Session 5 · The Interlopers

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Worksheet of this session
Scan to open it on a phone or print it.

Recap check · marked · starts as you come in

Sit down, take your notebook and answer on paper at once. 3 students are drawn at random and marked.

What does Della sell?
What does Jim sell?
Why are the presents useless?

Marking scale	Points
Each correct answer	1
Full sentence in English	bonus 1
Total	3 + 1

Corrigé

her hair
his watch
each sold the treasure the present was for

The story

Portrait — Hector Hugh Munro (Saki), Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A winter night in a forest of the eastern Carpathians. Two men, enemies by inheritance, hunt each other. Then a tree falls.

Read the full text of The Interlopers (public domain)

Describe and interpret the picture

Look at the illustration at the top of the page. You can see: a dark winter forest, a huge fallen tree, snow and wind, shapes of wolves among the trees.

Describe the picture in three sentences.
Who are the interlopers in this picture?
Find one sentence of the text that matches the picture.

Useful phrases: It shows… · In the foreground / background… · The colours suggest… · This reminds me of the moment when… · It reveals that… · I think the artist wants us to feel…

Corrigé

There are no men: the forest, the storm and the wolves dominate. Nature is the real intruder in the quarrel.

“Wolves.”
Saki, “The Interlopers”, Project Gutenberg #1477

1. Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	En français
feud	a long and bitter quarrel between families	querelle, vendetta
forest	a large area of trees	forêt
to poach	to hunt illegally on someone's land	braconner
enemy	a person who hates you	ennemi
to trap	to hold someone so they cannot escape	piéger, coincer
beech tree	a large tree with smooth grey bark	hêtre
to forgive	to stop being angry with someone	pardonner
rescue	help that saves someone	secours
flask	a small bottle for alcohol	flasque
wolves	wild animals like big dogs	loups

2. Characters

Character	Who?	Wants	What happens
Ulrich von Gradwitz	owner of the forest	to catch his enemy	trapped under the tree
Georg Znaeym	his hereditary enemy	to hunt on the disputed land	trapped beside Ulrich
The foresters	their men	to find their masters	never arrive in time

3. The arc of the story

Stage	In this story
Exposition	Two families fight over a strip of forest.
Inciting incident	Ulrich and Georg meet face to face in the night.
Rising action	A falling beech tree traps them both.
Climax	They become friends and call for help together.
Resolution and twist	Figures run towards them: wolves.

4. Text dependent questions

What is the origin of the feud?
Why are the two men in the forest at night?
What happens before they can shoot?
How does their relationship change?
What is the meaning of the title?
Why is the last word so effective?

Corrigé

A lawsuit about a narrow strip of forest land, lost by the Znaeym family generations ago.
Ulrich patrols to catch poachers, hoping to meet Georg; Georg is hunting on the disputed land.
A storm brings down a huge beech tree that pins them both to the ground.
Ulrich offers wine from his flask, then friendship; Georg accepts. They plan a future of peace.
Interlopers are intruders: first each man sees the other as one, but the real interlopers are the wolves, or nature itself.
It is a single word that reverses everything: their reconciliation comes too late.

5. Speaking

Debate in groups of four: can a long hatred end in one night? Two for, two against, one minute each.

6. Writing

Write a new ending of 100 words: the foresters arrive first. What happens next?

C1/C2 track

“Nature as the final interloper”: in 250 words, discuss how Saki uses setting and an abrupt ending to comment on human quarrels.

Homework · required

To do for next lesson. It is checked at the start of the lesson in the Recap check.

Exercise 1 · Gap-fill: The two families have a …… about the forest. A …… tree traps the men. They decide to …… each other. At the end, …… arrive. (feud, beech, forgive, wolves)
Exercise 2 · Answer: who are the real interlopers?
Exercise 3 · Write 60 words: a dialogue between Ulrich and Georg before the wolves come.

Corrigé of the homework

feud · beech · forgive · wolves
The wolves, or nature: they come between the two men at the very moment of peace.
Model: “Georg, when we get out, come to my house.” “I will, Ulrich. Our fathers were fools.” “Let us be friends now.”

For the teacher

Gerex step	What the class does
Warm up (5 min)	Recall of the last story in three sentences, cold calling or volunteers.
Discovery (15 min)	Reading of the text or extract of The Interlopers, first with a gist question.
Analysis (20 min)	Tables in pairs, text dependent questions, shared correction.
Speaking (10 min)	Short oral task, the teacher circulates and notes two strengths per group.
Writing (5 min + homework)	Short writing task, finished at home.

Need	Lever
Struggling readers	Glossary given in advance, audio reading by the teacher, questions 1 to 3 only.
Fast finishers	Extension question, a quotation to explain, a sentence of the story to translate into French.
Dys students	Dys version of the page: Lexend font, larger spacing, sentence starters, shorter tasks.

Recap check, how to run it	Detail
Before the bell	The questions are on the board or projected when students walk in.
Minutes 0 to 4	Everyone writes; no talking. The teacher takes the register meanwhile.
Minute 4	Random draw of three names (cards, app or dice), oral answers.
Marking	Marks on the scale given, noted in the gradebook; homework checked at the same time.
Why	Not one idle minute: the class starts the moment students enter, and homework is reinforced.

Sessions 1 · Structure 2 · The Necklace 3 · Comparative literature 4 · The Gift of the Magi 5 · The Interlopers 6 · The Cask of Amontillado Evaluation C1/C2 essay Teacher

Reminder, the sequence online: https://short-stories-anglais.netlify.app