There is a Boy
in the Girls’ Bathroom
- Teacher Book -
Bathroom
Teacher Book

Part I 
Teacher’s Guide and Teaching Plan
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Description
Students read an excerpt of There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom
(Chapters 6 and 7). They do a reading comprehension and
vocabulary exercises. Then they focus on language about giving
directions. After that they do some activities about going to a new
school and friendship
The Story
Bradley Chalkers is a troublemaker and a bully in his school. Jeff
Fishkin is a newcomer, and he tries to make friends with Bradley.
With Miss Carla Davis, the new counselor’s help, Bradley begins
to change into a good and popular boy.
Learning Targets
Generic Skills and
Attitudes
Objectives
Language Focus
Activities and
Skills Focused
Knowledge dimension
Interpret information
Present information
Interpersonal dimension
Participate in discussions
Experience
Write or speak in different
imaginary situations
1. Collaboration skills
2. Creativity
3. Communication skills
Student are able
1. To understand the text and vocabulary of the excerpt.
2. To practise the language about giving directions.
3. To practise using the structure: by + present participle.
4. To practise speaking and writing in imaginary situations.
Vocabulary
Names of people in school
Names of places in school
Verbs describing body movements
Grammar
by + present participle
Function
Giving directions
Text Type
Narrative
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Reading a text – whole-class work
Understanding the text and vocabulary – whole-class work
Language focus – whole-class work
Drawing a poster – pair work, group work
Prediction –group work
Writing an entry in diary – individual work
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7. Role play – pair work
8. Project – group work
9. Book mark competition – individual work
Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excerpt from the story There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom
Reading comprehension exercise
Vocabulary exercise
Worksheet on giving directions
Worksheet on sentence structure: by + present participle
Suggested additional activities
Catering for
Learner Diversity
The two units can be done together with more capable students, or
separately with weaker students. If they are done separately, relevant
post-reading activities can be done after each unit.
For weaker students, the teacher can provide more examples in the
following before students attempt the tasks given:
 reading comprehension
 vocabulary
 grammar focus
 writing
 speaking
 For pair work and group discussions, more able students can be
put together with weaker ones so they can help the latter
complete the tasks more easily.
A few additional activities are included for students of higher abilities
in English and greater creativity.
More capable students can also be encouraged to read the whole story
afterwards.
Suggested Number
of Lessons
10
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1.
Teacher Book
Reading



The two units can be done together or separately, depending on the ability of the
students.
The first unit focuses on how a new student looks for a particular place in a school.
The second unit focuses on the school counselor’s advice to the student on how to
make friends in a new environment.
Pre-reading activities
 Ask students questions about their experiences in a new place, e.g. a new flat, a new
school, a tourist spot.
 Introduce the story by going over the gist of the story with students.
 Ask students to predict what would happen to Jeff in the new school.
Post-reading activities
 Do the reading comprehension.
 Do the vocabulary exercises.
 Do the grammar exercises.
 Do the extended activities.
2.
Language Focus
Giving directions
 Start by telling students to go to certain places in the classroom.
 Ask them for the prepositions and other phrases that can be used when giving
directions.
 Do the speaking exercise.
By + present participle
 Ask students to study the form used in the excerpt.
 Ask them to work in pairs to come up with more examples for the writing task.
3.
Additional Activities
Prediction
 Ask students to predict what would happen to Jeff later in the story, and what Carla
could do to help Jeff and Bradley.
 Encourage them to read the whole story to find out what happens.
Writing
 Tell students to brainstorm for ideas before they write on their own.
 Tell students to be creative. They can be humorous and imaginative.
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Project
 Tell students to work in small groups.
 Tell them to think of what they expected to know and what problems they had when
they first came to this secondary school. This would help them work out a good
orientation programme for new students.
 The final products can be displayed on the notice boards.
4.
Competition


Show students some pictures of the “Love is …” comics. (Visit following website for
comics: http://www.comicspage.com/loveis/)
The final products can be displayed on the notice boards.
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
Part II 
Student Book with Answer Key
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Reading
Comprehension
1.
What are Jeff’s problems at the new school?
Places in school
Friends
Class teacher
2.

Cannot find the places.

Goes into girls’ bathroom by mistake.

Has no friends because he is new in the school.

The kids in his class call him Fishface.

Tries to make friends with Bradley, who is a
troublemaker and nobody likes him.

Bradley tells him to give him a dollar or he will spit on
him.

She says nobody likes sitting with Bradley out loud
right in front of the whole class, which must hurt him.
He thinks she is wrong to do that.
What does Carla Davis do to make Jeff feel easy and to make friends with him?
What she does
before she talks to
him

She smiles and holds out her hand.
How she says he
can help her

She says that it is hard for her to make friends with the
teachers, and that they can share their experiences
and learn from each other.
How she wants
him to call her

She wants him to call her Carla, not Miss Davis.
What she promises 
to do about what
he tells her
She says she will not tell anyone what he tells her.
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Character
Study
Character
Jeff Fishkin
Bradley
Chalkers
Carla Davis
Adjectives to
describe him/her*
Evidence
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Your drawing of
him/her
* Adjectives for your consideration:
friendly
unfriendly
cool
warm
kind
unkind
helpful
troublesome
careful
careless
caring
cunning
lazy
hardworking
shy
sociable
clever
foolish
honest
dishonest
optimistic
pessimistic
skilful
clumsy
interesting
boring
patient
impatient
sincere
insincere
active
inactive
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Vocabulary
& Exercises
1.
People in the school
The excerpt from the story introduces the following people we see in the school:
student, teacher, class teacher, principal, counselor
There are also different people in schools in Hong Kong. Do you know all of the
people below?
In the following table, match the people with the descriptions.
People
Answer
Description
1.
Principal
e
a. cleans the blackboard
2.
Clerk
c
b. teaches students a subject
3.
IT technician
f
c. works in the General Office
4.
Monitor
J
d. tells students to behave themselves
5.
Laboratory
technician
k
e. is head of the school
6.
Janitor
l
f. helps with computer matters
7.
Prefect
i
g. gives advice to students with problems
8.
Day steward
a
h. helps to look after the library
9.
Librarian
h
i. is a student leader in school
10. Counselor
g
j. helps teachers look after matters in a class
11. Teacher
b
k. prepares apparatus of experiments
12. Discipline Master
d
l. cleans the school campus
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2.
Teacher Book
Places in school
The excerpt introduces many places in the school: hall (corridor), counselor’s office,
bathroom, storage room
There are many other places in a school. Look at the following pictures. In what
parts of the school do you usually see these things? You may choose the answers
from the list under the pictures.
General office
Library
Canteen
Corridor
Principal’s office
Hall
Toilet
Staff room
Computer room
Playground
Laboratory
Music room
School gate
Classroom
Art room
H. E. room
Medical room
Counselor’s office
Places in the school:
a. Hall
b. Principal’s office
c. Staff room
d. General office
e. Laboratory
f. Playground
g. Counselor’s office
h. Library
i. School gate
j. Medical room
k. Corridor
l. Toilet / bathroom
m. Canteen / tuck shop
n. Computer room
o. Music room
p. Art room
q. Home economics room
r. Classroom
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3.
Teacher Book
Verbs describing body movements
There are many verbs describing how people move.
Here are some examples used in the excerpt of the story:

A teacher carrying a stack of papers stepped out of a door and Jeff hurried up to her.

Go down this hall to the end, turn right.

Jeff froze. He covered his face with his hands, then dashed out the door.

He raced down the hall. Suddenly his feet slipped out from under him. He waved his
arms wildly as he tried to keep his balance, then flopped down on the floor.

He rounded the corner, then spotted what looked like some kind of storage room.

He ducked inside and closed the door behind him.

He spun around.
Exercises
i.
Do you know all the following words? Match the words with the pictures.
a. sit
b. walk
c. stand
d. fall
e. nod
f. jump
g. hurry
h. slip
i. lean
j. tremble
k. duck
l. spin
m. kneel
n. bow
o. dash
p. turn
q. rise
r. freeze
fall
lean
sit
tremble
bow
duck
slip
walk
hurry
stand
dash
freeze
jump
spin
kneel
turn
rise
nod
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ii.
Teacher Book
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with suitable words from the list
above. Remember to put the verbs in the correct forms.
Tony Chan’s First Public Speaking Experience
It was an important school day for Tony Chan. He had to present a
speech on stage in morning assembly. As it was his first experience in
public speaking, he had rehearsed his speech many times, and was
ready for the performance. When the principal introduced him, he
__rose__ from his seat and __hurried__ down the aisle in great
confidence. However, as he __walked__ up to the stage, the stairs were
a little wet and he almost __slipped__. Some students laughed. He
began to feel nervous. As he __stood__ before the microphone, he
began to __tremble__, and his mind was blank.
He fished his note card out from his trouser pocket, but the notecard
fell down on the stage floor. He __knelt__ down to pick it up. There was
more laughter from the audience. But the worst was yet to come. As he
got up, he knocked the microphone over, and it fell down to the students
in the first row. A boy handed it back to him, but by now the whole
audience was laughing loudly.
He tried to keep calm and began his speech, “Ladies and
gentlemen, …” But he could not go on. He whole body __froze__, his
head __was spinning__, and he felt he was going to __fall__ on the
stage. He had to __lean__ against the lectern for support.
But then he remembered his form teacher had told him how to overcome
nervousness on stage: take a few deep breaths. So he did that, and
started again. This time he was able to continue. And as he spoke on, his
confidence returned and he was able to finish the whole speech, without
even referring to his note card.
After the speech, there was thunderous applause. He __bowed__ to
the audience. His eyes met those of his form teacher among the
audience. She was smiling and __nodding__ her head to show he had
done a good job. After saying “Thank you” to the audience, Tony
__turned__ round and walked down the stairs. He __dashed__ back to
his seat and __sat__ down, feeling completely relieved.
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Teacher Book
Grammar Focus
& Exercises
1.
Positions and directions
Jeff asks a teacher for help in the hall (corridor) when he is looking for the school
counselor’s office.

Write “X” in the room to show where it is according to the teacher’s first
instruction.

Write “C” in the room to show where it is according to the teacher’s new
instruction.

Draw the route Jeff takes to show how he enters the girls’ bathroom. Write
“G” in the girls’ bathroom.

Draw the route Jeff takes to show how he finally enters the school
counselor’s office.
Red line = first
instruction (Go down
this hall to the end, turn
right, and it’s the third
door on your left.)
X
Rooms
Hall
(corridor)
Blue line = route to girls’
bathroom (He walked toRooms
the end of the hall, turned
right, counted to the
second door on his left,
and pushed it open.)
G
T = teacher
Orange line = new instruction
Rooms
J = Jeff
(Turn around and go back the
way you just came, then turn left
at the end of the hall and it’s the
second door on your right.)
T
J
C
Rooms
Green line = route to Counselor’s
Office (He raced down the hall…He
heard someone coming and hurried
off in the opposite direction. He
rounded the corner, then spotted what
looked like some kind of storage
room…He ducked inside.)
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Teacher Book
Oral
Giving directions to someone on how to get to a place
Look at the map below. Janet and Susan are at the school gate.
Read the dialogue between the two students.
Janet: Excuse me, Tim, can you tell me how to get to the library?
Susan: Yes, of course. Go down the street. Turn right at the corner. Then go
straight on to Yellow Road. It’s at the corner, opposite the park.
Janet: Thank you.
Susan: You’re welcome.
Useful words and phrases:

At the corner, next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of, at the end, on the
left, on the right
School
ORANGE
STREET
Public
Library
The
girls
are
here
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YELLOW ROAD
Go down, turn right, turn left, go straight on, go in the opposite direction
PURPLE ROAD

Park
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Teacher Book
Pair Work I
Student A
You are at an MTR station, and you want to go to some places. Ask your partner
how to get there. Use the map below.
1. The VCD shop
2. The car park
3. The bank
Your partner will ask you how to get to some other places. Tell him/her how to get
there.
Useful words and phrases:

Go down, turn right, turn left, go straight on, go in the opposite direction

At the corner, next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of, at the end, on
the left, on the right
Post
Office
PURPLE ROAD
MTR
station
Coffee
shop
Hospital
ORANGE
STREET
Shop
-ping
Mall
Library
YELLOW ROAD
Kindergarten
Park
YOU
ARE
HERE
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Teacher Book
Pair Work II
Student B
You are at an MTR station, and you want to go to some places. Ask your partner
how to get there. Use the map below.
1.
The coffee shop
2.
The post office
3.
The school
Your partner will ask you how to get to some other places. Tell him/her how to get
there.
Useful words and phrases:

Go down, turn right, turn left, go straight on, go in the opposite direction

At the corner, next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of, at the end, on
the left, on the right
KinderWords describing positions (e.g. at the end, in the opposite direction, on the left, right)
garten
MTR
station
Shoe
shop
ORANGE
STREET
Bank
Library
YELLOW ROAD
Bookshop
PURPLE ROAD
Car park
Park
YOU
ARE
HERE
Clinic
Restaurant
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VCD
shop
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Teacher Book
Activity
Advice on making friends
Carla gives this advice to Jeff on how to build a friendship with Bradley: “That’s the real way
to build a friendship: by talking, and by being honest and by sharing your feelings.”
Note the pattern that Carla uses in her advice: by + present participle of a verb
i.
Think of a few more things we can do to build a friendship using the same pattern.
Draw a poster containing the advice.
How to Build a Friendship
1.
by talking
2.
by being honest
3.
by sharing your feelings
4.
by …
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Writing: Carla asked Jeff to help her make friends with other teachers. Write Jeff’s
advice to Carla on a list of do’s and don’ts.

“Friendship is …” bookmark design competition: Design a bookmark with both words
and a picture like the one below to show what friendship means to you.
Friendship is standing under
the same umbrella in the
rain.
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Further Activities
1.
What would happen to Jeff?
Oral: Predict what would happen to Jeff and report to the whole class.
2.

Would his entry into the girls’ bathroom be found out? Would he be
punished?

What would the girl do when she sees him next time?

What would he do when he sees the girl next time?

Would he continue his friendship with Bradley?
What could Carla do to help the students?
Oral: Discuss the following and report to the whole class.
3.

Carla has given a lot of advice to Jeff, what else do you think she could do
to help him?

What could Carla do to help Bradley Chalkers, who causes troubles in
school and whom nobody likes?
Mysterious places
Writing exercises:
1.
4.
Write an entry into your diary about a boy/girl going into a girls’/boys’
bathroom. You might include the following points:

What would you do if you saw a boy/girl in the girls’/boys’ bathroom?

What would you feel about him/her?

What would you do next time you saw him/her?
2.
Write an imaginary story about yourself entering the boys’/girls’ bathroom
by accident.
3.
Write a composition about the places in the school you would like to see
that you have never entered, and what you think you would see there.
My first day at school
Brainstorming on going to a new school:

funny or memorable things you did or saw on the first days of school

things you liked and disliked when you first came to this school

problems you had when you first came to this school

problems you have now
Oral: role play between school counselor and student who has a problem at
school.
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5.
Teacher Book
Handbook for new students
You have been asked by your teacher to produce a handbook for new F.1
students to help them get used to the new school. What would you include in
the handbook?
You may consider the following:

Background and history of the school

People in the school

Places and facilities in the school

Timetable and subjects in F.1

School uniform

Clubs/school activities
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