S1E16 - Lost at School

Objective & content

George is lost at school again, and his friend Ollie (not his brother) guides him past the office, the library and the gym to Room 6 before the bell. The episode teaches where is and there is with the location words near, next to and past (There's a map near the office.). The vocabulary is places in school: classroom, office, library, gym, toilet, map, room. Learners listen for where each place is, then check their understanding with the in-app quiz.

Pedagogical guide

The episode gives a real navigation task, so the questions and answers come naturally from two speakers. The most predictable error is near to: French près de and Italian vicino a both need a preposition, while English near takes none. German speakers find next to easy (neben) but may over-explain near.

Suggested procedure

1. (8 min) Warm-up: ask who has been lost in school, list the places pupils name, meet Ollie and preview the key words with a plan of your own school.
2. (4 min) First listen: who is lost and who helps him?
3. (8 min) Second listen with pauses: what is near the office, and is Room 6 near or next to the gym?
4. (4 min) Comprehension check, orally or with the in-app quiz.
5. (7 min) Grammar focus: build Where's ...?, There's ..., near and next to on the board, and drill four gap sentences; sketch two rooms touching versus close.
6. (10 min) Pairs ask for and give directions to three real places in your school.

Materials & prerequisites

The episode in the PLAY app (audio, slideshow, text and quiz), a student sheet and a teacher sheet with the answer key. Learners need the verb be and the question word where.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 3 (6e), axis "The child and their close environment": the school building.