Are your young learners excited about the World Cup? Sprout English has a NEW Word Bank lesson plan on Football (a.k.a. Soccer) that is designed for young learners. After you’ve tried the lesson, why not share this related story with your students? This story teaches the idiom “on the ball”.
The Dog That Was On The Ball
Once upon a time, there was a dog named Pickles. The dog was out for a walk with its owner when it spotted an object in a garden. The object was wrapped in some newspaper. The dog’s owner picked up the object. It was a trophy. This was not just any trophy. It was the missing World Cup Trophy! Earlier that week, a thief had stolen the trophy from a museum in London.
This story made international headlines. England was the host nation of the World Cup that year. A few weeks after Pickles found the trophy, England won the competition. Pickles celebrated with the winning team. He also appeared in movies and on many TV shows. This dog was really on the ball!
on the ball: quick or ready to move or act, paying attention
Listen and Discuss
Listen to the story and ask your students if they think it’s fact or fiction. Discuss which details seem true and which details seem false. (This is in fact a true story!) You can also talk about what other information your students want to know. (Did the thief get caught? Did the owner receive a reward?) Your students can type their questions in the comments below, and I will try to answer them.
Follow Up
Have your students take turns telling about times when they were on the ball. You can also talk about which World Cup teams they think will be on the ball this summer!
Related
Find Sprout English’s NEW Soccer lesson in the Word Bank – Sports & Leisure.
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