I Can Swim!

Objective & content

This activity sheet is about what we can and can't do. Three friends, Bruno, Selin and Solomon, each with a small picture, say which of five activities they can do: swim, ride a bike, play tennis, play the guitar and dance. Pupils read the three texts and fill in a grid, then ask three classmates "Can you ...?" and write about themselves. By the end, pupils say I can swim. and I can't dance., and ask and answer Can you swim? Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

Pedagogical guide

Task 1 gives three short texts, one per friend ("I can swim and I can ride a bike. I can play the guitar. But I can't dance and I can't play tennis."), and a grid with a row for each friend and five columns, each with a small picture: swim, ride a bike, tennis, guitar, dance. Each text names all five activities, so every square has one answer: pupils tick (✓) what the friend can do and cross (✗) what they can't. Bruno can swim, ride a bike and play the guitar; Selin can play the guitar, dance and play tennis; Solomon can ride a bike, dance and swim. Each friend has three ticks and two crosses. Point out play tennis but play the guitar. Task 2 is a class survey: five questions ("Can you swim?") and three columns with a space for a friend's name at the top; pupils ask three friends and write yes or no. Task 3 gives two starters, "I can" and "I can't", for two sentences about themselves. Tasks 2 and 3 have no fixed answers. Page 2 gives the answers to the grid and the teacher notes.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Mime the five activities and ask the class: "Can you swim?"
2. (10 min) Task 1: pupils read the three texts and tick or cross each square; check together.
3. (10 min) Task 2: pupils walk round the class, ask three friends the five questions and write yes or no.
4. (5 min) Task 3: pupils write two sentences about themselves.
5. (5 min) A few pupils tell the class about one friend from their survey: "She can swim. She can't dance."

Adaptations

[S] Read the three texts aloud first.

[A] Pupils add a question of their own to the survey: "Can you cook?"

Materials & prerequisites

One copy per pupil of page 1, in colour or black and white. Pupils need only a pencil. Page 2 is the answer key with teacher notes: keep it. Pupils should know yes and no; the five activities are in the grid, each with a picture.