he noticed that he was all alone. ‘Ah you cowards!’ he
said to himself.
‘Hodja’, thundered Timur, `What brings you to my presence today?’
‘Great Timur’, Nasreddin Hodja gathered up his courage, ‘we love the elephant you brought to Aksehir. We
are grateful to you for your benefaction. He is our pride and joy. But we are concerned, Great Timur. The poor
animal is a little lonely. Maybe you can bring a friend to him, perhaps a female elephant to keep him company.
They can stroll around in the fields and gardens together and, if Allah may allow, they might even have a family.
That can only increase our appreciation of your very generous gift to us.’
Chapter 15
The Night–stle, scle, -ird, -ord, -erd, -eard, -urd, rch, cl, ei, ie
(Pages 84—85)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Ex A. Read the words, identifying common sound patterns and asking for other examples.
3.
Ask students to read through the poem and then try to answer the questions in Ex B. Do this without any
teacher input, apart from helping with deciphering words.
4.
Check the students’ answers to see how well the poem has been understood:
B 1. owl’s call, rustling leaves, soft little sigh, soft cry of the owl
B 2. No, the birds are sleeping and the land is silent.
B 3. The air is scented by the May blossom.
B 4. calling, rustles, sigh, cry
5.
Read the poem aloud to the students. Ask how it makes them feel. (calm, quiet, peaceful) Ask if there are
any loud noises mentioned.
6.
Ex C. Ask the students to identify the rhyming words and talk about the rhyming pattern in the poem
–alternate even lines. (1. sigh 2. May 3. falling 4. showing 5. land 6. night).
7.
Extension: students could write their own description of a quiet moment. Decide on one or two places or
times to describe: early morning, lying in bed before sleeping, the school before the students arrive or after
they have left etc. Prepare by asking for words that describe soft sounds. (whisper, squeak, hum, rustle,
hush, silent, low, quiet) It can be a sentence, a paragraph or a short verse, though it is not necessary for
13
the lines to rhyme. Good examples of students’ work can be displayed on the wall in a ‘Quiet moments’
display.
Chapter 16
Don’t Talk–sch, sc (score), sc (science), scr (Page 86)
1.
Teach new words and their meanings.
2.
Tell the students that the story is about a lucky boy called Tommy. Ask them to suggest what it might mean
to say he was lucky. If necessary, steer them to answers connected to his home, toys, material possessions
etc.
(Pages 86—88)
1.
Read these pages. See if students’ ideas of lucky were correct. Talk about Tommy’s behaviour. Ask how
long they think he will be able to last without speaking to his parents. Ask what they think of this behaviour.
What would their parents do if they tried it?
(Pages 89—90)
1.
Read the text. Ask how Tommy is now communicating with his mother. Do they think this is a good
idea?
(Page 91)
1.
Read the text. Ask the students if they think Tommy’s mother was right to do what she did. How else could
she have dealt with the problem?
(Page 92)
1.
Ex A. Read the words. Line 1 h is silent; Line 2 before o and a, c is heard; Line 3 before l or e, c makes soft
sound; line 4 scr cluster–ask for any other examples.
2.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
3.
Ex. C. Look at the messages and read them. (I see you are empty; You are wise; See any bees?) Talk about
text messaging and how it uses abbreviations. (GR8–great, 2MRW–tomorrow) Write the abbreviations
on the board. Asks students to work in pairs to write similar messages. Students can then take turns to
write their messages on the board for the rest of the class to work out.
Chapter 17
Tariq’s Gold–Tongue twister (Page 93)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Talk about gold; elicit that it is a very precious and expensive metal that does not corrode. Ask what things
are made from gold. Explain that people used to use gold as money. Ask the students what they would do
if they had a lot of money.
3.
Ask the students what ploughing is–remind them of the story of the oxen and the lion and the jackal if
necessary.
14
(Pages 93—96)
1.
Ask the students to read all of the text on these pages and to try to answer questions 1—3 of Ex B on page
101. Try not to provide input except with deciphering words.
2.
Check answers to Ex B and explain any misunderstandings.
3.
Talk about being an optimist–somebody who always looks at things in a positive way (the glass is half-full
rather than half-empty). Ask them to look at the paragraph that begins Digging the hard earth on page 94
and see how it shows Tariq as an optimist. (despite the very hard work, he is thinking of how he can use
the buried object even if it is only a root or a rock)
(Page 97)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Look at the title. Discuss what Tariq’s good idea might be.
3.
Read to the end of the story and discuss questions 4 and 5 of Ex B. Ask the children if they think he used
the gold well.
(Pages 100—101)
1.
Ex A. Say the tongue twister, trying to say it a little faster each time. If you wish to extend the activity, there
is a song/chant:
I want a proper cup of coffee,
Made in a proper copper coffee pot.
You may think I’m off my dot*
*crazy
But I want a cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee pot.
Tin coffee pots and iron coffee pots –
They’re no use to me! SO,
If I can’t have a proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee pot,
I’ll have a cup of tea!
Other tongue twisters are ‘red leather, yellow leather’ and ‘red lorry, yellow lorry’; ‘She sells seashells on
the seashore; ‘Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran’ etc.
2.
Ex C. Discuss what each of the terms means. Ask the children to read through the story again and decide
when each term could be used to describe Tariq. This can be done individually or as a class exercise with
students stopping the reading at suitable points.
3.
Ex D. Students should make their own sentences with the words and share their ideas with the class. Make
sure they supply whole sentences and not phrases.
4.
Extension: Ask students to write or talk about what four things they would do if they found a piece of gold.
The work could be illustrated and used as a wall display.
Chapter 18
Travellers – ur/ir/or, tr, str (Page 103)
1.
Teach the Words to know.
2.
Ex A. Read the words, noting common sounds and asking students to supply more words.
15
3.
Ex C. Before looking at the poem, ask students to try to write the opposites of the eight words. (winter,
unknown, start/begin, come/return, our, joys/happiness, we, us)
4.
Read the poem. Ask the students to tell you what the poem is about. Try to elicit that it is about the journey
that we make as we travel through life as much as about a real journey from one place to another.
5.
Ex B. Explain that stanza is another word for verse. Ask what the first stanza is about. (the idea that there
is still so much in the world that we do not yet know about and that we need to discover these things—it’s
exciting and we can choose what we want to do and we are going to find happiness etc.)
6.
Look at the second stanza. Ask what they think the poet means by winter. (hard times, cold, sadness,
disappointment) and summer. (good times, warmth, happiness) Ask them to try to explain what the poet
is saying in this verse. (that we may have bad times, but good times will follow and there is always the
chance to make a new start) Lines 2 & 4 in both verses end with rhyming words.
7.
Ask if the poem has the same rhyming pattern as other poems they have read.
8.
Check their answers to Ex C. with the words in the poem. Remember, different words are not necessarily
wrong since there are alternatives.
Revision Worksheet chapters 13—18
1.
Answers:
calm, thumb, whistle, knife.
2.
Pakistan, Zainab, dolphin, Mrs Smith, river, Egypt, school, gold, Christmas Day
3.
women, oxen, foxes, cats, knives, hutches, books, fish/fishes
4.
Write words that mean the opposite of these words:
light/fair, old, happy/content, rich/wealthy/well-off, kind (other possibilites also)
Chapter 19
Constable Plod–c (city-cat), ph (photo), pl, ur (turn), ur (pure),
ur (curry), ur (bury)
(Pages 104—105)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings. Explain that the story is about policemen and that they have
different titles depending on their rank. In the story the titles are Inspector, Sub-Inspector, Sergeant and
Constable. Because they are like names, these words can be written with capital letters.
2.
Read pages 104–5. Ask why the police take so many photographs of the thief (for future reference).
(Pages 106—107)
1.
Ask the students to read to the end of the story.
2.
Ask them why the ending is funny. (Mr Plod does not realise the photos are all of the same man)
(Page 107)
1.
Ask students to remind you of the pronunciation rules for c+e/i and c+a,o,u.
2.
Look at Ex A and read the words in lines 1—3.
3.
Read the words on the other lines, identifying the common/different sounds.
16
(Page 108)
1.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
2.
Ex C. Ask students to read the two columns of words and then match the two parts of the phrases. (take a
photograph; catch a thief; tell a story; ask a question; make a plan; have an idea)
3.
Ex D. Ask the students to supply the answers (photographer (stress the correct emphasis, not photographer),
policeman/detective, thief/burglar, bus—driver, teacher/tutor, carpenter) Talk about other jobs and what
they involve.
4.
Activity: Students can play ‘What’s my Job?’ One student mimes an action from a job and the others have
to guess what it is. The acting student can only answer questions with ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If he answers 10 no’s,
he has beaten the class. Talk about the question first; they could be: “Do you work alone? Do you work
outside? Do you work with children? Do you make things? Do you work with food?” etc. Students must
listen carefully to the questions and the answers. Try to make sure that the mime is not TOO helpful;
ask to see it first and suggest how it might be modified if it is too obvious; and encourage students to ask
questions rather than make wild guesses.
Chapter 20
My Party–thr, ea (hear), ea (heat), ea (head), ea (heart),eo (people),
eo (pigeon), eo (geography)
NOTE: If you feel the children have only very limited knowledge of English rhymes and fairy stories, just study
the words in Ex A on page 111 and proceed to the next chapter.
(Pages 109—110)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings.
2.
Ask the children to talk about any English nursery rhymes and fairy stories that they know. Depending
on how many they know already, provide explanations of those referred to in the poem. If you wish,
you could write them up on a card and teach them, otherwise just supply enough information so that
references in the poem will be understood.
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner
Eating his Christmas pie.
He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum,
And said, ’What a good boy am I’.
Little Boy Blue, come blow up your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
17
But where’s the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack fast asleep!
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.
There came a big spider, that sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Polly put the kettle on, (3 times)
We’ll all have tea.
Sukey take it off again (3 times)
They’ve all gone away.
3.
Read the poem. Ask the students to identify the rhyming pattern and tell you the rhyming pairs of words.
4.
Go through the poem to identify the references to the various characters.
(Page 111)
1.
Ex A. Read the words, emphasising different sounds of vowel combinations in particular.
2.
Ex C. Match the objects. (pail–Jack and Jill; wolf–Red Riding Hood; plum–Jack Horner; slipper– Cinderella;
sheep–Bo–Peep; bears–Goldilocks; curds–Miss Muffett; horn–Boy Blue)
3.
Talk about other characters from books and stories and cartoons that the students know; include local
stories and rhymes. Tell the students to pretend that they are having a party and need to write a list of six
characters they would like to invite, giving a reason why they have chosen them.
Chapter 21
Walnuts and Pumpkins – g (silent), b (silent), n (silent)
(Pages 112—114)
1.
Teach the new words and their meanings
2.
Explain to the students that they are going to read a story about Nasreddin Hodja. Remind them of the
story of the elephant that they heard after chapter 14. Explain that this is another of the many stories about
this man who is particularly famous in Turkey. He was something of a tricky character. More information
about him can be found in the notes at the end of this book with examples of other stories. Over sixty of
his stories are available on the Internet if you do a Google search for Nasreddin Hodja.
3.
Look at the title of the story and talk about walnuts and pumpkins. If it is possible, bring examples of one
or the other, or both into the classroom so students can hold them in order to appreciate their relative sizes
18
and the ways they grow. (If pumpkins are not available, a melon could be used as a substitute.)
4.
Read to page 114 ‘...such small walnuts on it!’ Ask the students why Nasreddin had looked around. (he was
going to question the wisdom of Allah and did not want anybody else to hear him do it)
(Pages 114—115)
1.
Read to the end of the first chapter and ask students to comment on Nasreddin’s observations about the
sizes of the fruits. Do they think he is right?
2.
Teach the new words.
(Pages 115—116)
1.
Read about the dream. Ask why he smiled in his sleep. (he was seeing something that he thought was very
good)
(Pages 117—119)
1.
Read the text. Ask the students to describe what happened and why he is hugging the tree. Can they
suggest why Nasreddin now thinks that his ideas were wrong?
(Page 120)
1.
Read the last page of the story to see if the students’ ideas were correct.
2.
Revision: With students’ books closed, ask students to give you examples of some of the words they know
that contain silent letters. Accept any that are correct.
3.
Ex A. With students’ books closed, write the new words on the board and see if the students can guess which
are the silent letters, and then pronounce the words correctly. Give meanings of words if necessary.
4.
Revise words ending in ‘ful’. Ask students for examples, using them in a sentence if possible.
(Page 121)
1.
Ex B. Answer the questions.
2.
Ex C. Ask students to work in pairs to go over the story and fill in the blanks. If possible, try to ensure that
quicker students are paired with ones who are not so speedy so that all the pairs finish together. (journey,
ancient, created, pumpkins, vines, amazed, behaviour)
3.
Ex D. Ask for examples of sentences; students can work in pairs to form the sentences and then share their
ideas with the class.
4.
Extension: Read some of the other Nasreddin Hodja stories to the students; ask students to see if their
parents know any more Nasreddin Hodja stories that they can tell to the class. Discuss whether the stories
are funny or wise, or both. You could ask students to write some of the stories (in their own words) and
have an illustrated display in the classroom.
19
Chapter 22
The Little Things that Happen – ow (crow), ow (crown), ow (flower)
(Page 122)
1.
Teach the words from the box on page 123.
2.
Tell the students something that you remember from when you were a young child. Ask the students
if they can remember EVERYTHING that has ever happened to them. They should agree that we only
remember certain things because they are very different from everyday life – funny, sad, strange, happy,
a new experience. Ask them if they have any memories that they can share with the class. It could be their
first day at school or going on a journey, a wedding party etc. Encourage them to speak and ask them why
they remember that event. Ask students if sometimes, when one thing happens, it makes them remember
something else; it could be hearing a piece of music or a song, or a smell, or looking at a photo. (the key to
the memory) If necessary, use the prompts from Ex C to help.
3.
Read the poem to the students. How many different types of ‘Little things’ are mentioned in the poem. (the
ones you remember when there is a key to jog your memory; those you forget; those that you remember
all the time because they are so special)
4.
Look at the familiar rhyming pattern of the poem and identify the pairs of rhyming words.
(Page 123)
1.
Ex A. Read the words, emphasising different sounds of ow.
2.
Ex B. Ask students to try to answer the questions individually and then discuss their answers as a class.
Chapter 23
The Emperor’s Beard (Pages 124—127)
1.
Read Scene 1, choosing different students to read the character roles. Explain that ministers are the people
who help the emperor to govern the country. Today the president also has ministers to help him and each
of them looks after different parts of the government such as health, education, the army, how the money
is spent etc.
2.
Ask the students how the characters feel about Birbal. (they are jealous because he is the emperor’s favourite
adviser, and worried that they might lose their jobs because he will replace them)
(Pages 129—132)
1.
Read Scene 2 using different students in the character roles.
2.
Ask why the ministers are so keen to tell the emperor that Birbal is not there? (to get him into trouble)
3.
Ask students to list the answers the ministers give; why are they such severe punishments? (they want the
emperor to know that they are very loyal to him and care so much about him). What do students think of
the punishments? What do they think the wise Birbal might say? Do they have ideas of their own?
(Pages 132—138)
1.
20
Read Scene 3, with new readers as far as p.134. What do students think of Birbal’s answer? Is he wise? Why
might he have said this?
2.
Complete the scene. Ask why Birbal is wiser than the others. (he thinks more deeply than they do; he
thinks about who might have done it rather than only thinking about the punishment)
3.
Prepare the play to be produced by the class, if possible for a younger audience.
Final Revision Worksheet
1.
2.
Answers:
1. drives a bus
—
busdriver
2. grows food
—
farmer
3. takes photos
—
photographer
4. puts out fires
—
fireman
5. teaches children
—
teacher
6. acts in plays
—
actor
Answers:
1. She was very sorrowful when her dog died.
2. The prince wanted to marry the beautiful princess.
3. We all had fun at the wonderful birthday party.
4. The old lady was very poor but she was always cheerful.
5. Last night there was a dreadful storm.
3.
4.
Answers:
1. Mr Plod wanted to catch 4 thieves.
T
2. Tommy Smith was a very lucky boy.
T
3. Tommy’s father would not talk to him.
F
4. All the ministers loved Birbal.
F
5. Emperor Akbar was angry when his son pulled his beard.
F
6. We do not remember everything that happens to us.
T
7. Nasreddin was travelling on a donkey.
F
8. Nasreddin was not hurt by the falling walnut.
T
9. Tariq did not share his gold with his friends.
F
Answers:
crow/slow; flower/shower; rough/enough;
down/brown; night/bite; sky/try; ski/me;
spoon/tune; storm/warm; word/bird
21
Introduction to Nasreddin Hodja and more stories
Wit, common sense, ingenuousness, ridicule... and the kind of humour that reflects human psychology,
exposes the shortcomings of a society, criticizes even state and religious affairs yet always settles matters
amicably, are the elements which together create a special kind of logic, the Nasreddin Hodja logic. These
features of the stories make the 13th century character Nasreddin Hodja immortal. Therefore, it is not an
exaggeration to consider him one of the main building blocks of folk thought, and his humour, one of the best
in the world.
Yet, it should be pointed out that these stories are related neither to Nasreddin Hodja himself nor to his
historical personality. In other words, over the centuries many new stories where he was used as the main
character have emerged, enriching the collection we have today.
Today, we still do not have historical documents that relate Hodja’s life and his personality in depth. The
date 386 found inscribed on a gravestone attracted a lot of attention. Considering his humour, the date was
read backwards. The year 683 of the Islamic calendar corresponds to the years 1284–1285. Other documents
were used to support the theory that he died sometime in the years 1284–1285. The town of Sivrihisar of the
city of Eskisehir is accepted as the birthplace of Hodja. A gravestone dated 1327 found in Sivrihisar, belongs to
his daughter Fatima and indicates that she lived 43 more years after his death.
The oldest Nasreddin Hodja story is found in the book called “Saltukname” written in 1480, which also
contains other folk stories and legends. It is stated in “Saltukname” that Hodja was born in Sivrihisar and that
the natives of Sivrihisar were famous for their strange behaviour and ingenuousness..
Based on the above mentioned documents and certain stories, following is the life story of Nasreddin
Hodja:
He was born in the village of Hortu of Sivrihisar and died in 1284 in Aksehir, a province of Konya, where
his tomb is. His father was the imam (religious leader) of the village. Hodja, himself, too, served as the imam of
the village for a period of time and later went to Aksehir to become the dervish of the two very famous Islamic
mystics of the time. In his lifetime he also served as a judge and university professor.
As mentioned before, according to certain sources, he was a contemporary of Tamerlane, who invaded
Anatolia in 1301, but according to the others a person named Nasreddin Hodja never lived; he was just an
imaginary character in the folk stories.
It is obvious that Hodja was a witty man with a sense of humor and he was a good conversationalist. Yet,
based on most of the stories it is wrong to assume that everything he said was humorous. Over the years, the
number of Nasreddin Hodja stories increased significantly since he was used as the main character in the new
stories about other people. Among these, there are some that are easily recognized as not authentic Nasreddin
Hodja stories. We can, therefore, say that Hodja and his stories were created by the natives of Anatolia in the
13th century, and the creation has lasted for centuries. Today, these stories belong to all Turkish people.
The themes of the stories cover not just the age when Nasreddin Hodja lived but also the adventures of
Turkish people over the centuries. As one of our writers said “Nasreddin Hodja is the only person who lived
both before his birth and after his death. There are many historical and social personalities who kept on living
after their death but the only person on earth who lived before his birth is Nasreddin Hodja.” Therefore, social
life, the shortcomings of social life, differences between the ruling class and the common people, famines, the
thousand faces of daily life, man to man, man to object, man to animal relations are the different themes of the
stories and in all of these stories Nasreddin Hodja is a symbol.
Nasreddin Hodja stories were spread by word of mouth over a vast area mainly in the lands under the
domain of the Ottoman Empire and the lands where Turkish was spoken. In certain countries, the Hodja
character was almost his “twin brother” or a “competitor”, and in other countries only the name Nasreddin
Hodja was modified in the stories. Today, Nasreddin Hodja stories are told in a vast geographic area extending
from East Turkmenistan to Hungary and from Southern Siberia to North Africa. The stories have been
translated into many languages.
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~ On the Roof ~
Nasreddin Hodja’s old house had a leaking roof. One day the Hodja decided to fix it. He borrowed a ladder
and with great difficulty climbed up to the roof. Just as he was setting off to work, he heard a knock on the door.
He looked down from the edge of the roof and saw a stranger in front of his door.
‘I am up here.’ Hodja shouted. When the man looked up, ‘What is it that you want?’ he asked him.
‘Please come down,’ replied the man, ‘I have something to say to you.’
Hodja precariously descended down the old ladder. Once on the ground he again asked the man what he
wanted.
‘Alms,’ said the man, ‘could you spare some alms.’
Hodja thought for a second and then told the man to come up to the roof with him. Hodja in front, the
beggar behind him, both running short on breath, climbed up the ladder. Once on the roof top, Hodja turned
to the man and said, `I don’t have any.’
~ Cauldron ~
Nasreddin Hodja had borrowed a cauldron from his neighbour. When he didn’t return it for a long time,
the neighbour came knocking on the door.
‘Hodja Effendi, if you are finished with the cauldron could I take it back? The wife needs it today.’
‘Ah, of course,’ Hodja said, ‘just wait here a minute and I’ll fetch it.’
When Hodja came back to the door with the cauldron, the neighbour noticed that there was a small pot in it.
‘What is this?’
‘Well, neighbour, congratulations, your cauldron gave birth to a baby pot.’ said the Hodja.
The neighbour, incredulous, yet delighted, thanked the Hodja, took his cauldron and the new little pot, and
went home.
A few weeks after this incident, Hodja came again, asking to borrow the cauldron. The neighbour didn’t
even hesitate and lent Hodja the cauldron with pleasure. However, once more it was taking the Hodja forever
to return it. The neighbour had no choice but to go asking for it again.
‘Hodja Effendi, are you done with the cauldron?’
‘Ahh neighbour, ahh’ bemoaned Hodja, ‘I am afraid your cauldron is dead.’
‘Hodja Effendi, that’s not possible, a cauldron cannot die!’ exclaimed the disbelieving neighbour. But
Nasreddin Hodja had his answer ready.
`My dear fellow, you can believe that it can give birth, why can’t you believe that it can also die?’
~ Parrot ~
One day the Hodja was walking around in the marketplace. He saw a bright-coloured bird for sale for twelve
gold coins. Hodja was amazed. He approached the crowd gathered around the bird and its seller.
‘How can a bird be so expensive?’ he asked the people watching the bird.
‘This is a special bird,’ they explained, ‘it can talk like a human being!’ This gave Hodja an idea. He went
straight to his home, grabbed his turkey and brought it to the marketplace. He stood near the man selling the
parrot.
‘Turkey, for sale, ten gold coins!’ he yelled.
‘Hodja Effendi, how can a turkey be worth ten gold coins?’ the shoppers protested.
‘There is a bird there for twelve gold.’ insisted the adamant Hodja.
‘But Hodja Effendi, that bird can talk like a human being’, the people tried to reason. But Hodja was
unbending.
‘And this turkey can think like a human being’, he countered.
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~ How To Ride a Donkey ~
One day Nasreddin Hodja and his young son were on their way to the market. The Hodja was riding his
donkey and his son was walking beside him. As they travelled, they heard a couple of villagers who happened
to be passing by, speak disapprovingly about them.
`Look at our Hodja Effendi,’ one said to the other, `he is comfortably riding on his donkey and letting his
little boy walk along. Shame on the Hodja for making the boy suffer like that!’ When Nasreddin Hodja heard
this, he wanted to rectify what was perceived as his selfishness. He put his son on the donkey and he started to
walk beside. Shortly after, they met another couple of villagers.
`Look at the Hodja and his son!’ they said, `These are the times we are living in. A young boy is riding on
the donkey and his poor old father is sweating to keep the pace. Today’s children have no respect for their
parents.’ Nasreddin Hodja found some reason in this comment and thought of another remedy. They both got
off the donkey and started to walk beside it. A little while later, a group of villagers, also going to the market,
approached the procession of the Hodja, the son and the donkey, all walking one after the other.
`This Hodja Effendi and his son have no minds, whatsoever.’ they whispered amongst themselves, `They
are both beating on their feet and the donkey is strolling along. Don’t these people know what a donkey is for?’
Hodja heard this and thought they had a point. The solution was clear. Both he and his son sat on the donkey.
As they continued their trip this way, thinking that they have finally complied with all the opinions of their
fellow villagers, they met another of their acquaintances. He was not very happy to see both the Hodja and the
boy on a scrawny donkey.
`Hodja Effendi,’ he yelled, `don’t you know any mercy? How is this poor little animal supposed to carry two
people? The donkey is also Allah’s creation, have some pity.’ Nasreddin Hodja agreed with this last remark as
well. What were they to do? He shouldered the front body of the donkey and his son took on the back part, and
they carried the donkey to the marketplace.
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Revision Worksheet chapters 1–6
1. Match each of these words with its meaning by drawing a line.
1. crops
a. dog’s foot
2. cheese
b. a small town
3. whole
c. happy
4. paw
d. not deep
5. couple
e. has no money
6. village
f. food plant
7. jolly
g. food made from milk
8. shallow
h. with a space inside
9. poor
i. two
10. hollow
j. all
2. Make 2 small words from each longer word.
1.
newspaper
2.
footprints
3.
moonlit
4.
shoemaker
5.
workbench
6.
upstairs
7.
cupboard
8.
nobody
9.
sunshine
news
paper
10. anything
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3. Write the plurals.
donkey
calf
wolf
bird
life
4. Find pair of words that rhyme.
heat
dead
beat
feel
play
go
take
try
meal
fly
heart
grey
head
bear
sew
heat
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root
pear
part
flute
break
beat
Revision Worksheet chapters 7–12
1. Read the sentences below and say whether they are true (T) or false (F).
1. Dogs like to eat bones.
2. The wolf wanted to live at the farm with the dog.
3. Mr Webster invited the people from next door to his party.
4. Anthony did not say thank you to the pigeon.
5. The pigeon told Anthony Ant to bite the boy.
6. The donkey enjoyed working for the old man.
7. The donkey was not afraid of the invaders.
8. Old people often have grey hair.
2. Arrange these words in alphabetical order.
1. plate, mug, spoon, knife, dish
2. crow, case, curtain, certain, come
3. chip, cheese, chase, choir, Christmas
4. hear, hard, heart, happy, hand
3. In each sentence, underline the correct word:
1. There was a big whole/hole in his shoe.
2. Nobody knows/nose where he lives.
3. The man road/rode along the road/rode on his donkey.
4. There are seven days in one week/weak.
5. The children looked after there/their rabbit.
6. The ants wanted to fined/find some food.
7. The chain made the dog’s neck sore/soar.
4. Write the plurals of the following words:
1. man ............ 2. child ............. 3. elf ............ 4. sheep ........... 5. book ..........
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Revision Worksheet chapters 13_18
1. Read the following words and put a ring round the letter that is silent in
each of them:
calm
thumb
whistle
knife
2. Change the first letter of any of the words below that you think should start
with a capital letter:
pakistan
zainab
dolphin
mrs smith
river
egypt
school
gold
christmas day
3. Write the plural of these words.
1. woman
2. ox
3. fox
4. cat
5. knife
6. hutch
7. book
8. fish
4. Write words that mean the opposite.
1. dark
2. young
3. cross
4. poor
5. unkind
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Final Revision Worksheet
1. Draw lines to match the person with the work they do.
1. drives a bus
farmer
2. grows food
teacher
3. takes photos
actor
4. puts out fires
photographer
5. teaches children
bus driver
6. acts in plays
fireman
2. Put the correct ‘ful’ word in the sentences. Choose from the list.
beautiful, cheerful, wonderful, dreadful, sorrowful
1. She was very ……………………….. when her dog died.
2. The prince wanted to marry the …………………………princess.
3. We all had fun at the ………………………..birthday party.
4. The old lady was very poor but she was always …………………………
5. Last night there was a ………………………..storm.
3. True or False? Write T for true and F for false.
1. Mr Plod wanted to catch 4 thieves.
2. Tommy Smith was a very lucky boy.
3. Tommy’s father would not talk to him.
4. All the ministers loved Birbal.
5. Emperor Akbar was angry when his son pulled his beard.
6. We do not remember everything that happens to us.
7. Nasreddin was travelling on a donkey.
8. Nasreddin was not hurt by the falling walnut.
9. Tariq did not share his gold with his friends.
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4. Write pairs of words that match
crow
enough
flower
tune
tree
slow
sky
bird
down
soon
storm
word
night
brown
try
warm
1. crow
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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slow
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