Unit 13
The fox overheard them arguing and went up to them. Seeing the fox, the otters said, “Brother Fox, we have caught this splendid fish, but we have disagreed about how to divide it. Will you divide it for us?” The fox thought for a moment, then he cut off the tail of the fish and gave it to one of the otters. He cut off the head and gave it to the other. He took the large middle part of the fish for himself, saying to them, “Now you can eat your fish without quarrelling.” The otters looked at each other. They had nothing to say. They knew that the fox had outwitted them. The fox felt satisfied with his morning’s work. As he ran
home with his share of the fish between his teeth, he said to himself, “I have done very well. I have settled a dispute and I have found fresh fish for my mate.” His mate was surprised when he returned. “How have you managed to get fresh fish?” she asked him. “You live on land, not in the water.” He told her of the otters’ quarrel. “I have taken the fish as pay for settling their argument,” he said.
1 Explain why the fox went down to the river. 2 Why did one of the otters ask the other to help him? 3 How did the quarrel between the otters start? 4 Find two other words in the fables which mean the same as quarrel . 5 Which of these adjectives best describes the fox?
greedy
helpful
cunning
dishonest
6 Which statement best summarises the conclusion to the fable? a) The fox paid the otters for his share of the fish. b) The fox took the fish in return for settling the quarrel.
You can read more fables
online. Conduct a Google search to find them.
c) The otters paid the fox for settling their quarrel. d) The otters gave the fish to the fox as a gift.
7 In which ways was the fable different from your predictions? 8 What lesson do you think we can learn from this story?
9 Do you think the fox found a good solution to the problem? Why? Why not? 10 Think of a time when you disagreed with a friend or family member. How did you resolve your disagreement?
Conflict resolution
• Take the opportunity to discuss how to resolve disagreements by finding a compromise which is acceptable to both sides. • Reading report: Student could write a review of this story using the Book Report chart on page 172.
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