Pre-listening: Is it our duty to look after our parents when they grow old or should they go into an Old People’s Home? What normally happens in your country? Invite the learners to discuss these questions in small groups, and then to report back to the class with their findings. You can then tell them that the story they are going to hear offers a possible answer to the questions.

While-listening: Listen to the story to find out where cuckoos lay their eggs.

Post-listening: Hand out the worksheets.

Reconstruct the story by putting the following sentences in the correct order: 1-a / 2-f / 3-g / 4-d / 5-c / 6-b / 7-h / 8-e

Now fill the gaps in the following sentences with the correct form of either TO LAY or TO LIE: a. lay / b. lie / c. lying / d. lay / e. lies / f. lay / g. lay / h. lies / i. lay / j. laid

THE STORY

A long time ago there once lived a cuckoo with three small chicks. One day the Mother Cuckoo fell ill.

It's been said, that during her illness no one prepared any food for her, or brought her water. The cuckoo's children in fact did not look after their mother.

One time Mother Cuckoo said to her eldest child, 'Go and fetch me some water, I'm very thirsty.'

'But it's very cold outside and it's difficult for me to carry the water,' the eldest said refusing to do as her mother had asked.

And the other two didn't bring their mother a drop of water either.

So with all her remaining strength Mother Cuckoo flew away from the nest.

The children were alarmed. 'Come back! We will bring you water, feed you till you're full, we will help you with everything,' they cried.

However since then cuckoos don't know their parents and parents don't know their children. Cuckoos even lay their eggs in strangers' nests.

THE CUCKOO: THE WORKSHEET

Place the parts of the story in the correct order:

a. A long time ago there once lived a cuckoo with three small chicks. One day the Mother Cuckoo fell ill.

b. So with all her remaining strength Mother Cuckoo flew away from the nest.

c. And the other two didn't bring their mother a drop of water either.

d. 'But it's very cold outside and it's difficult for me to carry the water,' the eldest said refusing to do as her mother had asked.

e. However since then cuckoos don't know their parents and parents don't know their children. Cuckoos even lay their eggs in strangers' nests.

f. It's been said, that during her illness no one prepared any food for her, or brought her water. The cuckoo's children in fact did not look after their mother.

g. One time Mother Cuckoo said to her eldest child, 'Go and fetch me some water, I'm very thirsty.'

h. The children were alarmed. 'Come back! We will bring you water, feed you till you're full, we will help you with everything,' they cried.

1 _____ 2 _____ 3 _____ 4 _____ 5 _____ 6 _____ 7 _____ 8 _____

Now find a suitable moral for the tale from the list below. (If you find none of the suggested morals entirely suitable, then find one of your own).

a. Fine feathers make fine birds.

b. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

c. Birds of a feather flock together.

d. One good turn deserves another.

e. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

f. Sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind.

g. One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

h. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

From the story we learn that cuckoos lay their eggs in strangers’ nests. TO LAY is a transitive verb. In other words it always takes an object. In this case the object is eggs. The three parts of the verb are LAY – LAID – LAID. TO LIE, on the other hand, is an intransitive verb and never takes an object: If you’re feeling lazy, you can lie in bed all day. The verb is irregular and the three parts are LIE-LAY-LAIN.

Now fill the gaps in the following sentences with the correct form of either TO LAY or TO LIE:

a. When are you going to _____ the table for dinner? Your guests will be here soon and you haven’t even started preparing thing yet.

b. How can you _____ there all day doing nothing? If I were you, I’d feel guilt, just watching everyone else do all the work.

c. The keys have been _____ there on the desk all morning. I think someone must have lost them.

d. There’s no need for him to stand there holding the tray all the time. He can _____ it down on the table.

e. Perhaps the patient will feel more comfortable if she _____ on your side rather than on her back.

f. What we do now will hopefully _____ the foundations for the future success of the company.

g. There’s a space over there by the pool where you can _____ your towel, next to the coconut tree.

h. The final decision _____ with you. Nobody else can make it for you.

i. Apparently the dead body _____ there for weeks before anybody found it.

j. If you had _____ a carpet on the floor instead of covering it with tiles, it would have made the room a lot warmer.

The story offers an explanation as to why cuckoos do not seem to know their parents and parents do not know their children. Working in small groups, write collective stories to explain the reasons for one of the following:

a. Why Dalmatians Have Spots

b. Why Camels Have Humps

c. Why Giraffes Have Long Necks

d. Why Manx Cats Have No Tails