Fisherman and the Fish

(This moralistic folktale was reworked by Pushkin as a poem.)

Once upon a time an old man and his wife lived on the shore of the blue sea. They were poor and lived in
an old mud hut. He made a living by fishing, while his wife spun cloth. One day he caught a small golden
fish in his net. The fish begged him, "Let me go, old man. I will reward you for my freedom by giving
you anything you desire." The fisherman was astonished and frightened because he had never before
heard a fish speak. He let the fish go and said kindly to her, "God bless you, golden fish. I don't need
anything from you."
The fisherman went home and told his wife the wonderful thing that had happened to him at the shore.
But she cursed angrily him and said, "You are such a fool not to make a wish! At least you could have
asked for a watering-trough, since ours is broken."
The old man returned to the seashore, where little waves were rushing up onto the sand. He called out to
the golden fish. She swam up and asked, "What do you need, old man?" He bowed and replied that his
wife cursed at him because she needed a new trough. The fish comforted him and promised to grant his
wish.
When the fisherman returned home he saw the new trough. But his wife shouted at him, "'You are such a
fool! Go back to the fish! Ask for a new house."
The fisherman went back to the sea, where the water and sky had become overcast. He called the fish,
who swam up to where he was standing. He apologized and said that his snappish wife wanted a new
house. The fish comforted him and promised to fulfill his wish.
When he returned, he saw a nice new cottage with a gate. But his wife shouted even louder, "You are
such a fool! Go back to the fish! I do not want be an ordinary peasant, I want be a noblewoman!"
The poor old fisherman went to the sea. The waves were beginning to rise and beat on the shore, and the
sky had become even darker. He called the golden fish, who swam up and asked him what he wanted. He
bowed humbly and explained, "Don't be angry, Your Majesty Golden Fish. My wife has gone mad; she
wants be a noblewoman." The fish comforted him.
And what did he see when he returned home? The hut had become a great house. His wife was wearing
an expensive sable jacket and had a kokoshnik (headdress) of brocade. She had on pearl necklaces and
gold rings. There were many servants bustling around her. She hit and slapped them. The fisherman said,
"Greetings, Milady, I hope you are satisfied now." She didn't deign to answer him, but instead ordered
him off to live in the stable.
Several weeks later, the wife ordered her husband to appear before her and instructed him to go to the sea
again, saying, "I am still subject to the rule of those above me! I want be queen of all the land!" The old
man, frightened, said, "Are you crazy, old woman? You have no concept of courtly manners. Everybody
will make fun of you." At these words his wife glowered with rage, slapped his face, and ordered him to
obey.
The old man went down to the seashore. The water was roiling, the sky and sea had become almost black.
He called the golden fish. When she swam to the shore, he bowed and said that his wife now wanted to be
queen of the land. The fish comforted him and let him go home.

When the fisherman arrived, he found a great palace, inside which his wife was seated on a throne.
Boyars and other noblemen were her servants. Around her stood menacing guards. The old man was
terrified, but approached the queen and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I hope you are happy now." She
did not even look at him, and her guards drove him out.
Several weeks later the queen sent for the old fisherman and again ordered him to go to the sea--this time
to ask the golden fish to become her servant and make her Empress of Land and Sea. The fisherman was
so terrified of her that he did not even protest. He submissively went back to the sea.
A terrible storm was raging there, with lightning, thunder, and giant waves crashing against the shore. The
old man yelled as loud as he could and the fish rose out of the waves. He explained to her what his wife
wanted now. This time the golden fish did not reply, but turned and swam away out to sea. After waiting
a long time in vain for any answer, the fisherman returned home--where he found his old mud hut, his
poor old wife and a broken trough in front of her.
DETAILED LESSON PLAN IN ENGLISH FOR GRADE II PUPILS
I.OBJECTIVES:
After the 45-minute discussion, 100% of the pupils will be able to appreciate and
respect Gods creatures; both living and nonliving, and to develop the attitude of thanking
anybody for giving something, and that they may be able to use adjective to describe persons, places,
animals, ideas, and events.
II.SUBJECT MATTER:
Using adjectives to describe persons, places, animals, ideas, and events.
A.REFERENCES:
English For All Times III, Language, pages 230-235
Compilation of Different Types of Childrens Literature
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adjectives/html
B.INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
-Pictures of persons, places, events, animals
-Paper Strips
-Flashcards
-Flip Chart
C.SKILLS
Children will develop correct pronunciation, read difficult words, writing,
speaking, and listening skills, and
D.CONCEPT
Adjectives are words that describe persons, places, animals, ideas, and events.
E.VALUES INTEGRATION
Appreciation and respect of Gods creatures; both living and non-living, and

thanking if somebody gives something.

III.PROCEDURE
Teachers Activity

Pupils Activity

A.Unlocking of Difficulties/ Schema Activation/Pre-Reading Activity

Teacher asks:
Do you eat fish?
Do you know how to catch fish in the sea?

Yes maam.
No maam.

Have you seen a talking fish?

No maam.

If ever youll see a talking fish,

what would you do? Would you kill it?

No maam/yes maam.

Why would not you kill it?

I would not kill the fish

because God would be

mad
at me. I would just put
it
back to sea and set it
free.
Why would you kill it?
it might

I would kill it because

harm me or other people
because a talking fish is very
rare.

Okay children, your answers are both good.

Whether you answer no because God would
be mad at you, or yes because you are afraid
that it would harm you, I leave it now to you.
That is your opinion. Everybodys opinion is
correct. The thing is, whatever we do in our
life, it now depends on how we handle and
with it.
Do you understand, children?

Yes maam!

Children, do you want to hear a story?

Okay, this morning, I will tell you a very
good story about a poor fisherman
who found and talked with a talking fish.
The title of this story is The White Fish and
the Good Fisherman. This is cut from the
original story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
Its theme was used in
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, a 1835
poem by Aleksandr Pushkin.

Yes Maam.

Okay, are you now ready to hear the story?

B.Lesson Proper/During reading Activities:

. . . story telling. . .
(After the story telling of the teacher,
she asks questions for discussions.)
What is the story about?
fish and a good fisherman.

The story is about a talking

Who are the characters in the story?

are Pedro, Juana, and the fish.

The characters in the story

Where did they live?

They lived in the barrio of

Kambag, near the seashore.

What does Pedro do?

Pedro catches fish.

Why did Juana, the wife, get angry

with Pedro?

So, when Juana got angry, what did

Pedro do?

The wife got angry with her

husband because of their
insufficient life.

When Juana got angry, Pedro

immediately went to the sea to

catch fish
for their food.
When at sea, what did Pedro see?

When Pedro was in the sea,

he saw a very big white fish.

Was was Pedro afraid when he
saw the fish? Why?
saw the fish because the fish
can talk and it talked to him.
What did the fish say to Pedro?
to set him free, to put him back to the sea. It promised
Pedro that he would give a magic spear as a reward.

Pedro was afraid when he

The fish was pleading Pedro

What did Pedro do next? Did he

grant the plea of the fish?Yes he did. He put back the
fish in the sea, and went home.
When Pedro went home, he went home with
nothing. So, his wife again got angry again.
What did he do then? Why?And so he went back to sea,
hoping that he would see
again the talking fish, because he would ask for the spear as a reward for not killing the fish.
Did they meet again? What happened after?Yes, Pedro and the fish met
again. The fish gave Pedro
the magic spear. And Pedro
and Juana became rich.
How would you react if youll see
a talking fish? Would you be happy?
Sad? Or would you be afraid like Pedro?I would be afraid if Ill see a
talking fish, but of course Ill
also be amazed.
If you were Pedro, what would you do? Why?If I were Pedro, I will grant
the plea of the fish. I will put
it back to sea. Because the
sea is the place where it belongs. And Ill respect it. And because like me, the fish also has the right to
live.

Very good. Thats a very good idea my child!

Do you like our story children? Yes maam!
If you were the author, how do you like

the story to end? Do you like Pedro

and Juana to become rich? Why? Why not?
Do you like the title of our story? If not, what
title do you like?

Based from the story, what do you think

are the characters of the author?
Have you learned something from the story class? Yes maam. We learned
to respect everything, even if
its living or not. Because
like us, they are also created
by God.
Very good. We should respect and love other
creatures created by God. And in life, if we give
something, we should not expect something in
return. Its better to give than to receive, as they say.
And because, if youll give something to your
fellowmen, especially to the needy ones, God will
repay you for your generosity a thousand folds.
In terms of respect, we should also respect everything,
everyone as we respect our selves. If you wanted to
be respected by others, the you must first learn
to respect yourself and the others.
C.AFTER READING/LANGUAGE LESSON INTEGRATION
Now let us come to our new lesson for today.
Our lesson for today is about adjectives.
Do you know what an adjective is?No maam.
(activities)
Okay let us examine.
Notice the following sentences.
Read them in front of the class,
and then, tell me if there is a word described.
What is it? What is the word that describes it?

1.They live in a little hut.Hut - Little

2.He caught a big fish.Fish - Big
3.Juana considers him a good fisherman.Fisherman - Good
4.Pedro hates his ambitious wife.Juana - Ambitious
5.The fish rewarded the sad Pedro.Pedro - Sad
Ill dictate some words, and you write them
in your notebook then use them in a sentence.
1.Rich
2.Far
3.Loud
4.Angry
5.Happy

Generalization:
When can you say that the word is an
adjective?We can say that a word is an
adjective when it describes a
person, place, animal, idea,
and event.
Application:
Class, I have here pictures pasted on
the board. Describe the picture in two to
three words.
I will give you these flashcards, and
I will call anybody to read it aloud in front and
paste them to the corresponding picture on the board.

IV.EVALUATION:
Read the sentences carefully. Select the word that would best describe the person
referred to in a sentence. Write your answers on a piece of paper. Write the whole sentences and the next
ones too with their answers.
1.I received a beautiful gift from my mom.
My mom is _______________ (selfish, thoughtful).

2.My brother lost my favorite bag.

My brother is ________________ (careful, careless).
3.John found one hundred pesos in the room. He gave it to the teacher.
John is ____________ (honest, bad).
4.My mother praised me for helping do the house chores.
My mother was ____________ (appreciative, unkind).

V.ASSIGNMENT
In a piece of yellow paper, list as many adjective as you can using the letters of
the word adjective. And in a sheet of bond paper, describe your mother using adjectives
in a paragraph form, and then on a separate sheet, draw and describe your favorite pet.

Example:
A-dorable, amiable . . .
DJECTIVE-