Animals & Pets: Let's Chat

Objective & content

By the end, A1 students can talk aloud about pets and animals using have got, can and simple preferences. This speaking deck gives 24 "Animals & pets" chat prompts, each with a sentence-frame scaffold. It plays on screen (draw and shuffle) or prints as a single A4 sheet of cut-out cards.

Pedagogical guide

Use this deck as a warm-up once have got and can are introduced — animals are a natural, high-interest topic for practising both structures. Each card's frame does the heavy lifting ("I have got a ___. / I have not got a pet."), so students focus on vocabulary retrieval and pronunciation rather than sentence construction. No question-forming is expected at A1.

Suggested procedure

1. (2 min) Form groups of 3–4 and shuffle or display the deck.
2. (1 min) Model one card: read the question, complete the frame aloud.
3. (8–10 min) Students take turns drawing a card and answering aloud using the frame; the teacher circulates and prompts extra detail where possible.
4. (2 min) Whole-class share-out: ask 2–3 students what pet or animal they talked about.

Adaptations

• [S] Accept one completed sentence per card; pre-teach 5–6 animal words before starting.
• [A] Add one more sentence beyond the frame (a description or a reason).

Materials & prerequisites

Plays on screen (draw/shuffle) or prints as a single A4 sheet of cut-out cards. Assumes have got, can, and basic animal/pet vocabulary.

Curriculum alignment

Maps to Cycle 3 "child and close environment" (FR 6e) — pets and animals in the child's everyday world.

Assessment & extensions

Listen for correct have got / can forms as an informal speaking check. Extend with an "animal I would like to have" drawing-and-caption task, or move to the A2 Animals & Pets deck once comparatives are secure.