Download - The Grasshopper and the Antteachingtips.elionline.com/media/548514/Attachment.pdf · Sit comfortably and listen to the story The Grasshopper and the Ant It is summer and Grasshopper

The Grasshopper and the Ant

@ELI Emilie Foster

Aims

Learn how to use :

▪ personality adjectives

▪ word set for animals

▪ the seasons and months

Learn how to:

▪ give a brief summary

▪ understand a fable

▪ identify and describe animals

▪ understand the moral of a fable

▪ express simple opinions

▪ communicate in a simple exchange

▪

Language Level: A2 + CEFR level

Time: 4 two-hour lessons and further lessons for a school play

Stages

First lesson

The teacher stimulates the pupils’ interest and elicits their suggestions about the story by showing

them a picture and asking them questions (see worksheet 1).

Second lesson

The teacher reads a simplified version of the Ant and the Grasshopper by La Fontaine (worksheet

2). In order to check comprehension the teacher asks questions (worksheet 3). Depending on the

pupils’ language level and the class’s learning style, the teacher can decide whether to use the written

questions or the pictures, or both together. For this activity it is better to put the pupils into groups,

with a spokesperson who will give the group’s answers during feedback. Pupils can be asked to write

their answers on a piece of paper or on the board. The pictures will be shown on the IWB (interactive

white board) or printed and stuck on the board.

Third and fourth lesson

In order to encourage pupils to work in a fun way and help them develop their communication skills

further, pupils can be asked to do the other pair work or group work activities on worksheet 4.

Fifth lesson

To further the learning process through play, the teacher asks pupils to act out a scene from the story

(worksheet 5) which can be shown to the parents.


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Worksheet 1

Look at the picture

• Do you like stories with animal characters? Have you got any animal characters in your

schoolbooks or in books that you like to read?

• Do you think animals look like people? Do they live like us?

• Are fables easy to understand?

• What is your favourite fable? What is it about?

Worksheet 2 Sit comfortably and listen to the story


It is summer and Grasshopper sings and rests in the sun and has a good time.

But Ant works hard and collects wheat to survive the winter.

When the winter wind arrives Grasshopper has nothing to eat.

It’s cold in Grasshopper’s house and there is not a fly or a worm to eat.


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So poor Grasshopper goes to his neighbour, Ant, and knocks on her door.

Ant lives in a beautiful warm house. She has got a lot of food; she has got wheat that she

collected in the summer.

Ant opens the door and Grasshopper asks for help and for some wheat so he can survive the

winter. He will pay Ant back before next August.

But Ant doesn’t like lending, and tells Grasshopper that she won’t give him any wheat.

Before closing the door, Ant suggests that Grasshopper goes and dances because in the summer

he sang and had a good time, instead of working.

Worksheet 3 In groups answer the questions. 1. Which seasons are mentioned in the story? Find and write the name of the season under each picture.


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2. Who are the animal characters in the story? Choose and write their name under the correct picture.

3. What do the two animals do in summer ? Complete the phrases.

The grasshopper _____ The ant ______


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4. Where do the animals live? Match the animal to the correct house by completing the phrases.

_____ ‘s house

_______’s house

5. Who is Grasshopper’s neighbour? Choose the correct answer.

⸋ ⸋ ⸋ 6. What hasn’t Grasshopper got? More than one answer is possible

⸋ ⸋ ⸋


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7. What has Ant got? Choose the best answer.

⸋ ⸋ ⸋

8. When does Grasshopper think he can pay Ant back? Write the month.

___________

9. Ant suggests that Grasshopper

a. dances

b. rests

c. sleeps

10. What is Ant’s weakness? Ant is …

a. lazy

b. mean

c. greedy

11. What is Grasshopper’s weakness? Grasshopper is …

a. lazy

b. mean

c. greedy


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12. What is the moral of the fable?

a. You should take advantage of the summer and rest before winter arrives.

b. You should work if you want to live; laziness will get you nowhere.

c. Laziness is a good quality to have if you want to do well in life.

Worksheet 4

Speaking activity

1 Choose some animals and say which animals you like and which animals you don’t like. Say Why

Accept all answers

2 A riddle. Choose an animal. Write its name on a piece of paper. Give 5 clues about the animal so

your classmates can guess your animal.

Accept all answers

Worksheet 5

Work with a friend. Grasshopper goes to his neighbour to ask for help. What does he say to Ant

and how does Ant answer? Write the dialogue and then act it out for the class.


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Solutions

Worksheet 1

Look at the picture

• Do you like stories with animal characters? Have you got any animal characters in your

schoolbooks or in books that you like to read? Accept all answers.

• Do you think animals look like people? Do they live like us? Accept all answers.

• Are fables easy to understand? Accept all answers.

• What is your favourite fable? What is it about? Accept all answers.

Worksheet 3 In groups answer the questions. 1. Which seasons are mentioned in the story? Find and write the name of the season under each picture.

Autumn/fall Spring Winter Summer


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2. Who are the animal characters in the story? Choose and write their name under the correct picture.

An ant A bee A grasshopper

3. What do the two animals do in summer ? Complete the phrases.

The grasshopper sings and rests.

The ant works.


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4. Where do the animals live? Match the animal to the correct house by completing the phrases.

The ant’s house The grasshopper’s house

5. Who is Grasshopper’s neighbour? Choose the correct answer.

⸋ ⸋ ⸋ 6. What hasn’t Grasshopper got? More than one answer is possible

⸋ ⸋ ⸋


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7. What has Ant got? Choose the best answer.

⸋ ⸋ ⸋

8. When does Grasshopper think he can pay Ant back? Write the month.

August

9. Ant suggests that Grasshopper

a. dances

b. rests

c. sleeps

10. What is Ant’s weakness? Ant is …

a. lazy

b. mean

c. greedy

11. What is Grasshopper’s weakness? Grasshopper is …

a. lazy

b. mean

c. greedy


@ELI Emilie Foster

12. What is the moral of the fable?

a. You should take advantage of the summer and rest before winter arrives.

b. You should work if you want to live; laziness will get you nowhere.

c. Laziness is a good quality to have if you want to do well in life.

Worksheet 4

Speaking activity

1. Choose some animals and say which animals you like and which animals you don’t like. Say Why

Accept all answers.

2. A riddle. Choose an animal. Write its name on a piece of paper. Give 5 clues about the animal so

your classmates can guess your animal.

Accept all answers.

Worksheet 5

Work with a friend. Grasshopper goes to his neighbour to ask for help. What does he say to Ant

and how does Ant answer? Write the dialogue and then act it out for the class.

Accept all answers.