My Favourite Animal

Language level:Pre-intermediate (A2) to

Intermediate(B1)
Learner type: All ages
Time: 60 minutes
Activity: Listening and speaking
Topic: Animals and nature
Language: Animal vocabulary
Materials: 2 short films
Overview

This lesson is based on a beautiful animated short

film My Favourite Animal by Lara Lee, and a short
promotional film for the World Wildlife Fund The
World is Where we Live. The lesson practises
animal vocabulary, listening and speaking. It
works particularly well with younger learners, but
is also suitable for older learners.

Step 1 Warmer
As a warmer to introduce the theme of animals,
tell your students they are going to do an animal
A-Z. Ask one student to name an animal which
begins with the letter A, then the next student
has to name an animal beginning with the letter
etc. until you’ve done the whole alphabet. Help
students with more difficult letters.

Step 2
Ask your students what vocabulary they know
related to different parts of animals. Elicit this
vocabulary.
Pre-teach vocabulary which is the same for animals
and humans. For example:

skin leg arms head face ears

nose mouth eyes

Give some vocabulary which is used just for

My Favourite Animal

animals. For example:

fur tail mane hoof

udder fin trunk beak
wing pouch

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Step 3
Describe your favourite animal to your students
using vocabulary in Step 2 but without naming the
animal, they have to guess the animal. Put your
students into pairs and tell them to describe
their favourite animal without naming it.

Step 4
Tell your students they are going to listen to 3
children describing their favourite animals. Ask
them to listen and write down the name of the
animal and any words they understand which the
child uses to describe the animal. Play the video
with no images, so don’t turn the projector on.
After listening ask your students to compare their
answers.

Link: http://vimeo.com/19066883

Get feedback from your students. Students should

mention some of the following information:

1. Nadia- a horse: a long nose, different colours,

hoofs, mane, tail

2. Mia – a cow: black, white, brown, thin and

round udders

3. Johnny- a kangaroo: does karate, hops, big

My Favourite Animal

ears, nose

Step 5
Now show the video to your students and ask them
what they think of the children’s descriptions and
the artist’s illustrations.

Link: http://vimeo.com/19066883

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Step 6
Write the following question on the board:

If you could be an animal, which animal would you

be?

Tell them to work in pairs and discuss the

questions giving reasons for their choice.

Step 7
Ask your students the following question:

What have humans and animals got in common?

Put them in small groups and give them 5 minutes
to discuss the question. After 5 minutes get
feedback.

Step 8
Tell your students they are going to watch a short
film which illustrates the similarity between
humans and animals. Ask them to notice the
connections between humans, animals and their
environment in each of the clips.

Link: http://vimeo.com/26068168

Step 9
Get feedback, and then watch the film again, but
this time pausing to show each of the 11 clips.
My Favourite Animal

Ask students to describe each clip and discuss its

meaning. Alternatively, you could show them 8
screen captures in the PowerPoint presentation
below.

Link: http://www.slideshare.net/kierandonaghy/the-world-where-we-live-wwf

You can also view the slides in the attached

PowerPoint. Get feedback and ask what the message
of the film is.

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