Leana et Ursa: An Audabula

What exactly is an audabula? Well, it’s a short fabula that is an audio recording, thus, an audabula. My husband thought it was time to do more audio recordings, so he is again urging me to do something a little different and a little out of my comfort zone. He is also the one who is a big fan of the sound effects. Leana et Ursa is an adapted fable.

I have occasionally been reading fables with an eye to eventually making tiered readings or simpler retellings. Fables can be delightful, engaging, moralistic, or silly, and his request seemed the perfect opportunity to take some of the fables I’ve enjoyed and revamp them with comprehensibility in mind.

This particular audabula is available in three parts. We already suspect we would rather have two, not three, parts so each part is a little longer. In addition to the simpler audio retelling of the original fable, the stories are available as scripts and as tiered readings for the original fable. The different components of this audabula set are variously suitable in Latin 2 through Latin 4. You can download the scripts, audio recordings, and tiered readings for free at this link. The original fable is available at this link.

Leana et Ursa: A Fable

The moral of this story is essentially the golden rule, but it does have the fun extra layer of talking predators. An important word for your students to know in anticipation of the final part of the story is holeraria. Another important word for your students to know would be pellibus/pelles.

You can approach this listening activity as a listen-for-understanding story and then discuss what happened after students have listened to it. You can also draw a picture as the story plays or in reviewing what happened in the story. Listen to the story once, then discuss it, and then replay it for your student as time allows.

You can play all three parts of the story on the same day or space them out over several days or a week. If you do space them out, a quick review to recap where you are in the story is helpful. If you are teaching upper level students, the audio can function as a lower tier to the first reading tier.

Audio Script, Part 1: Leana et Ursa

Ōlim erat fortis leaena quae duōs fīliōs habēbat.
Fīliī leaenae edere voluērunt.
Leaena īvit ad interficiendum animālia.
Fīliī leaenae sōlī in silvā erant.
Vēnātor horribilis ad silvam vēnit.
Vēnātor horribilis fīliōs leaenae interfēcit!
Vēnātor horribilis pellēs fīliōrum remōvit.
Vēnātor horribilis cum pellibus fīliōrum domum revēnit.
Animālī interfectō, leaena quoque domum revēnit.
Subitō, leaena fīliōs mortuōs vīdit!
Leaena multum flēbat et flēbat.
Leaena tristissima erat!

Audio Script, Part 2

Ursa leaenam flentem audīvit.
Ursa rogāvit, “Cūr tū tristis es, leaena?”
Leaena dīxit, “Vēnātor fīliōs meōs interfēcit.”
Ursa īrāta erat et dīxit, “nōlī flēre! Nōlī esse tristis!”
Leaena rogāvit, “Cūr? Tristis sum!”
Ursa rogāvit, “Dīc mihi, Leaena. Quid tū edis?”
Leaena respondit, “ego edō multa animālia.”
Ursa rogāvit, “interficisne haec animālia?”
Leaena respondit, “ego certē capiō et interficiō haec animālia.”
Ursa rogāvit, “Animāliane parentēs habēbant?”
Leaena nōn respondit sed cōgitāvit.
Leaena lēniter respondit, “Parentēs habēbant.”

Audio Script, Part 3

Ursa dīxit, “Nōlī flēre, leaena!”
“Tū interfēcistī fīliōs animālium!”
“Parentēs tristēs erant quia tū fīliōs interfēcistī!”
“Tū faciēbās quod vēnātor ēgit!”
“Tū vēnātor es!” Ursa clāmāvit.
Leaena audīvit ursam et nōn respondit.
Leaena nōn iam edere animālia voluit.
Necesse erat leaenae edere…
Sed edere animālia nōluit!
Cōgitāvit dē vēnātore quī fīliōs interfēcerat.
Leaena carōtās et olīvās et māla edere incēpit!
Leaena erat holerāria et animālia numquam ēdit!

Tier 1: Leana et Ursa

Erat leaena (leo, sed est feminina) habens duos filios. Leaena exit autem ad interficiendum animalia. Ille venator venit et interfecit filios leaenae et discessit (abivit) cum filiorum pellibus (pelts). Leaena videns filios mortuos, tristis multum flebat. Sed ursa, videns tristitiam leaenae, venit ad leaenam et dixit leaenae, “Cur tu tristis es?” Illa leaena respondit, “Quia venator interfecit filios meos.” Ursa dixit, “Noli esse tristis; noli flere, quia tu passa es (you suffered) quod tu fecisti. Dic mihi, quid tu edisti?” Leaena respondit, “edi carnes (meat) animalium.” Ursa dixit, “Quis tibi carnes animalium dabat?” Et leaena, “Ego capiebam carnes animalium.” Et ursa dixit, “Animaliane parentes habebant?” Et illa leaena, “Habebant parentes.” Ursa dixit, “Sic parentes tristes erant de filiis ut tu nunc tristis es de tuis filiis, et tu passa es (you suffered) sicut tu faciebas.” Leaena audiens omnia haec, non dixit et paenituit (was sorry) et, non iam edens carnes (meat), incepit edere fructus (fruits).

Tier 2:

Erat leaena duos habens catulos (filios leaenae). Exit autem ad venandum (interficiendum) et quidam (ille) venator venit et catulos occidit (interfect) et cum ipsorum (filiorum) pellibus discesssit. Leaena hoc (filios mortuos) videns, contristata valde (multum) flebat. Ursa vero (sed), tristitiam eius (leaenae) videns, venit ad eam (leaenam) dixitque (et dixit) ei, “Cur tristaris (es tristis)?” Illa (leaena) respondit, “quia venator catulos (filios) meos interfecit.” Ursa dixit, “Noli tristari; desine (finem fac) flere, quia tu passa es quod fecisti. Dic mihi, quid his annis comedisti (edisti)?” Leaena respondit, “carnes animalium.” Dixit ursa, “Quis tibi dabat?” Et ipsa (leaena), “ego capiebam.” Et ursa dixit, “Animalia quae tu capiebas parentes habebant?” Et illa leaena, “Habebant.” Ursa ait (dicit), “Sic parentes de filiis tristabantur ut tu tristis es nunc de tuis (filiis),  et ipsa (tu) passa es sicut tu faciebas.” Audiens haec, leaena siliuit (non dixit) et paenituit et, carnes comedere desinens (finem edendi faciens), fructus manducare (edere) incepit. 

Tier 3:

Erat leaena duos habens catulos. Exit autem ad venandum et venit quidam venator et catulos occidit et cum ipsorum pellibus discessit. Hoc videns, leaena contristata valde flebat. Ursa vero, tristitiam eius videns, venit ad eam dixitque ei, “Cur tristaris?” Illa respondit, “Quia venator catulos meos interfecit.”  Ursa dixit, “Noli tristari; desine flere, quia passa es quod fecisti. Dic mihi, quid his annis comedisti?” Leaena respondit, “Carnes animalium.” Dixit ursa, “Quis tibi dabat?” Et ipsa, “Ego capiebam.” Et ursa, “Animalia quae capiebas parentes habebant?” Et illa, “Habebant.” Ursa ait, “Sic de filiis tristabantur ut tu nunc de tuis, et ipsa passa es sicut tu faciebas.” Haec audiens, leaena siluit et paenituit et, carnes comedere desinens, fructus manducare incepit.

Dictionary for Tier 3