Robert the Bruce and the Spider (English for Kids: Lesson 3)

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In this lesson, we read about King Robert of Scotland who learned an important lesson from a spider.

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This is the third in a series of lessons that I am creating for elementary school children.

Each story will look at a short story from history. We will read the story together and the student will answer some questions. I will provide feedback.

If you would like to take this lesson, please read the story, and prepare answers to the questions that follow. You will have a chance to answer these questions during the lesson.

If you request this lesson, I will send you an audio file in which I read the story. Please listen to my reading and practice reading the story aloud. I would like to hear you read it yourself. I will help to correct your pronunciation.

This lesson is intended for elementary school students.

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STORY:

The British Isles* lie off the west coast of Europe. They are two big islands and many smaller ones. The largest island is called Great Britain. It includes three countries: England, Scotland, and Wales. Together, they have just one king. But hundreds of years ago, they were independent* countries and had different kings. Scotland and England sometimes fought* against each other.

There was a time 700 years ago when the Scottish people were ruled by the Kings of England. Scots didn’t like this because they were a different people with different languages and different cultures. Also, they had once been independent,* and they were unhappy when they lost their independence.*

Robert the Bruce was a powerful Scottish lord.* He led* Scottish armies as they fought* for Scottish independence.* One of his ancestors* had been King David of Scotland, so Robert thought he should become King of Scotland, too.

Robert and his men fought* many battles* against the English army. In the year 1305, at the Battle* of Methven, the English army defeated* the Scottish army. Robert escaped from the battle and had to hide for a long time. He found a cave* in a mountain where he could rest and think about what to do next.

Robert felt very discouraged* as he sat in the cave.* He had tried twice* to fight the English, but they had defeated* him both times. Now he knew that the King of England wanted to kill him. What should he do?

As he sat there in the dark cave,* he saw a spider making her web.* Robert watched carefully. Twice* the spider tried to make her web,* but the web* broke* both times. Finally, the spider tried a third time. This time, she succeeded.

Robert believed that this was a message for him: He had failed twice* to defeat* the English—just as the spider had twice* failed to complete her web.* But if the spider could succeed the third time, Robert believed that he could, too. With new courage, he led* a new Scottish army against the English and defeated* them.

Some Scottish people believed that Robert should be their king; other Scottish people wanted John Comyn to be their king. As you can imagine, Robert and John hated each other. In a fight, Robert killed John. Six weeks later, he became King of Scotland. He was King of the Scots from 1306 until he died in 1329. He fought* many battles* against the English, but eventually* the King of England had to agree that Scotland was an independent* country with its own king.

Today, Scotland and England are united. They are two countries,* but they have one King. Although both countries are part of the United Kingdom,* many Scottish people are proud of Robert the Bruce. He is a hero in Scotland.

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SOME WORDS EXPLAINED:

Ancestor = a person in our family who lived and died a long time ago

Battle = a fight between two armies. There are usually several battles in a war.

Broke = break (past tense)

Cave = a large natural hole in the ground or in a mountain

Defeat = In a war or a competition, the winner defeats the loser.

Discouraged = To lack courage or hope of success.

Eventually = Finally; after much trying, much waiting, or much difficulty

Fought = Fight (past tense)

Independence = A country has independence when no other country can make it do what it doesn’t want to do. ‘Independent’ is an adjective.

Isles = Islands

Kingdom = The country ruled by a King or Queen

Led = lead (past tense)

Lord = Lords are men who came from a country’s most important families. They often owned lots of land, and they had great power over many people. Only the King was more important than they were.

Twice = Two times

Web = The trap that a spider makes with silk from its own body.

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SOME QUESTIONS:

1. What lesson did Robert learn from watching the spider?

2. What do you think we can learn from the spider?

3. Robert killed John Comyn. Many Scottish people thought that John should have been King. What do you think about a murderer becoming a king?

4. What did you learn about Great Britain?

5. How important is it for a country to be independent?

6. Robert was King of Scotland. Scotland still has a King. Most countries these days are republics. Which do you think is better: a kingdom or a republic?

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