Animal fact files

Objective & content

A presentation pack for A1 classes: twelve fact files on amazing animals (the koala, polar bear, elephant, kangaroo, emperor penguin, giant panda, great white shark, barn owl, giraffe, crocodile, octopus and camel). Every card has the same parts: at a glance (where it lives, how big, how long it lives), food, what it can do, babies and a surprising fact, with a photo. Two animals share a page: print 6 pages and cut them in half. Each pupil or group presents one animal to classmates who have not read it. By the end, pupils can give a short, simple talk about an animal and pick out information when they listen.

Pedagogical guide

Presenting an animal is a classic first speaking task: the facts are concrete and surprising, and every card has the same shape, so pupils know what to say. The language is the present simple (It lives in ..., It eats ...), can and can't (It can jump 8 metres. It can't fly.), simple comparatives (bigger than, heavier than) and big numbers and measures with "about" (about 6,000 kg, 50 km an hour). The speaking tips page gives a three-part talk (Hello! My animal is the ... / three things / My favourite thing is ... Thank you! Any questions?), five useful phrases and four tips for speaking to the class. Because the class has not read the animal, listening is real: the listening grid asks for one thing heard about each animal.

Suggested procedure

One lesson of about 50 minutes.

1. (5 min) Show the cover and ask which animals pupils know. Cut the animal pages in half and give one animal to each pupil or group.
2. (10 min) Pupils read their card and prepare a one-minute talk with the speaking tips page. They write key words on the card.
3. (25 min) Each group presents its animal. The class listens and writes one thing about each animal in the listening grid.
4. (10 min) Pupils answer "Which animal would you like to see? Why?" with "I'd like to see the ... because ..." and the class votes.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils present only the at a glance part and one thing the animal can do, reading from their key words card.

[A] Pupils compare their animal with another one ("It's bigger than ... but it can't ...") or add one fact they find themselves.

Materials & prerequisites

Print factfiles.pdf: the 6 animal pages (pages 1 to 6, two animals a page, cut in half along the dashed line) so each pupil or group has one animal, the speaking tips page (page 7) and the listening grid (page 8) for everyone; page 9 is the teacher page. Pupils should know numbers, the present simple and can. It goes well with work on animals, nature or the world, and with the City fact files.