Description |
This story is a translated version of the Russian original by Anton Chekov. The story comes with some prompts and questions along the margin to guide students in responding to the story development and characters when they read. The lesson focuses on character study and illustrates how grammar can be taught and practiced in context.
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The Story |
A goldsmith has got his dog bitten by a dog. He wants compensation and asks the police superintendent to do him justice. The superintendent’s way of doing justice is as versatile as a chameleon.
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The Author |
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) wrote about the Russian period of depression. He often took a moment in the life of some men and showed the man’s character and soul in a few pages. But although he knew the weaknesses and faults of Russia, he did not find a way out of the troubles. The Chameleon is a good and characteristic example of his short stories.
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Learning Targets |
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To identify details that support the gist or main ideas
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To understand how the English language works in literary texts and to recognise recurrent patterns in language structure.
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Generic Skills and Attitudes |
Critical thinking
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Objectives |
Students are able
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To read interactively (Teacher demonstrates the reading process in class).
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To learn and practise grammar in context
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Language Focus |
Grammatical structure:
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The use of present participle or bare infinitive after verbs like ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘let’ and ‘make’
~ Suddenly Ochumyelof heard someone shouting.
~ He saw a dog run out of the wood.
~ I’m not going to let this matter rest.
~ I’ll make you pay for this.
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Activities and Skills Focused
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Intensive reading and interpretation
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Writing:
Writing a story board
Sentence making
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Materials |
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Story text of The Chameleon
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Students’ book (with four activities)
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Description
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This is a short story with a simple plot. A few messages are conveyed: helping the needy, the close relationship between the young boy, Mark, and his granny, getting recognition from one’s peer. The text itself is not difficult and can be covered in class quickly. Students can then be taken away from the book to look at issues like fund raising activities in school and selection of pets.
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The Story
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The story is about a boy called Mark Spencer (Mark Spark) who together with his classmates (Jason, Louise) help in raising fund at school to train guide dogs to help the blind.
At the beginning of the story, Miss Moss, Mark’s teacher, introduces the class what a guide dog does and tells students that it takes lots of money to train one. They then suggest ways to make money which include:
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doing a Bring and Buy sale whereby students bring in lots of gifts for sale
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organizing a sponsored walk (the idea of a sponsored run was suggested originally but Miss Moss thought a run was too energetic)
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holding a concert with students staging performances
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organizing a parade with students dressed up as guide dogs wearing collecting tins round their necks and leading Mark’s granny at the back of the parade
The first three ideas are adopted but not the fourth one because it’s being impractical. At last the school succeeds in raising enough money, especially from Mark’s puppet shows, to sponsor the training of a guide dog named after him.
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Learning Targets
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(ISb)
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to converse about ideas students have with functions that working dogs perform and fund-raising activities they have come across
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(ISd)
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to express preferences when making decisions on who will get the guide dog
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(KSb)
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to process information and fill in the missing blanks of the idea sheet and the vocabulary building exercise
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(KSb)
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to respond to characters and events in narrative texts (dialogue between Mark and Great Gran) through making inferences and evaluative comments as well as relating things to one’s experiences
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(KSc)
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to state opinions using information and ideas in simple spoken texts when students report the criteria for giving out the guide dog and the person to get it
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