How many of you had a beloved childhood pet? My family always had one or more cats running around, and I am still a cat lover today. Since a lot of kids either have or want a pet, a discussion about pets is a great way to get your young learners talking.
This week’s article review is on 10 Popular Small Pets on Animal Planet‘s website. Some of the animals might surprise you. (Hermit crabs? Who knew?) There are a number of ways you could use this article with your class.
For beginners, don’t get them to read the text. You can read out a few of the facts for them and/or show them the pictures. Before you tell them certain facts (such as life span and feeding), have them guess. After you’ve discussed the animals, you can write the 10 animals on the board and ask students to make a list (1–10) from the pet they want most to the pet they want least.
For more advanced learners, you could divide the class into pairs or small groups, then assign one animal to each pair/group. Have them read and summarize the info, then get them to present their findings to the class. Take a class survey to find out which animals are the most desirable and least desirable pets.
Try all Sprout English‘s animal materials:
- Hippos, our Lesson of the Week in the Discovery Center – This lesson includes discussion questions, a short reading, vocabulary exercises, and fun activities like a crossword puzzle and word maze.
- Animal Adjectives Activity, Tanya Trusler’s blog post – Try this fun exercise for descriptive adjective practice.
- Teaching English with Stuffed Animals and Puppets, Tara Benwell’s blog post – Available on Thursday, October 3rd.
- The Zoo, Simple Present lesson – Find this lesson in the Grammar Stories section of the Grammar School.
- Animals - Check out our lessons on various animals in the Animals section of the Discovery Center.
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