Five-Minute Activities for Young Learners

Healthy bodies
5.1 Grandma! What big eyes you’ve got!
Level
*
Language focus
Narrative, vocabulary: parts of the body
Skills focus
Speaking: fluency and expression
Thinking focus
Combining ideas
Teaching approach
Promote creativity – accept errors
Interaction
Team work, suitable for large classes
Preparation
On the board, write only the first sentence of the chant, for
both Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. See Box 93.
Procedure
1 Tell the children that together they are going to act out part of the story of
Little Red Riding Hood. If they do not know the story, tell them briefly
that a Big Bad Wolf is dressed up in Grandma’s clothes and is sitting up in
Grandma’s bed when Little Red Riding Hood comes to bring gifts to her
grandmother. She is surprised to see the change in her grandmother’s
appearance and has a conversation with the wolf.
2 Divide the class into two teams. One half of the class will play the part of
Little Red Riding Hood and the other half will play the part of the Big
Bad Wolf.
3 The first team begins by reading from the board Oh, Grandma! What big
eyes you’ve got! Encourage the children to speak with great surprise. See
Box 93.
4 The second team then has to read out what the wolf does with his eyes, e.g.
See. They then chant back All the better to see you, my dear. The wolf’s
tone suggests that he is only pretending to be friendly and charming.
5 The first team then chooses another part of the body. Note that only the
first sentence of the chant is on the board. From here on, the children use
the pattern of the first sentence and add their own suggestions. They
continue their chant: Oh, Grandma! What big . . . you’ve got! Make sure
they leave teeth until the very last.
6 The second team decides what the wolf could do with this part of the
body, and they chant back All the better to . . ., my dear!
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7 The chant continues until they come to the teeth. This is the climax of
the story, when the wolf reveals his true intentions, i.e. to eat Little
Red Riding Hood. Encourage the children to really dramatise this part of
the story.