My best friend

Objective & content

This writing sheet teaches pupils to describe a friend (My best friend is..., She's eleven, She's tall, She has long brown hair, She's funny and kind, She has a rabbit called..., She likes..., She can..., She can't...). Pupils read Ruby's text about her best friend for a class book, take its phrases and write their own. By the end, they can write a description of 40 to 50 words with he, she, his and her.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 has Ruby's text, with a photo of the two friends. Hana is eleven and in Ruby's class; she is tall, with long brown hair and brown eyes, funny and kind. She has a big brother, a baby sister and a small white rabbit called Snowy; she likes dancing and drawing, she can draw horses but she can't swim yet. After school, the two friends play in the park or watch films. Pupils tick true or false for six sentences, then read the useful phrases, set out in the order of the description (name and age, looks, what she's like, family and pets, likes and can, together, end). Page 2 starts with four sentences where pupils write He, She, his or her. Then pupils write about their own best friend, or a friend from a card (Jack, Lucy, Omar and Zoe, each with a photo, looks, character, family and what they like or can do), and tick the checklist. The answer key gives a model text.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Ask "Who is your best friend? What is he or she like?" and collect adjectives.
2. (10 min) Read Ruby's text aloud; pupils tick true or false.
3. (5 min) Read the useful phrases with the class; pupils find them in the text.
4. (5 min) Page 2: pupils write He, She, his or her.
5. (15 min) Pupils write about their friend, or a card, and tick the checklist.
6. (5 min) Pupils read their text without the name; the class guesses who it is.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils copy Ruby's text and change the details from a card.

[A] Pupils add what they do together at the weekend.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 and 2 per pupil. Page 3 is the answer key, the model text and the teacher notes: keep it. Pupils need be, have, like, can and the words for looks and character. To take it further, the class makes its own book of best friends, with a drawing for each page.