S1E05 - Rain in Bristol (Again)

Objective & content

On a grey Saturday in the Walker garden, George is playing with his red ball in the rain and loves it. His dad Paul asks What's the weather like?, then the wind blows the ball into a tree and they go in for hot soup. The episode teaches the question What's the weather like? and It's with an adjective or an -ing verb (It's raining!, It's grey and windy too.), plus be with colours (the grass is green). The vocabulary is weather and colours. Learners listen, then check their understanding with the in-app quiz.

Pedagogical guide

The weather question is one fixed block and English always needs it as the subject. French il pleut, German es regnet and the French order ballon rouge differ from It's raining and a red ball, so drill both the block and the colour before the noun.

Suggested procedure

1. (3 min) Warm-up: look out of the window and ask What's the weather like?
2. (2 min) Preview rain, wind, grey, muddy and the colour words.
3. (4 min) First listen: where is George, and what is the weather?
4. (8 min) Second listen: pause at each weather sentence and ask about the garden and the ball.
5. (7 min) Board work: It's + adjective, It's + -ing, and colour before the noun.
6. (6 min) Pairs ask and answer What's the weather like? for a city of their choice.

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 colours and the verb be.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 3 (6e), axis "The child and their close environment": weather and the garden.