1. The Fairies of Burg Hill Lesson: Objective 1 (5.9) (B) draw on experiences to bring meanings to words in context such as interpreting figurative language and multiple-meaning words Grade: 5 (TX)

2. 2 Introduction Today’s lesson is an old Celtic fairy story. It is believed that Scotland has more than its fair share of fairies and goblins, and most Scottish people believe in them. While reading today’s lesson you will see that a word can have more than one meaning. To be able to tell the correct meaning, you will have to look at other words – they always provide you with a clue that will help you to understand the right meaning. The same applies to a group of words that form an expression that could have a seemingly different meaning. When such words phrased together seem confusing or unfamiliar, look for clues in the stories that will help you to understand the right meanings.

3. 3 1.Once upon a time there was a rich farmer who had a thrifty wife. She had the habit of going out and gathering all the little bits of wool which she could find on the hillsides, and bring them home. After her family members had gone to bed, she would usually sit up into the small hours and card the wool and spin a yarn out of it; then she would weave the yarn into cloth to make garments for her children. 2.All this work made her very tired, and one night, while sitting at her loom, she laid down her shuttle. She began to rock back and forth and cried out, “Oh, that some one would come from far or near, from land or sea, to help me!” 3.No sooner had the words left her lips than she heard some one knocking at the door. “Who is there?” cried she. “Good housewife,” answered a wee voice. “Open the door to me. As long as I have you’ll get.” The Fairies of Burg Hill

4. 4 4.She opened the door and there on the threshold stood a queer, little woman, dressed in a green gown and wearing a white cap on her head. The farmer’s wife stood rooted to the spot. Without a word, her strange visitor went past her, and seated herself at the spinning-wheel. 5.The farmer’s wife had hardly shut the door when just then she heard another knock. “Who is there?” cried she. “Good housewife,” answered a wee voice. “Open the door to me. As long as I have you'll get.” Her jaw dropped when she opened the door and there was another queer little woman, standing on the threshold. She, too, went into the house without waiting and picking up the distaff, began to put some wool on it. 6.Another wee woman followed and then another and another, until it seemed to the farmer’s wife that all the fairies and pixies in Scotland had made themselves at home in her house. The Fairies of Burg Hill

5. 5 7.The kitchen was alive with them. Some of them hung the great pot over the fire to boil water to wash the wool that was dirty. Some teased the clean wool, and some carded it. Some spun it into yarn, and some wove the yarn into great webs of cloth. They worked like clockwork. 8. The noise they made was enough to make her head go round. “Splash! splash! Whirr! whirr! Clack! clack!” The water in the pot bubbled over. The spinning-wheel whirred. The shuttle in the loom flew backward and forward. 9. The fairies wanted something to eat, so the good housewife put on her griddle and baked scones as fast as she could. They were devoured as soon as they were taken off the fire, and still the fairies wanted more. The farmer’s wife was so troubled that she went into the next room to wake her husband. But although she shook him with all her might, she could not wake him. It was obvious that he was under some kind of a spell. The Fairies of Burg Hill

6. 6 10. Frightened almost out of her senses, she left the fairies eating the last batch of scones; she stole out of the house and ran as fast as she could to the cottage of the Wise Man who lived a mile away and told him everything. 11. “You foolish woman,” said he, “let this be a lesson to you never to pray for things you do not need! Before your husband can become free from the spell, the fairies must be got out of the house and the water which they have boiled must be thrown over him. Hurry to the little hill that lies behind your cottage, climb to the top and set the bushes on fire; then shout three times, ‘Burg Hill is on fire!’ 12. “Then all the little fairies will run out to see if this is true, for they live under the hill. Slip in as quickly as you can, and upset everything the fairies have worked with, or else they can come in again.” The farmer’s wife hurried away and climbed to the top of the little hill at the back of her cottage, set the bushes on fire, and cried out three times as loud as she was able to, “Burg Hill is on fire!” The Fairies of Burg Hill

7. 7 13. Sure enough, the door of the cottage was flung wide open, and as quick as lightning, all the little fairies came running out, knocking each other over in their eagerness to be the first to reach their homes under the hill. In the confusion the farmer’s wife ran as fast as she could to her cottage and when she was inside, she immediately barred the door, and turned everything upside down. 14. Then all of a sudden the good housewife remembered what the Wise Man had said about the boiling water. She ran to the kitchen and lifted a cupful out of the pot, and carried it in, and threw it over the bed where her husband was. The spell was broken. 15. In an instant he woke up in his right senses. Then he jumped out of bed, ran across the room and opened the door, but the fairies had vanished. And they have never been seen from that day to this. The Fairies of Burg Hill

8. 8 Check Your Understanding 1.She would usually sit up into the small hours and card the wool and spin a yarn out of it. Which meaning is the most appropriate for the underlined words? a. tell a story, usually a long improbable one, with distorted truths b. thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving c. make excuses d. create a fabric

9. 9 Check Your Understanding 2.He would usually spin a yarn that was really fancy and hard to believe. The underlined words above mean: a. thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving b. a continuous thread, in the form of loosely twisted fibers, from which rope is made c. a long and often involved story or account, usually of untruths, incredible or fantastic events d. a falsehood

10. 10 Check Your Understanding 3.She began to rock back and forth. Which meaning is most appropriate or closest in meaning to the underlined word? a. a large mass of stone b. a diamond c. swing or sway side to side d. a steady support

11. 11 Check Your Understanding 4.Read these sentences. i In times of distress, the Lord is my rock. ii Grandpa’s hand shook as he swung the rock with his unsteady hands. Given below are four meaning of the word “rock”. Match the two most appropriate meanings with the two words above. a. to shake or swing, or disturb violently b. a firm foundation or support c. a popular form of music, enjoyed by the young d. a stone of any shape or size

12. 12 Check Your Understanding 5.The farmer’s wife stood rooted to the spot. The underlined expression means, the farmer’s wife: a. stood there for such a long time, that roots seemed to sprout, and she resembled a tree because of the magic spell b. was so astonished she could not move c. suddenly grew very old and shriveled up d. became so ill she could not move

13. 13 Check Your Understanding 6.Her jaw dropped when she opened the door. The underlined expression means: a. her jaws were dislocated b. her dentures fell down c. she was speechless with amazement d. her jaw bone cracked

14. 14 Check Your Understanding 7.Which of these statements are expressions of surprise or shock? a. jump out of one’s skin b. blow the whistle c. knock somebody down with a feather d. by the skin of one’s teeth

15. 15 8.The word loom in paragraph 2 means: a. tower above b. a hand-operated or power-driven apparatus for weaving fabrics c. a big sized net for fishing d. to come into sight with an enlarged and often threatening aspect Check Your Understanding

16. 16 Check Your Understanding 9. They worked like clockwork. Which of these expressions means the same, or is closest to the underlined words? a. go the extra mile b. deliver the goods c. at the eleventh hour d. be on cloud nine

17. 17 Check Your Understanding 10.The shuttle in the loom flew backward and forward. The above sentence means: a. the shuttle suddenly started flying backwards and forward because of the spell b. the shuttle went out of order and was behaving erratically c. the shuttle started working very fast d. the shuttle became detached from the main part of the loom

18. 18 Check Your Understanding 11. A shuttle can also mean: a. a train or bus, that travels back and forth at regular intervals over a short route b. a mobile washroom c. short for space shuttle d. a shuttlecock (short form)

19. 19 Check Your Understanding 12. Discuss and describe with some appropriate expressions: i a hard working person ii a sacred or lazy person

20. 20 Feature # 2 – Ostriches 1.The ostrich is the largest and heaviest living bird. It is a flightless bird that can never take to the skies, so instead it’s built for running. Its long, thick, and powerful legs can cover great distances without much effort, and its feet have only two toes for greater speed. 2.If they can't fly, why do they have wings? For one thing, ostriches hold their wings out to help them balance when they run, and stay upright, especially if they suddenly change direction. 3.People believe that ostriches bury their heads in the sand! Actually, that’s a myth. When an ostrich senses danger and cannot run away, it flops to the ground and remains still, with its head and neck flat on the ground in front of it. Because the head and neck are lightly colored, they blend in with the color of the soil. From a distance, it just looks like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand, because only the body is visible.

21. 21 13. Ostriches hold their wings out to help them balance when they run. The word balance here means: a. a weighing device with weighing pans at either end b. equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. c. the remainder (remaining bit) or rest d. adjusting or equalizing amounts in accounts / accounting work Check Your Understanding

22. 22 Check Your Understanding 14. The chief judge decided to leave the final judgment hanging in balance until the thief confessed his crime, oe there was more proof. What is the meaning of the underlined expression? a. to remain loyal b. to keep the decision pending; no clear solution c. to be logical or consistent d. to remain unyielding, stubborn, or inflexible

23. 23 Check Your Understanding 15. It is a myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand. The underlined expression means: a. to avoid reality; ignore the facts of a situation b. go to an unimportant location, or take up an unimportant position c. cannot see or have loss of vision d. taking precaution while fighting a losing battle

24. 24 Check Your Understanding 16. The two rival leaders decided to bury the hatchet. The underlined expression means: a. to see who could win the competition b. to become reconciled or reunited c. to start a fight d. to start a race

25. 25 17. If somebody decides to make himself at home in your house (ref. feature # 1 – paragraph 6) it means he would: a. build a small home of his own in your house b. make himself really comfortable in your place c. be proficient and well-versed in building homes d. decorate your house and his own home very well Check Your Understanding

26. Summary 26 You have learned that a word or a group of words don’t always have the same thing. To find out their exact meaning, one has to look for clues in other nearby words. Today you have achieved that. Other than expressions contained in the main lesson / feature # 2, you have learned a number of phrases / meanings.

27. G REAT JOB TODAY !