S1E22 - Lost in Bristol

Objective & content

Amber went to the shops alone and took the wrong turn. She phones George, and he guides her step by step: left to the river, right past the boats, past the market, until she sees him next to a red door. The episode teaches imperatives for directions (Turn left, and walk to the river.) with the place words next to, past, behind and near. The vocabulary is directions: turn, left, right, past, behind. Learners listen for each instruction and landmark, then check their understanding with the in-app quiz.

Pedagogical guide

The imperative has no subject and no please, and the whole route is built from it, so pupils hear the pattern many times in one short scene. French pupils tend to add a subject (You turn left). German and Italian pupils take to the form easily, but Italian pupils may add to (turn to left), and left and right themselves are hard under pressure in any language.

Suggested procedure

1. (3 min) Warm-up: say Turn left. Now turn right. without pointing and watch who turns the wrong way; write both words on the board.
2. (3 min) Meet Amber and George, who is on the phone and not with her.
3. (4 min) First listen: who is lost, who helps, and is he with her?
4. (8 min) Second listen with pauses: count the instructions, draw her route (shop, river, boats, market, George), and find the landmark that tells her it is him.
5. (7 min) Grammar focus: write the instructions as bare verbs and practise next to, past and near.
6. (6 min) Pupil A closes their eyes and pupil B directs them from the door to an object with three instructions at most; swap.

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 verbs turn and walk and town places such as river, market and shop.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 3 (6e), axis "The child and their close environment": asking the way and giving directions.