10 Amazing animals

dolphin’s body don’t seem to be important in conducting

Lesson objectives sound, because they aren’t connected to the middle ears.
To understand simple factfiles Instead, sound is conducted through soft tissue and bone,
To review and extend action verbs vocabulary particularly in the dolphin’s lower jaw.
To identify verbs and adjectives
To write sentences describing what an animal can and Comprehension (page 41)
can’t do 2 Read and tick (✔) or cross (✘).
• Read the first sentence and ask Is this right? Point out the
Language example tick. Do the next sentence with the children,
A (bat) can (see at night). explaining that It refers to the bat in the previous
A (dolphin) can (hear with its mouth). sentence.
Can a (dolphin) (fly)? • The children read each of the remaining sentences,
Yes, it can. No, it can’t. putting ticks or crosses as appropriate.
New vocabulary: see, hear, jump, sleep, play • Let them work individually then check their answers in
Other vocabulary: fly, swim, run, climb, walk, talk pairs, then check their answers as a class.
More words: crawl, dive, throw, catch Key
1  ✔   ​2  ✘   ​3  ✔   ​4  ✘   ​5  ✘   ​6  ✔
Presentation and pre-reading (page 40) 3 Write bat, dolphin or elephant.
• With books closed, quickly review the verbs fly, swim, run, • The children use the text to help them complete the
climb, walk and talk. Do a simple mime as you say each
sentences. You might want to let them work in pairs.
word. Then say the words and let the children do the
mimes. Finally, do the mimes without speaking, and let • Check the answers as a class, asking volunteers to read out
the children say the words. the sentences.
• Ask individual children Can you fly? Can you swim? etc. Key
Encourage them to answer Yes, I can or No, I can’t. 1  elephant   ​2  dolphin   ​3  bat   ​4  elephant   ​5  bat   ​
• Ask the children to open their books at page 40. Point to 6  dolphin
the pictures in the vocabulary panel and say the words.
Model the words and drill pronunciation.
4 Read and write Yes, it can. or No, it can’t.
• Do a simple mime for each of the words, and repeat the
• Ask the questions from Exercise 4 in a random order. Let
the children agree their answers (Yes, it can or No, it can’t)
process as before.
with a partner before putting their hands up. Help them
• Ask the children to look at the photos in the reading text to look back at the text to find the answers if necessary.
and tell you what animals they can see. Ask them what
kind of text they think it is (factfiles about animals).
• The children work individually to write the answers. Then
check the answers as a class.
Reading (page 40) Key
1  Yes, it can.   2​   No, it can’t.   ​3  No, it can’t.   ​4  Yes, it can.   ​
1 Read and listen.  $ 10 5  Yes, it can.   ​6  No, it can’t.
• Play the recording while the children follow the text in
their books. Model and drill pronunciation of the animal Vocabulary (page 42)
names. Discuss some of the more interesting facts in L1 if
you like (see note below). 5 Read and write the letters.
• Play the recording again, pausing after each factfile. Ask • Explain that you are going to practise verbs. If necessary,
questions about each animal to check understanding, e.g. remind the children in simple terms what a verb is. Tell the
Can it fly? Can it see at night? Encourage the children to children to close their books, then see how many action
answer Yes, it can or No, it can’t. verbs they can remember from their work in this unit so
far (see, hear, jump, sleep, play, fly, swim, run).
Note   Children may be surprised to find out that elephants
• Revise the following verbs using mime: climb, walk, talk.
can hear with their noses! Their noses (trunks) contain
special vibration sensors. If an elephant lays its trunk on the • Ask the children to open their books at page 42 and look
ground, it can feel the vibrations made by other elephants’ at Exercise 5. Read the first sentence and point out the
feet from far away. Elephants’ feet contain similar vibration example answer. Then read the rest of the sentences
sensors. and tell the children to find and point to the appropriate
pictures. Note that the sentences are not general facts
Equally surprising is the fact that dolphins can hear about what these animals can and can’t do, but sentences
with their mouths. The ear openings on the outside of a describing these pictures.

1 Oxford Primary Skills 1  Unit 10  Teaching Notes  © Oxford University Press
 • The children read the sentences again to themselves and action verbs. Read the text, leaving out the action verbs
write the appropriate letter next to each sentence. and letting the children say them:
Key The turtle is an amazing animal. It can ___ and it can
1  b   ​2  a   ​3  e   ​4  f   ​5  d   ​6  c ___. It can’t ___. It’s got small eyes, but it can ___ very
well. It can ­­­___ at night and it can ___ underwater.
6 Choose and complete the sentences. • Now say Listen and say the adjectives. Read the text again,
• Explain that the children must complete the sentences to this time missing out the adjectives:
make them true, using the given verbs. Revise the animal The turtle is an ___ animal. It can swim and it can walk.
words if necessary (fish, snake, monkey, zebra, giraffe). It can’t jump. It’s got ___ eyes, but it can see very well. It
• Read the example sentence and ask a child to tell you can see at night and it can see underwater.
what the second sentence should be (It can’t walk.).
• The children work individually or in pairs to complete the 8 Underline the adjectives and circle the action
sentences. Monitor and help as necessary, making sure verbs.
they pay attention to whether each sentence says can • Ask the children to look through the sentences and find
or can’t. the adjectives, and underline them.
• Check the answers as a class. • Then ask them to read the sentences again and circle the
action verbs.
Key
• Let the children check their answers in pairs, then check
1 A fish can swim. It can’t walk.
them as a class.
2 A snake can’t run. It can see.
3 A monkey can climb. It can’t talk. Key
4 A zebra can walk. It can’t fly. 1 The turtle is an amazing animal. It can see underwater.
5 A giraffe can hear. It can’t swim. 2 A snake is very long. It can’t walk and it can’t run.
6 An elephant can run. It can’t talk. 3 An elephant is a very big animal. It can run very fast.
4 A dolphin is a clever animal. It can swim and it can jump.
7 Write about you. 5 A bat is a small animal. It can fly.
• The children complete the sentences to make them true
about themselves. They may want to use other action 9 Write about a gorilla.
verbs or phrases that haven’t been used in this unit, e.g. • Look at the photo and ask What’s this? Say It’s a gorilla.
ride a bike. Help them with any vocabulary as necessary. • Point out the list of action verbs and the ticks and crosses.
Choose volunteers to ask the class some questions: Can it
More words (page 48) walk? Can it run? etc. The class answers Yes, it can or No, it
• In a stronger class, use the More words section to extend can’t.
the children’s vocabulary. • Look at the writing frame with the children. Explain that
• Ask the class to turn to page 48 and look at the pictures in they should use the ticks and crosses to help them to
the vocabulary panel. Model and drill the four verbs. Then complete the text.
say the words in a different order and ask children to point • Let the children work individually, then ask one or two
at the right picture. children to read out their texts.
• Quickly practise mimes for all the verbs that children have Key
encountered in this unit so far. Then play a TPR game. Say Example text:
an action verb but do the wrong mime. The children must A gorilla is a very clever animal.
do the correct mime. Anyone who does the wrong mime It can run. It can climb and it can jump.
is out! It can’t swim and it can’t talk.
Read and circle.
• The children circle the correct word in each sentence. Writing (optional extension activity)
• Tell the children to draw a picture of an animal that they
Key are interested in. Alternatively, they could find and print
1  swim   ​2  throw   ​3  crawl   ​4  fly   ​5  dive out a photo from the internet.
• Ask the children to write a short text about their chosen
Writing (page 43) animal, using It can and It can’t. More able children could
• Ask the children to look at the photo. Say Look, it’s a turtle. also include sentences beginning with It’s got.
• Point out the verb phrases and ticks and crosses. Ask Can • You might like to display the texts and pictures in the
a turtle swim? Can it walk? etc. The children use the ticks classroom.
and crosses to help them answer Yes, it can or No, it can’t.
• Read the text while the children follow it in their books.
• Draw attention to the action verbs and adjectives in the
text, in preparation for Exercise 8. Remind or explain to
the children that verbs are usually actions, and adjectives
are words we use to describe things. Say Listen and say the

2 Oxford Primary Skills 1  Unit 10  Teaching Notes  © Oxford University Press