Lesson 7: 🐠 The Magic Fish Bone

By Charles Dickens

💡 Let's start:

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812–1870) was a British writer whose notable works include Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and David Copperfield.

📚 During his life, and even in present times, his works have always enjoyed great popularity. He is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. The present text is an adaptation from his popular short story The Magic Fish Bone.

📝 Let's share:

1. Study the given words: fly, walk, shirt, scales, swim, wand

Now put the words in the columns where they belong. Each column must have two words:

MAN	FISH	FAIRY

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2. Look at the pictures below and write their names against each of them: 🎨

• (i) Mango 🥭
• (ii) Ant 🐜
• (iii) Goat 🐐
• (iv) Ice Cream 🍦
• (v) Car 🚗

Now, circle the first letter of each word to make a new word. Write the new word in the box given alongside. ✍️

The new word is: MAGIC ✨

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Let's read: 📖

There was once a King, and he had a Queen. They had several children. Alicia was the eldest, who looked after the other children. The King was, in his private profession, under the government. The Queen's father had been a medical man out of town.

One day, the King was going to the office when he stopped at the fishmonger's 🐟 shop. He needed to buy a pound and a half of salmon which the Queen had requested him to send home. He had not proceeded far after finishing his shopping, when the fishmonger's errand-boy came running after him. He said, "Sir, you didn't notice the old lady in our shop." "What old lady?" enquired the King. "I saw none." Now, the King had not seen any old lady because she had been invisible to him, though visible to the fishmonger's boy.

Word Nest 📚

• fishmonger: a fish seller
• pound: a unit for measuring weight
• proceeded: moved forward
• errand-boy: a boy who works under a shop-keeper

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Let's do: 🧠

Activity 1 ✅

Tick (✓) the correct alternative:

a) Alicia looked after (i) the fishmonger (ii) her brothers and sisters (iii) the old lady b) The queen's father had been a (i) medical man (ii) postman (iii) tailor c) The king wanted to buy salmon weighing (i) a pound (ii) a pound and a half (iii) two pounds d) The old lady had been visible to (i) the queen's father (ii) the king (iii) the fishmonger's boy

Activity 2 📝

Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes:

1. The old lady had been invisible to the king. [ ]
2. He bought salmon. [ ]
3. The errand boy came running after him. [ ]
4. The king stopped at the fishmonger's shop. [ ]
5. The errand boy asked if the king had seen the old lady. [ ]
6. He left the shop. [ ]

Activity 3 ❓

Answer the following question:

"The king was, in his private profession, under the government."

Is this king similar to the stories of other kings that you have read so far?

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Let's continue: 📖

Just then, the old lady came trotting up! She was dressed in shot-silk of the richest quality.

"King Watkins the first, I believe?" asked the old lady.

"Watkins," replied the King, "is my name."

"Papa of the beautiful princess Alicia?" The old lady asked.

"Yes," King Watkins replied.

"You are going to the office?" said the old lady.

It instantly flashed upon the king that she must be a Fairy, or how could she know that?

"You are right," said the old lady, answering his thoughts, "I am the Good Fairy Grandmarina. Listen. When you return home to dinner, invite the princess Alicia to have some of the salmon you bought just now. When the beautiful princess finishes eating, you will find she will leave a fish-bone on her plate. Tell her to dry it, and to rub it, and to polish it till it shines like mother-of-pearl. Ask her to take care of it as a present from me." 🎁

"Is that all?" Asked the King.

"Tell the princess Alicia, with my love, that the fish-bone is a magic present which can be used only once. It will bring her, only once, what she wishes." ✨

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Let's Continue: 📖✨

Just then, the old lady came trotting up! She was dressed in shot-silk of the richest quality.

"King Watkins the first, I believe?" asked the old lady.

"Watkins," replied the King, "is my name."

"Papa of the beautiful princess Alicia?" The old lady asked.

"Yes," King Watkins replied.

"You are going to the office?" said the old lady.

It instantly flashed upon the king that she must be a Fairy, or how could she know that? 🧚‍♀️🤔

"You are right," said the old lady, answering his thoughts, "I am the Good Fairy Grandmarina. Listen. When you return home to dinner, invite the princess Alicia to have some of the salmon you bought just now. When the beautiful princess finishes eating, you will find she will leave a fish-bone on her plate. Tell her to dry it, and to rub it, and to polish it till it shines like mother-of-pearl. Ask her to take care of it as a present from me." 🎁

"Is that all?" Asked the King.

"Tell the princess Alicia, with my love, that the fish-bone is a magic present which can be used only once. It will bring her, only once, what she wishes." 🌟

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for—provided she wishes for it at the right time. That is the message. Take care of it."With those words, Grandmarina vanished. The King went on and on, till he came to his office. There he wrote and wrote and wrote, till it was time to go home again. Then he invited the princess Alicia, as the fairy had directed him, to take the salmon. And when she had enjoyed it very much, he saw the fish-bone on her plate and delivered the Fairy's message. Princess Alicia took care to dry the bone, and to rub it, and to polish it till it shone like mother-of-pearl.

📚 Word Nest :

• trotting: walking speedily
• instantly: immediately
• mother-of-pearl: inner layer of a shell

📝 Let's do:

Activity 4

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

1. The old lady was dressed in __________.
2. King Watkins was the father of __________.
3. The fish bone was __________.
4. Princess Alicia took care to __________.

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Activity 5 💡

Answer the following questions in complete sentences: ❓

1. Why did the king think that the old lady was a fairy?
2. What was the message given by Grandmarina?
3. When did Grandmarina vanish?
4. What did the king do in his office?

Let's continue: 📖

Days went by. One morning, the King came into Alicia's room. He was sighing heavily, and seemed low-spirited. He sat down miserably, leaning his head upon his hand, and his elbow upon the kitchen table.

Alicia asked, "What is the matter, Papa?"

"I am extremely poor, my child," the King replied.

"Have you no money at all, Papa?" Alicia enquired.

"None, my child."

"Is there no way left of getting any, Papa?"

"No way," said the King. "I have tried very hard, and I have tried all ways."

When she heard those last words, the princess Alicia began to put her hand into the pocket where she kept the magic fish-bone.

"Papa," said she, "when we have tried very hard, and tried all ways, we must have done our very best?"

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"No doubt, Alicia." "When we have done our very best, Papa, and that is not enough, then I think the right time must have come for asking help of others." This was indeed the very secret connected with the magic fish-bone 🦴.So she took out from her pocket the magic fish-bone that had been dried and rubbed and polished till it shone like mother-of-pearl. She gave it a little kiss and wished it was salary day. And immediately the King's salary came rattling down the chimney, and bounced into the middle of the floor. Immediately afterwards, the good fairy Grandmarina 🧚‍♀️ came riding in, in a carriage drawn by four peacocks 🦚, dressed in silver and gold.> "Alicia, my dear," said the charming old fairy, "How do you do?" The princess Alicia embraced her. Grandmarina turned to the King then. "I suppose you know the reason now why Alicia did not use the fish-bone sooner?"The King made her a shy bow.➡️ "It only remains," said Grandmarina in conclusion, "to make an end to the fish-bone."So she took it from the hand of the princess Alicia, and it was instantly grabbed by the little snapping pug-dog 🐶 next door!

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Word Nest: 📚

• miserably: very unhappily
• rattling: making a series of short loud sounds by hitting against something hard
• grabbed: took hold of something suddenly and roughly
• snapping: having a tendency to bite

Let's do: ✨

Activity 6 📝

Write 'T' for true statements and 'F' for false statements in the given boxes. Give supporting statements for each of your answers:

1. (a) One morning Alicia found the king to be very happy. [ ]
2. (b) Alicia had kept the magic fish bone in the drawer of her room. [ ]
3. (c) The king's problem was solved by the magic fish bone. [ ]
4. (d) In the end Alicia handed over the fish bone to the old fairy. [ ]

Activity 7 🤔

Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. (a) Why was the king feeling miserable?
2. (b) What was to Alicia the right moment for asking help from others?
3. (c) How did the king get his salary?
4. (d) Why did Grandmarina wish to make an end of the fish bone?

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💡 Let's Learn:

Read the following sentences:

• They had several children.
• He had not proceeded far after finishing his shopping.

In both these sentences, ideas and facts are expressed in the form of statements.

📝 Let's do:

Activity 8 (a)

Use the words to make sentences in the form of a statement:

1. east, the, in, rises, sun, the
2. meat, the, dog, eats

The above sentences make statements or assertions. These kinds of sentences are called Assertive sentences.

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💡 Let's learn:

Read the following sentences:

• How do you do?
• Have you no money at all, papa?

In both these sentences, ideas and facts are being expressed in the form of questions.

📝 Let's do:

Activity 8 (b)

Use the words to make sentences in the form of a question:

1. are, where, going, you
2. this, not, book, is, your

The above sentences ask questions. These kinds of sentences are called Interrogative sentences.

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📝 Activity 8 (c)

Identify which of the following sentences are Assertive and which are Interrogative:

1. He spent many years of his life in a village.
2. Where do you live?
3. Nobody was absent today.
4. Did you not hear the bell?

💡 Activity 9 (a)

Replace the underlined words with their antonyms:

1. I helped a poor girl yesterday.
2. He came sooner than expected.
3. I saw a little plant by the roadside.
4. She read the conclusion of the novel.

✍️ Activity 9 (b)

Make meaningful sentences of your own with the following words:

• flashed:
• present:
• message:
• directed:

🗣️ Let's talk:

Why do you think the fairy was at first invisible to the king and later became visible? Discuss in groups.

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Let's do: 📝

Activity 10(a) 🐟 - The Salmon's Journey

Read the following passage and fill in the chart with information from the passage:

Salmon is a fish that lives along the coast. Salmon is born in fresh water and migrates to the ocean. A salmon returns to fresh water to lay eggs. After coming out from the egg, a baby salmon stays for six months to three years in fresh water. A salmon can make long journeys, sometimes moving hundreds of miles upstream against strong current.

Here's the information to extract from the passage. Fill in the blanks based on the text above:

Information Point	Details
(1) Name of the fish
(2) Place where it is found
(3) It migrates to
(4) Where it lays eggs
(5) Time spent in fresh water
(6) Distance travelled by a salmon

Acitvity 10(b) ✨ - Imagine a Fairy

Imagine you met a fairy in your dreams. 🧚‍♀️ Write in about sixty words what gift you would have asked from her and why.

Let's work together! 🤝

• 🌟 Draw a picture of a fairy and colour it.
• ✍️ Write four sentences describing the fairy and the work that she does.

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