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The Robin Hood Tree

An immersive audiobook to enrich your students’ listening comprehension.

The Robin Hood Tree" is a 13-minute, 55-second audio story designed to foster active listening and concentration. As they follow young sleuths Pippa and Ben, students will engage their listening comprehension and powers of deduction. A turnkey resource for a motivating English sequence packed with surprises.

Level 1, Primary level CEFR: A1, A1+ Listening Authentic : Yes

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Teaching guide

Objective: To lead students to listen to and understand an adventure story in English.

Summary: Two children, Pippa and Ben, suspect their neighbor of stealing wood from Sherwood Forest. Their only proof is a tree stump carved with the initials "R M," which they believe belongs to Robin Hood. After a suspenseful confrontation, they discover that the truth behind the initials is much more surprising—and amusing—than the legend.

Suggested Lesson Plan

1. Pre-listening (~5 mins): ANTICIPATION Activate prior knowledge about Robin Hood and introduce key vocabulary that will be heard in the story (e.g., forest, lorry, dog is barking, whisper).

2. While-listening (~15-20 mins): COMPREHENSION Segmented listening with pauses at key moments to check understanding and make predictions:

Pause 1: After the lorry accident. "What is the problem?"
Pause 2: After discovering the heart carved with "R M". "What will they do now?"
Pause 3: After Mr. Watson locks them in. "How can they escape?"
End: Listen to the finale to discover the outcome.

3. Post-listening (~10-15 mins): FOLLOW-UP

Quick Discussion: "Were you surprised by the ending? Is the story scary? Happy? Funny?"
Mini-task: In pairs, put 5 key images from the story (provided by the teacher) in the correct order and orally summarize each step.

Adaptations

To Simplify (Support): Provide a list of 5 keywords or sound effects (lorry, barking dog, police car...) for students to spot and tick off while listening.
To Go Further (Extension): Imagine and act out the scene of Pippa calling the police, focusing on intonation (urgency, fear, etc.).

Possible adaptations

Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.