How Could Farmers Fight the World's Strongest Army?

Objective & content

The two hosts, one American and one British, ask how an army of farmers could fight the world's strongest army. George Washington lost more big battles than he won, yet he kept his army alive: the hosts follow the Christmas crossing to Trenton and the Hessians, Saratoga and the arrival of France, the hard winter at Valley Forge and a German officer who trained the soldiers. Learners practise the past simple (lost, crossed, won, stayed) and the grammar of explaining: so, because and but, before and after, who and where, reporting with would, comparing, and Why did questions. They listen for the plan behind the story, then answer the quiz in the app and the one-page pupil sheet.

Pedagogical guide

The 45-minute lesson plan starts from the puzzle: how can a general lose more battles than he wins and still win a war? Learners guess, listen twice (once for the answer, once with four pauses for questions), then practise facts, vocabulary and the grammar of explaining. The two hosts are equals who each bring their own country's view ("In America, we call Saratoga the turning point", "In London, it meant a much bigger war"), so the class can discuss what a pupil's own country would remember. The hard winter at Valley Forge is told briefly and factually; keep the talk on what happened next. The idea to repeat is that Washington lost battles but never lost his army, and that was his plan. Most activities have a support path and a stretch path.

Suggested procedure

1. Activate knowledge (3 min): write Washington and "lost more battles than he won" on the board and collect guesses about how he could still win.
2. Vocabulary preview (5 min): army, general, officer, camp, stranger, confession, cross, practise, ill.
3. First listen (8 min): play the whole episode (about 4 minutes 45 seconds, with the theme tune and the hosts' hello) and ask whether the guesses were right.
4. Second listen (10 min): pause four times, after "As long as there's an army, the war isn't over", after the Hessians and Trenton, after "Now Britain had to fight France too" (Saratoga), and after the officer's lessons were translated, to ask short questions.
5. Comprehension check (5 min): the Facts part of the pupil sheet (questions 1 to 6, as in the app quiz).
6. Vocabulary practice (4 min): the Vocabulary part (questions 7 to 12).
7. Grammar focus (6 min): join facts with so, because, but, before and after, notice who and where, report with would, compare, then the Grammar part (questions 13 to 18).
8. Speaking (4 min): in pairs, students play the two hosts and ask and answer questions with Why, ending on the two memories of the war.

Materials & prerequisites

• The episode in the app, with its quiz.
• The one-page pupil sheet (18 items: facts, vocabulary, grammar) and its answer key, in the episode's printables.
• Prerequisites: the past simple, was and were, years in English, and the connectors so, because and but.