Animal sounds: listen and guess
A listening lesson. Children hear a sound from behind a screen, guess the animal, then become the animals themselves. They learn six animal names and the noise each one makes in English.
At a glance
- From
- Level 0, Little Steps English: Week 17, Farm animals
- Grammar
- A cow says moo.
- Key language
- cow, sheep, pig, duck, hen, dog / moo, baa, oink, quack, cluck, woof / What's that? It's a cow.
- Children make
- Children guess and name animals from sounds, act them out and draw their favourite.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
By the end of the lesson children can match six farm animals to the sound they make, and say the animal name when they hear the sound.
Success criteria for children
- I can listen and guess the animal.
- I can say the animal and its sound.
- I can draw the animal that makes a sound.
Timing: 30 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Meet the animals | Show each toy or picture, say its name and make its noise. |
| 5 to 13 | Guess the sound | Teacher hides behind a screen and makes a sound; children guess. |
| 13 to 19 | Be the animal | Move like each animal and make its noise when called. |
| 19 to 24 | Class farm picture | Children place animal pictures on a big paper farm and say the sound. |
| 24 to 28 | Worksheet: draw the animal | Draw the animal that makes each sound. |
| 28 to 30 | Goodbye sounds | Leave making the sound of the animal on your card. |
Materials
- A screen, a box or a big book to hide behind
- Six animal toys or pictures (cow, sheep, pig, duck, hen, dog)
- A large sheet of paper for a class farm
- One worksheet per child, crayons and pencils
- Farm animals flashcards (free, linked from Week 17)
- Song: Old MacDonald had a farm (free, linked from Week 17)
- StoryWeaver picture books (free, linked from Week 17)
Before the lesson: Practise making each animal sound clearly: moo, baa, oink, quack, cluck, woof. Put the six pictures face down in a pile.
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minMeet the animals
- Hold up the cow. "A cow. Moo!" Children copy the word and the sound.
- Do all six. Show the picture, say the name once, make the sound with a big face. Do not use full sentences yet.
"This is a cow. Moo! What does a pig say? Oink!"
- (Hold up the pig.) Does a pig say moo? (No.) What does it say? (Oink.)
5 to 13 minGuess the sound
- Go behind the screen and make one animal sound. Children whisper the guess to a friend, then shout it together.
- Show the picture when they are right. Do all six, then repeat a few in a different order.
- Choose children to make the sounds behind the screen while the class guesses.
"Listen... what's that? Is it a cow? Is it a duck? It's a duck! Quack, quack."
- Can we see the animal? (No.) Can we hear it? (Yes.) What is it? (Animal name.)
13 to 19 minBe the animal
- Call an animal. Children move like it (waddle for the duck, flap for the hen, trot for the dog) and make its sound.
- Say "Freeze!" and pick an animal. Children say its sound together.
19 to 24 minClass farm picture
- Spread a big sheet of paper and draw a simple field with a pond and a barn.
- Each child chooses an animal picture, says its name and its sound, and sticks it on the paper.
24 to 28 minWorksheet: draw the animal
- Read each sound label aloud. Children draw the animal and say its name. Children who finish colour it.
28 to 30 minGoodbye sounds
- Give each child a picture card. They make the sound as they leave.
Differentiation
Support
- Teach only three animals first (cow, pig, duck).
- Keep the six pictures visible on the board while children guess.
- Let the child choose the animal picture rather than guess from sound alone.
Stretch
- Ask "What's that?" and answer "It's a cow."
- Add horse (neigh) and cat (miaow).
- Play a sound sequence of two animals and ask which came first.
Listening script
Read aloud, pausing after each sound for the children to guess. The sounds are written as they are said in English.
It is morning on the farm. I hear a sound. Moo! Moo! Who is it? It is a cow.
I hear another sound. Baa! Baa! Who is it? It is a sheep.
Now I hear a funny sound. Oink! Oink! Who is it? It is a pig.
Something is on the pond. Quack! Quack! Who is it? It is a duck.
Look in the hen house. Cluck! Cluck! Who is it? It is a hen.
And the farm dog says Woof! Woof! Good morning, farm!
Questions
- What animal says moo?
- What animal says oink?
- What animal is on the pond?
- What does the dog say?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Draw the animal
A grown-up says each sound. Children draw the animal that makes it.
1. Draw the animal.
2. Draw the animal.
3. Colour one circle for each sound you made today.
Answer key
Listening script questions
- A cow.
- A pig.
- A duck.
- Woof.
Worksheet
- 1: moo = cow, quack = duck, oink = pig. Accept simple drawings with the right features (horns, beak, curly tail).
- 2: baa = sheep, cluck = hen, woof = dog.
- 3: any number up to 6; accept the child's own count (all six sounds were practised).
Exit ticket
Make an animal sound at the door and ask each child "What is it?" Tick: named it, pointed to it, not yet.
Homework
Make three animal sounds to a family member and ask them to guess. Say the animal names in English.
Teaching this to a whole class?
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Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 0, Week 17: Farm animals (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.