Lesson 1: The Little Bird

Key phrases: bird-catching net, gasping for breath, it was dead, caged bird, let it go, picture books

A. Look at the sketch and discuss with your classmates what you see in it.

(Image of a boy holding a birdcage)

B. Read the story by Leo Tolstoy and answer the questions that follow:

It was Seryozha's birthday, and he received many presents: tops, hobby-horses and picture books. But the best gift of all was from his uncle. It was a net for catching birds.

A little board was attached to a frame on which a net was stretched. Grain was sprinkled on the board, and then the net was set out in the yard. When a bird flew up and perched on the board, the board would turn over and the net would fall.

Seryozha was so happy he came running to his mother to show her his net. His mother said, "It's not a nice toy at all. What do you want with little birds? Why do you want to torment them?"

"I'll put them in cages. They'll sing, and I'll feed them." Seryozha got some grain, sprinkled it on the little board and set the net out in the garden. He stood next to it, waiting for birds to come flying down. But the birds were afraid of him and did not come near the net.

Seryozha went in to dinner and left the net in the garden. When he came to look at it after dinner he saw that the net had fallen and a little bird was thrashing about under it. Seryozha was very excited. He caught the bird and took it into the house. "Look, Mamma! I've caught a bird. It must be a nightingale. Oh, how fast its heart is beating." His mother said, "It's a siskin. Don't torment it. Let it go." "No, I'll feed it and care for it." Seryozha put the siskin in a cage, and for two days he fed it grain, changed its water and cleaned the cage. On the third day he forgot about the siskin and did not change its water. Then his mother said to him, "See? You forgot all about your little bird. I think you had better let it go." "No, I won't forget. I'll give it some fresh water now and clean the cage." Seryozha stuck his hand into the cage and began cleaning it, but the siskin became frightened and beat its wings against the cage. Seryozha cleaned the cage out and went for water. His mother saw that he had forgotten to close the little door and called after him, "Close the cage door, Seryozha, or your bird might fly out and hurt itself." No sooner had she said this than the siskin found the door, spread its wings happily and flew across the room to the window. But it did not see the glass pane. It hit the pane and fell to the windowsill. Seryozha came running, picked up the little bird and took it back to the cage. The siskin was alive, but it lay on its breast with its little wings spread out and was breathing jerkily. Seryozha began to cry. "Mamma! What'll I do?" "There's nothing you can do now." Seryozha did not leave the room that day. He kept gazing at the siskin. The siskin lay on its breast as before, breathing jerkily. When Seryozha went to bed that night the siskin was still alive. Seryozha could not fall asleep for a long while. No sooner would he close his eyes than he would imagine the siskin lying there, gasping for breath.

A. Story:

When Seryozha went up to the cage the next morning he saw the siskin lying on its back with its legs curled up. It was dead. Never again did Seryozha catch another bird.

C. Vocabulary Matching:

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:

| Column A (Difficult Words) | | |---|---| | 1. Nightingale | | | 2. Siskin | | | 3. Thrashing | | | 4. Torment | | | 5. Perched | | | 6. Jerkily | | | 7. Pane | | | 8. Windowsill | | | 9. Gasping | |

| Column B (Meanings) | | |---|---| | A. A ledge below a window | | | B. Breathing with difficulty | | | C. To cause distress or suffering | | | D. A small bird known for its song | | | E. Moving violently or wildly | | | F. A sheet of glass in a window | | | G. A small songbird related to finches | | | H. Sitting or resting on something high | | | I. Moving in sudden, sharp motions | |

D. True or False:

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false. If false, write the correct statement.

a) Seryozha's mother was happy with the bird-catching net. b) Seryozha caught a siskin using the net. c) Seryozha forgot to feed the bird on the second day. d) The siskin flew into the window after escaping from the cage. e) Seryozha's mother helped him catch the bird. f) Seryozha never tried to catch another bird after the siskin died.

Here's a formatted version of the text, maintaining the original structure:

E. Answer the following questions:

1. What did Seryozha receive as a gift from his uncle?
2. Why did Seryozha's mother not like the idea of catching birds?
3. What kind of bird did Seryozha catch in the net?
4. How did Seryozha take care of the bird at first?
5. If you were in Seryozha's place, what would you have done differently after catching the siskin?

F. Make a list of birds in your locality and categorise which are wild and which are domestic?