Tell the story of the little guy using all the words on the right:

Next, add some more details to the story:

 1. Once upon a time, ocean cruise, accident
 2. How long was he alone?
 3. He thought to himself: “I wish I could …”
 4. One day, he noticed a bottle. He felt …
 5. He thought the message might be from …
 6. He started reading it. What did it say?
 7. He felt …
 8. Then he noticed the small print. What did it say?
 9. After reading it, he cried out: …
 10. What was the irony about the message?
Finally, add some “story phrases” to the story:
Follow-up ideas

The story can be used to practice “I wish” sentences, e.g.:

How does the little guy feel? Write sentences starting with ”I wish” to describe his feelings.

... picture I wish ……………………………………………………………………………………….

… picture ..…………………………………………………………………………………………….

… picture ..…………………………………………………………………………………………….

… picture ..…………………………………………………………………………………………….

… picture ..…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Continue the story from the last picture:

“But then he kept reading and noticed the small print saying “today only.” How tragic. He cried
out in pain, “If I were at home, I could eat as much Tacos as I want, but I’m stuck here and this
voucher is only good for today.” Why can’t somebody save me? And then, all of a sudden, …
Sample story (short)

Sample Story (long)

Once upon a time, a little guy went to sail on his boat. One day there was a horrible storm and his boat
sank. Luckily, there was a small desert island in the ocean, which saved his life. He was stranded (=stuck)
on the island alone for 6 months. All this time, he kept thinking about having Tacos in his favorite Mexican
restaurant. Often he thought to himself, “I wish I could be home and eat Tacos until I pass out. That would
be so beautiful.” One day, unexpectedly, he spotted (=noticed) something afloat the water in the distance.
Some time later, the thing got closer and he could make out (=see) that it was a bottle. All of a sudden, he
felt extremely excited. He was just dying to get hold of it. You see, that bottle was the first thing that
happened in 6 months, so his excitement was only natural. Soon enough, the bottle washed ashore on his
island. Immediately, the little guy grabbed the bottle, and he could see a message inside. “What could it
be?,” he thought. “It could be from my company to tell me they’re laying me off.” Then he took out the note
and started reading it. It turned out that the note was actually a food voucher (=a ticket for free food) from
his favorite Mexican restaurant. It said in large capitals: FREE TACOS. Suddenly, the little guy felt a new
burst (=wave) of energy. He thought, “I could use this voucher and eat as many Tacos as I want.”
Determined, he promised himself, “I will stay alive to use this free Tacos voucher.” His saliva (=the water in
one’s mouth) started filling his mouth and he could almost taste the Tacos as if it was real. But then he kept
reading and noticed the small print saying “today only.” How tragic. He cried out in pain, “If I were at home,
I could eat as much Tacos as I want, but I’m stuck here and this voucher is only good for today. Why can’t
somebody save me?” And then, all of a sudden …