Lesson plan

Monster shopping trip

Topic
Birthday presents

Aims
To practise:
 vocabulary: vocabulary connected with birthdays and shopping
 structure: present simple (story telling)
 skills: integrated skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing)

Age group
Primary

Level
A1/A2

Time
90 minutes approximately

Materials
Please note that to access downloadable worksheets, you need to log in separately to LearnEnglish Kids.
1. Story, activity sheet, answers and transcript: ‘Monster shopping trip’
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/monster-shopping-trip
2. Song, activity sheet, answers and lyrics: ‘Shopping song’
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/shopping
3. Craft activity: ‘Birthday card’
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/craft-downloads/birthday-card
4. Game: ‘Shops’ paint the words
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/paint-the-words/shops
5. Your turn: ‘Birthdays’ and ‘Presents’
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/your-turn/birthdays
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/your-turn/presents

For a complete list of all ‘Birthdays’, ‘Presents’ and ‘Shopping’ content on LearnEnglish Kids, click here:
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/birthdays
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/presents
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/shopping
 Lesson plan
Introduction
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the popular story ‘Monster shopping trip’. They will watch the
story, complete comprehension activities, and review and re-enact the story. Finally students can do some
extension work based on the story, creating role plays and writing about their ideal birthday party.

Procedure
1. Introduce the  Show a picture of a cake and present on the board. Elicit what special day it is
topic and (birthday).
vocabulary (5  Brainstorm ideas of typical birthday presents.
mins)  Get students to tell you about presents they got or would like for their last/next
birthday.

2. Focus on the  Tell students the title of the story (‘Monster shopping trip’). Ask them what they think
story: gist (10 the story might be about.
mins)  Play the story. Ask students if they were right. Give them part 1 of the activity sheet:
tick the presents the monsters buy for Hairy Henry. Check answers as a class.

3. Focus on the  Students look at part 2 of the activity sheet: choose the correct answer. They should
story: circle the answers they can remember, and leave the answers they don’t.
comprehension  Play the story again. Students complete and check their answers as they listen.
(10-15 mins)  Give the students, in pairs or small groups, the transcript of the story cut up into
paragraphs. Students read and order the paragraphs. Then they can stick the
paragraphs onto paper and draw a picture to illustrate each one.

4. Reviewing the  Ask students what their favourite present in the story was, and hold a class vote.
story (10 mins) Play the story all the way through. After each page of the story, ask questions about
it and ask them what happens next. You could give points for correct answers.
 Give students part 3 of the activity sheet. They draw and label a present for Hairy
Henry. Encourage them to say why they chose that present.

5. Oral  As a class, encourage students to retell what they remember of the story, to a
extension: re- degree of detail or simplicity as appropriate to level.
telling and re-  Get stronger, more out-going students to volunteer for key roles, and re-enact the
enacting the story, with help and suggestions from the teacher and other students as to what to
story (10-20 say, where to stand, etc.
mins)  Put students in groups to re-enact the story based on the model re-enactment
created by the whole class. Some groups may like to volunteer to re-enact the story
as a play for the class. You might like to video these, depending on equipment
available.

6. Written and  Role-play a shopping trip. Set up a role play situation. For example: It's your
oral extension: teacher's birthday and you need to buy her a present.
creating a role  Decide on the language you want the role plays to focus on. For example, they
play (10-20 mins) could focus on language for suggestions (Let's buy her some chocolates, etc),
and/or functional shopping language (Can I have, here you are, etc).
 Lesson plan

 Demonstrate a role play for the class with stronger students. Depending on how
much support they need, provide a written example on board, and/or get them to
help you write the role play on the board before acting out.
 Put students in groups of three (two friends, one shopkeeper for all the different
shops). Get them to plan their role play in their notebooks. Depending on the
students, you might like to leave the model or some key phrases/language on the
board to help them.
 Some groups may want to volunteer to re-enact their role play for the class. You
might like to video these, depending on equipment available.

7. Written  Ask student to tell you if they’ve ever had a birthday party. Where was it? Who
extension: ideal came? What presents did they get? Was there a theme? What activities did they
birthday party do?
(10-15 mins)  Then brainstorm ideas as a class as to what would be a perfect birthday party.
Where is it? Who’s coming? What presents do they get? Is there a theme? What
activities do they do?
 Students complete part 4 of the activity sheet: write about their perfect birthday party
and draw a picture. Students should describe where it is, who's there, what presents
they get, what theme it is, what games and activities they do, etc. They can use
present simple or ‘would’ as appropriate to level. Then they draw a picture. Monitor
to praise and help with language where needed.
 Display work around the class. Allow time for students to look at other students’
work.

8. Song (5 mins)  If there is time and interest, you might like to listen to or sing the ‘Shopping’ song
with your students.

9. Setting  For homework, students could make the birthday card craft activity for someone they
homework (5 know.
mins)  If they have internet access at home, they can watch the story again, or listen to the
song. They could also try the ‘Shops’ paint the words game.
 If students are a member of LearnEnglish Kids, they can also read comments on the
‘Presents’ or ‘Birthdays’ Your turns, download a worksheet to complete, then leave
their own comments on the page.

Contributed by
Rachael Ro