A LEAF FROM HEAVEN (A tale by Hans Christian Andersen)

High up in the clear, pure air flew an angel, with a flower plucked from the garden of
heaven. As he was kissing the flower a very little leaf fell from it and sunk down into the
soft earth in the middle of a wood. It immediately took root, sprouted, and sent out
shoots among the other plants.
"What a ridiculous little shoot!" said one. "No one will recognize it; not even the thistle
nor the stinging-nettle."
"It must be a kind of garden plant," said another; and so they sneered and despised the
plant as a thing from a garden.
"Where are you coming?" said the tall thistles whose leaves were all armed with thorns.
"It is stupid nonsense to allow yourself to shoot out in this way; we are not here to
support you."
Winter came, and the plant was covered with snow, but the snow glittered over it as if it
had sunshine beneath as well as above. When spring came, the plant appeared in full
bloom: a more beautiful object than any other plant in the forest. And now the professor
of botany presented himself, one who could explain his knowledge in black and white.
He examined and tested the plant, but it did not belong to his system of botany, nor
could he possibly find out to what class it did belong. "It must be some degenerate
species," said he; "I do not know it, and it is not mentioned in any system."
"Not known in any system!" repeated the thistles and the nettles.
The large trees which grew round it saw the plant and heard the remarks, but they said
not a word either good or bad, which is the wisest plan for those who are ignorant.
There passed through the forest a poor innocent girl; her heart was pure, and her
understanding increased by her faith. Her chief inheritance had been an old Bible,
which she read and valued. From its pages she heard the voice of God speaking to
her, and telling her to remember what was said of Joseph's brethren when persons
wished to injure her. "They imagined evil in their hearts, but God turned it to good." If
we suffer wrongfully, if we are misunderstood or despised, we must think of Him who
was pure and holy, and who prayed for those who nailed Him to the cross, "Father
forgive them, for they know not what they do."
The girl stood still before the wonderful plant, for the green leaves exhaled a sweet and
refreshing fragrance, and the flowers glittered and sparkled in the sunshine like
coloured flames, and the harmony of sweet sounds lingered round them as if each
concealed within itself a deep fount of melody, which thousands of years could not
exhaust. With pious gratitude the girl looked upon this glorious work of God, and bent
down over one of the branches, that she might examine the flower and inhale the
sweet perfume. Then a light broke in on her mind, and her heart expanded. Gladly
would she have plucked a flower, but she could not overcome her reluctance to break
one off.
She knew it would so soon fade; so she took only a single green leaf, carried it home,
and laid it in her Bible, where it remained ever green, fresh, and unfading. Between the
pages of the Bible it still lay when, a few weeks afterwards, that Bible was laid under
the young girl's head in her coffin. A holy calm rested on her face, as if the earthly
remains bore the impress of the truth that she now stood in the presence of God.

In the forest the wonderful plant still continued to bloom till it grew and became almost
a tree and all the birds of passage bowed themselves before it.
"That plant is a foreigner, no doubt," said the thistles and the burdocks. "We can never
conduct ourselves like that in this country." And the black forest snails actually spat at
the flower.
Then came the swineherd; he was collecting thistles and shrubs to burn them for the
ashes. He pulled up the wonderful plant, roots and all, and placed it in his bundle. "This
will be as useful as any," he said; so the plant was carried away.
Not long after, the king of the country suffered from the deepest melancholy. He was
diligent and industrious, but employment did him no good. They read deep and learned
books to him, and then the lightest and most trifling that could be found, but all to no
purpose.
Then they applied for advice to one of the wise men of the world, and he sent them a
message to say that there was one remedy which would relieve and cure him, and that
it was a plant of heavenly origin which grew in the forest in the king's own dominions.
The messenger described the flower so that is appearance could not be mistaken.
Then said the swineherd, "I am afraid I carried this plant away from the forest in my
bundle, and it has been burnt to ashes long ago. But I did not know any better."
"You did not know, any better! Ignorance upon ignorance indeed!"
The poor swineherd took these words to heart, for they were addressed to him; he
knew not that there were others who were equally ignorant. Not even a leaf of the plant
could be found. There was one, but it lay in the coffin of the dead; no one knew
anything about it.
Then the king, in his melancholy, wandered out to the spot in the wood. "Here is where
the plant stood," he said; "it is a sacred place." Then he ordered that the place should
be surrounded with a golden railing, and a sentry stationed near it.
The botanical professor wrote a long treatise about the heavenly plant, and for this he
was loaded with gold, which improved the position of himself and his family.
And this part is really the most pleasant part of the story. For the plant had
disappeared, and the king remained as melancholy and sad as ever, but the sentry
said he had always been so.

ACTIVITIES
UNIT 1
A. FIND THE WORDS YOU DONT UNDERSTAND, LOOK FOR THEM ON THE
DICTIONARIES FROM YOUR CD, AND WRITE THEM DOWN IN YOUR
NOTEBOOK.
B. FIND AND UNDERLINE IN RED SENTENCES IN PRESENT SIMPLE, THEN
WRITE THEM DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
C. FIND AND CIRCLE IN BLUE SENTENCES WITH COMPARATIVES, THEN
WRITE THEM DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
D. DRAW AND COLOR AN IMAGE THAT REPRESENTS THE TALE.
E. DRAW AND COLOR A COMIC ABOUT THE STORY.
F. CHOSE A PART FROM THE STORY AND REPRESENT IT FOR THE CLASS.

PRACTICE
A. READ ALONG THE MP3 FILE FROM YOUR CD.

READING COMPREHENSION
Read again the tale and answer the questions.
1. Whats the title of the story? ________________________________________
2. Whos the author? _______________________________________________
3. What happened to the leaf when it fell down?
______________________________________________________________
4. Name the characters from the story: _________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. Which is the wisest plant in the garden? ______________________________
6. Describe the girl from the story:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
7. What happens to the girl? _________________________________________
8. What happens to the plant from heaven? _____________________________
9. Who is sad in the story? __________________________________________
10. What is the moral of the story? _____________________________________

ACTIVITIES
UNIT 2
G. FIND AND UNDERLINE IN GREEN SENTENCES IN PAST SIMPLE, THEN
WRITE THEM DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
H. FIND AND CIRCLE IN PURPLE REGULAR VERBS, THEN WRITE THEM
DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
I. FIND AND CIRCLE IN PINK IRREGULAR VERBS, THEN WRITE THEM
DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
J. FIND OUT THE AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY AND WRITE IT DOWN ON YOUR
NOTEBOOK.
K. WRITE A BRIEF ABOUT THE STORY AND READ IT TO THE CLASS.

PRACTICE
B. READ ALONG THE MP3 FILE FROM YOUR CD.
C. EXPLAIN IN SPANISH IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN,
THEN DO IT IN ENGLISH, WRITE IT FIRST AND CORRECT MISTAKES.

READING COMPREHENSION
Read again the tale and answer the questions.
11. Who kissed the flower? ________________________________________
12. Where was the plant from? _____________________________________
13. How many personages are in the story? ______________________________
14. Which plant had horns? __________________________________________
15. What season was the first one to come? ______________________________
16. Describe what happened to the plant on Spring:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
17. Where did the girl put the leaf?
______________________________________________________________
18. Why did the girl take only a leave? _____________________________
19. Who died in the story? __________________________________________
20. Did you like the end of the story? Why?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

ACTIVITIES
UNIT 3
L. FIND AND UNDERLINE IN ORANGE THE MODAL VERBS, THEN WRITE
THEM DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
M. FILL IN THE CHART WITH THE SENTENCES THAT HAVE A MODAL VERB IN
THE COULUMN THAT CORRESPONDS. COPY THE CHART IN YOUR
NOTEBOOK.

RULES

SUGGESTIONS OBLIGATIONS

ADVICE

PERMISSION

ABILITY

N. FIND AND UNDERLINE IN YELLOW SENTENCES IN FUTURE, THEN WRITE

THEM DOWN IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.
O. IDENTIFY SENTENCES THAT MAKE PREDICTIONS, REQUESTS,
PROMISSES, FUTURE PLANS AND WRITE THEM DOWN ON YOUR
NOTEBOOK.
P. WRITE A BRIEF ABOUT THE STORY AND READ IT TO THE CLASS.

PRACTICE
D. READ ALONG THE MP3 FILE FROM YOUR CD.
E. EXPLAIN IN SPANISH IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN,
THEN DO IT IN ENGLISH, WRITE IT FIRST AND CORRECT MISTAKES.

READING COMPREHENSION
Read again the tale and answer the questions.
21. Who kissed the flower? ________________________________________
22. Where was the plant from? _____________________________________
23. How many personages are in the story? ______________________________
24. Which plant had horns? __________________________________________
25. What season was the first one to come? ______________________________
26. Describe what happened to the plant on Spring:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

27. Where did the girl put the leaf?

______________________________________________________________
28. Why did the girl take only a leave? _____________________________
29. Who died in the story? __________________________________________
30. Did you like the end of the story? Why?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________