Teacher s Notes. Level 3. Did you know? Pearson English Kids Readers. Teacher s Notes. Background information. Summary of the story

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1 Pearson English Kids Readers Level 3 Suitable for: young learners who have completed up to 150 hours of study in English Type of English: British Headwords: 600 Key words: Key grammar: 15 (see pages 2 and 6 of these ) present simple, past simple (regular forms, was), have to for obligation, adverbs (+ ly), a lot, because, when, comparatives (+ er), possessive forms Summary of the story One very cold morning, the farmer decides he needs more firewood. There isn t any wood in the box so he has to go and find some. He takes a saw and gets into his old blue lorry with Bitzer, his dog, to go and look for a good tree to cut down. As soon as the farmer leaves the farm, Shaun and the other sheep run to the big tree in the garden that they love. They have great fun playing, dancing, swinging, climbing and making music. Meanwhile, the farmer and his dog cannot find the right tree to cut down and they decide to drive home. Shaun sees them arriving and lets the other sheep know. They quickly go back to eating grass. The farmer goes to the big tree in the garden and decides it would be good for firewood. He takes his saw to cut it down, but the sheep try to stop him. So Bitzer puts three of them in their pen. As the farmer is about to cut down the tree, Shaun and the other two big sheep jump down from the tree onto him. Bitzer puts the sheep in the pen and suddenly the farmer sees a happy face carved into the trunk of the tree. He remembers carving it as a small boy, and all his happy memories playing in the tree as a child come back. Instead of cutting it down, he hugs the tree. The sheep are very happy that the big tree is saved. Background information This story is based on an episode of the first Shaun the Sheep TV series, which was produced by Aardman Studios in Aardman Studios specialises in producing animated films using clay models. They first became famous for producing Wallace and Gromit, and are now the most famous model animation studios in the world. They have been nominated for ten academy awards, four of which they have won. As well as the Wallace and Gromit films, they have made Chicken Run, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away. Richard Golly Goleszowski is the creator of Shaun the Sheep. As a fan of the silent and slapstick films of the past, he was inspired by them when creating the TV series. When there are humans around, the sheep act dull and simply eat grass all the time, but once the humans are out of sight, the sheep show great humour, ingenuity and intelligence and it is the human characters who often appear dull. Did you know? The character of Shaun the sheep originally appeared in another Aardman film, Wallace and Gromit s A Close Shave. Shaun only appeared in the film for about six minutes, but he was so popular that they made a TV series about him. 1

2 The characters Shaun the sheep is an enterprising and intelligent young sheep. The farmer is often quite grumpy and negative about life. Bitzer is the farmer s dog and helper, but he isn t always very clever. The other sheep, like Shaun, come to life when the humans are away, and they join him in having fun and outwitting the farmer. Topics and themes Animals and animal behaviour Ask the students which animals they like. Ask them to describe them. What are their characteristics (what do they look like; how do they sound or move)? Ask the students to name the animals that appear in this story. What kinds of things do they do? Is this the way animals normally behave? (See also Activity 2 on page 3 of these.) Energy In the story, the farmer needs to find some firewood. Ask the students why they think he needs it. What else can we use to keep warm? What do the students have in their homes to keep warm? How else do we use energy? Trees The sheep love the big tree in the middle of the garden. At the end of the story, the farmer realises how important the tree is to him too. Discuss with the students why trees are important to us. How do they help us? How does the farmer feel about the big tree at first, and then later in the story? How do the sheep feel about the big tree? Why do they want to save it? (See also Activities 1 and 3 on pages 3 and 4 of these.) Key words (see page 6 of these for the Key words in context) ago (a) box (n) carve (v) cut (v) fire (n) firewood / wood (n) grass (n) hug (v) lorry (n) other (adj) / (pron) pen (animal enclosure) (n) save (v) saw (n) / (v) sheep (n) swing (n) / (v) students think the sheep are bothered by the cold weather? Why not? What kind of weather do the students like best? Why? Reality v fantasy Elicit from the students which elements of the story could be real and which are fantasy? Do they like imaginary stories? Humour Ask the students if they think this is a funny story? Why? / Why not? What makes it funny? Which characters are funny? Do they have a favourite character? Can they think of other funny stories? What makes them laugh? Farming Discuss with the students about what life is like on a farm. Ask them to think about things that farmers do and how a farmer s life might be similar or different to theirs. Do they think a farmer s job is hard? Why? Have they been to a farm? Do they know anyone who is a farmer? What kinds of things do the farmer and Bitzer have to do in the story? (See also Activity 4 on page 4 of these.) Playing Ask the students what kinds of things they do to have fun. What do they know about how animals have fun? How do the sheep in the story play? Do the students like doing these things too? Weather What is the weather like in the story? How do you need to dress in this weather? Do the 2

3 Class Activities (After Reading) Here are some activities to do with your class after reading Shaun the Sheep Save the Tree. 1. Make a Save the tree poster Materials: sheets of white paper or card; coloured pens / pencils / paints Discuss the beautiful big tree in the middle of the garden with the students. Why do the sheep love it? Does the farmer like the tree? Why does he want to cut it down? Why does he change his mind? Explain to the students that they are going to make a poster to protest against the farmer cutting down the tree. Encourage them to think of three reasons not to cut down the tree, e.g. it s beautiful, the sheep like playing in it. Hand out the materials and ask the students to design their posters. They should draw and colour a picture of the tree, add the title Save the tree and write down their three reasons against cutting down the tree. Allow them time to plan their designs and to create their posters. Go round the class and monitor the students work, helping out where necessary. When they have finished, invite students to present their posters to the class and discuss their reasons against cutting down the tree. If preferred, you could stage a protest march and have the students carrying their posters around the classroom chanting Save the tree, Save the tree. Display the posters around the classroom. 2. Make a sheep mask Materials: white card; pencils; black pens / markers / paints; white cotton wool; safety scissors; glue; string or elastic If possible before the session, make the mask following the instructions to show the students. Talk about the sheep in the story and tell the students that they are going to make sheep masks. Draw the template of the sheep mask on the board, as shown in the diagram on page 5 of these. Then hand out the materials. First, the students draw the mask shape on a piece of card, as per the template on the board. They cut out the mask shape and the eye holes. Next, they colour their mask and stick the cotton wool onto the head and ears of the sheep. Go round the class and help out where necessary. To make the mask ready to wear, the students hold up their mask and look through the eyes. Help the students make pencil marks on the sides of their mask where the holes for the string will go. Then they can make small holes where the pencil marks are by pushing a pencil through or using scissors, and then threading the string or elastic through the holes, tying knots near the holes so that the string or elastic stays securely in place. The students are now ready to wear their masks. Divide the class into groups of five or six to act out scenes from the story. Choose one child to be Bitzer, one to be the farmer, and the others can be the sheep, including Shaun. Select a suitable passage from the story and read it out, allowing the students to do the actions. Select more passages and have the students acting out more scenes. Give all the students the chance to play the role of the sheep. Ask for volunteers to perform their dialogue for the rest of the class wearing their masks. 3. A wood and paper survey Materials: paper; pencils; pictures of trees (optional) Brainstorm different ways in which trees help us 3

4 in our daily lives, e.g. give us energy, clean the air, help control the climate, give shelter, give homes to animals, give us wood and paper. Point out how important trees are to us, and that sometimes they need to be cut down for wood and paper. Ask the students to think about what things are made from the wood and paper we get from trees. Write these on the board, e.g. chairs, tables, books. Tell the students that they are going to do a survey of things made of wood and paper. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. The groups are going to circulate the classroom making a note of all the things they can find made of wood of paper. They should make a note of these. Extend the survey beyond the classroom, if appropriate, e.g. corridor, playground, gym. Go round the class and monitor the students work. When they have finished, the students should gather the information they have collected to present to the class. Write the following language on the board: (The fence) in (the playground) is made of (wood). The (magazines) on the (bookshelf) are made of (paper), etc. Invite groups to give their feedback and compare the different things that they have found. What is the most popular item? Who has found the most unusual item? 4. Make a farm collage Materials: a large sheet of paper or card; coloured pens / markers / paints; different coloured wool, material and tissue paper; plasticine; black pipe cleaners; cotton wool; empty cardboard boxes; sticky tape or glue; safety scissors; model / toy animals (optional) This is a whole class activity. Before the session, ask the students to bring bits and pieces from home that could be used for the farm collage, e.g. cotton wool, shiny material, cardboard boxes, string. 4 Talk about the different kinds of animals we can find on a farm. Ask: Are farms only for animals? What else can we find on a farm? What kinds of food / produce is grown on a farm? Tell the students that they are going to make a farm collage. Think about the farm before making the collage. Ask the students what they would like on the farm and write these ideas on the board. Then draw a sketch of the farm on the board to include the farmhouse, barns, animal pens, fields for grazing, fields for crops, etc. Lay out the large sheet of paper or card on the floor or over some desks. Explain to the students that they each will have a role in recreating the farm design that is on the board. Allocate some students to draw and paint the farm background. This includes the sky, grass and fields. Hand out the materials to groups of students, and allocate some to make the farm buildings, and some to make the animals. The farm buildings can be made from the boxes and painted appropriately. The animals can be made using the materials available, e.g. sheep can be made with cotton wool and black pipe cleaners for legs, other animals can be made using plasticine. Encourage the students to be as creative as possible with their designs, e.g. using yellow pieces of wool for straw to put in a barn, shiny aluminium paper for a duck pond. Allocate some other students to add detail to the farm background once it has been painted. This can include painting in the detail, sticking different materials onto the fields to give the effect of crops growing, etc. Bring all the elements of the farm together when ready. Discuss with the students the different aspects of the farm, e.g. what happens in the barn / stable, what is growing in a particular field, what a particular animal eats. Display the model of the farm in the classroom.

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6 Key words ago... The farmer is surprised because he remembers that happy face from a long time ago (p. 18) box... He opens the box but there is no wood in it. (p. 4) carve... The farmer carved the happy face into the tree because he loved the big tree. (p. 20) cut... They have to go and cut down a tree. (p. 5) fire... Brrrrrr! He is cold and he wants a big fire. (p. 3) firewood... The farmer and Bitzer look and look but they cannot find a good tree for firewood. (p. 8) grass... The farmer and Bitzer arrive and the sheep are quietly eating grass. (p. 10) hug... He forgets about the saw and he hugs the tree. (p. 21) lorry... They get into the old blue lorry and drive down the road. (p. 5) other... Up in the tree, Shaun looks at the other two sheep and they look at him. (p. 15) pen... The dog puts three of the sheep in the pen and closes the door after them. (p. 13) save... He and the other sheep have to save their favourite tree. (p. 11) saw... Shaun sees the saw. (p. 11) sheep... The farmer is away. Now the sheep can play. Hooray! (p. 6) swing... Other sheep play on the swings. (p. 7) 6 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

7 While-Reading activities Activity 1 (pages 3 5) Write T (True) or F (False). 1 The farmer is in his house. 2 The house is hot. 3 The farmer needs wood for the fire. 4 There is a lot of wood in the box. 5 The farmer needs to cut down a tree. 6 Bitzer and the farmer get into the new blue lorry. Activity 2 (pages 6 10) Tick 4 the correct answer. 1 When the farmer is away, the sheep a eat grass. b sleep. c play. 2 There are sheep in the a blue lorry. b big tree. c wood box. 3 The farmer and Bitzer can t find good trees. They are too a small and hard. b small and thin. c big and thin. 7 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

8 4 The farmer and Bitzer go back to the a house. b park. c shop. 5 When Shaun hears the lorry, he tells the a dog. b farmer. c sheep. Activity 3 (pages 11 15) Order the sentences. a The sheep stand in front of the farmer. b Shaun and the other two sheep jump down from the tree. c Bitzer puts some sheep in a pen. d Shaun sees the farmer with the saw. e The farmer sees the big tree. Activity 4 (pages 16 18) Circle the correct words 1 Shaun and the two sheep jump on Bitzer / the tree / the farmer. 2 The farmer is on the tree / grass / lorry. 3 The farmer can t move because the sheep are heavy / small / old. 4 Bitzer puts the sheep in the wood box / pen / house. 5 The sheep are happy / angry / afraid because they cannot save the tree. 6 The farmer carved the happy face in the tree this morning / when he was a boy / yesterday. 8 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

9 Pearson English Kids Readers Activity 5 (pages 19 22) Write the sentences under the correct pictures. a b c d The farmer played on the swing when he was a boy. The farmer carved the happy face into the tree. The farmer hugs the tree because he loves it. Bitzer plays music with the saw and the sheep listen happily Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

10 After-Reading activities Activity 1 Complete the crossword The farmer played on this when he was a boy. 2 You can burn this to make a fire. 3 Bitzer puts the sheep in this. 4 Someone who lives and works on a farm is called a. 5 Sheep like eating this. 6 The farmer uses this to cut trees. 7 The farmer keeps the firewood in this. 8 The farmer travels in this. 10 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

11 Activity 2 Match. Draw lines. 1 He wears glasses and a hat. a the other sheep 2 It is brown and green. b the farmer 3 He is small, white and black. c Bitzer 4 He is brown and has got long ears. d the big tree 5 They are big, white and black. e Shaun the sheep Activity 3 Where do these things happen? Write. tree house garden road pen 1 The farmer wakes up and he is cold. 2 The sheep eat the grass here. 3 Bitzer puts the sheep in it. 4 The farmer and Bitzer drive back to the farm along it. 5 The sheep swing on it. Activity 4 Circle when it happened. 1 The farmer wakes up. now / a long time ago 2 The sheep dance and sing around the tree. now / a long time ago 3 The farmer was a little boy. now / a long time ago 4 The dog makes music with the saw. now / a long time ago 5 The farmer carved the happy face in now / a long time ago the tree. 11 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

12 Activity 5 Draw a tree with places for the sheep to play. 12 Aardman material and TM Aardman / W&G Ltd.

13 Answer Key In the back of the Reader Before You Read 1 It s a funny story. (Discuss as a class.) 2 eat, run, sleep, jump After You Read 1 a the farmer b the farmer c Shaun the Sheep d Bitzer e the farmer f the farmer 2 a There is no wood. b The trees are not good for firewood. c The farmer sees the happy face. d The farmer and Bitzer try to cut the tree. 3 Students own answers. In these While-Reading activities Activity 1 1 T 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 T 6 F Activity 2 1 c 2 b 3 b 4 a 5 c Activity 3 The correct order is: e, d, a, c, b Activity 4 1 the farmer 2 grass 3 heavy 4 pen 5 afraid 6 when he was a boy Activity 5 1 c 2 a 3 d 4 b After-Reading activities Activity 1 1 s 2 w o o d i p e n f 5 g r a s 6 s r a m w 7 b e 8 l o r r y x 3 4 Activity 2 1 b 2 d 3 e 4 c 5 a Activity 3 1 house 2 garden 3 pen 4 road 5 tree Activity 4 1 now 2 now 3 a long time ago 4 now 5 a long time ago 13