Is the concept of an ugly friend true? Essay reasoning-reflection on a moral and ethical theme. Why are frogs cold
Topic: "Preparation for writing a reasoning-reflection on a moral and ethical topic." 7th grade
Goals:
Educational.
Students must:
know:
The structure of the type of reasoning speech, its types, the algorithm for writing an essay-reasoning;
The difference between reasoning-thinking from reasoning-proof and reasoning-explanation.
Be able to:
Write an essay reasoning-reflection;
Analyze the finished material and independently select material on a specific topic;
Conduct vocabulary work and text analysis according to the plan;
Select language means for writing an essay;
Make an essay plan;
Work collectively and independently;
understand the difference between types of reasoning, the structure of reasoning.
2. Developing:
Develop attention, memory, thinking;
Development of all types of speech activity;
Expand words knowledge.
3. Educational:
To promote the development of interest in the subject, to teach an attentive and careful attitude to the language;
Contribute to the moral development of the personality of students, their definition of true life values.
Equipment:
A computer;
Presentation;
Algorithm for constructing an essay - reasoning;
Scheme "Types of reasoning";
Table "Basic language means of designing reasoning-reflection".
I. Organizing time.
1 min.
Organize effective self-determination of students for learning activities: Include students in activities to identify readiness.
Greets students. Checks the readiness of jobs, emotional mood.
Welcome teachers. Check the workplace and the availability of the necessary training supplies
II. Knowledge update.
8 min.
To update the necessary knowledge, skills and methods of activity.
The task is given to three students to prepare answers-explanations about the types of reasoning.
What is reasoning?
What are the 3 types of reasoning we know? (reasoning-proof, reasoning-explanation, reasoning-thinking)
Who is having difficulty?
When do we turn to this kind of reasoning - reasoning-thinking?
(TO when it is necessary to make some important decision, to answer the questions that concern us: How to be? What to do? How to proceed?
These are questions that often have to be addressed in special life situations.)
Work with the textbook.
What did we learn from the textbook about the structure of reasoning-thinking?
(Prepared student response)
What other types of reasoning are there? We will be told...
What linguistic means are used to design reasoning - reflections?
A question or a chain of questions-thoughts. Rhetorical questions.
Or
Alternative questions (connected by union or).
Conversation with yourself.
Choice of answer.
Using language stamps to create your own reasoning.
Students choose the most relevant examples from the given examples.
reflection
III. Formulation of the problem
5 minutes
To organize the communicative activity of students to study the problem situation.
Listen, determine the topic of further conversation.
What will we be thinking about?
Teacher's word. Reading the text of the textbook "My ugly friend" (p. 103)
Does the name of the fragment match its content? Find evidence for your point of view in the text.
Think about what happened that evening when the narrator was late for a date?
Orally finish the story with the condition that the ending should contain a narrative with elements of description and reasoning.
Listen to the children's answers.
Reading the end of the story (textbook p. 104)
Question work.
Did you foresee this turn of events?
What is the theme of this story? - theme of friendship
Determine the topic.
What problem does the author raise in his story? (The problem of cruelty to animals, the problem of human lack of spirituality, the problem of the concept of beauty ...)
IV Assimilation of new knowledge and methods of action.
15 minutes
To ensure the perception, comprehension by students of the studied material.
What do you know about friendship? What is friendship?
Working with text and its analysis.
Why do you think the story has such a tragic ending?
What is the main idea of the text?
Read the key sentence.
Give the concepts of the words friendship, friend (work with the Explanatory Dictionary or an Internet source).
Give the concept of the word beauty (work with the Explanatory Dictionary or an Internet source).
Students offer their own interpretations of the word through the selection of synonyms.
Students-experts carry out vocabulary work, give the etymology of words, compose phrases with them.
Do vocabulary work. Make notes in a notebook.
Friend -
Friendship -
Beautiful -
During the analysis of the text, they correctly determine the topic, the main idea of the text, answering questions, form an idea of the concept of friend, friendship, beauty.
Let's make sentences with these words.
best friend, find a friend
Strong friendship, be able to be friends
Very beautiful
What language means help the author express his attitude to the event and evaluate it? (work with the text of the textbook)
Student responses.
V. Primary fastening.
10 minutes
Development and consolidation of new knowledge, methods of action.
Have you come across similar cases in life, in fiction? Examples when someone's friend really didn't like another person? (Turgenev "Mumu")
Today I ask you to also reflect and answer the questions: “What is friendship?”, “Is the concept of “ugly friend” true?”
Practicing the ability to write an essay-reasoning-reflecting
1 paragraph - interpretation of the ethical concept proposed for reflection (from the title of the text + give definitions of the word "friend", linking it with the concept of "beauty" and "friendship";
2nd paragraph - an argument from the source text (about the hero of the story and his relationship with the toad, proving that one must be able to see beauty);
3 paragraph - an argument from life experience or from a literary work (for example, the story of I.S. Turgenev "Mumu");
4 paragraph - conclusion.
Do not forget that each subsequent paragraph should contain new information.
Work with text
1. Let's formalize the first argument. Let's turn to the text.
2. Reading the text. How does the text relate to our topic?
Choose the material for the first argument:
- find examples in the text that illustrate this ethical concept;
- remember that it is necessary to explain how friendship manifests itself in a particular case, whether the beauty of a friend is important, whether a friend can be ugly;
-it is necessary to comment on the actions of the heroes, based on the proposed task;
Decorating 1 argument
Argument 1: This is exactly what the text says. The author tells us that ... (sentence No. __, ___.....) Conclusion sentence (conclusion by argument)
Decorating 2 arguments
Introduction of the 2nd argument
1. This is a generalization of some life facts: - a life story that happened to you; - a life story that happened to your friend; - a life story that happened to your parents or their friends.
2. This is an appeal to a read book on this topic.
3. This is an appeal to the film, in which this topic is revealed.
4. This is an appeal to historical facts that you know.
5. Perhaps this will be an appeal to some interesting bright poem dedicated to the topic proposed to you. In this case, it must be quoted (remember if you have encountered this concept in your own life, in the lives of your parents, friends;
- write down your memories, but pay attention to the fact that it should be not only a retelling, but also an analysis;
- turn to your knowledge (this is also an argument based on life experience): remember a book you recently read, a movie you watched, a historical fact.
Argument 2: There are many works in the literature dealing with this problem. In the story of I.S. Turgenev "Mumu" says that ...
Conclusion
Talking about friendship, the authors are trying to convince us that .... Summing up what has been said, we can conclude: friendship is .... Back to sayings about beauty. A person should be kind towards “our smaller brothers”, his right to the title of a person is manifested by his attitude towards animals.
Let's plan our essay.
What thesis are we using?
What arguments do we use?
What conclusion can we draw today?
VI. Consolidation. Creative work.
To ensure that students retain in their memory the knowledge and methods of action that they need for creative work on new material, comprehension of the studied material, and the depth of its understanding.
What did the topic of our today's lesson make you think about?
What do you know?
What are you good at?
VII. Reflection of activity.
2 minutes
If it touched you, and you have a desire to express your thoughts, then I ask you to rate the degree of assimilation of the topic.
They individually express the degree of interest in the topic, determine the level of its assimilation, setting an assessment for themselves, determining the step of the pyramid.
Determine the individual level of mastery of the topic.
Homework: Individually work on an essay by reasoning-reflection “What is friendship?” or “Is the concept of an ugly friend correct?”
Applications for the lesson
Application No. 1
Scheme "Types of reasoning"
reasoning
Reasoning-explanation / Reasoning - proof / Reasoning - reflection.
Application No. 2
Scheme for self-control and mutual control.
Right.
2. Completeness.
3. Consistency.
4. Structure.
5. Independence of the answer.
Application No. 3
Algorithm.
The structure of the reasoning-type text.
Introduction. Thesis.
Main part. Arguments (proof with examples).
Conclusion. Conclusion.
Application No. 4
Language means for writing an essay - reasoning
Kinds reasoning
Introductory words,
adverbs
Unions
Speech turns
Proof
firstly, secondly, therefore, so, therefore, therefore, therefore, then, for example.
Because, since, in view of the fact that, as a result of which, as a result of which, so, in connection with which, if
It follows that…;
hence we conclude that ...;
from which it follows that ...;
this suggests that…;
Let's pretend that…; Let's assume that...;
the evidence is…;
testifies to this…
Explanation
For example, thus, therefore
Because, because, due to the fact that, since
The reason is as follows…;
point out the reasons ...;
this is explained by…;
it depends on the …;
this is due to the fact that ...;
this is a consequence of...
reflection
in my opinion, in my opinion, in my opinion, in my opinion, in my opinion, in my opinion, most likely, obviously, therefore, therefore, from here, thus
Since, since, so, if, although, despite the fact that
I suppose that…; let's try to compare ...; let's try to figure it out...; the reason is that…; this can be explained by the fact that ...; it all depends on what…; this suggests that…; it turns out that…; Let's pretend that…; Let's assume that...; I am close to the idea that ...; I agree that…; some doubts arise when ...; I can say with confidence (state) that ...; I am convinced that…; I would like to conclude that...
Application No. 5
(Student report about Alexander Matrosov )
Born February 5, 1924 in the city of Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). He lost his parents early. For 5 years he was brought up in Ivanovo and Melekessky orphanages in the Ulyanovsk region. In November 1942, Alexander volunteered for the front and was enlisted as a private in the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 56th Guards Rifle Division. His letters to the orphanage were full of genuine patriotism: “I lost my parents for six years, but here, in the Soviet state, they took care of me. And now, when the Motherland is in danger, I want to defend it with arms in hand.” This is how an honest guy full of patriotism gets to the front line, where he is destined to die in the first battle. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matveyevich Matrosov was posthumously awarded on June 19, 1943. Awarded the Order of Lenin (posthumously). He was buried in the city of Velikiye Luki.
Monuments to the Hero were erected in the cities of Ufa, Velikiye Luki, Ulyanovsk. The name of Alexander Matrosov is a children's park in the center of Ulyanovsk, a children's cinema in the city of Ufa and a street, a memorial museum of A.M. Matrosov at the Ufa Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Application No. 6
“The guardsmen did not know fear in battle, but they failed to take the bunker. Three machine gunners who tried to crawl closer to the bunker died the death of the brave. Then the liaison officer of the company commander, member of the Komsomol Guards, Private Alexander Matrosov, got up.
I will go! he said decisively.
Senior Lieutenant Artyukhov, the company commander, looked intently at the soldier, hugged him and said curtly:
Go.
And the guardsman with a machine gun, with grenades, began to make his way to the damned bunker, which prevented the battalion, native company, and comrades from moving forward. A skilled warrior, he knew that every second was precious in battle. Matrosov strained all his strength to quickly get close to the bunker. But what is it? He was noticed. Bullets began to sieve the snow in front of him, then behind him. It was dangerous to move. But, as soon as the jet of machine-gun fire was diverted to the side, Alexander continued to crawl forward.
Here is already close and the enemy firing point. One after another, the guard threw two grenades. They exploded at the very bunker. Taking advantage of the enemy's hitch. Sailors got up and made a jump forward. But again flashes of shots appeared from the embrasure. I had to lay down. There were no more grenades. And there are very few cartridges left in the disk. Another minute passed. Matrosov threw up his machine gun and fired a burst through the embrasure. There, in the bunker, something exploded. The enemy machine gun is silent. And then Alexander rose to his full height, threw a machine gun over his head and shouted with all his might to his comrades:
Forward!
As one, our soldiers stood up from the snow-covered ground and rushed forward. But then they were forced to lay low, as the enemy firing point came to life again. And then Matrosov rushed forward and with his chest, with his heart, crouched against the black embrasure. The great feat of the guardsman served as a signal to attack. The way forward was open. They quickly finished with the bunker. A few minutes later, the village of Chernushki was also taken. Soon, the flag of the country was hoisted over this small village, for the freedom, glory and honor of which the Komsomol member Alexander Matrosov gave his life.
Fighting friends stood next to the bunker, on the snow, in which the blood of their comrade Komsomol guardsman Sasha Matrosov was red under the sun. A Komsomol card was taken out of the soldier's pocket. They wrote on it with a simple pencil: “I lay down on the enemy’s firing point and drowned it out.”
Application No. 7
Plan.
Introduction. Thesis. Is there a place for achievement in our life?
Main part. Arguments
1 The feat of self-sacrifice by A. Matrosov.
2 The heroism of Dmitry Razumovsky.
3 (own example)
Conclusion. Conclusion. "In life there is always a place for a feat."
Application No. 8
It seems to me that in the work "Toad", the author is not just trying to suggest an idea, he seems to pour out his soul in lines.
It is possible that to some extent, the author tells us about his sad experience. Positioning himself as a toad, he tells us about the hard life of an outcast that daily faces ridicule and bullying in his address.
The boy in this case is a representative of the very cruel society that puts the unfortunate toad to the test. Expressing his thought through the words of his grandmother, the author seeks to call a person to tolerance.
You can also consider it from the other side. The toad represents people who are ugly on the outside but beautiful on the inside. How often do people judge a person by their appearance, not thinking at all that the soul of a person with a disfigured face can be beautiful, while a person with a beautiful face can be ugly from the inside. In this case, the author seeks to encourage people to appreciate not the appearance, but the soul. He is trying to show that the soul of every living being is a much more important personality development than a pretty face. The author carries the idea of forgiveness, which is presented in a scene when the toad seems to forgive the boy for his act.
It carries the idea that even a vile and cruel person is able to change. He teaches us to give a second chance to people, treats them kinder and more tolerant.
The author also speaks of a strong soul that, despite the boy's deed, did not become embittered, sincerely forgiving him.
And finally, the author teaches us patience. He shows us that evil for evil is not worth forever, and one can convey a person’s mistake not just by saying it in the eyes, from which he is most likely to pass by his ears, but by influencing consciousness. Grandmother showed the boy that if you judge only by appearance, then in the end you can ruin the whole world. "There will be no peace in war." "If you sow cruelty in the world, you will not meet mercy"
Review of the story "Toad" by Radiy Pogodin
Reviews
It carries the idea that even a vile and cruel person is able to change. He teaches us to give a second chance to people, treats them kinder and more tolerant.
Hunger will never change, not at all when, and why don’t we write such wonderful reviews for me?
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Class hour "My ugly friend" (1sl.)
Grade: Grade 2
Target:- show the integrity of nature, that in nature there is nothing superfluous;
Cultivate humane feelings for all living things; ecological culture.
Teacher: Man is part of nature. He lives among her, enjoys her riches, admires her beauty. People have always loved trees, herbs, flowers, birds, insects, animals. But is it everyone? Let's take animals for example. Are all animals loved by humans? Do you love and care for everyone? (2 words) Why? What are your favorites and least favorites? (children's answers)(3 words)
So you don't like mice and rats, cockroaches, worms, bats, snakes, toads, frogs? With mice, rats, cockroaches - of course. They bring a lot of trouble to the health and well-being of a person when they settle in his house. What about the other animals you named? Let's talk today and see why some animals are loved, admired, while others are treated badly, trying to destroy them? Is it fair to treat these animals ruthlessly?4sl . )
Mystery: bulging eyes sits,
does not speak Russian
born in water
but lives on earth.(Toad) (5 words)
Toad Complaints (They say that Itoad, harmful, that warts are on my hands. All this is not true. I do excrete a whitish, strong-smelling liquid through the skin. But there are no warts from this liquid. It's just the way I save myself from enemies. This liquid makes us toads inedible. Once having tasted our meat with mucus, the predator will forever lose the desire to attack the toads. This is her only defense - after all, the toad has neither sharp teeth nor fast legs to run away in time of danger.
Student: But the toad brings great benefits. No wonder experienced gardeners often bring toads to the garden and release them there. During the day, the toad sits under a leaf in the shade, and at night crawls out to hunt.And all night he walks between the beds, throwing out his long sticky tongue, grabbing flies, mosquitoes, caterpillars, slugs. And how many harmful insects it will destroy - do not count! That's why the toad is our great friend. So what if it's not pretty. After all, friends are not loved for their beauty. “So what is the use of the toad?” (children's answers)
Teacher
makes a riddle aboutworm.
Mystery:
Long, soft and thin
He lives in the damp earth.
Only in the sky the sun rises
He goes home to himself.
But only the rain will fall
He crawls into the street...
amazing weirdo,
This rain...(Worm) (6 words)
Worm Complaints
(a student in the crown of this animal. Oh, and it’s hard for me sometimes. Everyone will step on me when I crawl out of the ground after the rain. Don’t do this, because I bring nature good.Teacher:
What are the benefits of a worm?
Student. Worms are the most useful animals in the world. They loosen and crush dry clods of earth. With their help, the roots of plants receive air and moisture. Worms also fertilize the soil, swallowing the earth with all sorts of waste, dead plants, the remains of insects and animals. Earthworms chew their “delicacy” with pleasure, and spit back the real fertile soil. The more fertile the soil, the better the harvest.
Teacher makes a riddle aboutspider. Mystery: This long-armed old man, Weaved a hammock in the corner. Invites: “Mosquitoes! Get some rest, little ones!"(7 w.)
Spider Complaints ( student in the crown of this animal)
And it's not easy for me to live in this world. I weave, I weave a web so that harmful insects get into it, and many travelers take and tear it. And everyone is trying to destroy us. And I do a lot of good.
Student. Benefit fromspiders great. Spiders are voracious: every day they eat no less than they weigh. When the hunt is especially successful, the cross spider catches in the net for ... five hundred insects per day. Flies predominate in this catch. And on the body of one fly alone, 26 million microbes were counted! And such terrible ones, from which people get sick with various dangerous diseases. Spiders save us from this infection.
What do we conclude guys?
The conclusion is simple : spiders must be protected - do not crush, do not tear the web! Everyone should remember: a spider is a friend to man!
Teacher makes a riddle aboutbat.
Mystery:
You will not understand - an animal or a bird.
Don't get lost with her at night
He sees everything with his ears!
Mouse, but cheese does not eat with mice.
(Bat
)
(8 w.)
Bat Complaints ( student in the crown of this animal)
Many legends and superstitions are connected with us. We have a very unusual appearance, we lead a nocturnal lifestyle. We see at night not with the help of sight, but with the help of hearing.
Many are afraid of us, consider us vampires. If we flew during the day, we would not seem so strange and suspicious to you. And people wouldn't make up all sorts of fables about us. Do not be afraid of us, we benefit gardens and orchards!
Student. These animals are very useful for our fields and gardens, as they destroy many nocturnal insects - up to 500 mosquitoes per flight!).
One winged creature catches up to 10 million flies, midges, mosquitoes, mosquitoes and night moths per year. To exterminate such a number of harmful insects, tons of pesticides would have to be spent, causing damage to nature and the people themselves.
Teacher makes a riddle aboutsnake.
A rope is twisted, at the end is a head.(Snake) (9 words) The snake's complaints student in the crown of this animal) Everyone knows that we hiss and bite. People often die from our bites. But this can be avoided if you know more about us. We hiss, warning of danger - do not touch us, get out of the way!Student. In our forests there is one type of poisonous snake - the viper. Its gray or brown coloration with a wavy pattern on the back makes it invisible among the sunlight and foliage. Therefore, neither a person nor an animal notices it, they come close, or even attack - as a result, the viper resorts to self-defense and bites - after all, it has no other protection! The viper reveals itself with a hiss. What is the viper hissing for? She warns people - let her crawl away or move away yourself! And there will be no trouble! In our country, the extermination of poisonous snakes is prohibited! They are beneficial to man. The viper, feeding on forest and field mice, protects people from many dangerous diseases that these rodents carry. The snake venom findswide application in medicine.Special snake nurseries have been created, where poison is extracted from snakes. This is a very valuable raw material that is used to obtain medicines for many diseases. (10 w.) Teacher. You learned a lot about "ugly"animals.Has your attitude towards them changed? There are no extra animals in nature. All of them are useful and necessary. This is wildlife, which means it has the right to life! We need to take care of nature, do not forget that we are visiting her.. (11sl.)
Guys!
Frogs, spiders, worms
Never push!
Never tear the cobwebs on the trees!
If you pass by calmly
You will bring great benefits to nature!
My ugly friend
The first time we met was in the forest. She was sitting on the path, big, heavy, breathing heavily, like a person suffering from shortness of breath.
I had seen toads before, but somehow I never had to look at them - there was no time, I was always in a hurry to go somewhere. And then I was in no hurry and, squatting down, began to look at the toad.
She didn't mind. In any case, she didn't try to escape. I looked at the toad and remembered the many stories and legends that surround this animal. Once someone explained to me that all sorts of fables about toads are told because they are very ugly, even ugly. But the more I looked at the toad, the more I became convinced that this was not true, that it was not at all so ugly. Maybe at first glance, the toad really does not seem beautiful. But is it worth judging at first sight?
And as if in order for me to be convinced that I was right, there was a new meeting with a toad.
Now this meeting took place not in the forest, but in the far part of our yard. We called this part of the yard the garden, because several large old lindens and poplars grew there, and lilac bushes grew thickly along the fence. There, in this garden, by a large, rotten stump, I met the toad again. Of course, it was not the toad I saw in the forest. But for some reason I wanted it to be the same one, so that it somehow got from the forest to our yard. And now she lives here. Because she, like me, really likes our old house, and the yard, almost all overgrown with grass, and trees, and lilacs.
No, of course it was a different toad. But she probably really liked our yard, it was not for nothing that she settled here.
I often visited the old stump and sometimes met a toad there. She sat quietly in a small hole or in thick grass, hiding from the hot rays of the sun. It was active only on cloudy days. At night, as I knew for sure, I hunted tirelessly, in any weather.
I took several books from the library that told about toads, lizards, frogs, and in one of them I read that a toad can be tamed. Having taken out flour worms, I began to come to the toad with "gifts". Worms I planted on the tip of a thin splinter and presented to my toad. But for some reason she did not take them. At first I was surprised, and then I remembered that toads only grab moving insects. Then I quietly twirled the wand. It didn't make much of an impression at first either. But one day... No, I didn't get distracted - I looked at the worm without taking my eyes off it. And yet he did not notice how he disappeared. I planted another worm on the tip of the splinter. And the same thing happened to him. And with the third, and with the fourth. They disappeared, and the toad still sat motionless, as if it was not at all the culprit of the disappearance of the worms.
From that day on, every morning at the same hour I came to the old stump and found my toad in the same place. She seemed to be waiting for me.
Gradually, I began to shorten the splinter and pretty soon shortened it so much that it was possible to replace it with an ordinary match. And I was already sure: the time is not so far away when the toad will take food from me directly from my hands.
But somehow I was late for a date and did not find a toad in the usual place. I walked around the stump, she was nowhere to be found. Fumbled in the grass - no. And suddenly I saw a dark shapeless lump already covered with flies.
Who did this?
Someone took and killed my toad just because it is ugly!
Ugly ... And I saw in front of me her amazing, golden eyes with dark dots, a large toothless mouth, giving her some kind of very kind expression, delicate skin on her abdomen, touching, seemingly so helpless, front paws, and it seemed to me that she was very beautiful.
Why don't others see it? Why do people so often see what is not, and do not notice what is?!
Current page: 6 (total book has 12 pages)
Why are frogs cold?
Frogs are always cold. And always wet, even if they live on land. Frogs breathe not only with their lungs, but also with their skin. And for this, the skin must be free from any cover. The frog really has no shell, no scales, no hair. But on the other hand, this is very dangerous: such skin can dry out even in the shade, and in the sun the frog would dry out and die very quickly. But the frogs don't die. And they are saved by the liquid, which is secreted by numerous glands located on the skin. Therefore, the frog is always wet. Therefore, it is always cold: after all, moisture is constantly evaporating, but any evaporation from any surface, as you know, cools this surface. From the evaporation of moisture, the temperature of the frog becomes lower than the air surrounding it, usually by 2–3, sometimes by 8–9 degrees. The warmer the air, the more evaporation and the colder the frog.
But if the liquid secreted by special glands saves the frog from drying out, then what saves it from flies or mosquitoes, from countless microbes that can find shelter on unprotected thin and delicate skin? However, nature took care of the frogs here too - the same liquid that saves it from drying out also protects it from the bites of mosquitoes and midges. In addition, this liquid, as scientists say, contains bactericidal, that is, bacteria-killing substances.
The ability of frogs to kill germs is another mystery, another mystery that has not been answered. Perhaps frogs will help people make another important discovery. After all, they have already helped scientists more than once.
But even without this, man owes a lot to frogs. After all, frogs are active insect exterminators, and mostly insects that harm humans.
My ugly friend
The first time we met was in the forest. She was sitting on the path, big, heavy, breathing heavily, like a person suffering from shortness of breath.
I had seen toads before, but somehow I didn’t have to look at them - there was no time, I was always in a hurry to go somewhere. And then I was in no hurry and, squatting down, began to look at the toad.
She didn't mind. In any case, she didn't try to escape. I looked at the toad and remembered the many stories and legends that surround this animal. Once someone explained to me that all sorts of fables about toads are told because they are very ugly, even ugly. But the more I looked at the toad, the more I became convinced that this was not true, that it was not at all so ugly. Maybe at first glance, the toad really does not seem beautiful. But is it worth judging at first sight?
And as if in order for me to be convinced that I was right, there was a new meeting with a toad.
Now this meeting took place not in the forest, but in the far part of our yard. We called this part of the yard the garden, because several large old lindens and poplars grew there, and lilac bushes grew thickly along the fence. There, in this garden, by a large, rotten stump, I met the toad again. Of course, it was not the toad I saw in the forest. But for some reason I wanted it to be the same one, so that it somehow got from the forest to our yard. And now she lives here. Because she, like me, really likes our old house, and the yard, almost all overgrown with grass, and trees, and lilacs.
No, of course it was a different toad. But she probably really liked our yard, it was not for nothing that she settled here.
I often visited the old stump and sometimes met a toad there. She sat quietly in a small hole or in thick grass, hiding from the hot rays of the sun. It was active only on cloudy days. At night, I knew it for sure, she hunted tirelessly, in any weather.
I took several books from the library that told about toads, lizards, frogs, and in one of them I read that a toad can be tamed. Having taken out flour worms, I began to come to the toad with "gifts". Worms I planted on the tip of a thin splinter and presented to my toad. But for some reason she did not take them. At first I was surprised, and then I remembered that toads only grab moving insects. Then I quietly twirled the wand. It didn't make much of an impression at first either. But one day... No, I didn't get distracted - I looked at the worm without taking my eyes off it. And yet he did not notice how he disappeared. I planted another worm on the tip of the splinter. And the same thing happened to him. And with the third, and with the fourth. They disappeared, and the toad still sat motionless, as if it was not at all the culprit of the disappearance of the worms.
From that day on, every morning at the same hour I came to the old stump and found my toad in the same place. She seemed to be waiting for me.
Gradually, I began to shorten the splinter and pretty soon shortened it so much that it was possible to replace it with an ordinary match. And I was already sure: the time is not so far away when the toad will take food from me directly from my hands.
But somehow I was late for a date and did not find a toad in the usual place. I walked around the stump, she was nowhere to be found. Fumbled in the grass - no. And suddenly I saw a dark shapeless lump already covered with flies.
Who did this?
Someone took and killed my toad just because it is ugly!
Ugly ... And I saw in front of me her amazing, golden eyes with dark dots, a large toothless mouth, giving her some kind of very kind expression, delicate skin on her abdomen, touching, seemingly so helpless, front paws, and it seemed to me that she was very beautiful.
Why don't others see it? Why do people so often see what is not, and do not notice what is?!
Toad: fiction and reality
Toads and frogs are similar in appearance. Many people who rarely meet these animals even confuse them. But if you look closely, you can easily see the difference. The frog is a diurnal resident, and the toad is nocturnal, so the frogs have a round pupil, like all diurnal animals, and the toad has a vertical shape, like nocturnal ones.
You still need to look closely at the eyes, and the legs are immediately visible. And by the legs you can immediately clearly tell where the frog is, where the toad is. The frog's hind legs are long, strong, muscular, while the front legs are much smaller. The toad's hind legs are not so strong and not so long, but the front ones are not so short either. Movement also depends on the structure of the legs. Therefore, toads move slowly, frogs move quickly, toads make only short jumps, and frogs are long.
If you look at a calmly sitting frog and a toad, then the difference will catch your eye: the frog's head seems to be slightly lifted up and the whole body is raised. So it is more convenient to catch flying insects. The toad not only catches flying insects, but also grabs crawling ones on the ground. Therefore, her body is as if pressed, and her head is slightly lowered.
Most people treat frogs and toads badly. If they simply don’t like frogs (“brr, wet, cold!”), Then they are also afraid of toads. The toad has a bad reputation. Even in ancient times, when cursing someone, they wanted the cursed person to be attacked by locusts, harmful flies and toads. It is no coincidence that toads are listed as harmful and dangerous, because “this animal is completely cold and wet, everything is poisoned, terrible, disgusting and harmful. When the animal is teased, it becomes so angry that if it can, it splashes the person with its skin secretions or poisons him with its poisonous harmful breath. The eaten toad causes death, its breath and look are also harmful, from them a person turns pale and disfigured. And it wasn't some illiterate person who said it. This was written by the famous physician and biologist Konrad Gesner in 1551 in his famous History of Animals.
And there is nothing surprising in the fact that toads have long attracted the attention of various swindlers and adventurers. Some brewed various drugs from toads, which supposedly cured all kinds of diseases, others buried the toads in the ground so that there was a crop, others stuffed a dried toad into the mouth of a sick person to drive away the fever, and the fourth made poison from the toad.
Now, of course, no one believes that the dried toad is a medicine or that its look is dangerous. But many are sure that the toad secretes a special liquid and warts appear on the hands.
The toad does secrete a whitish liquid - it even has special glands on the skin. But this liquid has nothing to do with the appearance of warts - it is generally completely harmless to humans. (Only if it gets into the eye, it can cause an unpleasant sensation.) But this liquid makes the toad meat inedible. And, having tried once, the predator will forever lose the desire to attack the toads. This is the only way to protect the toad: after all, it does not have sharp fangs and claws to stand up for itself, there are not even fast legs to run away in case of danger.
In the forest, the toad sits all day long somewhere under a bush or in a shallow hole under the roots of trees. And as soon as it gets dark, he crawls out to hunt. And will hunt until the morning. It is difficult to count how many insects she will destroy during this time, even if she specifically does this: the tongue thrown out with lightning speed “grabs”, that is, sticks the insect and pulls it into her mouth. The human eye is not able to notice this action, since it lasts 1/15 of a second from beginning to end.
The toad's eyes are also well adapted for hunting - it pays attention only to moving objects, and even then only to those that are at a distance of no more than ten centimeters - a toad can “throw out” its tongue at such a distance.
The toad destroys flies, mosquitoes, caterpillars, slugs. And not without reason, since ancient times, experienced gardeners brought toads from the forest and released them into their gardens. They knew that there was no better garden pest watchman. And not without reason in England, where there are very few toads, they were specially brought from France and sold for a lot of money, and in Paris there was a special market for toads relatively recently!
Now, when a person has learned to deal with pests with the help of chemicals, the importance of toads, it would seem, has decreased. But this is not entirely true: American scientists have calculated that even in those places where chemical treatment of plants is carried out, one toad saves $ 25 worth of food over the summer. And how much benefit does it bring where a person does not take part in the fight against pests?
In our forest, I often meet the gray toad. But sometimes I meet green. To both I always respectfully give way.
common newt
Triton ordinary - that's what it's called. Indeed, it is very common in our middle lane, found almost everywhere, and in fairly large quantities. Perhaps, of all amphibians, only the moor and grass frog are more numerous than the common newt. But it seems to be unlike: you see frogs always and everywhere, and you will not always see newts in a puddle or a small pond. That is why in the spring and early summer I try to visit “my” puddle more often - I rush to watch the newts. Later, they will get out of the water and begin to lead such a lifestyle that even an experienced person will not always find them. They will hide in dense bushes or in abandoned rodent holes during the day, sit under fallen trees or under heaps of brushwood, and only leave their shelters at night. But at night, how can you see him, small, ten centimeters, greenish-brown, inconspicuous? Only in spring and early summer, when newts live in the water, it is easy to see them. Moreover, at this time they take off their modest outfit and dress brightly. Especially males. At this time, they have an amazing decoration - a huge crest stretching from the back of the head to the end of the tail. The crest is painted in orange and blue tones, casts with mother-of-pearl, and this animal looks like some kind of fantastic creature. Females, although they do not have a comb, try to keep up with their gentlemen, and when they perform their spring mating "dance", it is not only interesting to look at them, but also very pleasant.
However, the beauty of newts is short-lived: a little time will pass, the males will fade, and their crest will disappear. Coloring and females will fade. But they are no longer up to beauty - they are all in the care of their offspring. Unlike their neighbors in the pond - frogs and toads, newts are quite caring mothers. In any case, they try not only to secure their future offspring as far as possible, but also to arrange it in such a way that, having been born, it does not suffer from hunger. Tritonykha sticks eggs - each separately - on the leaves of underwater plants, and then folds or bends these leaves, and the eggs appear, as it were, between the wings. And so that the larvae, which appeared after three weeks of these eggs, do not starve, the mother attaches them quite far from each other. After all, newts are predators, they feed on small living creatures, appearing all at once in one place (and there are 150 of them, but maybe 500-700), they will quickly devastate everything around. Therefore, mother provides each, albeit small, albeit conditional, but still her own hunting ground. On the second day of life, the newt larva begins to feed intensively and grow rather quickly: in two months it will grow 5-6 times and by the end of summer it will reach about four centimeters. This is not yet an adult newt, although it is not much different from an adult. And just like an adult, the larva will leave the water and go to seek earthly shelter. And in the spring it will return to the reservoir, grow up and turn into a real newt - a very useful animal that destroys a large number of mosquito larvae.
That is why, when I see brightly colored spring newts “dancing” in the water, I not only admire them, I am glad that there are many of them and there will be even more.
Lizard
At one time, our housemate was an amazing person, a famous inventor. We boys, of course, did not know what he was inventing, but we were sure: some unusual aircraft or, in extreme cases, tanks. However, with all our respect for inventions, we considered our neighbor a big eccentric, because his whole apartment was lined with glass boxes in which the most diverse lizards lived.
One day we accidentally saw our neighbor stacking long and flat boxes in the refrigerator. The boxes were unusual, the inventor stacked them very carefully, and we immediately decided: he was conducting some kind of experiment. Our curiosity knew no bounds. And just as boundless was our surprise and disappointment when we found out that there were lizards in the boxes. It turns out that our neighbor was leaving on a business trip and, in order not to leave his pets unattended - he lived alone - he decided to “freeze” them.
The inventor spent a whole month on a business trip, and when he returned, he carefully took the boxes out of the refrigerator, and soon gray and green lizards were running around in glass boxes - terrariums, as if nothing had happened. And the inventor looked at them with undisguised pleasure.
And then we once again and finally convinced that our neighbor is a big eccentric.
Many years have passed since then, but I remember our neighbor very well. But now he doesn't seem like a weirdo to me anymore. I don’t know when I first seriously thought about lizards, maybe on the morning when I found out that our neighbor was “freezing” them during his departure, maybe later, when one day I saw a lizard basking in the sun in the forest.
I sat down to rest on a wind-blown dry tree. It was very quiet, the sun broke through the branches in bunches, and where the rays fell on grass or bushes, I could see every blade of grass, every leaf. A small stump was sticking out nearby. It was brightly lit. And in the middle of a hemp, as if carved from metal by a skilled craftsman, decorated with fine chasing, a lizard lay motionless, basking in the sun.
Since then, I have seen lizards many times - both in the wild and in terrariums - and never tired of admiring them. But then for the first time I looked at the lizard for such a long time, looked until some careless movement of mine frightened it away. I did not even have time to notice where she darted - into the grass or under a tree. How fast, how fast!
That's what it's called - a quick lizard.
Another lizard, which is also often found in our forests, is more slender, its scales are larger, and it is also very agile. But if a quick lizard lays eggs, from which small lizards appear, then this one gives birth to live cubs. Therefore, she got her name - viviparous. The young of a viviparous lizard - there are usually 8-10 of them - are born almost completely black. For several days they sit motionless in the grass or cracks in the soil, and then begin an independent life.
The life of lizards - both quick and viviparous - is similar. Unless a viviparous swims well, but a nimble one does not. But the nimble mink makes much deeper. They climb into these minks in autumn (and some simply crawl under fallen leaves or into moss) and fall asleep until spring. (Our neighbor did such an “artificial winter” for lizards by placing them in the refrigerator.) Spring will come, insects will appear, and lizards will crawl out of their holes. They will quickly begin to snoop in the grass, run along paths, climb trees in search of prey. They have a good appetite. Lizards are useful, beautiful, graceful animals, and many people love them. But, unfortunately, not everyone loves lizards, some are simply indifferent to them, and some are not averse to catching them and torturing them in a box. True, it is not easy to catch a lizard - it is dexterous, fast, and besides, grabbed by the tail, “lets go” of it.
By the way, almost everyone knows about this, but few people know why this happens. Indeed, what is the matter, maybe it is so brittle or so weakly attached? No, the tail is attached quite securely - scientists have done experiments: they began to attach a load to the tail of a dead lizard, which weighed nineteen grams, gradually increasing it. The tail withstood a load of almost half a kilogram. But maybe the dead lizard has such a strong tail, while the live one is weakly attached? Or does she “let go” of him herself? Neither one nor the other. If you carefully take a live lizard by the tail, lower it upside down, it will hang on its tail, although this is apparently unpleasant for her and she would like to escape. But she cannot let go of her tail, and he himself does not break. So the tail is not so loosely attached.
There are vertebrae in the tail of the lizard. There is a layer of cartilage in the middle of each vertebra. The vertebrae are surrounded by strong muscles. When these muscles contract, they seem to break the vertebra into two parts, along this layer. But they break it only when the lizard feels pain. This means that the lizard does not lose its tail “on purpose”, not consciously: after all, even when caught, but not in pain, it does not discard it, although this must be done in order to save a life. Conversely, the tail comes off at the slightest pain, even when it is not in danger. But that rarely happens. Much more often, the tail, or rather, its loss, saves the lizard's life.
A predator usually grabs a fleeing lizard by the tail. The tail, of course, comes off, but its muscles continue to contract for some time, the tail moves, and the predator does not immediately figure out what he got. And meanwhile the lizard will have time to escape.
Then she will grow a new tail. But until it grows, the lizard will not be able to run as fast, will not be able to catch insects as deftly as before. It will be bad for the lizard! She needs a tail.
Legless spindle lizard
The spindle is a small stick, hewn on both sides, with which they once spun in the villages, but now you can see it, perhaps, only in museums. And many don't even know what it is. Therefore, the name "spindle" seems strange. And this forest dweller really looks like a spindle. But people who meet the spindle in the forest have no time to look at it or think about the name: at best, they try to get away. And those who are "braverer" quickly grab sticks. Still would! Snake! Who else is crawling through the woods?
And if you say that the most ordinary harmless lizard is crawling through the forest, people will be very surprised and will not believe it.
And yet it is so. The spindle is a lizard. The absence of legs is her only resemblance to a snake. And the rest - nothing in common. She has eyelids, but the snake does not have them, the scales of the spindle are not like those of a snake and the shape of the body is not snake. Finally, the spindle, like the lizard, "lets go" of the tail. And most importantly, like any lizard, it is useful because it feeds on caterpillars and slugs. The spindle crawls slowly, low, lowering its head to the very ground. She met a slug, grabbed it with her toothless jaws, shook her head from side to side and - there is no slug. And the spindle crawled on. I saw a caterpillar. She looked at her from one side, from the other, as if trying on how best to grab her. Once! And no caterpillar. So this legless lizard crawls through the forest. Maybe it won't kill a lot of caterpillars and slugs in one day. But after all, the spindle does not crawl for a day, not two, or even ten years. The spindle can live for 30–40 years and will “work” conscientiously all these years. Unless, of course, someone takes it for a snake and uses a stick or a stone ... And the person will not know that he killed an animal that not only bites or stings - it cannot even pinch!