Teaching notes and ideas
Name of resource:
Describing animals
Age group(s)
Subject(s)
8 to 11
Science
Topic
Language Level
Animal adaptations
Beginner
EAL Nexus
Description of resource
1 set of picture cards and 1 set of word cards (on PowerPoint)
3 substitution tables (also on PowerPoint)
Preparation needed
You will need:
 a copy of the picture and word cards for each pair or group of 4
 3 substitution tables per pair of learners
You will need to:
 print out the PowerPoint as 6 to-a-page handouts and cut up to form picture and
word flashcards as required.
 print out the substitution tables as A4 slides, or use electronically if preferred
Curriculum objectives
 describing animals
Language / literacy objectives
Functions
Structures
Describing
It’s got …… (It has got)
Has it got? Yes, it has, No, it hasn’t
It hasn’t got
It’s a … They’re…
Naming
It is
It isn’t
Which one is the …..?
This/that one is the …
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014
EAL Nexus
Vocabulary
Animals: lion, ant, polar bear, spider, frog, shark, kangaroo, camel
Numbers 1 to 9
Body parts: legs, skin, teeth
Adjectives: sharp, green, black, brown, white.
This resource could be used:
 as differentiation within class for an individual or group of EAL learners
 one to one or small group working with a teaching assistant in advance of a
lesson on this topic
Ideas for using the resource
What to do
Ideas for using the cards before doing the main speaking activities:
Introduce new vocabulary, model, and drill.
 Group chain drill
Learners pass the cards round the group, asking and answering What is it? It’s a
…..
 One to one
If it is an isolated beginner, lay the pictures face up on the table and simply point
to the picture and say Which one is the …..? then ‘What is it?’ or ‘’ and encourage
them to answer with ‘This/that one’ or ‘It’s a……..’ or
The main speaking activities
 Pairs: a matching activity. If your learners need a little more practice with naming
the key vocabulary, this game helps learners to practise them using ‘It’s a…’.
Key rule: Every time a learner picks up a card, they must say the relevant words.
e.g. ‘It’s a polar bear,’ or ‘They’re teeth.’
 Slap the table is a lively small group game for practising ‘It’s got’. Lay the
picture cards spread out and face up on the table. Demonstrate by describing an
animal. e.g. ‘It’s got eight legs’. The first player to guess the animal correctly
slaps the corresponding picture.
 Enquire and eliminate: this barrier game is for practising the question form ‘Has
it got?’ in pairs or in a small group. Learner A chooses an animal without saying
its name. Learner B asks 3 questions using substitution table 2, e.g. ‘Has it got
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014
EAL Nexus
eight legs?’ Learner B tries to guess the animal. When learner B has guessed the
animal correctly, both learners swap roles.
 Card on the head is a barrier game. This is played as a group activity or in pairs.
It is based on the game ‘Headbandz.’ Place an animal card on each learner’s
forehead, face out, so everybody in the group can see the card except the
learner, who is holding it to their own forehead. All students need take turns to
ask questions of each other e.g. ‘Has it got 8 legs?’. The aim is to be the first
person to guess their own animal.
Writing activities
 Substitution tables
These writing activities practise the target language structures and vocabulary.
Start by practising using substitution table 1 orally in pairs.
After oral practice, beginners could then write sentences using the substitution
table and numbered pictures.
Possible extension activities
These activities are designed to practise ‘It hasn’t got’ which is the negative
form of the structure ‘It’s got’.
 Reverse describe and guess is a barrier game
This is a similar game to Enquire and eliminate (above). Learner A describes
their chosen animal in the negative form and learner B has to guess the
animal.
e.g. Learner 1 says, ‘It hasn’t got six legs. It hasn’t got sharp teeth etc. It
hasn’t got black skin’. Learner B needs to try and guess the animal. You could
use substitution table 3 for this.
 Substitution table 3
In this substitution table, the learner has a choice of positive and negative
statements and it is used in the same way as substitution tables 1 and 2.
This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals
© British Council 2014