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Pearson EnglishT ch
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Pearson English Kids Readers
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Level 4
Suitable for: young learners who have
completed up to 200 hours
of study in English
Type of English: American
Headwords: 800
Key words: 15 (see pages 2 and 5 of
these Teacher’s Notes)
Key grammar: past simple of common
irregular verbs, could,
going to, irregular adverbs
of manner

Background information
The Lion King is an animated adventure movie
Summary of the story created by Walt Disney Productions. It was first
Simba is a lion cub. His father, Mufasa, is king of released in 1994 and was the 32nd feature-length
the Pride Lands. Mufasa’s brother, Scar, wants to animated movie from Disney.
be the next king. He tricks Simba into going to a
It was the first Disney animated film to be based
dangerous place outside the Pride Lands. Simba
on an original story idea, and not on an existing
and his best friend, Nala, go to the dangerous
work. Most of the movie was created using
place. When some hyenas attack, Mufasa is there
traditional hand-drawn animation. A few scenes
to rescue them.
contain some computer animation, such as the
Scar then takes Simba into a deep valley. A wildebeest stampede.
stampede of wildebeests is about to kill him when
The movie won two Academy Awards®, one for
Mufasa again rescues Simba. As they escape, Scar
Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song,
pushes Mufasa into the stampede and Mufasa
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? The songs in the film
dies. Simba doesn’t see this happen – he thinks
were written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice.
he caused his father’s death. Simba runs far away
from the Pride Lands. Timon (a meerkat) and
Pumbaa (a warthog) become his friends.
Did you know … ?
Years later, Nala is hunting in the jungle and finds The animators traveled to Kenya to study
Simba. She persuades him to return to the Pride real animals before working on the film.
Lands. Life there is terrible now that Scar is king.
Many of the animal names in the films are
At first, Simba refuses, but then he hears Mufasa’s
Swahili. For example, Simba means ‘brave
voice. He understands that he cannot run from the
lion’, and Nala means ‘gift’ in Swahili.
past anymore.
The Lion King stage show opened on
Simba returns home. He discovers that Scar killed Broadway, New York City, in 1997. It is
Mufasa. Simba defeats Scar and becomes the true one of Broadway’s longest running shows.
king of the Pride Lands. He thus completes the
Circle of Life that Mufasa told him about as a young
cub.

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Pearson English Kids Readers
The characters
Mufasa is a lion. He is king of the Pride Lands.
Simba is a young lion. He is Mufasa’s son.
Scar is Mufasa’s brother. He wants to be king.
Nala is a young lioness. She is Simba’s best friend.
Pumbaa is a warthog who lives in the jungle.
Timon is a meerkat. He is Pumbaa’s best friend.
Topics and themes
Africa The story is a good starting point for
learning about Africa. Do the students know
where Africa is on a world map? What countries
are in Africa? What products come from Africa?
(See also Activity 1 on page 3 of these Teacher’s
Notes.)
African animals Ask the students to say which
animals are in the story. Have any students seen
the film? What other animals are in the film? What
habitats do the animals live in? (See also Activity 1
on page 3 of these Teacher’s Notes.)
Language The story could be used as inspiration
for writing poems, chants, or song lyrics. You could
obtain the movie soundtrack and play some of the
songs. The students could then write their own
song, poem, or chant based on the story.
Friendship Simba has several true friends – Nala,
Pumbaa, and Timon. How do these characters
show their friendship to Simba? What are the
qualities of a true friend?
Royalty Mufasa is the Lion King. His successor is
his son, Simba. Do the students understand this
succession? Do they know anything else about
royal families in the modern world or from history?
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Teacher’s Notes
Key words
(see page 5 of these Teacher’s Notes for the Key
words in context)
bone (n) safe (adj)
dead (adj) secret (adj)
desert (n) stampede (n)
hyena (n) valley (n)
king (n) voice (n)
lioness (n) warthog (n)
meerkat (n) wildebeest (n)
return (v)
Betrayal Scar betrays his brother, Mufasa, and
his nephew, Simba, in order to become king. Ask
the students to explain how and why this happens
in the story. Can the students think of any other
examples of betrayal in fiction or in history?
Responsibility Ask the students why Simba runs
away from his responsibilities as the Lion King?
Why does he return to the Pride Lands in the end?
What responsibilities would the Lion King have?
What responsibilities do the students have?
The great Circle of Life Mufasa talks about this
in the story. Explain to the students that he is
talking about how every part of the natural world
depends on the other and should be respected. He
is also referring to natural cycles, such as birth
and death, and how everyone and everything is
connected. (See also Activity 4, on page 4 of these
Teacher’s Notes.)
Stars Mufasa shows Simba the lion kings of the
past in the stars. Do the students know anything
about the stars and constellations? Perhaps
download a star chart from the internet and show
them the formation of one or two constellations.
Art The story could be used to inspire a variety of
art projects, such as animal masks, collages, wax-
resist paintings, scratchboard art, etc. (See also
Activity 3, on pages 3–4 of these Teacher’s Notes.)
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Pearson English Kids Readers
Class Activities (After Reading)
Here are some activities to do with your class
after reading The Lion King.
1. Kenya project
Materials: atlas, globe, or map of the world;
pictures of Kenya downloaded from the internet;
large sheets of colored paper; sheets of white
paper; colored pens or pencils; glue; scissors
• Before the session, find out some information
about Kenya (its capital city, population,
important geographical features, flag, wildlife,
etc.)
• Ask the students where Kenya is (East Africa).
Can anyone point to Kenya on the map or
globe?
• Explain that the animators that worked on
The Lion King spent time in Kenya studying the
animals.
• Ask the students if they know anything else
about Kenya. Tell the students some additional
facts and information. Show them some pictures
from the internet.
• Give a large sheet of colored paper to each
student. Give each group of students some
sheets of white paper, the colored pens or
pencils, glue, and scissors.
• The students then make a poster about Kenya.
They could include some facts about the country
then illustrate their poster with their own
drawings of animals, the Kenyan flag, etc. or
downloaded photos.
2. Shadow puppet theater
Materials: cereal boxes (the students could bring
these from home); tape; sheets of thin white paper;
card; scissors; black paint; paint brushes; straws /
craft sticks / skewers; a desk lamp
• Before the session, make the puppet theater and
some sample puppets:
– Take a cereal box and tape it up so that it is
sturdy and strong.
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Teacher’s Notes
– Draw a large rectangle on both sides of the
box about 3–4 centimeters in from the edge
of the box.
– Cut out the rectangles, then tape a sheet of
thin white paper inside one of the rectangular
holes (this will be the screen for the puppets).
– Using the card you cut away, or thicker card,
draw the outlines of two or three of the
characters from the story. (You could copy
them from the book.)
– Cut out the characters, paint them black on
one side, then attach the other side to a straw
/ craft stick / skewer.
• Test out the puppets, using a desk lamp shining
into the box.
• Show the students your shadow puppet theater
for them to make their own in pairs or small
groups.
• The students decide which scene from the story
they would like to act out using the puppet
theater.
• Go round the class as they make their theaters
and puppets. Give help and advice where
needed.
• Ask for volunteers to come to the front of the
class to perform a scene from the story.
3. Scratchboard animal picture
Materials: a piece of thick paper or card per
student; colored crayons; black paint; dishwashing
soap; paint brushes; a tool for scratching (e.g. nails
or bent paperclips)
• Before the session make your own scratchboard
animal picture:
– Take a piece of thick paper or card and use
the crayons to draw a colorful pattern all over
it (stripes, a rainbow, etc.).
– Mix a little dishwashing soap into some black
paint. Paint a layer of black over the colorful
pattern.
THE LION KING LEVEL 4
 Teacher’s Notes
Pearson English Kids Readers

– When the paint has dried, scratch a picture • They decorate and transform their items into
of an animal into the surface so it reveals the something new. Students could also group
colors beneath. (You could copy one of the together to make an item or sculpture.
characters from the book.)
• Display the finished items on a table for the
• Give a piece of thick paper or card to each class to see.
student. Place crayons, paint (with dishwashing
soap added), brushes and scratching tools on
each table.
• Show the students your scratchboard animal
pictures. Explain to them how to make it.
• The students make their scratchboards and
decide which animal from the story (or other
African animal) to scratch into it.
• Display the finished scratchboard paintings in
the classroom.

4. ‘Circle of Life’ recycling

Materials: a box of junk items – the students
could bring these from home (jars, boxes, plastic
containers, cardboard tubes, etc.); paints; tape;
paper; glue; and other materials to transform
the items
• Explain to the students that part of the ‘Circle
of Life’ is about respecting the environment.
Recycling things is one way of doing this.
• Show the box of junk items to the students.
Tell them that the things in the box could be
recycled to make fun and / or useful things.
• Draw out something from the box, e.g. a jar,
and explain that this could be decorated with
glass paints and used as a pen pot.
• Ask the students to pick an item from the box.
(Students can trade items if they wish.)
• The students say what their item could be made
into. (For example, a cardboard tube into a
kaleidoscope, a plastic container could become
a moneybox, a plastic bottle could become a
rocket.)

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 Teacher’s Notes
Pearson English Kids Readers

Key words
bone ��������������� H
 e told Simba about a place outside the Pride Lands. There were elephant
bones there. (p. 4)

dead ��������������� Then he saw Mufasa’s body and understood – his father was dead. (p. 11)

desert ������������ Simba left the land of the lions and started to run across the desert. (p. 12)

hyena ������������� “This is our place,” one hyena said. “We eat little lions who come here.” (p. 6)

king ����������������� Mufasa was king of the Pride Lands. (p. 3)

lioness ������������ Suddenly, a lioness jumped out at Pumbaa. (p. 14)

meerkat ��������� “Lions eat meerkats!” said Timon the meerkat. (p. 13)

return ������������� “Run,” said Scar. “Run away and never return.” (p. 11)

safe ����������������� He tried to run, but there was no safe place in the valley. (p. 9)

secret ������������� “But it’s a secret. Please don’t go there,” said Scar. (p. 4)

stampede ������ T
 here were hundreds of wildebeests running through the valley. It was a
stampede! (p. 8–9)

valley ������������� One day Scar took Simba into a deep valley. (p. 8)

voice ��������������� But then a voice said, “Simba.” (p. 17)

warthog ��������� “He isn’t dead!” cried Pumbaa the warthog. (p. 13)

wildebeest ����� The King of the lions pushed his way through the wildebeests. (p. 9)

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While-Reading activities
Activity 1 (pages 3–5)
Circle the right words.
1 One day Simba is going to be king / father of the Pride Lands.
2 Scar told Simba about a secret / safe place.
3 Simba wanted / did not want to go there.
4 Nala and Simba went to the water / dangerous place.
Activity 2 (pages 6–9)
Order the sentences.
a Mufasa told Simba about the great lion kings of the past.
b Hundreds of wildebeests ran through the valley.
c Scar left Simba in a deep valley.
d Simba and Nala ran away from the hyenas.
e Mufasa put Simba on a rock above the stampede.
f Mufasa arrived and the hyenas ran away.
Activity 3 (pages 10–14)
Complete the words in the sentences.
a Scar pushed Mufasa into the s of wildebeests.
b Simba saw Mufasa’s b . His father was dead.
c Scar said to Simba, “Run away and never r .”
d Simba ran for hours across the d .
e Simba met Timon the m and Pumbaa the
w .
f In a new part of the jungle, a l jumped out
at Pumbaa.

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Pearson English Kids Readers

Activity 4 (pages 15–18)

Copy the correct sentences next to the pictures.
a Simba walked away angrily.
b The clouds moved into a new shape. It was Mufasa!
c “What’s happening here?” asked Timon. “Do you know her?”

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Pearson English Kids Readers

Activity 5 (pages 19–22)

Write T (True) or F (False).
1 Simba ran home to the Pride Lands.
2 Simba killed Mufasa.
3 Simba pushed Scar off the rock.
4 Simba was the new Lion King.
5 Simba was a weak king.
6 Simba was now part of the Circle of Life.

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Pearson English Kids Readers

After-Reading activities
Activity 1
Order the letters and write the animal words from the story.
1 yeahn h_ _ _ _
2 olin l_ _ _
3 kreamet m_ _ _ _ _ _
4 sliedweebt w_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5 growtha w_ _ _ _ _ _
6 pleathen e_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Activity 2
Write the names under the sentences.

Simba Scar Pumbaa

Nala Mufasa Timon

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Pearson English Kids Readers

1 Nala tried to eat him!

2 He pushed Mufasa into the stampede.

3 He saved Simba and Nala from the hyenas.

4 She went with Simba to the secret place.

5 He lived with Pumbaa and Simba in the jungle.

6 He ran away after his father died.

Activity 3
Match.
1 Simba tried to run from a after running through the desert.
the stampede
2 He saw his father’s body b after he heard his father’s voice.
3 He was hungry and thirsty c because his friends were behind him.
4 He lived with Timon and d after the stampede.
Pumbaa
5 He wanted to go home e but there was no safe place.
6 He was surprised f and was part of the great circle of life.
7 He became the new king g and became a big lion.

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Pearson English Kids Readers

Activity 4
What do you think? Answer the questions. Then draw a picture
of your favorite character.
1 Who is the funniest character in the story?

2 Who is the nicest character in the story?

3 Who is the most dangerous character in the story?

4 Who is your favorite character in the story?

My favorite character in the story

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Pearson English Kids Readers

Answer Key After-Reading activities

In the back of the Reader Activity 1
1 hyena 2 lion 3 meerkat 4 wildebeest
Before You Read 5 warthog 6 elephant
1 a meerkat b lioness c lion d warthog
e elephant f wildebeest g hyena Activity 2
2 1 a 2 c 3 b 1 Pumbaa 2 Scar 3 Mufasa 4 Nala 5 Timon
6 Simba
After You Read
Activity 3
1 Timon / meerkat / friend
Pumbaa / warthog / friend 1e 2d 3a 4g 5b 6c 7f
Scar / lion / uncle Activity 4
2 a F b F c F d T e F f T Students’ own answers.

In these Teacher’s Notes

While-Reading activities
Activity 1
1 king 2 secret 3 wanted 4 dangerous place

Activity 2
d, f, a, c, b, e

Activity 3
a stampede b body c return d desert
e meerkat, warthog f lioness

Activity 4
1c 2a 3b

Activity 5
1T 2F 3T 4T 5F 6T

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