Where is the cat? Listen and draw
Children learn five prepositions with real classroom objects, then listen to a description and draw a messy bedroom exactly right.
At a glance
- From
- Level 1, Next Steps English: Week 10, Position and location
- Grammar
- prepositions of place
- Key language
- in, on, under, next to, behind / Where is the...? It's in / on / under the... / bed, table, chair, box, cupboard
- Children make
- A bedroom picture drawn from a spoken description.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Children understand and use five prepositions of place to say where things are.
Success criteria for children
- I can understand in, on, under, next to and behind.
- I can draw what I hear.
- I can ask "Where is...?" and answer.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Warm-up: furniture | Review home words with quick board drawings. |
| 5 to 17 | Teach the prepositions | Move a toy around a box; children say where it is. |
| 17 to 23 | Total physical response | Children put a pencil in, on, under their pencil case or book. |
| 23 to 38 | Listen and draw | Teacher reads Ben's bedroom twice; children draw the objects. |
| 38 to 50 | Speaking: Where is it? | Pairs ask and answer about the picture; then a hide-and-find game. |
| 50 to 60 | Writing and exit ticket | Complete task 2 sentences; exit question. |
Materials
- A box (any box or a bag) and a small toy or a rubber
- Worksheet, pencils and crayons
- Prepositions of place (free, linked from Week 10)
- Grammar practice (free, linked from Week 10)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minWarm-up: furniture
- Draw a bed, table, chair and cupboard fast on the board. Children shout the word as soon as they know it.
5 to 17 minTeach the prepositions
- Put the toy in the box: "It's in the box." Repeat with on, under, next to, behind.
- Drill each one with a hand action (cupped hands for in, flat hand on top for on, and so on).
- Move the toy and ask "Where is it?" Rows answer in turn.
"Where is the toy? It's... under the box! Show me under with your hands."
- (Toy on the box.) Can I see the toy? (Yes.) Is it in the box? (No, on.)
- (Toy behind the box.) Can you see it? (No, or a little.) Where is it? (Behind.)
17 to 23 minTotal physical response
- Say "Put your pencil on your book." Children move it. Speed up. Then a child gives the instructions.
23 to 38 minListen and draw
- Children look at the empty bedroom in task 1. Name the furniture together first.
- Read the listening script slowly. Pause after each sentence so children can draw.
- Read it again for checking. Children compare with a partner: "Where is the cat?" "It's under the bed."
- Draw the answers on the board for children to check.
"Listen and draw. Don't colour yet. Ready? Number one..."
38 to 50 minSpeaking: Where is it?
- Pairs ask and answer about everything in the picture.
- Game: one child hides the toy in the classroom while a volunteer waits outside. The class guides with "It's under... It's next to..."
50 to 60 minWriting and exit ticket
- Children complete task 2. Then see the exit ticket below.
Differentiation
Support
- Draw the five hand actions on the board as pictures.
- Let children point to where things go before they draw.
- Read the script a third time, one sentence at a time, for a small group.
Stretch
- Add "between" and "in front of".
- Children write their own three-sentence picture for a partner to draw.
- Use plurals: "The books are on the shelf."
Listening script
Read slowly, twice. Children draw on the empty room in task 1.
This is Ben's bedroom. It is very messy!
One. The cat is under the bed.
Two. The ball is on the chair.
Three. The book is next to the lamp, on the table.
Four. The shoes are in the box.
Five. The teddy is behind the door.
Ben, please tidy your room!
Questions
- Where is the cat?
- Where is the ball?
- What is next to the lamp?
- Where are the shoes?
- Where is the teddy?
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.
Where is it?
Ben's room has a door, a bed, a chair, a table with a lamp and a box.
1. Listen and draw: cat, ball, book, shoes, teddy.
2. Look at your picture. Write in, on, under, next to or behind.
- The cat is the bed.
- The ball is the chair.
- The book is the lamp.
- The shoes are the box.
- The teddy is the door.
Answer key
Listening script questions
- Under the bed.
- On the chair.
- The book.
- In the box.
- Behind the door.
Worksheet
- 1: cat under the bed; ball on the chair; book next to the lamp on the table; shoes in the box; teddy behind the door (a small part showing is fine).
- 2: under; on; next to; in; behind.
Exit ticket
Hold up a pencil case and a pencil. Put the pencil in five places. Children write the preposition on a slip each time (or show with the hand action). Collect the slips and check.
Homework
Draw your own bedroom or a room at home. Write three sentences: "My bag is under my bed."
Teaching this to a whole class?
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Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 1, Week 10: Position and location (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.