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D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak. «Серая Шейка»
Textbook: pp. 174–178
GoalRead D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak's tale «Серая Шейка»: care, friendship and kindness.
New words
утка · o‘rdakзаяц · quyonохотник · ovchiкрыло · qanot
Explanation
Dmitry Narkisovich Mamin-Sibiryak (1852–1912) was a Russian writer, famous for his tales about nature and animals. «Серая Шейка» is a tale-story for children. A little duck whose wing was hurt by a fox cannot fly to the warm lands in autumn and is left alone on the river. In the forest she meets a hare, and a fox comes every day trying to catch her. In the end an old hunter takes the duckling home to his grandchildren. The tale is about kindness and care for a living creature.
Worked examples
«Серая Шейка» (a short retelling). «Осенью утки улетели на юг. Маленькая уточка с больным крылом осталась одна на реке. Её звали Серая Шейка. В лесу она познакомилась с зайцем. Зимой лиса каждый день приходила к реке, и уточка от страха ныряла. Однажды старый охотник хотел подстрелить лису, но лиса убежала. Охотник взял уточку домой к внучкам.» (In autumn the ducks flew south. A little duck with a hurt wing stayed alone on the river. Her name was Grey Neck. In the forest she met a hare. In winter the fox came to the river every day, and the duck dived out of fear. One day an old hunter wanted to shoot the fox, but the fox ran away. The hunter took the duck home to his granddaughters.)
Words from the story: «стая», «перелётные птицы», «крыло», «река», «улететь на юг». Proverb: «Доброе дело само себя хвалит» (a good deed praises itself).
Class activity
“Let’s be kind”. Discuss with the class: what should we do if we find an injured bird? Write one Russian sentence: «Я позову взрослых».
Practice
1
Who wrote the tale?
Д. Н. Мамин-Сибиряк
2
What are «перелётные птицы»?
birds that fly to warm lands
3
Why couldn't Grey Neck fly away?
her wing was hurt
4
Why do we call an adult instead of treating an injured bird ourselves?
A bird may bite or carry illness; adults know how to help properly.