这篇神奇的课文从清朝学到现在，居然Raz中也有哦！今人不见古时月，古人亦把此文阅！
每天5分钟，把Raz绘本读出外教课的效果来！
最近在看一本书《慎余堂》,描述清末民初时期，被历史洪流所裹挟一个四川盐商家族两代人的兴衰故事。很喜欢书的封面上有句话：
“时代滚滚而来，你我各尽努力。”
时代的变迁往往能超出人的认知范围，就如同去年开始的疫情这样的黑天鹅事件，相信全球没有一个人能提前预知的。
再即使诸如三胎，双减，职高分流，学区轮换这类和我们切身相关的事情，我们也许能有感知，但还是很难提前做好万全准备的。
所以不管外部环境怎么变化，对于个人来说，能做的就是在变化面前整理好心态，各尽努力，做好当下，尽量去把握命运中自己可以把控的部分。
“生如蝼蚁，当立鸿鹄之志；命如纸薄，应有不屈之心。”
在美国，教育制度一直是家长抱怨和抗议的重灾区。不过有个比较特殊的地方就是，因为不满意公立教育或者为了实现个性化教育，在全美有4%的家长不让自己孩子去学校上学，而是选择Home school家庭学校的方式。也就是在家上学，类似我们以前的私塾，老师可能就是父母（Raz账号注册时专门有Home School的选项）。
这些年，特别再加上疫情，选择Home school的学生比例每年都是持续上升的。有报告说，Home school家庭学校的孩子在各种学术类型的考试成绩，比公立学校的同龄学生高15%到30%，大学入学SAT成绩比美国平均成绩高出72分。
当然在中国，Home School是不太现实，不过如果孩子能形成自我学习的能力，可能会让他们更从容面对未来的社会。
不管教育制度如何改革，学校师资是否轮岗，还是社会发展的变化，自我学习，终身学习都是我们这一代和下一代都要具备的最保险的能力。
而阅读能力是自主学习的基础，尽早帮助孩子养成自主阅读习惯，肯定对孩子自主学习有很大的帮助。
书归正传，今天我们来读的是美国小学Raz分级阅读M级别的《Aesop's Fables 伊索寓言》。《伊索寓言》由篇輻短小的希腊民间故事组成。角色大多是拟人化的动物，每个小故事阐述出深具哲理的道理，是世界上流传广泛的经典作品，对欧洲的寓言文学影响很大。
早在明朝传教士就把《伊索寓言》带到了中国，而在清朝光绪年间乌鸦喝水的故事就出现启蒙阶段的学堂上。其它诸如龟兔赛跑，农夫与蛇，狼来了，相信大家在小学语文课本都已经学习过。
《Aesop's Fables 伊索寓言》在Raz中是个跨级别读物，也就是说分别出现在M，P ，S 三个级别。我们会从词汇，阅读技巧，阅读理解几个方面和孩子一起来读这本书。
单词
原版Raz有个不方便的地方就是并没有提前单词复习的地方；所以这里小程序把单词都抽取出来了，包括发音，中文释义和具体那几本书出现了这个单词。方便家长和孩子提前预习下单词。
这本书语法部分是识别和学会使用反义词。
例如第一个小故事的寓意是：If you do mean things to others, they might do mean things to you in return.
如果你对别人做了刻薄的事，他们可能会对你做刻薄的事作为回报 。
其中mean的反义词是什么？如果用反义词取代mean，这句话是不是还有寓意？
例如：If you do kind things to others, they might do kind things to you in return.
如果你对别人做了善意的事，他们也可能对你做善意的事作为回报。
这里mean做形容词，贬义词，刻薄，爱挖苦贬低别人的意思。有部著名的美国青春片电影就叫《Mean Girls 坏女孩》，有兴趣的家长可以看看哦。
阅读策略 Visualization
这本书的阅读技巧是需要使用Visualization想象技巧的。让孩子尝试根据故事内容和自己的理解在脑海里联想出画面来。一般来说需要运用五感，就是看、听、嗅、触、味五种感觉去做出联想。运用五感也是我们写作中，体验和感受细节很好的技巧。
《西江月·夜行黄沙道中》
明月别枝惊鹊，清风半夜鸣蝉。
稻花香里说丰年，听取蛙声一片。
七八个星天外，两三点雨山前。
旧时茅店社林边，路转溪桥忽见。
例如辛弃疾这首描写夏夜的词，就是从看明月，听蝉鸣，闻稻香，说丰年几种感觉，细腻勾画出让人无限联想的古代乡村夏夜的幽美景色。
可见，无论古往今来，还是东西方文化，不同语言，其实阅读，写作的技巧都是通用的。
而想象力更是大数据，人工智能等科技很难取代的人类独有能力。在阅读这些文章的时候，不妨也带着孩子多做这样的练习。
例如在开始读故事前，可以根据画面,引导孩子根据细节展开想象下，给狐狸和鹳配上台词：
等读完文章后，再和孩子一起回顾下，可以对比下原文的描述和孩子自己的描述。
阅读理解
这本书的阅读理解主要考察的是角色分析能力。每个小故事中都有几位角色呢？从每位角色身上我们学习到的Life Lesson又是什么呢？
Analyze Character
角色分析一般两种情况：
1, 作者明确告诉我们的，例如孔雀一文中，神明确指出了"You are jealous of the nightingale"
2, 需要读者自己做出判断，这里有个F.A.S.T 方法：
Feeling 感受--角色的感受是什么？ Action 行动--这个角色在做什么？ Saying 说--这个角色说了什么？ Thinking 思考--角色在想什么？
通过问自己这些问题，我们可以将角色形象化，从而更好地识别角色的特征。
How do you think the crow feels after she finally drinks from the pitcher?
A pretty
B surprised
C proud
D thirsty
你认为乌鸦最后喝完水壶里的水之后，她的感觉如何？
A漂亮
B惊讶
C自豪
D口渴
这道题文中没有明确的写出，需要孩子运用F.A.S.T方法,自己能Visualize出乌鸦的feeling来。
What do the peacock’s actions tell you about him?
A He is nervous.
B He is smart.
C He is jealous.
D He is happy.
这只孔雀的行动告诉你他的什么情况？
A 他很紧张。
B 他很聪明。
C 他有嫉妒心的。
D 他很高兴。
前面提到了，这道题书中作者是有明确写出答案内容的。
Sequence Events
这类题考察的是看孩子是否能理清楚事情发生的前后关系，是否能够熟练识别和运用First，Then，Next，Last这些副词。
What does the fox do at the end of “The Fox and the Stork”?
A He has dinner with the stork.
B He goes to sleep.
C He admits that he was wrong.
D He eats all the soup.
在《狐狸和鹳》的结尾，狐狸做了什么？
A 他与鹳鸟共进晚餐。
B 他去睡觉了。
C 他承认他是错的。
D 他吃了所有的汤。
Make Inferences / Draw Conclusions
这类题是来考察能否通过根据文中细节和已知的背景，经验，知识等信息，做出有根据的猜测和推断来。
What do you think the expression he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing means?
A He likes living in a pasture with sheep.
B He looks nice, but he is really mean.
C He has sharp teeth like a wolf.
D He likes to wear things made of wool.
你认为他是一只披着羊皮的狼的说法是什么意思？
A 他喜欢和羊住在一个牧场里。
B 他看起来是个好人，其实他很坏的。
C 他有像狼一样锋利的牙齿。
D 他喜欢穿羊毛做的东西。
Mean这个单词前面有介绍过哦，和nice是反义词。
Cause and Effect
识别原因和结果。
Why does the country mouse move back to the country?
A Life is simple and safe there.
B Cats often come to visit.
C Many other mice live there.
D There are many things to do.
为什么乡下的老鼠要搬回乡下？
A 那里的生活简单而安全。
B 猫经常来拜访。
C 许多其他老鼠住在那里。
D 那里有很多事情可以做。
孩子需要知道rather...than,better...than的含义，就能更容易找出原因来。
What caused the stork to put the meat into a jar with a long neck?
A The stork wanted to share with the fox.
B The stork thought the meat would taste better.
C The stork wanted to teach the fox a lesson.
D The stork had a short beak.
是什么原因鹳鸟把肉放进一个长颈瓶里？
A 鹳鸟想和狐狸分享。
B 鹳认为肉的味道会更好。
C 鹳想给狐狸一个教训。
D 鹳鸟的嘴很短。
What caused the peacock to go to the goddess of animals?
A He wanted to make a beautiful song.
B He wanted to be fast.
C He wanted to be big and beautiful.
D He wanted to be strong.
什么原因导致孔雀去找动物之神？
A 他想唱一首好听的歌。
B 他想变得快。
C 他想成为大个子和变美丽。
D 他想变得强壮。
这两篇文章比较简单，都没有用到clue word，例如since，so，because等。
Compare and Contrast
找出相同和不同
How are all the stories in the book alike?
A They are set in modern times.
B They teach lessons.
C The characters are birds.
D They all have happy endings.
这本书中的所有故事有什么相同之处？
A 它们都以现代为发生背景。
B 它们都教授了一些道理。
C 故事中的人物都是鸟类。
D 它们都有快乐的结局。
How are the two foxes in the fables alike?
A They are both shy.
B They are both sneaky.
C They are both vain.
D They are both quick.
寓言中的两只狐狸有什么相同之处？
A 它们都很害羞。
B 它们都很狡猾。
C 它们都很虚荣。
D 它们都很敏捷。
Alike就是找相同，被称为Compare，找不同叫做Contrast。
Vocabulary
这题完全就是考察词汇量，是否理解compliment，sweet-talk和flatter的意思。
What does it mean to flatter people?
A to give a gift to them
B to get angry at them
C to sweet-talk them
D to teach them a lesson
奉承别人是什么意思？
A 给他们送礼物
B 对他们发火
C 对他们说甜言蜜语
D 给他们一个教训
好了，以上就是Quiz部分。让孩子读完下面的文章，可以按这几个方向来看看孩子是否能回答正确。如果某类问题错误率高，则可以针对性地帮助提高相关方面的阅读能力。
这里将的阅读理解和阅读技巧在我前面的文章里都有详细整理介绍过，有兴趣的家长稍后可以在公众号上回顾下。
现在让我们来边听边阅读这篇文章吧。
The Fox and the Stork
The fox had the stork over to eat soup. The fox put the soup in a flat dish. The stork could not eat any soup. She could not reach it with her long beak. The fox ate all the soup, and the stroke went hungry. The next day, the stork invited the fox over for dinner. The stroke put some meat in a jar with a long neck. The stork ate easily because her long beak fit into the jar. The fox could not get to the meat. This time he went hungry. The fox admitted he has been wrong.
Moral：If you do mean things to others, they might do mean things to you in return.
狐狸让鹳过来喝汤。狐狸把汤放在一个平盘里。鹳鸟喝不到任何汤。她的长喙够不着汤。狐狸吃完了所有的汤，而白鹳却饿着。第二天，白鹳邀请狐狸来吃饭。鹳把一些肉放在一个长瓶颈的罐子里。鹳鸟很容易就吃到了，因为它的长嘴能伸进罐子里。狐狸却拿不到肉。这一次他饿着了。狐狸承认他错了。
如果你对别人做了刻薄的事，他们可能会对你做刻薄的事作为回报。
The Fox and the Crow
The fox saw the crow fly to his favorite branch. The crow had a piece of cheese in his beak. The fox thought for a moment. He walked under the crow's branch and looked up at him. "You are the most handsome bird I Have ever seen." said the fox. The crow looked down at the fox. "You flu so fast and gracefully. I bet you can sing, too." he said. The crow loved to hear compliments. He decided to sing for the fox. He opened his beak to sing. The cheese fell into the fox's mouth. When the fox was done eating, he said, "Thank you very much. That was all I really wanted."
Moral: Do not trust stranger who try to flatter you.
狐狸看到乌鸦飞到它最喜欢的树枝上。乌鸦的嘴里有一块奶酪。狐狸想了一会儿。它走到乌鸦的树枝下，抬头看着乌鸦。"狐狸说："你是我见过最英俊的鸟。乌鸦低头看了看狐狸。"你飞得这么快，这么优雅。我打赌你也会唱歌。"他说。乌鸦喜欢听奉承。它决定为狐狸唱歌。他张开嘴唱了起来。奶酪落入了狐狸的口中。当狐狸吃完后，说："非常感谢你。这就是我真正想要的。"
寓意：不要相信那些试图奉承你的陌生人。
The Crow and the Pitcher
The crow had been flying all day, and she was very thirsty. She came across a pitcher that was half full of water. She could not reach the water in the pitcher to drink. Her beak could not reach down the neck of the pitcher. She tried tipping the pitcher, but it was too heavy. She saw that there were pebbles all over the ground. She began to drop pebbles one at a time into the pitcher. It took a very long time, but the water rose to the top. The she drank all the water she wanted.
Moral: Doing things little by little is just as good as doing things all at once.
乌鸦已经飞了一整天，她非常渴了。她遇到了一个装了一半水的水壶。她无法够到水壶里的水喝。她的喙无法伸到壶颈处。她试着把水壶翻过来，但它太重了。她看到地上到处都是鹅卵石。她开始把鹅卵石一块一块地扔进壶里。花了很长时间，但水还是升到了顶部。她喝下了所有她想要的水。
寓意：一点一点地做事情和一口气做完事情一样棒
The Dog and His Relection
A dog was walking across the bridge over a stream. He had a nice piece of meat in his mouth. He looked down. He thought that he saw another dog. He snapped at the meat in the dog's mouth. His own meat fell into the water. Then he realized it was not another dog after all. It was only his reflection.
Moral: If you are always greedy for more, you might lose what you already have.
一条狗正走过小河上的桥。他嘴里有一块漂亮的肉。他往下看。他认为他看到了另一只狗。他对着那只狗嘴里的肉猛咬了一口。他自己的肉掉进了水里。然后他意识到那毕竟不是另一只狗。那只是他的倒影而已。
寓意：如果你总是贪心地追求更多，你可能会失去你已经拥有的东西。
The Peacock
Peacock's strange voice made people laugh. He wished he could sing beautiful songs like the nightingale. Peacock asked the goddess of animals for a new voice. The goddess replied, "You are jealous of the nightingale, but you should not be. The feathers on your neck shine with every color of the rainbow. And your tail looks as if it's covered in gems. No one has it all. The falcon is very fast. The eagle is very strong. The parrot can speak. The raven is smart. The nightingale has a pretty song. You are big and beautiful. You are special just as you are."
Moral: No one can be the best at everything. Treasure you own gifts and talents.
孔雀的奇怪声音让人发笑。他希望自己能像夜莺一样唱出美妙的歌曲。孔雀向动物女神请求换个声音。女神回答说："你嫉妒夜莺，但你不应该的。你脖子上的羽毛闪耀着彩虹的各种颜色。而你的尾巴看起来就像被宝石覆盖。没有人拥有这一切。猎鹰的速度非常快、老鹰非常强壮、鹦鹉能说话、乌鸦很聪明、夜莺的歌声很动听。你个头大而漂亮。你很特别，就像你现在这样。
寓意：没有人可以在所有方面都是最好的。珍惜你自己的天赋和才能.
The City Mouse and the Conutry Mouse
The poor country mouse came to visit his cousin, the rich city mouse. There were many things to do in the city. The country mouse had never seen so many other mice. The city mouse warned the country mouse that there was a cat in the house. The country mouse was scared. He decided that he would rather live in the poor, quiet country than live in fear every day. With that, the country mouse happily left for his humble home.
Moral: It is better to live simply in safety than to live in luxury and fear.
贫穷的乡下老鼠来拜访他的表弟，一只富有的城市老鼠。在城市里有很多事情可以做。乡下的老鼠从来没有见过这么多其他的老鼠。城里的老鼠警告乡下的老鼠，房子里有一只猫。乡下的老鼠很害怕。他决定，他宁愿生活在贫穷、安静的乡村，也不愿每天生活在恐惧之中。就这样，乡下老鼠高兴地离开了(城市)回到他那简陋的家。
道理：与其生活在奢侈和恐惧中，不如生活得简单和安全中。
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A wolf put on a costume to look like a sheep. The wolf then went to a nearby pasture where there were many sheep. The shepherd let him into the pasture, thinking that he was a sheep. The wolf was about to bite a poor lamb when the shepherd saw what he was doing. The shepherd threw the wolf out of the pasture and told him not to come back. From that day on, the shepherd never let a sheep into the pasture until he checked it for sharp teeth.
Moral: The way things look is not always the way things are.
一头狼穿上了假羊皮，看起来像一只羊。然后狼来到附近的一个牧场，那里有许多羊。牧羊人把它放进牧场，以为它是一只羊。狼正要咬一只可怜的羔羊时，牧羊人看到了他的行为。牧羊人把狼轰出了牧场，并告诉它不要再来了。从那天起，牧羊人在检查羊是否有锋利的牙齿之前，是不会让羊进入牧场。
寓意：事情的外表并不总是事情的真相。