・英語を読めるようになりたいけど、なんだか難しくて挫折してしまった・・・
・子どもと英語の絵本を読みたいけれ選べば良いのか選べば良いのか分からない・・・
この記事を読めば、どんな洋書を選べば良いのかが分かります。
英語育児も、大人のやり直し英語にも一番のお勧めは英語の多読です。お子さんは単語や、絵を楽しむところから。大人は、ご自分のレベルより優しいと思えるレベルから始めることで、英語を読むという行為が楽に感じられるようになります。
そこで、まず一番始めにおすすめしたい洋書がOxford reading treeです。このシリーズは、ステージ1から細かくレベル分けをされているので､徐々に自分の英語レベルを上げていくことが可能です。そして、イギリスの多くの小学校のテキストとして導入されているので、正しい英語を学ぶことが出来ます。このシリーズで基礎を固めることで、他の洋書を読んだり、次のステップに移りやすくなります。
この記事ではOxford reading tree stage7 more stories Bをご紹介します。この本を読み、本の内容について英語での質問と、その答えの一例を載せいています。ご自宅で、英語のレッスンを受けている感覚で繰り返し取り組んでみてください。きっと洋書を読むことが楽しくなりますよ！
The Power Cut. 停電 （Magic Keyのお話）
みんなで、休暇を過ごすために別荘へ行きます。せっかくの別荘なのに、子どもたちはゲームやテレビに夢中です。そんなときに停電になってしまいます。電気が使えなくなり、子どもたちは楽しく休暇を過ごせるのでしょうか？電気は無事に復旧するといいのですが・・・
Where were the family going?
The family was going on holiday.
Who were they taking with them?
They were taking Biff and Chip with them.
こんな質問もしてみよう！
Q: What did Wilf want to take on the holiday?
A: Wilf wanted to take the games station because he had a great new game.
Q: What did Wilma want to watch during the holiday?
A: Wilma wanted to watch some films because they hadn’t seen some of them yet.
Q: What did Dad suggest they do before getting a drink on their journey?
A: Dad suggested playing a game in the arcade before getting a drink on their journey.
Q: Where did they finally arrive?
A: They finally arrived at the cottage.
Q: What did they find when they arrived at the cottage?
A: They found a big television in the front room of the cottage.
Q: What did Wilf ask Dad to bring inside the cottage?
A: Wilf asked Dad to bring in their games station inside the cottage.
Q: What happened when they tried to watch a film at breakfast?
A: Dad said they didn’t come on holiday to watch TV, so they couldn’t watch the film at breakfast.
Q: What happened when all the lights suddenly went out?
A: When all the lights suddenly went out, there was a power cut.
Q: What did Wilma suggest they do while eating breakfast?
A: Wilma suggested they watch a film while eating breakfast.
Q: How did Dad react to Wilma’s suggestion to watch a film?
A: Dad sighed and told everyone to get dressed because they didn’t come on holiday to watch TV.
Q: What did Mum suggest they do when they stopped for a break on their journey?
A: Mum suggested they get a drink when they stopped for a break on their journey.
Q: What did Wilf ask if they could do before getting a drink during their journey?
A: Wilf asked if they could play a game in the arcade before getting a drink during their journey.
Q: What did they do when they arrived at the cottage?
A: When they arrived at the cottage, Mum and Dad began to unpack the car, and the children went inside.
Q: What did Wilf suggest they do after arriving at the cottage?
A: Wilf suggested they play some games after arriving at the cottage.
Q: What did Dad say they needed to do before playing games?
A: Dad said they needed to help unpack the car before playing games.
Q: How did they spend their time at the cottage when the power went out?
A: They spent their time at the cottage eating supper by candlelight, telling stories, and playing games.
Q: What did Dad suggest they do for supper when the power went out?
A: Dad suggested they cook supper over a fire when the power went out.
Q: What did they do after eating supper by candlelight?
A: After eating supper by candlelight, they took turns telling stories.
The Riddle Stone. Part 1 なぞなぞの石 パート１ （Magic Keyのお話）
Dadが、床の下から不思議な石を見つけました。その石には何かが書かれていて、その意味が分かりません。Magic Keyは、こどもたちをなぞなぞばかりの場所に連れて行きます。色々ななぞなぞが出てきますが、皆さんは解けますか？
What did Dad find under the floorboards?
Dad found a stone with strange writing on it under the floorboards.
Who wanted to keep the stone?
Chip wanted to keep the stone.
こんな質問もしてみよう！
Q: What did Chip do with the stone?
A: Chip took the stone to school to show it to his friend, Hong.
Q: What language was the writing on the stone in?
A: The writing on the stone was in Chinese.
Q: Who could read the writing on the stone?
A: Hong’s grandfather could read the writing on the stone.
Q: What did the writing on the stone say?
A: The writing on the stone said, “Do you mind?”
Q: What did the children do with the stone after Hong’s grandfather read it?
A: Chip gave the stone to Hong to keep, and Hong put it in his bag.
Q: What game did the children play in Biff’s room?
A: The children played with a riddle.
Q: Where did the magic key take them?
A: The magic key took them to a rocky valley.
Q: What did Ty want to become?
A: Ty wanted to become the Riddle Maker.
Q: Who blocked their way to Riddle Mountain?
A: A huge giant blocked their way to Riddle Mountain.
Q: What did the giant ask them to do to pass by?
A: The giant asked them to answer a riddle to pass by.
Q: What did Hong write down as the answer to the giant’s riddle?
A: Hong wrote down the words “how much I weigh” as the answer.
Q: What was the answer to the giant’s riddle?
A: The answer to the giant’s riddle was “how much I weigh.”
Q: How did they cross the lake?
A: They crossed the lake on the back of a huge serpent.
Q: What did the serpent ask them to do to pass by?
A: The serpent asked them to answer a riddle to pass by.
Q: What did the serpent ask them about the bubbles?
A: The serpent asked them, “How many sides does a bubble have?”
Q: What was the answer to the serpent’s riddle?
A: The answer to the serpent’s riddle was “two sides: the inside and the outside.”
Q: What happened when they entered the bubbles?
A: They floated up into the air inside the bubbles.
Q: Who was waiting for them on the other side of the lake?
A: Goblins were waiting for them on the other side of the lake.
Q: What did the goblins do to the children?
A: The goblins put the children in a cage.
Q: What did the Goblin King ask the children?
A: The Goblin King asked the children, “How do you want to die?”
Q: How did Hong react to the Goblin King’s question?
A: Hong began to laugh and explained that it was a riddle.
Q: What did Hong reassure the other children about?
A: Hong reassured the other children that he knew the answer to the riddle.
The Riddle Stone. Part2 なぞなぞの石 パート２ （Magic Keyのお話）
パート２でも、たくさんのなぞなぞが出来ます。ここでは、パート１で出てきたなぞの石がなんだったのかも分かります。やっとすっきりしましたね！
What did the Goblin King ask the children?
He asked them how they wanted to die
What was Hong’s clever answer to the Goblin King’s question?
Hong said they wanted to die of old age.
こんな質問もしてみよう！
Q: What did the goblins do when Chip asked for their magic key back?
A: They refused to give it back.
Q: How did the children get the goblins to return the key?
A: They challenged the Goblin King with a riddle, and when he couldn’t answer it, he had to give them the key.
Q: What did Hong write in the sand to stump the goblins?
A: Hong wrote “1 + 1 = 6” in the sand and challenged the goblins to make it work by drawing a straight line.
Q: What was Hong’s clever explanation for the riddle?
A: He drew a line on the plus sign to turn it into a 4, making the equation “1 + 1 = 6” true.
Q: How did the children cross the wide river?
A: They answered a riddle about the old man’s children, and he agreed to take them across on his raft.
Q: What was the riddle that the children had to answer to cross the river?
A: The riddle was, “I have seven children. Half of them are boys. How can this be?”
A Sea Mystery. 海の不思議 （Magic Keyのお話）
Kipperたちは、一件の古いお店で、とあるおじいさんと船との出会いから不思議な冒険に出かけます。Magic Keyによって、海に冒険に来たこどもたち。船にはいるはずの人がいません。何が起きたのでしょうか？古いお店にあった船と関係があるのでしょうか？
What did Kipper want to buy before going home?
Kipper wanted to buy a model boat.
Who did Kipper take to the old shop?
Kipper took Biff and Chip to the old shop.
こんな質問もしてみよう！
Q: Why did the old man say the model boat wasn’t for sale?
A: The old man said the model boat wasn’t for sale because it was a model of his great grandfather’s fishing boat, made after he was lost at sea.
Q: What happened to the old man’s great grandfather?
A: The old man’s great grandfather went to sea in his boat one day and never came back.
Q: What did the old man give to Kipper as a present?
A: The old man gave Kipper a little model rowing boat.
Q: What did the little boat look like?
A: The little boat was made of wood and looked very real, even having a little pair of oars.
Q: What happened when the children heard a cough on the sea wall?
A: They saw the old man holding a little model rowing boat.
Q: Why did the children end up in the water?
A: The magic from the key they found took them out to sea.
Q: What did Chip do when she saw the oar splashing into the sea?
A: Chip told the others to hold on to the oar because it would keep them afloat.
Q: How did the children get rescued from the sea?
A: They were rescued by a sailing boat that came out of the fog.
Q: Who were the people on the sailing boat?
A: The people on the sailing boat were Captain Turbot, Flounder, and Shrimp.
Q: What happened to Captain Turbot’s crew?
A: They fell into the sea when their boat struck a rock.
Q: Why did the children end up on the boat with Captain Turbot?
A: The magic key took them there.
Q: What did Chip find strange about the large cabin on the boat?
A: Chip found it strange that there was food set for dinner and lamps lit, but nobody was on board.
The Big Breakfast. たっぷりの朝ご飯 （Magic Keyのお話）
Mumが留守の間に、Dadが食事を用意してくれましたが､大失敗！家事もやることがたくさんあります。忙しくなりそう・・・と思ったときにMagic Keyが光り出します。こどもたちは、使用人として働くことになりました。何故かFloppyまで仕事があります。こどもたちは一生懸命に働きます。みんな、どんな仕事をしたのでしょうか？
What woke Chip up in the morning?
The sound of Dad ringing a bell woke Chip up in the morning.
Why did Dad ring the bell?
Dad rang the bell to wake Chip up because they had a lot of chores to do while Mum was away.
こんな質問もしてみよう！
Q:What did Dad announce after ringing the bell?
A:Dad announced that they had to get up and start doing chores because Mum was away and the house needed tidying up.
Q:Why did Dad apologize during breakfast?
A:Dad apologized during breakfast because the milk had gone off, the toast was burnt, and they had run out of juice.
Q:What was Chip’s suggestion for breakfast?
A:Chip suggested having breakfast in the café instead of going to the supermarket.
Q:Why did Chip suggest having breakfast in the café?
A:Chip suggested having breakfast in the café because it would save them the trouble of going to the supermarket and they could eat whatever they liked.
Q:What did each child want for breakfast in the café?
A:Biff wanted blueberry pancakes, Kipper wanted eggs, and Chip jokingly suggested kippers for Kipper.
Q:What tasks did the children have to do at home after breakfast?
A:The children had to tidy their rooms and Chip’s task was to put away the shopping.
Q:Why did the magic key start glowing?
A:The magic key started glowing because it was about to take the children on another adventure.
Q:Where did the magic key take the children?
A:The magic key took the children back in time to a big house with a large hall and a big staircase.
Q:What jobs did Biff have to do in the big house?
A:Biff had to scrub clothes clean, beat rugs, make bread, and put powder on wigs.
Q:What tasks did Chip have to do in the big house?
A:Chip had to clean all the fireplaces, collect a lot of coal, polish the silver, and polish all the boots.
Q:What chores did Kipper have to do in the big house?
A:Kipper had to churn milk to make butter, get ice cream from the icehouse, carry water to the bathrooms, and scrub all the floors.
Q:Why did Lord Plum not like his breakfast?
A:Lord Plum did not like his breakfast because the children forgot to iron his newspaper.
Q:How did the story end?
A:The story ended with the children making Mum a surprise breakfast the next morning, and Mum appreciating their effort.
最後に
Oxford reading tree stage7 More stories Bのご紹介でした。本文とその内容に対する質問を繰り返し読み、英語を読むことに慣れると､もっと色々な物を読みたくなりますよね。絵本に出てくる物や、シーンなども、英語で言えるかな？登場人物になって､台詞を言ってみよう！１冊を余すこと無く使ってみてくださいね。次のレベル、その前のレベル、日常的にも、知っている英語が増えていく喜びを感じてください！
