Look I Can MovieTalk English

Sample
English version
of
by
Blaine Ray
Von Ray
Michael Coxon
with special thanks to Kailyn Campbell
and Jeremy Jordan
Published by:
TPRS Books
9830 S. 51st Street - B114
Phoenix, AZ 85044
Phone: (888) 373-1920
Fax: (888) 729-8777
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info@tprsbooks.com
Copyright ©2020 TPRS BOOKS. All rights reserved. This book may be reproduced
or transmitted by photocopying, for the intended to use of classroom teaching
by the individual purchase of materials.
CD ISBNs:
978-1-60372-353-4
1-60372-353-6
Digital download ISBNs:

978-1-60372-354-1
1-60372-354-4
PREFACE
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling® is continuously

evolving in order to find the best results for acquiring languages in the classroom.
A great addition to TPRS® has been MovieTalk lessons. MovieTalk was first
used by Ashley Hastings as early as 1988. It was originally part of his Focal
Skills approach for the purpose of increasing students listening comprehension
for English Language Learners. MovieTalk is considered part of TPRS® when
following the 3-step process:
1) establish meaning of vocabulary and grammar structures,
2) ask-a-story, and
3) reading
TPRS® teachers have taken MovieTalk videos commonly found on websites
such as YouTube and fit them to the TPRS® process by choosing clips with
repetitive plots and compelling stories and turning the MovieTalks into short
story scripts. In this book you will find numerous examples of these scripts
along with student activities.
Organization of this book
The following MovieTalk resources can be found in each section of this book:
Target structures for beginning level main story and Personalized Questions
and Answer suggestions intended for teachers and readings and activities for
students.
• Brief reading version A
• Brief reading version B
• Beginning level main story 1 (2 student activities)
• Intermediate level main story 2 (1 student activity)
• Advanced level main story 3 (1 student activity)
• Additional reading version (1 student activity)
iii
Acknowledgments
The authors of this resource would like to thank and acknowledge the animators
and countless people that have worked on and produced the various short
film animation. Through their imaginations, time, work, energy, and storytelling
this resource has been created for educational purposes. Permission has been
granted to use screen shots of their work.
Cecilia-The girl on the balcony by Ravinder Karukuri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJJ7eSVjz_Q
A Mouse for sale by Wouter Bongaerts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzYwE3Tst1Y
Feel the Punch by Ravinder Karukuri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO3N6VdYCjY
Carrot Crazy by Dylan Vanwormer and Logan Scelina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V7MOk0FZrg
Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou by Michael Bidinger and Michelle Kwon
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jinxy+jenkins
The Present by Jacob Frey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB2O1zriSBE
Glued by Guy Elnathan, Alon Tako, Daniel Lichter, and Sivan Kotek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW2g5cwxrqQ
Runaway by Susan Yung, Emily Buchanan, and Esther Parobek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7k2MkVYLDE
The Small Shoemaker by Pierre-Yves Lefebvre, Karen Nawfal, Phillipe

Lim, Terry Bonvard, Romain Cislo, Benjamin Mariotte, Charley Carlier,
and Gallad Alais
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvgRn8STjmQ
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface i
Acknowledgments ii
Introduction 1
How to Start a Story 4
Chapter 1 Cecilia: The balcony girl 8
Chapter 2 A Mouse for Sale 17
Chapter 3 Feel the Punch 28
Chapter 4 Carrot Crazy 42
Chapter 5 Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou 53
Chapter 6 The Present 67
Chapter 7 Glued 80
Chapter 8 Runaway 94
Chapter 9 The Small Shoemaker 106
Chapter activity answer keys 122
v
Beginner Intermediate Advanced Additional
The
Present
vi
Introduction to Look, I Can MovieTalk
In TPRS® MovieTalk, we take a short clip that is usually 2 to 4 minutes long

and we narrate it, dramatize it, and ask questions about it. The main goal is for
teachers to describe the story that students see in a way that is comprehensible
to the students (pointing, gesturing, drawing, slow repetitive speech, etc.).
Teachers should use TPRS® skills like circling, point and pause, grammar pop-
ups, and various levels of questioning to increase comprehensibility. MovieTalk
lessons in TPRS® are more than just simply telling or narrating a story.
In TPRS® we teach one sentence at a time. In order to give students
confidence in the language, we try to teach proficiency of just one sentence.
We do that by circling (see Fluency Through TPR Storytelling) and adding
characters and story details. We do this in traditional TPRS® and this is a best
practice in TPRS® MovieTalk as well.
When teaching a TPRS® MovieTalk story, we show a short clip of the movie
and stop it. We then have some sentences that we want to talk about. The
curriculum in this resource intends to use high frequency verbs and language in
order to build the feeling of fluency for students in the classroom. We use each
sentence until we see confidence in the way that students respond. When we
see confidence, (faster processing) we go on to another sentence and provide
more input.
When we teach a TPRS® story we start with an oral story (ask-a-story)
and then we do a reading. In TPRS® MovieTalk, the reading and the oral story
are both the same story. Often teachers engage their students in Personalized
Questions and Answers (PQA) conversations during TPRS® MovieTalks. When
classes are personalized using TPRS® MovieTalks, highly interactive discussions
can occur which leads to further exposure to high frequency language in the
classroom.
TPRS® is done best with student actors, therefore, it is recommended that
the TPRS® MovieTalk lessons are dramatized when possible.
-1-
Personalized Questions and Answers
Personalized Questions and Answers is a strategy commonly used within

TPRS® in order to create a communicative environment that helps to improve
our relationship with students, increase student investment in learning, and to
connect aspects of the content while building an implicit linguistic system in
the minds of our students. During PQA it is not expected that students give
complete sentence responses early on. They can be one word answers, simply
yes or no replies, or even gestures. PQA is useful in a variety of circumstances.
The most important is to build trust with students and foster an environment
based on communication. PQA can also be used to introduce or expose students
to new grammatical features and vocabulary before starting a story. PQA can
also be a useful way to interact with students on basic conversational language,
thematic vocabulary, and high-frequency grammar features that are necessary
for communication in the new language. At the start of each story you will
find various ideas to engage students in PQA activities before, during, or after
introducing the actual MovieTalk.
Embedded Readings - Short Readings
Laurie Clarcq and Michele Whaley have been pioneers in an idea called
embedded readings. An embedded reading consists of three or more scaffolded
versions of a text. It is designed to prepare students to comprehend text
that the students perceive to be beyond their capability. Since MovieTalk oral
stories are essentially embedded listening activities it makes perfect sense that
in TPRS®, this strategy would be used in order to aide literacy skills. Each
chapter in this resource begins with two readings which we refer to as Short
readings. Short readings are based on how embedded readings are used and
lead to the main story.
-2-
Short Reading version A
1. Start by chorally translating the first embedded reading with students. First,
the teacher reads a sentence in the target language and the students chorally
translate it. Have students write in any unknown words. This is the time for
teachers to make sure that students comprehend 100% of the text before
moving on to the next version.
Short Reading version B

2. Students will work with a partner in order to complete volleyball translation
activity. In volleyball translation, Student A reads the first sentence in the
target language. Student B translates the first sentence and reads the second
sentence in the target language. Students alternate reading and translating in
this manner to the end of the story or when teacher indicates. Do volleyball
translation for 2-3 minutes and then have students change partners.
We have learned that students need much more practice on the same material.
Teachers tend to want to go on to new material and in this case new stories.
We feel students do much better if they get more practice and exposure of
the same material. We want them to feel confident in the sentences and in the
new structures that are being used.
There is no time table as to how long this process takes. The primary objective
is not to race through or to finish as fast as possible. We want the speed to be
set by the processing speed of the students. When they are confident in their
sentences, that is your clue that you are going at the right speed. When you
see hesitation in their speech, that is your clue that you need more repetition
and perhaps more volleyball translation. Another recommendation is to provide
more exposure to the new language using Ask-a-story, PQA, point and pause,
or story dramatization.
-3-
HOW TO START without using PQA
Chapter One: Cecilia: The balcony girl

If you were teaching a more advanced story you would do the same type
of procedures as below but with structures and language that are level
appropriate. In TPRS® MovieTalk, we want to use student actors and insert
the teacher as a character into the stories. We do this to ensure exposure of
various structures. We want to make the class “live theater.” We want to use
the wonderful personalities of students and we want to see the processing
times of the student actors with the verbs we teach. We do this by asking
the student actors questions. We don’t just ask the actors questions about the
actors. We also need to ask the actors questions about the teacher. We treat
the teacher as a parallel character in the story. This allows for the students
to process verb changes in every sentence we ask them. The students have to
process each question whether we ask about him, me, or another character.
Doing this also will also help the teacher gauge student comprehension. Using
student actors and inserting the teacher as a 1st person perspective will
create opportunities for TPRS® Ask-a-story strategies. If you were teaching
this story to a beginning class, you would write the first sentence on the board
with translation. In this story you write:
There is a boy.
[insert translation]
You tell the class (speaking slowly and pointing to each word), There is a boy.
You would then circle that sentence.
You would also add yourself and you could add other characters at any point.
Continue asking questions comparing and contrasting each character.
Then go onto the next sentence.
Alex is the boy.

-4-
Circle the new sentence. (You ask these questions to the class, to the student
playing Alex and to girl playing Cecilia). Is Alex the boy? Am I the boy? Am
I the girl or the boy? What am I? Who is the boy? What is Alex? Who
is Alex? (Keep asking the questions until the student actors answer your
questions with very little hesitation.) Ask the boy, Are you the boy or are you
the girl? What are you? Who are you?
Keep asking these questions until you see confidence in your student actors.
Then go onto the next sentence.
The boy has an apartment.

Ask your student actors questions about this statement. Since you are a character,
you will add information about yourself. You will also have an apartment or a
house and “Cecilia” will also have an apartment.
Ask all the characters various questions about the facts of that sentence. Who
has an apartment? Who doesn’t have an apartment? What do I have? Do
you have an apartment or do you have a house? Do I have an apartment or
do I have a house? (Keep asking the different characters questions until you
see confidence in your student actors.)
Alex is in his apartment.

Ask questions. Who is in his apartment? Am I in my apartment? Where is

Alex? Where am I? Where is the girl? Ask the other student questions where
he is and where you are.
Alex has a a problem. He has small muscles.

[insert translations]
Ask questions. Alex, do you have a problem? Do you have big muscles or
small muscles? Do I have big muscles or small muscles? Alex, what kind of
muscles do you have? What kind of muscles do I have?
-5-
Alex goes over to the window.
Ask questions. Who goes over to the window? Does Cecilia go over to the
window? Do I go over to the window? Where does Alex go? Does he go over
to the window or the door? Do I go over to the door?
To the student playing the role of Cecilia, ask her questions about herself.
Cecilia is a girl. She is very pretty. She is on the balcony.

[insert translations]
Cecilia, are you a girl? Am I a girl? What am I? Who am I? Who are you?
Are you pretty? Are you very pretty? Who is very pretty? Where are you?
Where am I? Class, where is Cecilia? Where am I? Am I on the balcony?
Who is on the balcony?
Alex wants to impress Cecilia.

Does Alex want to impress Cecilia? Does Cecilia want to impress Alex? Can
he impress Cecilia? Alex, can you impress Cecilia? Why not?
Alex can’t because he has small muscles.

Alex, can you impress Cecilia? Why not? Do you have big or small muscles?
What do I have? What do you have?
Alex wants to lift weights but he can’t.

Alex, do you want to lift the weights? Can you lift the weights? What do
you want to do? Who wants to lift the weights? Class, what does Alex want
to do? Can you lift the weights? Do I want to lift the weights? Alex, do I
want to lift the weights? Class, what does Alex want to do?
-6-
In the imagination of Alex he can lift the weights, but he needs a kiss
from Cecilia.
Alex, can you lift the weights in your imagination? Do you need a kiss from
Cecilia? What do you need? Class, who needs a kiss from Cecilia? Class,
can he lift the weights with a kiss from Cecilia? What can Alex do with a
kiss from Cecilia? Alex, do you want to impress Cecilia? Can you do it with
a kiss?
Alex gets a kiss from Cecilia and he can lift the weights.
Do you get a kiss from Cecilia? What do you get? What happens when you
get a kiss from Cecilia? Can you lift the weights when you get a kiss from
her?
Stop the video at this moment so that the students can see that she is
blind. Students won’t see that she is blind all at the same time. Check for
understanding and ask more questions about what has happened, is happening,
and will happen next.
-7-
Guide Words for Cecilia: The balcony girl
Present Tense
• S/he wants to do
• S/he tries to
• S/he can or is able to
Suggestions for intermediate and advanced story

• S/he falls asleep, wakes up, gets up, sits down
Past Tense
• S/he wanted to do
• S/he tried to
• S/he could or was able to

• S/he fell asleep, woke up, got up, sat down
PQA Activities
1. s/he wants to do - What exercises do students do and like to do? What
do students like to do in general?
2. s/he tries to / can - Bring a jar/gloves from home and ask students
to put on gloves and try and open it or very glue a pickle jar. You could
also use water bottles with very glued bottle caps. Use the jar activity
to incorporate the verb can (could). Can (Could) he open it? No he can’t
(couldn’t) but she can (could). Can (Could) you open the bottle?
3. s/he falls asleep up, s/he wakes up, s/he gets up - What time do
students go to bed and wake up? This also might be a good opportunity
to use TPR strategies with verbs for daily routines.
-8-
Short Reading - Version A (113 words) Cecilia
There is a boy. The boy is Alex.
Alex has an apartment. Alex has a problem. He

does not have big muscles. He is not happy.
Alex is in his apartment. He is not happy because

he does not have big muscles. Poor Alex. Alex has a
plan. He wants big muscles.
On the balcony, there is a girl. The girl is Cecilia. The girl is very pretty.
Alex sees Cecilia. Alex wants to impress Cecilia. Alex has very big weights, but
he has small muscles. Alex cannot lift the weights. Poor Alex.
In his imagination, Alex can lift big weights. It’s fantastic! Cecilia is on the
balcony, but Cecilia cannot see anything.
Short Reading - Version B (178 Words) Cecilia
There is a boy. The boy’s name is Alex. Alex has an apartment in San
Francisco. Alex is in his apartment. Alex has a problem. He does not have big
muscles. He wants big muscles. He is not happy. He wants to impress the girls,
but he cannot because he has small muscles.
Alex is in his apartment. He is not happy because he does not have big
muscles. Poor Alex. Alex has a plan. He wants big muscles. He wants to lift
weights. On the balcony, there is a girl. The
girl’s name is Cecilia. The girl is very pretty.
Alex sees Cecilia. In his opinion, Cecilia is very
pretty.
Alex wants to impress Cecilia. Alex wants to
lift the weights because he wants to impress
Cecilia. Alex has very big weights, but he has
small muscles. He does not have big muscles.
Alex cannot lift the weights. Poor Alex.
In his imagination, Alex can lift the big weights with a kiss from Cecilia.
Cecilia gives Alex a kiss. Alex gets a kiss from Cecilia! It’s fantastic!
-9-
Beginner - Version 1 (226 words) Cecilia
There is a boy. The boy’s name is Alex. Alex has an apartment in San
Francisco. Alex is in his apartment. Alex has a big problem. He doesn’t have big
muscles. He has small muscles. He wants big muscles. He isn’t happy because he
doesn’t have big muscles. He wants big muscles.
Alex is in his apartment in San Francisco. Alex sees a girl. The girl is on the
balcony. The girl’s name is Cecilia. In Alex’s opinion she is very pretty. Alex sees
Cecilia and says, “Wow! The girl is very pretty.”
Alex sees the girl and wants to impress her.

Alex has weights. He wants to lift the weights.
He wants to lift the weights because he wants to
impress the girl. He sees the weights but there is
a problem. Alex can’t lift the weights. He can’t lift
the weights because he doesn’t have big muscles.
Poor Alex.
In his imagination, Alex can lift the weights with

a kiss from Cecilia. Cecilia gives Alex a kiss. Alex
gets a kiss from Cecilia! It’s fantastic! Now, Alex can
lift the weights.
Cecilia wants to see Alex, but she can’t. Alex

sees Cecilia. The problem is that Cecilia can’t see
anything. Now Alex can’t lift the weights. Poor
Alex is not happy. Poor Alex is in the hospital.
Now Alex has more problems. Poor Alex.
10
-10-
Short Answer Questions Cecilia
1. Where does Alex live?
2. Why does Alex want big muscles?
3. What is Alex’s plan?
4. Is the girl on the balcony impressed?
5. Why is Alex in the hospital at the end?
Sentence Scramble
Put the sentences from the story in order so that they make sense.
1. boy’s | is | name | The | Alex
____________________________________________________
2. He wants | he doesn’t | muscles | big | and | have | muscles | big
____________________________________________________
3. to | the | impress | He wants | girl
____________________________________________________
4. weights | can’t | the | lift | Alex
____________________________________________________
5. kiss | imagination | Cecilia | In | Alex’s | gets | his | a | from
____________________________________________________
11
-11-
Intermediate - Version 2 (377 words) Cecilia
There was a boy whose name was Alex. He lived in a house in Iowa with his
parents. He didn’t do anything. He only slept and watched television. He wasn’t
very active.
One day everything changed. Alex decided to go to a big city. He decided
to change his life. He decided to look for a girlfriend.
He went to San Francisco and rented an apartment. When he went into his
apartment, he had a small problem and he fell. Poor Alex.
Alex decided he wanted to impress girls, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy
because he had very small muscles. He thought girls normally liked boys with
big muscles. So he decided to exercise. Alex quickly got tired and he did not
follow his plan. Alex was on the floor. A moment later Alex got up. He went over
to the window and sat in a chair.
Alex was sitting in his apartment when he looked
outside and saw her. He saw Cecilia. He thought Cecilia
was the prettiest girl in the world. He couldn’t believe
it.
Now Alex really wanted to do something to impress
Cecilia. He thought about lifting very big weights. He
thought Cecilia would be very impressed.
Alex chose big weights. He put them in front of the window. He looked at
Cecilia again and decided it was time to try to lift the weights.
In that moment, Alex had a dream. In the dream, he saw Cecilia. She gave
him a kiss. She gave him the kiss with a lot of love. Alex felt her love. When
he got the kiss, Alex suddenly felt like he could lift the weights with his arms.
It was incredible! Alex lifted the weights. He felt so excited lifting the weights.
He looked again at the balcony because he wanted to make sure Cecilia was
watching him. In that moment, he saw Cecilia. Cecilia put on sunglasses. But the
sunglasses weren’t the kind of glasses that protected her from the sun. They
were the kind of glasses for a person who couldn’t see. Alex couldn’t believe
pretty Cecilia couldn’t see anything! She was blind!
Poor Alex let the big weights fall. He hurt himself and was in the hospital.
Poor Alex.
12
-12-
Before, During, and After Cecilia
Look at the screen shots in each section and write an “B” if the action in the
sentence happened BEFORE the photo or write “A” if the sentence represents
what happened AFTER or “D” if it is happening DURING the photo.
_____ Alex woke up and got up.
_____ The weights fell.
_____ Alex fell down the stairs.
_____ Alex wanted to lift the weights.
_____ Alex walked down the stairs.
_____ One day he went to his room.
_____ Alex fell asleep in his room.
_____ The girl was on the balcony.
_____ Alex hurt himself and went to

the hospital.
_____ Alex got himself ready to lift

the weights.
_____ Alex thought about the pretty girl.
_____ Alex saw her with glasses.
_____ The girl went in the house.
_____ The girl went to the balcony.
_____ The big weights fell.
13
-13-
Advanced - Version 3 (589 words) Cecilia
There was a boy whose name was Alex. He was living in a house with
his parents. His parents weren’t happy because they thought their son Alex
was very lazy. They wanted him to get out of the house. They wanted him to
exercise. They wanted him to have big muscles like the other boys his age.
One day Alex’s mom went over to him and said, “Alex I want you to get out
of the house. I want you to go to San Francisco. I want you to have a girlfriend.
I want you to have big muscles like the other boys your age.”
Alex realized that his mother was telling him something extremely important.
He went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He saw his small
muscles. In that moment he decided to change. He decided to do something
different. He decided to go to a big city and rent an apartment. He decided to
exercise, lift weights, and look for a girlfriend.
Alex left Iowa and went to San Francisco in an airplane. He found a beautiful
apartment in the city that didn’t cost a fortune. It only cost 1400 dollars a
month. He was extremely happy with his new apartment and with his new life.
When Alex went into his apartment, he fell. Luckily, he did not hurt himself.
He immediately got started with his new plan. He started doing push-ups. The
problem was that poor Alex wasn’t strong enough to do many push-ups. The
truth was that he could only do one push-up. He got tired and didn’t want to do
more. Alex fell asleep on the floor of his apartment. A few minutes later, Alex
woke up and slowly got up off the floor. He went over to the window where a
chair was.
Alex sat in the chair directly in front of the window. He looked outside
and that’s when he saw her. He saw Cecilia. Alex thought Cecilia was the most
beautiful woman on the planet. He thought she was
the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was
definitely love at first sight.
Alex wanted to do something to get her attention.

He thought if he lifted very big weights, he could get
her Cecilia’s attention and she would want to be his
girlfriend.
14
-14-
Alex went to the other part of his apartment
and looked for very heavy weights. Since he wasn’t
strong enough to lift them, he pushed them closer
to the window so that Cecilia would see.
It was time to impress her. He tried to lift

the weights, but poor Alex couldn’t do it. He tried
several times but couldn’t do it.
In that moment, Alex had a dream. In the

dream, Cecilia gave him a kiss. When Alex got the kiss from Cecilia, he was so
strong that he could lift the weights without any problem. In his imagination,
Alex lifted the weights high above his head. He was very proud that he was
doing it.
He looked over at the balcony to see Cecilia, but she was not looking at him.
Cecilia put on dark glasses. Cecilia put them on because she was blind. Cecilia
left the balcony with a white cane and went back in her apartment. It was so
obvious she was blind but Alex hadn’t noticed.
When Alex saw all of this, he couldn’t believe it and let the big weights fall.
Poor Alex hurt himself this time. He spent a lot of time in the hospital.
Short Answer Questions Cecilia

1. Where was Alex living?
2. Why did his parents have a problem with Alex?
3. Why did Alex decide to change?
4. Who did Alex see out the window?
5. Describe Alex’s plan. What did Alex want to do so that the girl would see
him?
6. What was the problem that Alex had in his new apartment?
7. What happened to Alex in his imagination?
8. How was it possible for Alex to lift the weights easily?
15
-15-
Additional Reading (355 words) Cecilia
There is a boy whose name is Alex. He lives in a house with his parents. Alex is
kind of lazy. He does not do anything interesting. He is 28 years old but does not
want to do anything. He likes to spend time in his room. He sleeps a lot. Sometimes
he plays video games with his friends.
Alex doesn’t do much. He doesn’t exercise. He doesn’t run. He doesn’t lift weights.
He doesn’t play tennis or basketball. The only interesting thing that he does every
now and then is go to the library and get a book. He reads the book then goes back
to sleep or plays video games.
His parents are not happy with Alex. They think their son
is lazy. His parents think their son should get out of the house
and exercise a lot. They think he should find a job. They think
he needs a girlfriend.
One day his mother goes into Alex’s room. She sees him
sleeping. Of course, his mother doesn’t like this. She says,
“Alex, wake up. What are you doing with your life? You should
do something different. You should go out and find a job. You should exercise
and you should have your own apartment.”
Alex doesn’t pay any attention to his mom or what she says. He keeps sleeping in
his room and playing video games with his friends whenever he is awake.
One day his father goes into Alex’s room. He sees Alex sleeping. His father isn’t
happy with him. He says to Alex, “Son, tomorrow we are going to go out and look for
an apartment for you in San Francisco. I am going to pay the first month’s rent. Then,
you have to pay it. You can’t live in our house anymore. You can come visit us, but you
can’t live here. You have to find a job to pay the rent. If not, you are going to have
to live on the street.”
Alex and his father go to San Francisco. They find an apartment. It is very good.
When Alex is in the apartment, he sees Cecilia.
Number the sentences 1-5 in the order in which they occur in the additional version.
_____ 1. Alex sees Cecilia on the balcony.

_____ 2. Alex doesn’t pay any attention to his mom.
_____ 3. One day his mother goes into Alex’s room.
_____ 4. Alex and his father find an apartment.
_____ 5. Alex reads a book.
16
-16-
Guide Words for A Mouse for Sale
Present Tense
• S/he wants • They look at / watch
• S/he buys • S/he laughs
• S/he has • S/he likes
Past Tense
• S/he wanted • They looked at / watch
• S/he bought • S/he laughed
• S/he had • S/he liked
PQA Activities
1. s/he wants - Introduce animals by asking who wants different pets.
Also ask students about things that they want to buy. These things
can include food, technology or clothing. By having these conversations,
students will be exposed to all forms of the verb “To want” in a natural
communicative way.
2. s/he buys – Once students have shared the items that they want to buy,
the class discussion can easily shift to what they already bought. I the
class discussion needs to stay in the present tense, ask questions about
where the students and their families do their shopping. Don’t forget to
include yourself in the conversation in order to provide exposure to first
person language.
3. S/he has – Engage students in talks about animals, clothes, cars, and
possessions that students have. Show pictures of your pets and things in
your house.
4. S/he laughs – Make discussions more interesting with positive

exaggerations about yourself and students in class in the target language.
When you do this, ask about who is laughing, and they are laughing. Find
out what students think is funny and what makes them laugh.
17
-17-
Short Reading - Version A (162 words) A Mouse for Sale
There is a mouse. He is in a store. His name is Michael. He has very big ears.
Many people look at Michael, but they do not buy him. Michael is not happy.
There are two boys that go into the store.

The boys look at Michael. They laugh at Michael
because he has very big ears. Poor Michael is
not happy.
There is an insect. His name is Carlos. Carlos

laughs at Michael too. Carlos laughs at Michael
because Michael has big ears.
A boy goes into the store. His name is

Eddie. Eddie does not look at Michael. Poor
Michael is not happy because Eddie does not
look at him.
Michael wants the boy’s attention. Eddie

does not look at Michael. Michael wants Eddie’s
attention. Michael throws the insect at Eddie.
Eddie goes over to Michael. He looks at

Michael. He likes the mouse. Eddie has very big ears and Michael has very big
ears. They are both very happy.
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Short Reading - Version B (190 words) A Mouse for Sale
There is a mouse. The mouse’s name is Michael. He has very big ears. Many
people look at Michael, but they do not buy him. Michael is not happy. Poor
Michael.
There are two boys that go into a store.

Michael is very happy. The boys look at
Michael. They laugh at Michael because
Michael has very big ears.
There is an insect. His name is Carlos.

Carlos sees the boys laugh at Michael. Carlos
laughs at Michael too.
A boy goes into the store. His name is

Eddie. Eddie does not look at Michael. Poor Michael. He is not happy because
Eddie does not look at Michael.
Michael wants to get the boy’s attention.

Eddie does not look at Michael. The insect
laughs. Poor Michael is not happy. Michael
wants to get Eddie’s attention. Michael
throws the insect at Eddie.
Eddie goes over to Michael. He looks at

Michael. He likes the mouse. Eddie shakes
Michael’s hand. Michael is very happy.
Michael looks at Eddie. Eddie looks at Michael. Michael has very big ears
and Eddie has very big ears. Eddie buys the mouse. They are both very happy.
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Beginner - Version 1 (242 words) A Mouse for Sale
There is a mouse. The mouse’s name is Michael. He has very, very big ears.
He probably has the biggest ears of all the mice. Many people look at Michael,
but they don’t buy him because he has very big ears. Michael isn’t happy. Poor
Michael.
There are two boys that go into the store. Michael is very happy. One of
the boys probably wants a mouse with very big ears. The boys look at Michael
and they laugh. They laugh at Michael because Michael has
very big ears. Poor Michael. He isn’t happy.
There is also an insect. The insect’s name is Carlos.
Carlos doesn’t have very big ears. Carlos sees the
boys laugh at Michael. Carlos laughs at Michael too.
Carlos laughs at Michael because Carlos doesn’t have
very big ears and Michael has big ears. Poor Michael.
A boy goes into the store. His name is Eddie. Eddie
doesn’t look at Michael. Michael isn’t happy because
Eddie doesn’t look at him.
Michael wants to get the boy’s attention. Eddie doesn’t look at Michael.
The insect laughs. Poor Michael. He isn’t happy. Michael wants to get Eddie’s
attention. Michael throws the insect at Eddie. Eddie goes over to Michael. He
looks at Michael. He likes the mouse. Eddie shakes Michael’s hand. Michael is
very happy.
Michael looks at Eddie. Eddie looks at Michael. Michael has very big ears
and Eddie has very big ears too. They are both very happy.
Short Answer Questions

1. How many people go into the store to look at the animals?
2. Why don’t people want to buy the mouse?
3. What do the boys do when they see Michael’s ears?
4. Why does Eddie go over to Michael?
5. Why are Eddie and Michael happy at the end?
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True or False? A Mouse for Sale
Decide if the sentences are True or False. Write T for True and F for False.
1. Carlos is a mouse.
2. Michael has very very big ears.
3. The insect’s name is Eddie.
4. Many people look at Michael, but they don’t buy him because he has very
small ears.
5. Carlos laughs at Michael because he has very
big ears.
6. Eddie goes into a restaurant.
7. Two boys go into the store and they laugh.
8. Michael does not want to get Eddie’s attention.
9. Michael probably has the biggest ears of all the mice.
10. There is more than one animal in the store when Eddie goes in.
11. Michael and Eddie aren’t happy.
12. Michael has very big ears and Eddie has normal ears.
13. The boys don’t look at Michael and they don’t laugh at Michael.
14. Michael has very big ears and Eddie has very big ears too.
15. Carlos and Michael both have very big ears.
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Intermediate - Version 2 (426 words) A Mouse for Sale
There is a store that sells pets. In the store, there is a

mouse. The mouse’s name is Michael. He has very, very big
ears. He probably has the biggest ears of all the mice. Many
people look at Michael but they don’t buy him because he
has very big ears.
Poor Michael is sad because no one wants to buy him.
He knows that his big ears can cause problems sometimes.
There are two boys that go into the store. Michael sees them and starts
to jump up and down. The boys go over to look at him. Michael moves his ears
because he thinks one of them is going to buy him. When the boys see that
Michael has such big ears, they start to laugh. They also make mean faces.
Michael feels very bad because they treat him like that.
There is an insect close to Michael. The insect’s name is Carlos. Carlos
doesn’t have big ears. After the boys leave, Carlos starts to laugh. He laughs
and laughs. Michael feels even worse because Carlos laughs at him.
Suddenly, another boy goes into the store. His
name is Eddie. Eddie is listening to music. Eddie
doesn’t see Michael and he walks to another part
of the store. Michael jumps up and down because
he wants to get his attention. Because Eddie still
isn’t looking at Michael, Michael starts to think. He
comes up with a plan to get Eddie’s attention. He
decides to throw something. He decides to throw a
peanut. He grabs the peanut and he throws it. The problem is that the peanut
goes the wrong way and hits Michael instead. He throws it again and it goes
the wrong way again. This time, Michael grabs Carlos the insect and throws
him. Carlos hits Eddie. Eddie looks and sees Michael and walks over to him.
When Eddie is in front of Michael, he sees Michael’s big ears. He doesn’t
laugh at him. Instead, he smiles. He likes the mouse with big ears. Eddies shakes
Michael’s hand. Michael walks over to Eddie’s hand. Eddie lifts him up. Michael
moves his ears and Eddie smiles even more.
Eddie has a secret. He also has big ears. Eddie takes off his headphones.
When he takes them off, everyone can see his big ears. When Michael sees
Eddie’s big ears, he can’t believe it. He knows the two of them are going to be
the perfect pair. Eddie buys him and they both leave the store. It is a perfect
day for both of them.
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Sentence Scramble A Mouse for Sale
Put the sentences from the

story in order so that they make
sense.
1. pets | that | a | there is | sells | store

____________________________________________________
2. goes into | another | store | suddenly | boy | the
____________________________________________________
3. Michael | with | a | plan | comes up
____________________________________________________
4. the | perfect | two | are going | to be | pair | he knows | a | of them
____________________________________________________
5. his | jumps | Michael | to get | attention | up and down
____________________________________________________
6. ears | has | very | big | He
____________________________________________________
7. hand | walks | to | Eddie’s | Michael | over
____________________________________________________
8. but | many | look | at | don’t | Michael | buy him | people | they
____________________________________________________
9. insect | Michael | grabs | the
____________________________________________________
10. laugh | starts | to | Carlos
____________________________________________________
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Advanced - Version 3 (511 words) A Mouse for Sale
There is a store that sells pets. In the store there

is a mouse. The mouse’s name is Michael. He has very,
very big ears. He probably has the biggest ears of all
the mice. Michael feels bad because nobody wants to
buy him. He wants someone to buy him. Many people
look at Michael, but nobody has bought him yet because
he has very big ears. Michael believes that he has big,
beautiful ears, but no one else thinks so. Poor Michael
knows his big ears can cause problems sometimes.
There are two boys that go into the store. Michael sees them and starts to jump
up and down. He jumps up and down so that the boys will see him. The boys see him
and walk over to him. Michael starts to move his ears because he thinks one of the
boys will want to buy him. When the boys see that Michael has such big ears, they
don’t buy him. Instead, they start to laugh. They also make mean faces. Michael feels
very bad because they treat him like that.
There is an insect close to Michael whose name is Carlos. Carlos doesn’t have
big ears. After he sees the boys leave, Carlos starts to laugh. He laughs and laughs.
Michael feels even worse because Carlos laughs at him. Michael doesn’t want Carlos
to laugh at him. He doesn’t want him to laugh at his big ears.
Suddenly, another boy goes into the store. His name is Eddie. Eddie is listening
to music. Eddie doesn’t see Michael and walks to another part of the store. Michael
jumps up and down because he wants to get the boy’s attention. He jumps so that the
boy will see him. Because Eddie still isn’t looking at Michael, Michael starts to think.
He comes up with a plan to get Eddie’s attention. He decides to throw something. He
decides to throw a peanut. He grabs the peanut and he throws it. The problem is that
the peanut goes the wrong way and hits Michael instead. He throws it again, but
it goes the wrong way. This time, Michael grabs Carlos the insect and throws him.
Carlos hits Eddie. Eddie looks and sees Michael and walks over to him.
When Eddie is in front of Michael, he sees Michael’s big ears. He doesn’t laugh
at him. Instead, he smiles. He likes the mouse. He likes his big ears. Eddie shakes
Michael’s hand. Michael walks over to Eddie’s hand. Eddies lifts him up. Michael moves
his ears and Eddie smiles even more.
Eddie has a secret. He also has big ears. Eddie takes off his headphones. He takes
them off so that Michael can see that he also has big ears. When he takes them off,
everyone can see his big ears. When Michael sees Eddie’s big ears, he can’t believe his
eyes! He knows that the two of them are going to be the perfect pair. Eddie buys
him and they both leave the store. It is a perfect day for both of them.
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Chronological Order A Mouse for Sale
In each section, order the sentences how they happen in the story, by writing
the numbers 1-5.
___ The boys make mean faces.
___ Then the boys leave.
___ Michael feels very bad.
___ Two boys go into the store.
___ Carlos starts to laugh.
___ Michael decides to throw something.
___ Eddies sees Michael.
___ Another boy goes into the store.
___ He grabs a peanut and throws it.
___ Michael jumps up and down.
___ Michael walks over to Eddie’s hand.
___ Eddie lifts him up.
___ Eddie smiles even more.
___ Eddie buys him.
___ Eddie shakes Michael’s hand.
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Additional Reading (448 words) A Mouse for Sale
Eddie goes with Michael to his house. Michael is very happy because he has a
new house. They go into the house and go straight to Eddie’s bedroom. Eddie prepares
a little bed for Michael. Michael likes his new bed. In fact, he LOVES it.
Eddie looks at his mom and says, “Look Mom. I have a mouse. His name is Michael.
I have big ears and my mouse has big ears too. He is the perfect mouse for me! Can
you believe it?”
Eddie’s mom looks at Michael. She smiles. She is happy

because Eddie has a mouse with big ears. She says to him,
“That is incredible! I am glad you have a mouse with big
ears. You both make the perfect pair.”
Eddie and Michael go to school. Eddie is eleven years

old and is in fifth grade. They go into his class and sit
down. When they sit down, two boys look over at Michael.
They look at his big ears and they laugh. They laugh because he has big ears.
The boys say to Eddie, “Your mouse has big ears. It’s a little ridiculous.”
Eddie doesn’t say anything to them. Poor Michael isn’t happy because the boys
laugh at him.
The teacher’s name is Mrs. Margo. She is a good teacher. Mrs. Margo takes a
book about animals and reads it for the class. The book has many different photos of
animals. There are photos of elephants, dogs, cats, mice, and also snakes. The students
look at the photos of the elephants. They see that the elephants have big ears. Then
they look at the photos of the dogs. Some of the dogs have big ears. It is very
interesting. They look at the photos of the other animals. It’s incredible that a lot of
the animals in the book have big ears. The class can’t believe it!
There is a very popular boy. His name is Brian. When Brian sees the photos of
the animals, he yells, “It is incredible that all the animals have big ears! I want an
animal like that! ”
Eddie goes over to Mrs. Margo and says to her, “Mrs. Margo, I have a new mouse.
He has big ears. Do you want to see him?”
“Yes Eddie. I want to see your new mouse. The class wants to see him too.”
Eddie goes to the front of the class with Michael. All the students look at
Michael. They look at his big ears. All the students are impressed with Michael. They
like his big ears. They want a mouse just like him. They say, “He is incredible! We love
his big ears! We want a mouse just like him!”
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Word Search A Mouse for Sale
Write the meanings of the words in your language and then find the English words
in the puzzle.
M O T T L D U U I S N J J S N
S O Y E L L S P U N C V P O X
W A O S U O L U C I D I R T D
B N Y R F T Q T N P L Y H O U
D K Q S D H D C Y V R E E H P
U C F T P E R W D E N C G P L
N M D X F E B H G J U B M V I
Y P E J D U K E C P F D B O A
V Y J I L A F N L Z T G J H X
Z I B I H O O X P N O E L A H
B L T L J G I P O S R A E M J
E V W O L S E R D X H Y R V U
S U O Y R Y F G P O Z E S T U
S P V V C N F Z N Z C B J O E
Q Q X X I E H X C L D P T X Y
says yells
photos when
bedroom ridiculous
incredible then
in front ears
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Guide Words for Feel the Punch
Present Tense
• S/he says to him/her
• S/he looks at
• S/he thinks
• S/he arrives
Past Tense
• S/he said to him/her
• S/he looked at
• S/he thought
• S/he arrived

• s/he wanted (someone) to have, s/he could be
PQA Activities
1. S/he says / S/he arrives - What do students say to their parents when
they arrive late? What do students say to their teachers when they
arrive late to class?
2. S/he looks at – Talk about the latest popular show on Netflix. Pull out
your cell phone and create Target Language Discussions about what
people see and watch on their cell phones.
3. S/he thinks – Since you are talking about Netflix and cell phones, ask
students what they think about technology, different shows and movies,
or the latest cell phone apps.
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Short Reading - Version A (150 words) Feel the Punch
There is a boy. The boy is Daniel. Daniel wants a girlfriend. He does not
have a girlfriend. Daniel is not happy. Daniel sees a girl. The girl is very pretty.
Daniel needs a plan. Daniel looks at the girl and says, “Wow!”
The girl does not look at Daniel.
Daniel goes over to the girl. The girl

looks at Daniel. Daniel says, “Hello.”
The girl has a bad reaction. Poor Daniel.
In that moment, there is a bus. There

is another girl. Daniel goes over to the girl
and says, “Hello.”
The other girl is a little aggressive. In that moment, there is a poor person.
Daniel does not want to give money to the poor person. The poor person is
very aggressive, but Daniel does not give money to the poor person. Daniel has
three credit cards.
There is a surprise! The poor person accepts the credit cards.
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Short Reading - Version B (267 words) Feel the Punch
Daniel is a boy. He wants a girlfriend. He does not have a girlfriend. Daniel

is not happy with his situation because he does not have a girlfriend. Daniel is
in Chicago. Daniel sees a girl. The girl is very pretty. Daniel needs a plan. Daniel
looks at the girl and says, “Wow!”
The girl does not look at Daniel. Poor

Daniel. He has a plan. He looks at the girl
more. Daniel says, “Wow!”
The girl does not look at Daniel. Poor

Daniel. He needs another plan.
Daniel goes over to the girl. The girl

looks at Daniel. Daniel says, “Hello,” to her.
The girl says, “No” to him.
Daniel wants a girlfriend. The girl is very pretty, but she says, “No,” to him.
The girl has a bad reaction. Poor Daniel. He needs another plan.
In that moment, there is a bus. There is another girl. The other girl is very
pretty. The other girl does not look at Daniel. Daniel goes over to the girl and
says, “Hello,” to her.
The other girl is a little aggressive. Daniel wants a girlfriend. Daniel needs
a plan. In that moment there is a poor person. Daniel does not want to give
money to the poor person.
Daniel wants to impress the two girls, but he does not want to give money
to the poor person. The poor person is very aggressive, but Daniel does not
want to give him money.
In that instant Daniel has an idea. He has three credit cards. The poor
person has a surprise! The poor person accepts credit cards. Poor Daniel.
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Beginner - Version 1 (406 words) Feel the Punch
There is a boy. His name is Daniel. He wants a girlfriend. He doesn’t have

a girlfriend. Daniel is not happy with his situation because he does not have a
girlfriend. Daniel is in Chicago. Daniel sees a girl. The girl is super pretty. In
Daniel’s opinion, the girl is perfect because she is super pretty. Daniel needs a
plan. Daniel looks at the girl and says, “Wow!”
The girl doesn’t look at him. Poor

Daniel. He has a plan, but it is not a good
plan. He looks at the girl more. Again,
Daniel says, “Wow!”
Again, the girl does not look at him.

Poor Daniel. He needs another plan.
Daniel goes over to the girl. Finally
the girl looks at him. Daniel is happy
because the girl looks at him. Daniel
says, “Hello,” to her.
Daniel says, “Hello,” to her again.
The girl says, “No,” to him.
It is a very bad situation for Daniel. He wants a girlfriend. The girl is very
pretty but the girl says, “No,” to him.
The girl has a bad reaction. Poor Daniel. He needs another plan. In that
moment a bus arrives. Another girl gets off the bus. The other girl is also very
pretty. The other girl does not look at Daniel. He goes toward the other girl
and says, “Hello,” to her.
The other girl is a little aggressive. Daniel is very happy with the other
girl. Daniel wants a girlfriend. In Daniel’s opinion, the other girl is very pretty
too. Daniel needs a plan. He wants to impress both of the girls.
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There is also a poor person. The poor person does not have money. The poor
person walks over to Daniel. Now Daniel wants to impress the two girls, but he
doesn’t want to give money to the poor person.
The poor person has a plate because he

wants money. Daniel wants to impress the
two girls, but he doesn’t want to give money
to the poor person. The girls look at Daniel.
Daniel is not happy with the poor person.
The poor person is very aggressive.
It is a difficult situation for Daniel. He

wants to impress the girls, but he does not
want to give money to the poor person. Then
he has an idea. He has three credit cards.
The poor person probably does not accept credit cards. The poor person has a
surprise! He accepts credit cards. Poor Daniel.
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Chronological Order Feel the Punch
Put the sentences in the correct order from the story. Use the number
1-10 to order the sentences.
1. ___ Daniel has three credit cards.

2. ___ Another girl gets off the bus.
3. ___ Daniel goes over to a girl and she
finally looks at him.
4. ___ A poor man walks over to Daniel
because he wants his money.
5. ___ Daniel looks at the girl and says, “Wow.”
6. ___ One day Daniel sees a very pretty girl.
7. ___ Daniel says, “Hello” to a girl and she says, “No” to him.
8. ___ The two girls look at Daniel and Daniel wants to impress them.
9. ___ Daniel is not happy with the poor person.
10. ___ The poor person accepts credit cards.
Short Answer Questions
1. Why isn’t Daniel happy at the bus stop?
2. Describe the conflict that Daniel has in front of the girls.
3. Why does Daniel want to impress the girls?
4. Why does the poor person walk over to Daniel?
5. How many credit cards does Daniel have?
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Intermediate - Version 2 (505 words) Feel the Punch
There was a boy. His name was Daniel. He wanted to have a girlfriend
because he didn’t have one. Daniel wasn’t happy with his situation because he
didn’t have a girlfriend.
Daniel was in Chicago. He lived in an

apartment in Chicago. Daniel saw a girl.
Daniel thought the girl was super pretty.
He thought she would be the perfect
girlfriend for him because she was super
pretty. Daniel came up with a plan. Daniel
looked at the girl and said, “Wow!”
The girl didn’t look at him. Poor Daniel.

Daniel decided to try again. He looked at the girl again and said, “Wow!”
Again, the girl reacted badly. She didn’t look at Daniel. Daniel decided that
he needed another plan. He didn’t know what to do. Daniel went over to the
girl. Finally, the girl looked at him. Daniel was happy because the girl looked
at him. Daniel said, “Hello,” to her
Daniel talked to her again. He said, “Hello,” to her.
The girl said, “No,” to him.
The girl didn’t like what Daniel was doing. Poor Daniel. He wanted a girlfriend,
but the girl wasn’t interested. Poor Daniel. He needed to do something different.
Then a bus arrived. A second girl got off the bus. The second girl was also
very pretty. The second girl didn’t look at Daniel, but Daniel went over to the
her and said, “Hello.”
Daniel saw second the girl was interested in him. Now Daniel thought that
he had a chance with the second girl. He wanted to impress the two girls, but
he especially wanted to impress the second girl because he thought she was
interested in him.
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Then a poor man arrived. The poor man was asking for money. The poor man
went over to Daniel. Now Daniel wanted to impress the two girls, but he didn’t
have any extra money. He really didn’t want to give any money to the poor man.
The poor man had a plate because he

was asking for money. Daniel wanted to
impress the two girls, but he didn’t want
to give any money to the poor man.
The girls looked at Daniel, but Daniel

wasn’t happy with what the poor man
was doing. The poor man was very
aggressive. He kept asking Daniel for
money. Daniel told him again and again
that he was not going to give him any
money. It was a difficult situation for Daniel. On one hand, he
wanted to impress the girls, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to give any
money to the poor man.
Then he got an idea. He took out three credit cards and showed them to the
poor man. Daniel thought he could impress the girls and also not give the man
any money. The girls would think he was generous and the poor man wouldn’t
possibly accept the credit cards. When the poor man saw the credit cards, he
was very happy. The poor man had a very important secret. He accepted credit
cards. Poor Daniel.
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True or False? Feel the Punch
1. ___ Daniel wanted to have a girlfriend.

2. ___ Daniel was in the train station in New
York.
3. ___ Daniel lived in an apartment in Chicago.
4. ___ Daniel thought the girl he saw would be
the perfect girlfriend.
5. ___ Daniel’s plan of saying “Hello” was perfect.
6. ___ The other girl that arrived was also very pretty.
7. ___ The poor man had a lot of money and a new car.
8. ___ The poor man wanted to give money to Daniel and to the girls.
9. ___ The poor man was very aggressive.
10. ___ The poor man didn’t ask for any money.
11. ___ Daniel wanted to give some money to the poor man.
12. ___ The two girls wanted to give some money to the poor man.
13. ___ Daniel only took out one credit card.
14. ___ Daniel wanted to impress the poor man.
15. ___ The poor man didn’t accept credit cards.
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Advanced - Version 3 (734 words) Feel the Punch
There was a boy whose name was Daniel. His mom wanted him to have a
girlfriend, but he didn’t have one. Daniel was sad because of his situation.
Daniel was living in Chicago because he had rented an apartment there.

One day, he was walking in the street when he saw a girl. It seemed to Daniel
that the girl was super pretty. He thought she was perfect girlfriend material
for him because she was super pretty. He thought she had a lot of potential as
a girlfriend. She could even be a better girlfriend than his last one.
Daniel was trying to do something so he could win the girl’s heart. Daniel
looked at her and said “Wow” to her.
He thought she would respond to that incredible plan. Instead, the girl
ignored him. Poor Daniel. He decided to try again. He looked at the girl more
and said to her, “Wow!”
It was obvious that Daniel was expecting the girl to do something different.
He wanted her to look at him. He wanted her to smile at him, but it did not
happen like that. Poor guy. He had to do something different. Daniel went over
to the girl. Finally the girl looked at him. Daniel was happy because the girl
had looked at him. Daniel said, “Hello,” to her.
The problem was that the girl didn’t

do exactly what Daniel wanted again. He
tried to get her attention again and didn’t
change a thing. Daniel said, “Hello,” to her
again.
The girl said, “No. Leave me alone!”
The girl didn’t like what he was doing.

She didn’t seem interested in his romantic
gestures. Poor Daniel. He wanted a girlfriend, but it was obvious that the girl
didn’t want to talk to him. So what could he do? What would make her look at
him?
In that moment a bus arrived. Another girl got off the bus. The second girl
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was also very pretty. Daniel could already see that it wasn’t going well for him
with the first girl. Now he thought he could do something to attract the second
girl instead. The second girl wasn’t looking at Daniel, so Daniel went over to her
and said, “Hello,” to her to get her attention.
The second girl responded in a very good way. She showed Daniel she was
interested by making expressions with her face. Now Daniel was very happy
because the second girl was showing that she was interested in him. Daniel
thought highly of the second girl. He decided that
the second girl should be his girlfriend.
Daniel could see that everything was going well

for him with the second girl. He wanted to ask her on
a date since she was already showing that she was
interested.
Then, a poor man arrived. The poor man was asking

for money and wanted Daniel to give him money. The poor man went over to
Daniel and asked him for money. Now Daniel wanted to impress the second
girl, but he didn’t want to give any money to the man. He needed his money
to go on a date with the second girl. He wanted to invite her to eat in a nice
restaurant. The truth was that he didn’t want to give any money to the poor
man. He preferred the idea of using the money on his date.
It was obvious to Daniel that the poor man wanted a lot of money. Poor
Daniel didn’t know what to do in this situation. He was frustrated with the
situation. He knew he should give the man money to impress the girl, but he
needed all his money so that he could go on a date with the second girl.
The girls looked at Daniel, but Daniel ignored the poor man. The poor man
was very aggressive. He kept asking Daniel for some money. Daniel kept telling
him that he was not going to give him any money.
How could he get out of this situation? Then he got an idea. He took out
three credit cards and showed them to the poor man. Daniel thought the poor
man couldn’t accept credit cards. When the poor man saw the credit cards, he
was very happy. The poor man had a very important secret. Surprise! The poor
man accepted credit cards. Poor Daniel couldn’t believe it. What was he going
to do now?
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Fill in the Blanks Feel the Punch
Read parts of the story and fill in the blanks with the correct words.
Chicago whose was girlfriend poor

person but girl looked Daniel
because surprise should second aggressive
went over another it was impress probably
There was a boy ___________1 name was Daniel.

He wanted a girlfriend. He didn’t have a girlfriend.Daniel
wasn’t happy with his situation. He didn’t have a girlfriend.
Daniel was in ___________2.
Daniel saw a girl. The girl was super pretty. In

Daniel’s opinion, the girl was perfect girlfriend material
___________3 she was super pretty. Daniel needed a
plan. Daniel looked at the ___________.4 The girl didn’t look at him. Poor Daniel. He
came up with a plan ___________5 it was not a good plan. He looked at the girl
more. Again, the girl didn’t look at him. Poor Daniel. He needed ___________6 plan.
Daniel wasn’t happy because the girl wouldn’t look at him. ___________7 a very
bad situation for Daniel. He wanted a ___________.8 He needed another plan. Then
a bus arrived. The other girl ___________9 also very pretty. The other girl didn’t
look at Daniel. Daniel ___________10 to the girl.
The other girl was a little aggressive. Daniel wanted a girlfriend. Daniel thought
she ___________11 be his girlfriend. He wanted to impress the ___________12 girl.
Then, a poor person arrived. The poor person went over to ___________.13 Daniel
wanted to ___________14 the second girl with a date, but he didn’t want to give any
money to the ___________15 person.
The girls ___________16 at Daniel. Daniel wasn’t very happy. The poor person
was very ___________17 and kept asking Daniel for money. It was difficult situation
for Daniel. He was frustrated with the situation. He wanted to impress the girls but
he didn’t want to give money to the poor ___________.18 Daniel got an idea. He
had three credit cards. The poor person ___________19 couldn’t accept credit cards.
There was a problem. The poor person had a ___________!20
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Additional Reading (344 words) Feel the Punch
Daniel decided to give the poor person two dollars with one of his credit
cards. Seeing that, the second girl was very impressed with Daniel’s generosity.
She went over to him and said, “Wow! I am very impressed with you. What is
your name, generous boy?”
“My name is Daniel. What’s your name?”
“My name is Julia. It’s nice to meet you, Daniel.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Julia.”
Daniel and Julia decided to go to a restaurant. They went to a restaurant

close to the bus stop. The restaurant was named Denny’s. It was the first time
that Julia had eaten in a Denny’s restaurant in her entire life.
The two of them ordered hamburgers and salads. They liked the food.
While they were eating, Julia wanted to know more about Daniel. She asked
him various questions: “Where do you work? How many people are there in your
family? What do you do in your free time?”
Daniel answered all her questions. He said, “I work in McDonalds. I am the

vice president of McDonalds. I do not have a girlfriend. There are five people
in my family: me, my parents, and two sisters. I don’t have very much free time
because I have to work a lot.”
Julia realized that Daniel had a lot of money, but she also thought that he
was generous with his money. She realized that she really wanted to impress
him. When they left the restaurant, they saw a different poor man in front of
the restaurant. Now Julia really wanted to impress Daniel, so she went over to
the poor man and gave him five dollars. Daniel couldn’t believe it. He never gave
more than two dollars to a poor person. But now he saw Julia giving the poor
person five dollars! Daniel was very impressed with her and her generosity.
Daniel thought she had a lot of money since she gave five dollars to the poor
man.
Daniel asked her, “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
She responded to him, “Yes. I like men who give poor people money.”
The two of them got married two years later. They were very happy.
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Crossword Puzzle Activity Feel the Punch
3 4
7 6
DOWN
1 There are ____ people in Daniel’s
ACROSS
family.
3 Daniel ____ gave more than two 2 The two ____ hamburgers.
dollars.
4 Daniel couldn’t ____ it.
7 Daniel answered ____ her
questions. 5 The second girl ____ a positive
8 The two got ____ two years later. reaction.
6 Daniel thought she had a ____ of
9 Daniel had to ____ a lot.
money.
8 Julia wanted to ____ a good
impression.
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Guide Words for Carrot Crazy
Present Tense
• S/he puts • They fight
• S/he grabs • S/he can’t believe it
• S/he comes
Past Tense
• S/he put
• S/he grabbed • They fought OR were fighting
• S/he came • S/he couldn’t believe it
PQA Activities
1. S/he can’t believe it – Use the latest most interesting news stories,
to start conversations about things that are unbelievable. Reality TV
shows are a good idea with students. Gossip about celebrities is also a
good idea. If your students love sports, talk about the latest news for
different sporting events.
2. They fight / were fighting – Start discussions with your students about
the conflicts they have with their siblings, parents, or friends. Why do
they fight? Where do they fight? How do they solve problems when they
fight? [This could also relate to PQA activity 1]
3. Come / put / grab – These three verbs can be used together with props
or PowerPoint slides of different places or any useful words related to
places. When students come to class, where do they put their things and
what do they grab? When do they come home from school? Where do
they put their things? What do they grab for a snack? When they come
home from the gym, shopping, a camping trip, etc., where do they put
their things and what do they grab?
4. PQA Extra – Bring a large bag of carrots to class in order to start
discussions about carrots. They usually do not cost very much, and this is
one of the few times passing out carrots in school would make sense.
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Short Reading - Version A (110 words) Carrot Crazy
There is a rabbit. He wants a carrot. A boy

comes looking for the rabbit. The boy’s name
is Eddie. Eddie wants to catch the rabbit. A
man comes looking for the rabbit too. The
man’s name is Larry. Larry wants to catch the
rabbit too.
Eddie puts a carrot in his trap. Larry puts

a bigger carrot in his trap. Eddie has a lot of
carrots. Larry has bigger carrots.
The boy has a carrot cake. The man has a helicopter with the biggest
carrot in the world. Eddie can’t believe it.
Larry and Eddie fight with carrots. A bird comes and grabs the rabbit. Poor
boy. Poor man.
Short Reading - Version B (141 words)
There is a rabbit. He wants a carrot. A boy

comes looking for the rabbit. The boy’s name is
Eddie. Eddie wants to catch the rabbit. A man
comes looking for the rabbit too. The man’s name
is Larry. Larry wants to catch the rabbit too.
Eddie has a trap. He wants to catch the rabbit.

He puts a carrot in the trap.
Larry has a trap too. He has a bigger carrot. Eddie has a backpack with a
lot of carrots, but Larry has bigger carrots. Eddie can’t believe it.
The boy has a carrot cake. The man has a red button. A helicopter comes
with the biggest carrot in the world. Eddie and Larry fight with carrots.
The rabbit sits on the biggest carrot in the world. Suddenly a bird comes
and grabs the rabbit. Poor boy. Poor man.
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Beginner - Version 1 (328 words) Carrot Crazy
There is a rabbit. He likes carrots. A boy comes looking for the rabbit. The
boy’s name is Eddie. Eddie doesn’t have big muscles. Eddie wants to catch the
rabbit. A man comes looking for the rabbit too. The man’s name is Larry. has big
muscles and is aggressive. Larry wants to catch the rabbit too. Larry and Eddie
both come to California to catch the rabbit. They both want to catch the rabbit.
Eddie has a trap. He wants to catch the rabbit.

He puts a carrot in the trap. Larry has a trap too.
The two have traps and they both want to catch
the rabbit.
Eddie puts the carrot in the trap. It’s a good

idea, but Larry puts a bigger carrot in his trap.
Eddie can’t believe it.
Larry grabs a bigger carrot. He puts it in his trap.

The boy has a backpack with many carrots. The man has even more carrots and
the carrots are bigger. Eddie can’t believe it. The boy needs another plan.
Eddie prepares a cake for the trap. It is a

carrot cake. Carrot cake is the rabbit’s favorite
food. Now the man needs another plan.
Larry has a friend with a helicopter. He grabs

a remote and calls his friend. The friend comes
with the biggest carrot in the world. Eddie can’t
believe it.
The boy is angry, and he throws a carrot at

the man. The man catches it and throws it back at
the boy. Larry and Eddie fight with the carrots. The rabbit sits on the biggest
carrot in the world and watches the fight. The rabbit is very happy because he
has the biggest carrot in the world now. The boy and the man keep fighting.
Suddenly, a bird comes and grabs the rabbit. The bird is very happy because
he has a rabbit. The boy and the man are sad. They are going to look for
another rabbit. They can’t believe it.
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True or False? Carrot Crazy
1. ___ There are three men that want

a rabbit.
2. ___ Eddie has many carrots.
3. ___ Eddie is not bigger than Larry.
4. ___ Eddie has violent traps.
5.___ Eddie has bigger carrots.
6. ___ Larry does not have big muscles.
7. ___ Larry is not very aggressive.
8. ___ Larry has violent traps.
9. ___ Larry throws a carrot at Eddie.
10. ___ Larry prepares a cake.
11. ___ Larry has a friend with a helicopter.
12. ___ Eddie has a friend with a helicopter.
13. ___ Larry and Eddie fight a lot.
14. ___ Larry is a good friend of Eddie.
15. ___ The rabbit has a new problem.
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Fill in the Blanks Carrot Crazy
backpack trap carrot fight

rabbit bird helicopter
There is a rabbit. He wants a __________.1 Larry comes looking for the

__________.2 The man’s name is Larry.
A boy comes looking for the rabbit too. The boy’s name is Eddie. He wants to catch
the rabbit. He puts a carrot in the __________.3 Larry has a trap also. He comes
with a bigger carrot. Eddie has a __________4 with many carrots, but Larry has a
bigger carrot. Eddie can’t believe it.
The boy has a carrot cake. The man has a __________5 with the biggest carrot
in the world. Eddie and Larry __________6 with carrots.
The rabbit sits on the biggest carrot in the world and watches the fight. Suddenly
a __________7 grabs the rabbit. Poor boy. Poor man.
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Intermediate - Version 2 (396 words) Carrot Crazy
There was a rabbit that liked carrots. The

rabbit had a problem.
A boy named Eddie also came looking for the

rabbit. Eddie didn’t have big muscles. Eddie wanted
to catch the rabbit A man named Larry also came
looking for the rabbit. Larry had big muscles and
was aggressive. Larry wanted to catch the rabbit
too. Eddie and Larry both wanted to catch the
rabbit.
The boy had a trap. He wanted to catch the rabbit with the trap. He
decided to put a carrot in the trap. The man had a trap too. Eddie and Larry
both had traps because they both wanted to
catch the rabbit.
Eddie put the carrot in the trap. It was a

good idea, but the man had a better idea. The
man grabbed a bigger carrot and put it in his
trap. Eddie couldn’t believe it. Eddie grabbed his
backpack. He had a lot of carrots in his backpack.
Larry had more carrots and the carrots were

bigger than Eddie’s. The boy needed another plan.
Eddie prepared a cake for his trap. It was a carrot cake. Eddie thought carrot
cake was probably the rabbit’s favorite food. Now Larry needed another plan.
When Eddie saw Larry’s new plan, he couldn’t believe it.
Larry had a friend with a helicopter. The

friend’s name was Johnny. He called him and said,
”Johnny, I have a problem. I have the biggest
carrot in the world in my house in Alaska. I
need it soon. Can you come in the helicopter
and bring me the carrot?”
“No problem. I’m coming in the helicopter

now.”
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Johnny came with the biggest carrot in the world after
fifteen minutes. Eddie couldn’t believe it when he saw it.
Eddie was angry and he threw a carrot at the man.

The man caught it and threw it back at the boy. The boy
and the man fought with the carrots. The rabbit sat on
the biggest carrot in the world and watched the fight. The rabbit was very
happy because he had the biggest carrot in the world now. The boy and the
man kept fighting.
Suddenly, a bird came and grabbed the rabbit. The

bird was very happy because he had a rabbit. The boy
and the man were sad. They couldn’t believe it! Now they
were going to have to look for another rabbit to catch.
Crazy Carrot - Who did it in the movie?
Put an “X”below the character(s) that

represents the phrase below. Larry Eddie the rabbit
1. He came with a backpack.
2. He wanted to catch the rabbit.
3. He wanted to eat carrots.
4. He prepared a carrot cake for the trap.
5. He watched the two people fighting.
6. He was angry and he threw the carrot.
7. He called a friend with a helicopter.
8. They fought with the carrots.
9. He couldn’t believe it.
10. He left with a bird in the air.
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Advanced - Version 3 (512 words) Carrot Crazy
There was a rabbit that liked carrots. The rabbit

loved to eat carrots, especially big carrots. One day,
a boy named Eddie came looking for the rabbit. He
didn’t have big muscles. He had a plan to capture the
rabbit. But he wasn’t alone. A man named Larry also
came looking for the rabbit with the same plan. He
wanted to capture the rabbit too. What a coincidence!
They both wanted to catch the same rabbit.
Eddie had a trap. He wanted to catch the rabbit.
He put a carrot in the trap. The man had a trap also. The trap was a box. The
boy thought he would put a carrot under the box, and when the box fell,
the boy would capture the rabbit. Larry had a metal trap. The man’s trap was
better than the boy’s box, so the man thought he would be the one to catch
the rabbit.
Eddie put a carrot under the box. It was a good
idea, but the man had a better idea. The man found
an even bigger carrot and he put it in his trap. Eddie
couldn’t believe it. He was going to need more carrots.
Thankfully, Eddie had a backpack with many
carrots. The boy thought he would win the carrot
fight because he had a lot of carrots, but it didn’t go
as he had hoped. Larry had even more carrots and
his carrots were even bigger. Eddie needed another
plan.
Eddie prepared a cake for the trap. It was a carrot cake. He thought it
was probably the rabbit’s favorite cake. After all, rabbits like carrots. The boy
was almost certain that the carrot cake would be perfect to catch the rabbit.
Now Larry saw he needed another plan. Thankfully, Larry had a friend with
a helicopter. He called his friend and he said, “Johnny, I have a problem. I have
the biggest carrot in the world in my house in Alaska. I need it right now. I
want you to come in your helicopter and bring it to me. It’s really important.
I am fighting with a boy and I need the biggest carrot in the world so I can
win the fight.”
“No problem. I’m coming. I’ll be there in a few minutes with your carrot. I’m
certain you’ll win with your great big carrot.”
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The friend came with the biggest carrot in the world after fifteen minutes.
Eddie was angry and threw a carrot at Larry. Larry caught the carrot in
his hand and he threw it back at Eddie. The boy and the man started to fight.
with the carrots. The rabbit sat on top of the big carrot and watched them
fight. The rabbit was very happy because he had the biggest carrot in the
world now. The boy and the man kept fighting.
Suddenly, a bird came and grabbed the rabbit. The bird was very happy
because he had a rabbit. Eddie and Larry were sad. They couldn’t believe it!
Now they were going to have to look for another rabbit to catch.
Translation Carrot Crazy

Translate the sentences into your own language.
1. The boy had a plan to catch the rabbit.

_______________________________________________________
2. He put a carrot in the trap.
_______________________________________________________
3. The man’s trap was better than the boy’s trap.
_______________________________________________________
4. Eddie couldn’t believe it.
_______________________________________________________
5. The man had even more carrots and his carrots were bigger.
_______________________________________________________
6. The boy was angry and threw the carrot at the man.
_______________________________________________________
7. The boy and the man started to fight with the carrots.
_______________________________________________________
8. Eddie and Larry kept fighting.
_______________________________________________________
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Additional Reading (281 words) Carrot Crazy
There is a man that lives in Alaska. He is a

gardener. He likes to live in Alaska because he likes
to grow carrots. He likes to grow carrots in Alaska
because it is very sunny during the summer. This
produces very big fruits and vegetables.
One day the gardener decides to do something
different. He goes on the internet and reads. He
wants to know how he can grow the biggest carrot
in the world.
To do it, he has to follow these instructions:
1. You have to buy the biggest seed in the world.
2. You have to live in Alaska because it’s very sunny during the summer.
3. You have to water the plant each day.
4. You have to grow the plant in a place that gets a lot of sun.
The man follows the instructions exactly. After
three months, he sees he has the biggest carrot
in the world. But he has a problem problem. He
can’t move the carrot because it’s too big. He needs
a way to move it to another place. Thankfully, he
has a friend that’s very rich. He calls his friend
named Johnny and tells him, “Hi Johnny. I have a
problem. I have the biggest carrot in the world,
but I do not have any way to move it. Can you help
me move it? “
“No problem. I am going to buy a helicopter.”
Johnny buys a helicopter and goes to see the man with the biggest carrot
in the world in Alaska. Johnny sees he can lift the carrot with his helicopter
and he can move it to any part of the world.
Both men are very happy.
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Translation Carrot Crazy
Translate the sentences into your own language.
1. You have to buy the biggest seed in the world.

_______________________________________________________
2. You have to live in Alaska because it’s very sunny during the summer.
_______________________________________________________
3. You have to water the plant each day.
_______________________________________________________
4. You have to grow the plant in a place that gets a lot of sun.
_______________________________________________________
5. I have the biggest carrot in the world.
_______________________________________________________
6. One day the gardener decides to do something different.
_______________________________________________________
7. The man sees he can lift the carrot with his helicopter.
_______________________________________________________
8. After three months, he sees he has the biggest carrot in the world.
_______________________________________________________
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Guide Words for Jinxy and Lucky
Present Tense
• S/he leaves
• S/he knows
• S/he falls

• S/he crashes into
Past Tense
• S/he left
• S/he knew
• S/he fell

• S/he crashed into
PQA Activities
1. S/he leaves – Ask students about leaving their classes, parties, or their
homes, to use language that uses time, dates, days of the week, and
feelings. When they leave at 6:00 A.M., how do they feel? When they
leave school at 9:00 P.M. because of events or practices, how do they
feel?
2. Crashes into / falls – the internet is a powerful tool for finding

completing photos. You can use any search engine to find photos to use
for discussions. Take a few minutes and search “funny crashes and fails”
images. You can also search “Funny falls fails” or “funny photos” in order
to use these verbs in conversations with students.
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Short Reading - Version A (148 words) Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy Jenkins is a boy in San Francisco. He lives in house number thirteen.

Jinxy has bad luck. He has many accidents. Jinxy leaves the house and has
problems because he has bad luck.
Lucky Lou is a girl in San Francisco. She lives in house

number seven. She is very lucky. Lucky leaves the house
and does not have any problems because she is a very lucky
girl. She leaves the house with a positive attitude. She
knows it is a good day. Lucky Lou is an optimist.
One day, Jinxy sees Lucky and Lucky sees Jinxy.
Jinxy Jenkins does not talk to

her because he does not want any
problems. Jinxy goes away because he
does not want any problems with Lucky. Lucky does not
have any problems.
Jinxy and Lucky fall into a cart. Nothing bad happens

in the cart because Lucky is very lucky.
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Short Reading - Version B (179 words) Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy Jenkins is a boy in San Francisco. He lives in apartment number

thirteen. He has bad luck. Jinxy has many accidents. Jinxy leaves the house.
Jinxy wears blue clothes.
Lucky Lou is a girl in San Francisco. She lives in house

number seven.
She is very lucky. She does not have any accidents

because she is a very lucky girl. She leaves the house with
a positive attitude. She knows it is a good day. Lucky Lou
is an optimist. One day, Jinxy Jenkins walks very fast. It’s
very windy. Jinxy crashes with another person because
of the wind. It is very strong
wind. Jinxy crashes with Lucky Lou and they both
fall. Lucky Lou says to him, “Are you okay?”
Jinxy Jenkins does not respond to her because

he does not want problems. Jinxy leaves because
he does not want problems with Lucky. Lucky is a
little confused. Lucky does not have problems.
Jinxy falls into a cart. Lucky falls into the cart also. Lucky has a lot of luck.
Nothing bad happens in the cart because Lucky has good luck.
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Beginner - Version 1 (299 words) Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy Jenkins is a boy in San Francisco. He has bad luck. He has many
accidents. Jinxy leaves the house and has problems because he has bad luck.
He lives in house number thirteen.
Lucky Lou is a perfect girl in San Francisco. She has a lot of luck. She does
not have problems because she has good luck. She leaves the house with a
positive attitude. Lucky Lou is an optimist. She lives
in house number seven.
One day, Jinxy Jenkins walks very quickly. It’s

very windy. Jinxy crashes with another person
because of the wind. Jinxy does not see Lucky
Lou, and they both fall. Everything is positive for
Lucky Lou, but nothing is positive for Jinxy. Lucky
Lou says to him, “Are you okay?”
Jinxy Jenkins does not respond to her because he does not want problems.
Jinxy leaves because he does not want problems with Lucky. Jinxy does not
know that Lucky has a lot of luck. He does not know that Lucky does not have
accidents.
Lucky is a little confused. Lucky does not know that

Jinxy has bad luck and that he has many accidents.
Jinxy falls into a cart. Lucky falls into the cart

also. Lucky has a lot of luck. Nothing bad happens
in the cart because Lucky has a lot of luck. When
Lucky sits in the front of the cart, they do not have
problems because Lucky Lou has good luck.
The two are still in the cart and they arrive

at a street with many pianos in the air. They jump from one piano to
another. They continue in the cart for two streets in San Francisco. They have
a phenomenal adventure.
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True or False? Jinxy and Lucky
1. ___ Jinxy wears a yellow shirt.
2. ___ Lucky has long blonde hair.
3. ___ Jinxy never has many accidents.
4. ___ Lucky is a thin, pretty, red headed girl.
5. ___ Jinxy wants to meet a new friend.
6. ___ Jinxy does not like a lot of strong wind.
7. ___ Lucky is a social girl.
8. ___ Lucky has many problems.
9. ___ Both of them go in a fruit cart to the park.
10. ___ Neither of them is nervous in the cart.
11. ___ Jinxy is a pessimist and Lucky is an optimist.

12. ___ It is a perfect situation for Jinxy.
13. ___ There are pianos in the air.
14. ___ The situation is not a problem for Lucky.
15. ___ Five pianos fall in the street.
16. ___ Jinxy is happy when he sees the pianos.
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Word Search Jinxy and Lucky
in the puzzle.
D Y Z E V E N N A Q D W P W A
J E F C V T E U P L Y Q M S L
F I T D Z V V R X Y W V U O L
L S C A E T P F W Q Q A J L E
R E G R C A S Y Q E E T Y R R
K M H T Z I E B D H F M N S B
X V N U E V L U B W J D M U M
S T R E E T T P W Z Y U N W U
A Z I O H I C O M T R A C I R
Y O Y B T I H R S O N A E J W
S F M T V E I A Y P C V R E E
N T A S R A J I S A A L S U N
N Y R P Y L E N J D P P N Q N
D Q M J I X A S A A G H R V O
I W Q K I N U S F P V B F R H
always attitude cart

complicated jump life
never rains street
sun umbrella wind
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Intermediate - Version 2 (533 words) Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy Jenkins is a boy with a complicated life in San Francisco.

He has a complicated life because he has many accidents each day.
Jinxy leaves home and the weather is not good. It rains. It rains
a lot and he is not prepared. He does not have an umbrella. He
returns home and now he has his umbrella. He has his umbrella
but there is a problem. It’s very windy. The wind takes Jinxy
Jenkins like a mad man down the street. Jinxy Jenkins does not
have control because there is a lot of wind.
Lucky Lou is a girl with a perfect life in San Francisco. She has a lot of luck
in her life. She has a perfect life because she has a positive attitude and has a
lot of luck. Lucky Lou is an optimist. She leaves the house. The weather is good.
There is sun. She walks down the street and sees water. Lucky Lou wants to
jump in the water but in an instant, there is a paper. She always has good luck.
Lucky Lou walks down the street and has a lot of luck.
Jinxy Jenkins walks in the street and has many accidents.
Finally, Jinxy crashes with Lucky Lou. Lucky Lou crashes with
Jinxy Jenkins. They both crash and they both fall. While they
are sitting, they look at each other. Lucky offers her hand
because she does not know Jinxy. Lucky wants to meet Jinxy
Jenkins but there is a problem. Jinxy Jenkins does not want
to meet Lucky Lou. Jinxy knows that he has bad luck.
Jinxy Jenkins gets up and

leaves. He does not want to meet
her because he does not have good luck. He
has many accidents and he does not want more
problems. Jinxy walks and like always, he has
another accident. He crashes with a cart and
goes towards Lucky Lou. He crashes with Lucky
Lou in the cart and they both go very quickly
down the street.
Jinxy is not very optimistic but Lucky Lou is very optimistic. Jinxy thinks
both are going to crash but lucky thinks it’s going to be fine. She is not nervous
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because she has good luck but he is very nervous because he has bad luck.
They are both still in the cart and they arrive at a street with many pianos in
the air. Jinxy sees many problems and accidents, but Lucky sees an adventure
and many opportunities. She takes Jinxy’s hand and they both walk on top of
the pianos. They jump from piano to piano and they continue in the cart in the
streets of San Francisco.
They continue quickly in the street and finally they go in the air to the
Golden Gate Bridge. Lucky Lou thinks they are going to fall. She thinks they
are going to have a serious accident. Jinxy Jenkins learns from Lucky Lou and
has a positive attitude. He takes the umbrella. He has an idea. He takes Lucky
Lou’s hand and uses the umbrella to escape from the accident. The wind takes
them on top of the bridge. They both sit on the bridge and they are happy.
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Fill in the Blanks Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy ___________1 the house and ___________2 in the

street, and, like always, he has another accident. He crashes with a
cart and goes toward Lucky Lou. He ___________ Lucky Lou in leaves
the cart and they both ___________3 quickly down the street.
go
walks
Jinxy is not very optimistic but Lucky Lou is very optimistic.
crashes with
Jinxy ___________4 they are both ___________5 crash but
Lucky thinks they are going to be okay. She is not nervous but he arrive
is very nervous because he has a history of accidents. They are still
in the cart and they ___________6 at a street with many pianos going to
in the air. thinks
takes
Jinxy sees many problems and accidents but Lucky sees a lot
continue
of adventure and many opportunities. She ___________7 Jinxy’s
hand and they both walk on top of the pianos. They ___________8 jump
from piano to piano and they ___________ in the cart down the
9
streets of San Francisco.
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Advanced - Version 3 (639 words) Jinxy and Lucky
Jinxy Jenkins was a boy with a complicated life in San
Francisco. He had a complicated life because he had many
accidents every day. Jinxy left the house and the weather
was not good. It was raining a lot and he didn’t have an
umbrella. He returned to the house to look for his umbrella.
Now, he had an umbrella but there was a problem. It was
very windy. The wind took Jinxy Jenkins like a mad man
down the street. Jinxy Jenkins did not have control because
it was very windy.
Lucky Lou was a girl with a perfect life in San Francisco.
She had good luck in life. She had a perfect life because she
had a positive attitude and she had a lot of luck. Lucky Lou was an optimist.
She left the house. The weather was good. Because
of her good luck, there was always sun. She walked
in the street and saw water. Lucky Lou wanted to
jump in the water but suddenly a paper appeared.
She jumped on the paper and she didn’t get wet.
Lucky Lou and Jinxy Jenkins walked in the street.
Jinxy always had many accidents walking in the
street.
When he walked in the street, Jinxy crashed
with Lucky Lou and Lucky Lou crashed with Jinxy
Jenkins. They both crashed and fell. They were both
there in the street looking at each other. Lucky
offered him her hand, but Lucky Lou did not know
that Jinxy was a boy with bad luck. Jinxy did not
want to meet Lucky Lou because he didn’t want
her to have bad luck. Because of this, Jinxy left
without meeting Lucky.
Jinxy Jenkins got up and left. He didn’t want to cause her problems because
of his bad luck. Jinxy didn’t want Lucky to have accidents like him. Jinxy was
walking in the street and like always he had another accident. He crashed with
a cart and went towards Lucky Lou. He crashed with Lucky Lou in the cart and
the two went very quickly down the street.
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Jinxy was not very optimistic, but Lucky Lou was
very optimistic. Jinxy thought both were going to
crash, but Lucky thought it was going to be fine.
She was not nervous because she always had good
luck, but he was very nervous because he always
had bad luck. The two kept going down the street
in the cart, and they arrived at a place with many
pianos in the air. Jinxy thought there would be
many problems and accidents, but Lucky thought
walking on the pianos would be an adventure. She took Jinxy’s hand
and the two walked on top of the pianos. They jumped from piano to piano and
continued in the cart down the streets of San Francisco.
They continued quickly down the street and finally they went through the
air. In that moment, Lucky Lou thought they were going to fall. She thought
they were going to have a serious accident. Jinxy Jenkins learned from Lucky
Lou and he had a positive attitude. He took the umbrella. He got an idea. He
took Lucky Lou’s hand and he used the umbrella to escape without getting
hurt. The wind took them on top of the bridge. The two sat on the Golden Gate
Bridge, and now they were good friends.
Jinxy talked with Lucky and said to her, “I am worried because we are here
on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. I am a little nervous because it is possible
that we may fall.”
Lucky responded to him, “I always have good luck. I never have bad luck.
We are not going to fall. Also, we have very good quality umbrellas. Don’t worry.”
He felt really good hearing that. They had a very good time together.
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Short Answer Questions Jinxy and Lucky
Respond in English.
1. Why wasn’t Lucky Lou happy when she left

her house?
2. Why wasn’t Jinxy Jenkins happy when he

left his house?
3. When they were in the cart, Lucky Lou offered him her hand again. Why did Jinxy
Jenkins accept it?
4. What did Jinxy Jenkins learn from Lucky Lou at the end?
5. Why didn’t Jinxy want to talk with a new friend?
6. Explain how Jinxy Jenkins felt when Lucky Lou offered him her hand.
7. Lucky Lou was not happy with her “perfect” life. Why wasn’t she perfectly happy?
8. How did Jinxy change during the story?
9. When was a moment when Lucky Lou was afraid?
10. Why were Lucky Lou and Jinxy Jenkins the perfect friends?
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Additional Reading (337 words) Jinxy and Lucky
There is a girl that lives in Sacramento, California. The girl is named Lucy
Lou. She has a very good family, but Lucy is not a normal
girl. Lucy is a girl with problems. Lucy goes to school
and has problems at school. She has bad luck. She is
not happy with her life because she always has bad
luck.
Lucy goes to Disneyland with her family. It is not
a perfect day. Instead, it is a bad day. Lucy Lou has
a bad life. She has a life with many problems.
Lucy sees she has problems and that she does not have good luck. Instead,
she has bad luck. She would like to have good luck, but she doesn’t know what
she can do to have good luck.
There is a boy that lives in Las Vegas. He is named Jimmy Jenkins. Jimmy
has good luck. He lives in Las Vegas. Luck is important in Las Vegas. Jimmy is
very content because he has a life with a lot of luck.
One day, Lucy leaves Sacramento and visits an expert in San Diego. She
goes into the expert’s house and talks with him. Lucy explains her problem to
him. She says to him, “Mr. Expert, I have a problem. I don’t have good luck. I
have bad luck. What can I do?”
“Do you have a black cat?” the expert asks her.
“Yes, I have a black cat,” Lucy responds.
“No! It’s obvious that your black cat is the cause of your bad luck,” the
expert responds.
Lucy returns to her house and gives her cat to a friend, Juan. It turns out
that Juan is a friend of Jimmy in Las Vegas. Jimmy wants a cat. Juan goes to
Las Vegas and he gives the cat to Jimmy Jenkins. Lucy goes and buys a white
cat. Now, she is called Lucky Lou and she has good luck. Jimmy has the black
cat and now he has bad luck. Now he is called Jinxy Jenkins.
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Crossword Puzzle Activity Jinxy and Lucky
1 2
3 ‘
10
ACROSS
7
1 Your black cat is the ____ of your

bad luck.
3 She goes in the ___ house.
DOWN
5 Lucy sees she has ____.
2 Lucy ____ her problem to him.
7 Lucy doesn’t ____ what she can
do. 4 Lucy lives in ____ has problems.
9 Lucy ____ and gives her cat to a ____ is important in Las Vegas.
friend. 6
Lucy ____ to an expert in San
10 There is a girl that ____ in 8 Diego.
California.
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Guide Words for The Present
Present Tense
• s/he plays • s/he opens
• s/he grabs • s/he throws
• It matters to him/her
• He or she is missing (something)
Past Tense
• s/he played • s/he grabbed
• s/he opened • s/he threw

• It mattered to him/her
• He or she was missing (something)
PQA Activities
1. S/he plays - This is a great word to talk about various interests of
students. Everyone is interested in playing something. This verb can
include sports, board games, or any type of game. If students absolutely
do not like to play anything, then that becomes an interesting topic for
discussion too.
2. It matters to him/her - This is a great opportunity to talk about things

in the world that matter to your students, to parents, to friends, and
to teachers. Even topics that are based on interests to students such as
name brands, music, and getting good grades are great topics to discuss
using this phrase in a variety of contexts.
3. He or she is missing (something) – Talk about what students are missing
in order to finish the school year, or to accomplish certain goals. If your
school system has required credits before graduation, talk about what
credit hours the students are missing.
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Short Reading - Version A (219 words) The Present
There is a boy. His name is Dirk. He lives in

California. He is playing a video game. His mom
comes into the house. She has a present. Dirk
does not look at the present. Dirk looks at the
television and plays the video game. The mom puts
the present on the table. Dirk does not look at the
present. Dirk keeps playing the video game.
Dirk opens the present. It is a dog. Dirk likes

the dog. Dirk is very happy. The dog is very happy. Dirk looks at the dog. The
dog does not have a paw. Dirk is not happy with the dog. Dirk puts the dog on
the floor. Dirk keeps playing the video game.
The dog goes over to Dirk and jumps. Dirk does not look at the dog. Dirk
keeps playing the video game. There is a ball. The dog grabs the ball. The dog
throws the ball. Dirk does not look at the ball. The dog grabs the ball and puts
the ball in front of Dirk.
Finally, Dirk grabs the ball and gets up.

Dirk walks over to the door. The dog runs
over to the door. Dirk does not have a leg
and the dog does not have a paw. Dirk opens
the door. The two friends leave the house.
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Short Reading - Version B (273 words) The Present
There is a boy. His name is Dirk. He lives in

California. He plays a lot of video games on the
sofa. His mom comes into the house. She has a
box. It is a present for her son, Dirk. Dirk does not
look at the present. Dirk looks at the television and
plays a video game. The mom puts the present on
the table. Dirk does not look at the present. Dirk
keeps playing the video game.
Dirk takes the box and opens the present. It is a dog. Dirk likes the dog.
Dirk is very happy. The dog is very happy. Dirk looks at the dog. Dirk sees that
the dog doesn’t have a paw. Dirk is not happy with the dog because the dog
doesn’t have a paw. Dirk wants a dog with four paws. Dirk grabs the dog and
puts it on the floor. Dirk keeps playing the video game.
It is a good dog. The dog goes over to Dirk and jumps. The dog wants to
get Dirk’s attention. Dirk does not look at the dog. Dirk keeps playing the video
game. The dog sees a ball. The dog grabs the ball. The dog throws the ball to
Dirk. Dirk does not look at the ball.
The dog grabs the ball again and puts the ball in
front of Dirk. Finally, Dirk grabs the ball and gets up.
Dirk wants to leave the house. The dog runs over to
the door. Dirk doesn’t have a leg and the dog doesn’t
have a paw. Dirk opens the door. The two friends leave
the house to play with the ball.
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Beginner - Version 1 (364 words) The Present
There is a boy named Dirk. He lives in California. He plays a lot of video

games. His mom comes into the house with a box. There is a present in the box.
Dirk doesn’t look at the present. Dirk is playing a video game.
Dirk’s mom leaves with the telephone. When
the mom is in another part of the house, Dirk
opens the present. Dirk looks at the present. It is
a dog. Dirk likes the dog. Dirk is very happy with
the dog. The dog is very happy too. Dirk looks at
the dog and sees that the dog doesn’t have a paw.
Dirk isn’t happy with
the dog because the dog
doesn’t have a paw. Dirk
wants a dog with all of its paws. Dirk grabs
the dog and puts it on the floor. Dirk isn’t happy and
now the dog is not happy. Dirk doesn’t look at the dog.
Dirk keeps playing his video game. The dog doesn’t
matter to him.
The dog is a very good dog. The dog goes over to Dirk. The
dog jumps in front of Dirk. The dog wants to play. The dog wants to get Dirk’s
attention. Dirk does not look at the dog. Dirk plays the video game. The dog
sees a ball. It’s a red ball. The dog grabs the red ball. The dog throws the red
ball to Dirk, but Dirk doesn’t want the ball.
The dog doesn’t know where the ball is. The dog looks for the ball and finds
it. He puts the ball in front of Dirk. After a while, Dirk grabs the ball. The dog
is very happy because Dirk grabs the ball. Finally, Dirk gets up with the ball.
Dirk wants to play with the dog.
Dirk walks over to the door. The dog runs over
to the door on its three paws. Dirk doesn’t have a
leg. The dog doesn’t have a paw and Dirk doesn’t
have a leg. The dog matters to him now. They are
perfect friends. Dirk opens the door. Dirk wants to
play with the dog. The two friends leave the house
with the red ball. They are both very happy.
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Multiple Choice Activity The Present
6. The dog sees a ball and it’s a _____

ball.
a. green c. yellow
b. white d. red
1. There is a boy named __________ .

a. Ben c. Dirk
7. Dirk _____ with the ball because
b. Jerry d. Jeremy
Dirk wants to play with the dog.
a. gets up c. sits
b. says d. calls
2. He lives in California and _____ a
lot of video games.
a. talks c. sells
8. Dirk _______ over to the door.
b. plays d. gives
a. runs c. jumps
b. walks d. plays
3. His mom comes in with a ____ .

a. book c. telephone
9. The dog runs over to the door on its
b. problem d. box
______ paws.
a. two c. four
b. three d. five
4. Dirk looks at the dog and sees the
dog doesn’t have a _______.
a. paw c. pizza
10. Dirk doesn’t have _____. The dog
b. ball d. question
doesn’t have a paw.
a. a leg c. a head
b. an eye d. a hand
5. Dirk isn’t _____ with the dog.
a. sad c. happy
b. irritated d. frustrated
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Word Search The Present
in the puzzle.
D N E L U K Z V S O P D A A H
X Q P Q O W H O B X E M K M U
O G N T L C C R A R A P C D H
B J E E A C R P R K X O V O Y
S W I L X F R M G K F G I O U
O W B F H E B N Y T X N D R P
Z U E Y S N T W K A Z P E C M
H W Z E C V S E B D T Z O Q P
G X N Q S I A N L W A P G Y N
Y T B T F L C U E E E P A V G
J V N A S C S L G P P C M K M
D A W O L D P I A U O H E P S
W W E P F L V A C X W G O Y G
J I A Z S K N I H T H J W N X
J U T O O V D T H R O W P F E
ball box thinks

paw wants video game
leg telephone red
opens present too
grabs door throw
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Intermediate - Version 2 (418 words) The Present
There was a boy named Dirk who liked to

play video games on the sofa. His mom came into
the living room with a present for her son Dirk.
She had a special box. She put the present
on the table. The present was important to
her, but it wasn’t important to Dirk. Dirk kept
playing the video game. The mom went to
the window and opened the curtains. It was
very sunny. She got a phone call and went to
another part of the house. She spent a lot of time talking
on the phone.
Finally, Dirk opened his present. He saw a dog inside the box. It was very
cute. At first, Dirk was very excited because he liked the dog. It was cute and
seemed nice.
Dirk took a good look at the dog and saw the dog was missing a paw. Dirk
didn’t like that one bit. Dirk didn’t want to have a dog that was missing a paw.
The dog didn’t matter to him. He wanted to have a dog that had all four paws
and wasn’t missing any paws.
The dog ran over and jumped in front of Dirk.
He really wanted to get Dirk’s attention, but Dirk
was busy playing a video game. Since the dog was
missing a paw, Dirk didn’t want to do anything
with him. So Dirk kicked the dog. Poor thing! Then,
the dog saw a red ball. He ran over to the ball. He
quickly went over to the ball. The dog hit his head
on the cabinet. Then he grabbed the red ball and
was ready to play.
Dirk grabbed the ball and threw it in a box. The dog picked up the ball and
walked over to Dirk with the ball in his mouth. He took the ball to Dirk. Dirk
saw the dog and decided that he liked the dog. He decided to play with the
dog. He got up and walked over to the door. The dog followed Dirk. The dog was
very surprised because he saw Dirk was missing a leg, just like him.
When Dirk was leaving, the dog ran after him. The dog ran under Dirk’s
leg. He ran in circles around Dirk. The two friends left the house because they
wanted to play with the ball. The dog mattered to him now. Dirk was very
happy because he had a dog that was missing a paw. Dirk thought that they
were both going to be very good friends.
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True or False? The Present
1. ___ Dirk doesn’t like to play videogames.
2. ___ Dirk has brown hair.
3. ___ Dirk has a red jacket.
4. ___ Dirk is in his room.
5. ___ Dirk is very happy with the dog.
6. ___ The dog has four paws.
7. ___ Dirk has a blue jacket.
8. ___ The dog is cute and seems nice.
9. ___ The dog wants the red ball.
10. ___ The dog hits its head on the cabinet.
11. ___ The dog doesn’t have much energy.

12. ___ The ball is under the cabinet.
13. ___ Dirk doesn’t want to leave the house.
14. ___ The dog doesn’t go over to the door.
15. ___ Dirk and his dog are missing a paw.
16. ___ Dirk has the perfect friend now.
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Advanced - Version 3 (593 words) The Present
There was a boy named Dirk who liked to play video games on the couch.
His mom came home and went into the living room with a box for her son Dirk.
The box was a very special present. She wanted Dirk to have the present. She
knew the present was a dog. She also knew that the dog was missing one of its
paws. She thought that this present was just what the doctor ordered.
She put the present on the table in front
of Dirk. The present was important to his mom,
but it didn’t matter one bit to Dirk. Dirk kept
playing the video game. The mom went over to
the window and opened the curtains. It was
very sunny. Suddenly the phone rang, and the
mother answered it. She spent a lot of time
talking on the phone with a friend that lived
in Orlando, Florida.
Dirk opened the present. He saw that there was a dog in the box. Dirk
knew that his mother wanted him to have a dog. Dirk saw the dog and thought
it was very cute. At first, Dirk was very excited and thought he liked the dog.
It was cute and seemed nice.
Dirk took a good look at the dog and saw it was
missing one of its paws. Dirk didn’t like that one bit.
Dirk didn’t want to have a dog that was missing a paw.
He wanted to have a dog with all four of its paws and
wasn’t missing any paws. The dog didn’t matter to him.
Poor Dirk didn’t know what to do. The dog ran and
jumped in front of Dirk. Dirk wasn’t happy about that.
Dirk wanted the dog to leave him alone so he could play
his video game. He didn’t want the dog to be in his
house. He didn’t want to play with a dog that
only had three paws.
The dog wanted Dirk’s attention, but Dirk
was busy playing his video game. Since the
dog was missing one of its paws, Dirk didn’t
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want to do anything with the dog. Dirk kicked the dog. Poor thing! Then the
dog saw a red ball. He quickly ran over to the ball. The dog hit his head on the
cabinet. He grabbed the red ball and was ready to play. The dog wanted Dirk
to play with him.
Dirk grabbed the ball and threw it in a box that was on the floor. The
dog picked up the ball and walked over to Dirk with the ball in his mouth. He
brought the ball to Dirk. Dirk saw the dog and decided that he liked the dog.
He thought that the dog wasn’t so bad after all. Even if he was missing a paw, it
wasn’t so bad. The dog mattered to him now. He decided that from that moment
on, he would play a lot with the dog. He got up and walked over to the door.
The dog followed Dirk. The dog was very surprised because he saw that Dirk
was missing a leg, just like him.
When Dirk was leaving, the dog ran after him. The dog ran under Dirk’s leg.
He ran in circles around Dirk. The two new friends left the house because they
wanted to play with the ball. Dirk was very happy because he had a dog that
was missing one of its paws. Dirk thought they were both going to be very
good friends, and that they were going to have a lot of fun together.
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Writing Retell Name
Use the pictures to write about what happened in the story in English.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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Additional Reading (524 words) The Present
There is a girl named Mildred who lives in Burlington, Vermont. She has a
dog that is missing one of its paws. She likes the dog a lot. She spends a lot
of time at the park with her dog. Although he is missing one of his paws, that
doesn’t matter. He can still do a lot. For example, he
can run and throw a ball.
Mildred goes out a lot with the dog. Sometimes
they go shopping. They really like going to Walmart.
They buy food there. When they go to Walmart,
the dog can’t go in. It’s a very obedient dog so it
never goes in the supermarket. It always waits
outside patiently.
Mildred also likes going to the library. When she goes to the library,
the dog goes with her. They do not let dogs in the library, so again it waits
outside patiently.
Mildred likes reading books. More than anything, she likes reading books
about dogs. In the library she is looking for an interesting book. She finds the
book Lassie. When she leaves the library, the dog is waiting outside for her
patiently. Mildred is very happy with the book and excited to start reading it.
She shows it to the dog. The dog sees the book is about a dog. Now the dog is
very happy because Mildred has a book about a dog.
Mildred never plays video games. She prefers to go with her dog to Walmart,
the library, and also the park. Mildred is very happy with her dog.
One day, Mildred sees a message. The message says the following:
I have a little boy that was born without a leg. He can’t play like the other
boys because he only is missing one of his legs. My son never leaves the house.
He spends all his time playing video games. It’s a terrible situation for my son. I
am looking for something to help him. I am looking for a dog that’s missing one
of its paws. I think my son can stop being so angry with the world if he has a
dog just like him. Please. If you know where there is a dog that is missing one
of its paws, please write to me. This is very important to me and my son.
Mildred reads the message. She gets very sad. Her dog is very important to
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her, but she also knows the boy needs the dog more than she does. She thinks
the boy might feel better if she gives him her dog.
Mildred writes:
Hello, I wanted to write to you because I have a dog just like you described.
I understand your son needs my dog more than I do. Although I am sad because
I love my dog, I want your son to have him.
The woman gets very happy when she reads Mildred’s response. She goes
directly to Mildred’s house and buys the dog. She gives Mildred one hundred
dollars for the dog. Then, she goes back home and gives the dog to her son.
Mildred goes out and buys another dog with the money she got.
True or False? The Present
Check “True” if the sentence is true or “False” if

the sentence is false. True False
1. Mildred lives in Miami, Florida.
2. Mildred buys food in Costco.
3. The dog goes to the library.
4. Mildred plays a lot of videogames.
5. Mildred reads about a boy and is sad.
6. The dog matters a lot to Mildred.
7. The woman pays 500 dollars for the dog.
8. Mildred never goes to the park.
9. A woman writes about her daughter.
10. The woman wants a dog with 4 paws.
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Guide Words for Glued
Present Tense
• s/he gets [emotion]
• s/he looks for
• s/he plays / is playing
• s/he sees, watches, looks at
Past Tense
• s/he got [emotion]
• s/he looked for
• s/he was playing
• s/he saw, watched, looked at
PQA Activities
1. S/he gets or becomes + adjective - Using “S/he gets” with feelings
is a great way to get to know your students. Ask them questions in
the target language about the things that bother them (“pet peeves”).
Also, find out about the pet peeves of their friends, family, or other
teachers, that overreact in various situations. End in positive ways, using
conversations that makes students happy and glad, by introducing the
negative construction naturally. (“Don’t get + adjective”)
2. Look for, Watch, See - These verbs each mean something different and
can be used in various ways. In order to use all three of these or to
use any of them individually, ask about what students look for in movies.
Then, ask what types of movies they watch. Finally, ask others HOW
they “see” movies. Is it better to see them on the computer, TV, movie
theater, or IMAX Theaters, etc.?
3. S/he plays / is playing - Talk with the students about when they play
various activities. (Sports, video games, instruments, etc.)
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Short Reading - Version A (133 words) Glued
There is a woman. The woman is a mom. She is

at home. She sees two children. The two children
play with a ball.
The mom hears a video game. The mom goes to

another part of the house. Billy is playing a video
game. Billy is playing with a lot of concentration.
He looks intensely at the video game.
Billy needs to play with other boys outside. But Billy doesn’t go play outside.
He plays another video game. Billy’s mom gets
furious.
She does not like video games. She takes all

of Billy’s video games.
The mom takes all of the videogames out

of the house. Billy does not play video games.
The mom looks outside the house and Billy is
outside. Billy is playing outside with a ball. She
gets furious.
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Short Reading - Version B (195 words) Glued
There is a woman. The woman is a mom. Her name is Sandra. She is at home.
She is happy because she is at home. She looks outside. She sees two children
outside. The two children are playing with a ball outside.
The mom hears music. She hears a video game. The mom goes to another
part of the house. Sandra’s son’s name is Billy. Billy is playing a video game. Billy
is playing with a lot of concentration. He looks intensely at the video game.
The mom decides that Billy does not

need to play video games. He needs to play
with other children outside. Billy goes to
another part of the house. But Billy doesn’t
go outside. Sandra goes over to Billy. Billy
takes out another game and plays it. Billy’s
mom gets furious.
She doesn’t like video games. She decides

to take all of Billy’s video games. Billy needs
to play outside with the ball and other children.
The mom takes all of the videogames out of the house. Billy doesn’t play
video games. The mom looks outside and Billy is outside. Billy is playing outside
with a ball. She gets furious.
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Beginner - Version 1 (453 words) Glued
There is a woman. The woman is a mom

named Sandra. She is at home. She looks
outside and sees two children. The two
children are playing with a ball. The mom
has a son who likes to play video games. He
plays video games all day and all night.
His mom doesn’t like it. She gets worried
when she sees him play. Other children
don’t play video games. They play baseball.
Her son doesn’t play baseball. He plays video
games. She isn’t happy about the situation.
She sees her son in front of the television. He is playing video games. She
isn’t happy. She gets a little angry. The mom sees it’s a beautiful day. She says
to him, “Play baseball. Baseball is important. Video games are not important.”
The mom goes over to the television, but doesn’t see the boy there. He isn’t
in front of the television. She thinks, “He isn’t playing video games!” The mom is
happy because she thinks he is playing baseball with other children.
She listens and hears a video game. She goes to another part of the house.
She sees her son is not playing baseball. He is playing another video game. He
isn’t with other children. He is in another part of the house with another video
game. The mom says to him, “No! No!”
She opens the door and looks outside. There are other children outside. The
other children want to play with the ball. The mom has a ball. She throws the
ball. Her son doesn’t go outside. The poor mom gets angry with the situation.
The mom looks at her son. He is playing another video game. He doesn’t want
to play with the ball. He wants to play another video game. The mom grabs the
video game. She isn’t happy. Her son takes out another video game. She grabs
the other video game. The boy takes out another video game. He doesn’t want
to play with the ball. The mom gets angry.
The mom takes all of the boy’s video games. The poor boy doesn’t have any
more video games. The boy has a ball, but he doesn’t have any video games. The
mom is happy because the boy doesn’t have any video games.
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The mom looks at the boy. The boy is outside with the ball. The mom is very
happy because she thinks the boy is playing with the ball. She wants to play
with him. She wants to play ball with her son. The mom gets very happy. The
mom goes outside and looks at the boy. The boy thinks the ball is a different
video game. The poor mom is not happy, and she goes crazy.
Who did it in the movie? Glued
Put an “X” below the character(s) that represents

the phrase below. Sandra Billy
1. S/he looks outside and sees children.
2. S/he cooks food in the kitchen.
3. S/he hears a video game.
4. S/he goes to play in another part of the house.
5. S/he goes very crazy.
6. S/he looks at the television with concentration.
7. S/he grabs the video game because it’s bad.
8. S/he sees it’s a beautiful day.
9. S/he throws the red ball.
10. S/he thinks the ball is a video game.
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Translation Glued
1. The woman is a mom named Sandra.

_______________________________________________________
2. She looks outside and sees two children.
_______________________________________________________
3. The two children are playing with a ball.
_______________________________________________________
4. The mom has a son who likes to play video games.
_______________________________________________________
5. She sees her son in front of the television.
_______________________________________________________
6. She sees her son is not playing baseball.
_______________________________________________________
7. He doesn’t want to play with the ball.
_______________________________________________________
8. The mom is happy because the boy doesn’t have any video games.
_______________________________________________________
9. The mom goes out and looks at the boy.
_______________________________________________________
10. The boy thinks the ball is a different video game.
_______________________________________________________
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Intermediate - Version 2 (604 words) Glued
There is a woman. The woman is a mom named Sandra. She lives with her
son, Billy. She is at home. She sees two children outside playing with a ball.
The mom looks at the children while she cooks food for her and her son. She
compares the children outside with her son, Billy. Billy likes to play video games.
He plays video games all day and all night. Billy’s mom likes to prepare food for
her and her son. She worries when Billy plays video games all day. Billy’s mom
hears that Billy plays a video game. She doesn’t like it. She is happy when she
thinks about the children in front of the house. She isn’t happy when she thinks
about the children that spend time playing video games.
The other children do not play video games.

They play baseball. They play with the ball. The
mom’s son does not play baseball or with the ball.
He plays video games. The mom is not happy with
the situation. The mom sees Billy. Billy is in front
of the television playing video games. His mom
gets frustrated when she compares Billy with
the other children outside. She sees that it’s a
beautiful day outside. So she says to him, “Why
don’t you play baseball? Baseball is important.
Video games are not important.”
The mom goes over to the television, but doesn’t see the boy there. He isn’t
in front of the television. She thinks, “He isn’t playing video games!” The mom is
happy because she thinks he’s playing baseball with other children.
A moment later, the mom hears another video game. She goes to another
part of the house. She sees her son. He isn’t with the other children playing
baseball. He is playing another video game. She gets angry. She thinks video
games are terrible. She takes him to another part of the house. Her son is on
the stairs. She says to him, “No! No! Don’t play video games anymore. Go outside
and play with the other children.”
The mom opens the door and looks outside. There are other children who
want to play with the ball. The mom has a ball. She throws the ball because
Billy isn’t outside. But Billy doesn’t go outside. He doesn’t want to leave.
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The mom looks at her son. He is playing another
video game. The poor mom isn’t happy because Billy
keeps playing video games. He doesn’t want to play
with the ball. He wants to play another video game.
The mom grabs the game but there is a problem.
The boy takes out another video game. The mom
grabs the other video game. The boy takes out
another video game. He doesn’t want to play with
the ball.
The mom has a plan. Her plan is intense. She takes all her son’s video games.
Then she takes them outside and destroys them. The poor boy doesn’t have any
more video games. The boy has a ball, but he doesn’t have any video games. The
mom is happy because the boy doesn’t have any video games.
The mom looks at the boy. The boy is outside with the ball. The mom is very
happy because she thinks her son is outside playing with the ball. The mom
decides to go over and play with her son. She wants to play with him.
The mom goes outside and looks at the boy. When she gets close to Billy,
she sees a problem. Billy thinks that the ball is a different video game. The
poor mom doesn’t know what to do and she goes crazy.
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True or False? Glued
1. ____ The mom sees two children in front of the house.
2. ____ The mom’s name is Alicia.
3. ____ The mom cooks food for her and her son.
4. ____ The other children are playing video games too.
5. ____ The boy plays a lot of video games.
6. ____ The mom buys more video games.
7. ____ The boy is outside with the ball.
8. ____ The boy plays with the ball with the other children.
9. ____ The mom takes all of the boy’s friends outside.
10. ____ The mom doesn’t know what to do when she sees her son outside.
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Advanced - Version 3 (696 words) Glued
There is a woman. The woman is a mom named

Sandra. She lives with her son, Billy. Sandra likes to
cook food for her and her son. Normally she spends
a lot of time in the kitchen. She is happy because
she is in the house cooking food. She thinks a lot
about the food that she cooks. She cooks very well.
She looks outside and sees two other children playing
with a ball. She wants her son to go outside to play.
There is a problem. The mom hears music. She hears a video game in
another part of the house. She goes to the living room to investigate. She
knows that her son Billy is in the living room in front of the television. Just
like she thought, Billy is playing a video game. Billy is playing with a lot of
concentration. It seems that Billy spends too much time playing video games.
She thinks his video game playing is a problem. It’s obvious that Billy doesn’t
play a lot outside with other children. But this is a problem to her because it
is important for children to play with other children.
The mom decides that Billy needs to play with the other children outside.
She opens the curtains so that the sun can enter the living room. Billy doesn’t
need to play video games. The mom turns around to talk more with Billy, but
Billy isn’t there.
Billy goes to another part of the house.

The mom gets irritated because she can hear
video game music from another part of the
house. She goes to Billy and sees that Billy
is in the office of the house. Billy is playing
another video game. The mom doesn’t accept
that Billy plays so many video games. In
her opinion, it is necessary that children
learn to play well with others. She thinks
technology is bad.
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She takes Billy to another part of the house.
She takes Billy to the stairs by the front door. Billy
is on the stairs and the mom turns around to open
the door. She opens the door so that more sun can
enter the house. She looks at Billy again and gets
furious. Billy took out another video game and is
playing it. The mom goes over to Billy and takes his
Gameboy away. Suddenly, Billy takes out another
video game and starts to play it. His mom isn’t happy and gets even more
frustrated. She wants Billy to go outside. She wants Billy to do something else.
She says, “Billy, I want you to go outside. I want you to talk with other children
and spend time outside in the fresh air. Who knows. You might like it!”
Billy ignores her. His mom is desperate and decides to take all of Billy’s
video games away from him. She doesn’t like video games because Billy needs to
go outside to play with the ball and the other children. The mom starts looking
for all of Billy’s video games in the house. She wants to destroy all of them.
That way, Billy will not have any other options. Billy will have to play outside.
She takes all her son’s video games. Then she

takes them outside and destroys them. The poor
boy doesn’t have any more video games. The boy
has a ball, but he doesn’t have any video games.
The mom is happy because the boy doesn’t have
any video games. Billy’s mom is happy, but she also
goes crazy. Billy doesn’t play video games anymore.
Later, the mom looks outside and sees Billy in

front of the house. When she sees Billy playing outside, she can finally be
happy. She goes outside and walks over to Billy. When she gets close to Billy,
she can see the problem. Billy is playing with the ball, but he isn’t playing with
it like a normal kid. He has a controller in his hand and thinks the ball is a video
game. Billy doesn’t know how to play with the ball. Billy only knows how to play
with video games. His mom doesn’t know what to do and finally goes very crazy.
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Crossword Puzzle Activity Glued
1 2
p c
a 3o u t s i d e
r n
4
t e c h n o l o g y
e
5 6p
o n
t l
7i r r i t a t e d
a y
t 8b
9v i d e o g a m e
o l
10k n o w l
ACROSS
DOWN
3 Billy needs to play with other
1 Billy goes to another ____ of the children ____.
house.
4 The mom thinks ____ is bad.
2 Billy plays with a lot of ____. 5 Billy is ____ the stairs.
6 It is important for children to 7 The mom gets ____.
____ outside.
9 Billy takes out another ___ ___.
8 Two children are playing with a 10 Billy doesn’t ____ how to play
____. with the ball.
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Additional - Reading (383 words) Glued
There is a mom named Sandra who has a baby. Sandra is a very calm
person. She is very happy with her baby. Sandra thinks a lot about her future.
She has a lot of plans for her baby’s future. Her baby’s name is Billy.
Sandra looks at her baby and thinks he is perfect. She can’t imagine that
he will ever cause problems. Her little boy is going to be the perfect son. She
imagines her son’s future. He will spend a lot of time with friends. He will play a
lot of baseball and tennis. He will be able to play golf, tennis, and other sports.
Sandra is happy thinking about her sons’ future.
Two years later, Sandra is happy because she spends a lot of time in the
kitchen. She likes to cook for her and her son. Billy is a very obedient little
boy. Sandra says to him, “Eat salad. Eat fruit.” And eats them because his mom
tells him to. He is very obedient.
A year later, Billy is already three years old. He is not a baby anymore.
Billy is a big boy. When he is three years old, Billy plays his first video game.
He starts playing a simple game for children. It’s a video game from Sesame
Street. He finds it very interesting.
Before Billy wanted to play with the ball. Not anymore. Now he only wants
to play video games. He wants to spend all day playing video games. He doesn’t
want to play with the ball. He doesn’t want to play with any other children. He
doesn’t want to play sports. He wants to play video games.
Poor Sandra gets very frustrated. She can’t be calm. She doesn’t like video
games at all. Sandra looks outside and sees the other children playing with the
ball. Now Sandra isn’t happy with Billy. Now Billy isn’t an obedient boy anymore.
Sandra says to him, “Go outside, Billy. There are other children outside. They
are playing with a ball. Don’t play video games anymore. Play outside with the
ball with the other children.“
Sandra can see that Billy isn’t obedient anymore. He keeps playing and
doesn’t stop at all. He plays video games all day and all night. Poor Sandra. She
doesn’t know what to do.
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True or False? Glued
1. _____ The mom doesn’t think a lot about

her future.
2. _____ Sandra can’t imagine she will have

any problems.
3. _____ Billy plays all day and all night.
4. _____ Billy doesn’t want to spend all day

playing video games.
5. _____ Billy plays in his room.
6. _____ When he is five years old, Billy

plays his first video game.
7. _____ Billy never eats salad.
8. _____ Billy likes to play a lot with

people now.
9. _____ Sandra gets very frustrated.
10. _____ Billy is very obedient.
11. _____ Billy finally plays with other

children.
12. _____ The mom isn’t happy with

the video games.
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Guide Words for “Runaway” Chillie the refrigerator
Present Tense
• S/he goes looking for
• S/he thinks about
• S/he is going to buy
• S/he loses
Past Tense
• S/he went looking for
• S/he thought about
• S/he was going to buy
• S/he lost
PQA Activities
1. S/he goes looking for / is going to buy – During this PQA session, the
class discussion can use both grammar structures to talk about various
places to shop. Prepare for a longer, more interesting conversation by
asking students to email “selfies” to you of where they shop. Show the
photos to the class. The conversations can compare and contrast stores
and shopping centers in your local community.
2. S/he thinks about – Ask students what they think about when they are
in certain classes. Emphasize the classes that students find boring. You
can also get into discussions on a deeper level if you bring up politics,
current events, summer plans, etc. Don’t forget to share the things that
are on your mind too.
3. S/he thinks about / going to + infinitive verb – Another PQA session
can involve using these 2 forms together. Ask students about what they
are thinking about for the future and about what they are going to do.
What university or jobs do they want and what are they going to do to
get there? If a holiday is coming, this could also be used to talk about
upcoming plans.
4. S/he loses - Talk about something that you have once lost. Who has lost
their cell phone? How did they feel? What is something that can’t be
lost? What is something you can lose and it doesn’t matter?
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Short Reading - Version A (152 words) Runaway
There is a boy. The boy’s name is Ben. Ben has a

refrigerator. The refrigerator’s name is Chillie. One day
there is a problem. Chillie’s loses his handle.
Ben wants a new handle. Ben leaves. Chillie sees
a photo of him and Ben. Chillie goes looking for a new
handle. He sees a store. They have refrigerators in
the store. The refrigerators look at Chillie. They laugh
because Chillie has problems.
Ben goes back home. He does not see Chillie there.
He yells and goes looking for Chillie. He doesn’t want to lose his friend.
Ben walks down the street looking for Chillie. He sees the photo. He grabs it. He
looks for Chillie more. Poor Chillie. He is very sad. He thinks about his friend Ben.
Ben finds Chillie. He has a new handle for Chillie. He puts the new handle on
Chillie. They go back home. They are very happy.
Short Reading - Version B (227 words)

There is a boy. The boy’s name is Ben. Ben has a refrigerator. It is a special
refrigerator. The refrigerator’s name is Chillie. One day, Ben opens the refrigerator
but there is a problem. Chillie loses his handle. Poor Chillie.
Ben wants to buy him a new handle. Ben leaves.
Chillie sees a photo of him and Ben. Chillie and Ben are
good friends.
Chillie has a plan. He goes out to look for a new
handle. He walks down the street. He looks in a store.
They have refrigerators in the store. The refrigerators
are new. They all have good handles. The refrigerators
look at Chillie. They laugh because Chillie lost his handle.
Chillie is very sad.
Ben goes back home. He goes in and sees that Chillie is not there. He yells and
goes looking for Chillie. He doesn’t want to lose his friend.
Ben walks down the street looking for Chillie. He sees the photo. He grabs it. He
looks for Chillie more.
Poor Chillie. He is very sad. He sees another photo of him and Ben. He thinks a
lot about his friend Ben. He doesn’t want the photo. He is very sad.
Ben finds Chillie. He has a new handle for Chillie. He puts the new handle on
Chillie. Chillie is a new refrigerator. Both go back home. They are very happy.
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Beginner - Version 1 (369 words) Runaway
There is a boy. The boy’s name is Ben. Ben has a refrigerator. It is a special
refrigerator. The refrigerator’s name is Chillie. One morning, Ben opens the
refrigerator. When he opens it, there’s a problem. Chillie loses his handle. Poor
Chillie is broken. Ben is sad because Chillie lost his handle. Chillie is also sad
because he lost his handle.
Ben wants to buy him a new handle. He says to Chillie, “Bye” and leaves.
Chillie thinks Ben is going to buy another refrigerator. Chillie sees a photo of
him and Ben. Chillie and Ben are good friends. Chillie is sad because he thinks
Ben doesn’t want him.
Chillie has a plan. He goes looking for a new
handle. He thinks Ben is going to want him if
he has a new handle. He walks down the street
looking for a new handle. He looks in a store. They
have refrigerators in the store. The refrigerators
are nice and new. They have all of their handles.
The refrigerators look at Chillie. They see that
he lost his handle. They laugh because Chillie is
broken. Chillie is very sad and he leaves.
Ben goes back home. When he goes in, he
sees Chillie isn’t there. He yells and goes looking for Chillie. He
doesn’t want to lose his friend.
Chillie walks down the street and sees a
dead refrigerator. He doesn’t like to see the dead
refrigerator and he runs away. While he is running,
he loses the photo of him and Ben.
Ben walks down the street looking for Chillie.
Fortunately, he sees the photo. He grabs it and keeps
looking for Chillie.
Poor Chillie. He is very sad and alone. He sits and
sees another photo of him and Ben. He thinks a lot about his friend Ben. The
problem is that he thinks that Ben doesn’t want him anymore. He doesn’t want
the photo anymore. He is very sad. He thinks he lost his friend.
Ben finds Chillie. He says to Chillie that he has a surprise. He has a new
handle for Chillie. He puts the new handle on Chillie and now Chillie is a new
refrigerator. Both go back home. They are very happy.
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Sentence Scramble Runaway
Put the sentences from the

story in order so that they make
sense.
1. loses | his | handle | Chillie
____________________________________________________
2. laugh | because | is | The | Chillie | broken | refrigerators
____________________________________________________
3. are | refrigerators | new | and | nice | The
____________________________________________________
4. him | thinks | He | Ben | doesn’t | want
____________________________________________________
5. They | the | refrigerators | store | have | in
____________________________________________________
6. refrigerators | The | that | see | his | lost | Chillie | handle
____________________________________________________
7. dead | a | sees | Chillie | refrigerator
____________________________________________________
8. puts | Ben | the | Chillie | handle | new | on
____________________________________________________
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Who did it in the movie? Runaway
Put an “X”below the character(s) that

represents the phrase below. Ben Chile the Refrigerators
1. He opens the refrigerator one morning.
2. He goes to buy a new handle.
3. They laugh a lot.
4. He is sad because he lost his handle.
5. He walks down the street looking for a

new handle.
6. He thinks a lot about his friend.
7. He feels alone.
8. He leaves the house.
9. They do not have broken handles.
10. They go back home.
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Intermediate - Version 2 (459 words) Runaway
There is a boy named Ben, who has a refrigerator. It’s a special refrigerator
named Chillie. Chillie is a classic. One morning, Ben opens the refrigerator. When he
opens it, there’s a problem. Chillie loses his handle. Poor Chillie. Now he is broken. Ben
and Chillie can’t believe it. Ben is sad because Chillie lost his handle. Chillie is also sad
because he lost it. He doesn’t know what to do.
Ben has a plan. He decides to buy him a new handle. He
says to Chillie “Bye” and he leaves. Chillie sees something in Ben’s
hand. When he sees it, Chillie thinks Ben is going to buy another
refrigerator. Chillie sees a photo of him and Ben. They have so
many good memories together. They have been good friends for
a very long time. Chillie doesn’t want to lose his friend. Chillie
feels very bad because he thinks Ben is going to buy another
refrigerator. Chillie does not know what he would do if Ben
weren’t in his life. He hates the idea of losing him.
Chillie has a plan. He goes looking for a new handle. He thinks Ben would want
him if he had a new handle. He walks down the street looking for a new handle. After
a while, he walks up to a store. They have refrigerators in the store. The refrigerators
are brand new. Besides, they have all of their handles, unlike Chillie. The refrigerators
look at Chillie. They see he lost a handle and start laughing because Chillie is broken.
Chillie starts to feel bad again and runs away.
Ben goes back home. When he goes in, he doesn’t see Chillie. He wonders where
he could be. He yells and goes looking for Chillie. He doesn’t want to lose his friend.
Chillie is walking down the street when he sees a dead
refrigerator. He doesn’t like to see the dead refrigerator and he
runs away. While he is running, he loses the photo of him and Ben.
Ben walks down the street looking for Chillie. Fortunately, he
sees the photo. He grabs it. He keeps looking for Chillie but he
still can’t find him.
Poor Chillie. He is very sad and alone. Suddenly he sees
another photo of him and Ben. He thinks a lot about his friend Ben. Unfortunately he
thinks Ben wouldn’t want him anymore without his handle. He doesn’t want the photo
anymore and lets go of it. He is very sad.
Ben finds Chillie. He says to Chillie that he has a surprise for him. He has a new
handle for Chillie. He puts the new handle on Chillie and now Chillie is good as new.
Both go back home. It feels very good to be together again.
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Multiple Choice Activity Runaway
Circle the correct answer for each sentence.
1. There is a boy named _______.

a. Ben c. Dirk
b. Jerry d. Chillie
2. He lives in a house with a _______ refrigerator.

a. new c. classic
b. modern d. white
3. The other refrigerators are totally ________ and new.

a. nice c. pretty
b. generous d. serious
4. Been walks down the street ___________ a new handle.

a. looking for c. playing
b. eating d. walking
5. After Chillie leaves ________ Ben yells and goes out to look for him.
a. the bathroom c. the store
b. the house d. the sofa
6. Poor Chillie is very ______ and alone.

a. happy c. tired
b. sad d. nervous
7. Unfortunately, Chillie ________ Ben doesn’t want him anymore.

a. hears that c. sees
b. buys d. thinks
8. Both goes back _______.

a. to the bathroom c. to the store
b. home d. to the park.
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Advanced - Version 3 (665 words) Runaway
There is a boy named Ben who has had a very special

refrigerator for many years. In fact, his family got it
when he was just a little boy. His refrigerator’s name is
Chillie.
One morning, Ben goes to open the refrigerator, but
there’s a problem. While he’s opening it, the refrigerator’s
handle falls off and breaks. Poor Chillie is broken now
because he lost his handle. Ben and Chillie can’t believe it.
They don’t know how this could have happened. Ben feels ba d
because Chillie is broken. Chillie feels the same way. He doesn’t want his
handle to be broken. He doesn’t know if it will even be possible to fix.
Ben has a plan. He realizes he will need to buy his friend a new handle. He says
“Bye” to Chillie, and he leaves. Before he leaves, Chillie sees a magazine in his friend’s
hand. The magazine has a photo of a new refrigerator. When he sees it, Chillie thinks
that Ben might be going to buy another refrigerator. The truth is that Chillie thinks
Ben couldn’t possibly want him anymore.
Chillie sees a photo of him and Ben. They have so many good memories together.
Chillie and Ben have been good friends for a long time. Chillie has been a member of
the family since Ben was just a little boy. Chillie doesn’t want to lose his friend. Chillie
feels bad when he thinks that Ben might be going to buy another refrigerator. He
doesn’t have any idea what he would do if Ben weren’t in his life. He hates the idea
of losing his friend.
Chillie thinks for a while and then has a plan.
He realizes he needs to get a new handle as soon as
possible. Without it, Ben couldn’t possibly want him.
He realizes it’s his only chance! He needs it so that
Ben will want him. So he goes looking for a new
handle. He walks down the street looking for a new
handle. After a while, he walks up to a store. They
have refrigerators in the store. The refrigerators
are completely brand new. Not to mention, they
haven’t lost their handles like Chillie. The refrigerators look at Chillie. They
see he lost his handle and start to laugh at him. They can’t imagine anyone would
want a broken refrigerator like Chillie. Chillie starts to feel bad again. Not wanting
to be treated like that, he runs away.
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Ben goes back home. When he goes in, he doesn’t see Chillie anywhere. He
wonders where he could be. He hates thinking about what could have happened to his
friend and falls to his knees and yells. Not wanting to lose his friend, Ben immediately
goes looking for Chillie. He doesn’t care how long it might take, he is going to get his
friend back.
Chillie is walking down the street when he sees a dead refrigerator. Seeing it
scares him. So he runs away again. While he is running away, he loses the photo of
him and Ben. Chillie doesn’t realize that he lost the photo.
Ben walks down the street looking for Chillie. Fortunately, he sees the photo. He
grabs it. He keeps looking for Chillie because until now, he hasn’t found him.
Poor Chillie. He is very sad and alone. He sits and sees another photo of him and
Ben suddenly. He starts thinking about his friend Ben again and their times together.
Unfortunately he thinks Ben couldn’t possibly want him anymore without his handle.
He doesn’t think there is anything he can do for Ben to want him. So he feels bad
and lets go of the photo.
During all of this, Ben is looking for Chillie. When he finally finds him, he tells
Chillie that he has a surprise. He has a new handle for Chillie. He puts it on. Now
Chillie looks like a brand new refrigerator again. They hug and go back home. It feels
very good to be together again.
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Before, During, or After Runaway
Look at the pictures from the Movie. In each section, write an “B” if the
action in the sentence happened before the photo or write “A” if the sentence
represents what happened after or “D” if it is happening during the photo.
1. _____ The door doesn’t work.
2. _____ Chillie sees a photo of him and

Ben.
3. _____ Ben says “Hello” to Chillie.
4. _____ Ben wants to open the

refrigerator.
5. _____ Chillie loses his handle.
6. _____ Both go back home.
7. _____ He opens the refrigerator.
8. _____ Ben walks down the street

looking for Chillie.
9. _____ He leaves to buy a new

handle.
10. _____ Ben finds Chillie.
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Additional Reading (432 words) Runaway
There is a special refrigerator named Chillie. He is a new refrigerator and

he lives in the store Sears. He lives with fifteen other refrigerators. Chillie is
very nice and wants to talk with the other refrigerators.
One day, Chillie looks at another refrigerator and he starts talking to him.
He says, “Hi. My name is Chillie. What’s your name?”
The refrigerator doesn’t say anything to him. He doesn’t talk because he
can’t talk. He isn’t as special as Chillie. Chillie tries to talk with all of the other
refrigerators but none of them can talk to him. Chillie is sad because he wants
somebody to talk to. He wants to have friends and he wants to talk with other
refrigerators. Unfortunately, refrigerators don’t normally talk. Chillie wants to
leave Sears because the other refrigerators can’t talk. He comes up with a plan
to leave Sears.
A family goes shopping at Sears. They want to buy a refrigerator. The
family goes to the refrigerator section. The family sees Chillie. Chillie sees the
family. There is a girl in the family. She is named Cindy. Cindy says to her mom,
“Mom, which refrigerator do we want to buy?”
The mom doesn’t say anything to her. Chillie is nervous because the mom
doesn’t say anything. Finally, Chillie says to the family, “Hello. I am a special
refrigerator. I am special because I can talk. I want to be a member of your
family. Do you want to buy me?”
The family runs away because a refrigerator talked to them. They go
to another store and buy another refrigerator instead of Chillie. They buy a
refrigerator that doesn’t talk.
Another day, a different family goes shopping. They also want to buy
a refrigerator. The family goes to the refrigerator section and sees Chillie.
There’s a boy in the family. His name is Ben. Ben says to his mom, “Mom, which
refrigerator do we want to buy?”
The mom doesn’t say anything because she doesn’t know which one to
buy. The family keeps looking at the refrigerators. Chillie is nervous again.
He decides to talk with Ben. He says to him, “Hello little boy. I am a special
refrigerator. I can talk. I want to be your friend. Do you want to buy me?”
Ben is very happy because Chillie can talk. He says to his mom, “Mom, I
want to buy this refrigerator because he can talk.”
The family buys Chillie and they take him home. Now they have a very
special refrigerator. Now Ben has a new friend. Now Chillie has a new family.
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Word Search Runaway
in the puzzle.
Y Z E E U Q R Y V G I D A I G
P L R P M J L E L S R F H B Z
P J M O D R Z U H E W O G R X
A L O J K E Y G S T P V S P S
H P O F T F K U E U O N T K W
I M X G O R H U V Y Q V Z L A
C C B V S I A T A M H V G O N
G B J O D G S Y E Q Z N C O T
E U I D P E I J L T I T Z K W
C B Y W S R A Q Y N M Y V I R
Y C D O G A Z J N E R C V N S
O D L P E T F U M C W E O G Q
U G F P N O R B L V A H C Q W
M U E T B R E F F J F H Y U B
L S U O V R E N Z B X C N I H
running refrigerator leaves

member want loses
looking other nervous
happy buy
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Guide Words for The Small Shoemaker
Present Tense
• More than
• S/he makes
• S/he sells them
• comes up / in / out / over
Past Tense
• S/he was making / made
• S/he was selling them
• came up / in / out / over
PQA Activities
1. More than – Create engaging conversations by making comparisons
using images that you find on the internet. Use pictures of athletes,
celebrities, and famous fictional characters from television in order to
elicit feedback from students. An example might be, is Lebron James
more talented, athletic, handsome, rich, funny, or serious than Justin
Bieber? The images you show make a big difference for making lively
discussions in English.
2. S/he does or makes – You can talk about homework to start an easy
discussion with the verb: S/he makes. Do students like to make things?
Who cooks? What do they know how to make? For advanced students,
consider having a discussion with examples of the expression, “made it”
(was successful).
3. S/he sells – Ask students about what they sell and what others they
know sell. Where do people sell things? Do a lot of people sell things
on eBay or Facebook or on other social media? What do students sell?
Do they sell video games, cell phones, or other personal items? What
do they sell or have sold for fundraisers and why?
4. comes up with - Ask student for a plan they came up with when they
were little. Did they get away with it or not?
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Short Reading - Version A (208 words) The Small Shoemaker
There is a man. His name is Pierre. He makes

shoes. He sells them in a shoe store.
One morning, a woman comes up to the store.

Her name is Victoria. She looks at the shoes. She
sees a shoe that she likes.
A car comes. A man gets out of the car. The

man’s name is Jean-Claude. He also sells shoes. He has
more shoes than Pierre. Victoria wants to see Jean-
Claude’s shoes.
Victoria looks at the shoes and buys two of

Jean-Claude’s shoes. Pierre is frustrated.
Pierre has a plan to sell his shoes. He

doesn’t sleep. He works all night. He makes a
new shoe.
Jean-Claude also has a plan. Jean-Claude

has more shoes than Pierre.
Jean-Claude sells a lot of shoes. Pierre does

not sell any. One night, Jean-Claude gives Pierre a
paper. The paper is a contract to buy Pierre’s shoe
store. Jean Claude wants to buy Pierre’s shoe store.
The next day, Pierre leaves his store and walks

over to Jean-Claude. Pierre has the contract in his
hands. He gives the contract to Jean-Claude. Pierre
also gives him some special shoes.
Jean-Claude puts on the shoes. The special shoes take Jean-Claude to

another place. Pierre is happy because Jean-Claude isn’t there anymore.
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Short Reading - Version B (290 words) The Small Shoemaker
There is a man named Pierre. He makes shoes and sells them. He sells many
different types of shoes.
One morning, he goes into his shoe store. He cleans the shoes. A woman
comes up to the store. The woman’s name is Victoria. She looks at the shoes
through the window. She sees a shoe that she likes a lot.
A car comes. A man gets out of the car. The man’s name is Jean-Claude.
He also sells shoes. He has all of his shoes in the car. He has more shoes than
Pierre. Victoria wants to see Jean-Claude’s shoes. Pierre is frustrated because
Jean-Claude has more shoes than him.
Pierre and Jean-Claude come up with plans to

sell shoes. Victoria looks at the shoes that they
both have. She buys Jean-Claude’s shoes. Pierre is
frustrated.
Pierre comes up with a plan to sell his shoes. He

doesn’t sleep much that night. He works all night.
He makes a new shoe.
Jean-Claude also comes up with a plan. He has new shoes. Jean- Claude
has many new shoes, but Pierre only has one.
Jean-Claude sells a lot of shoes, but Pierre

doesn’t sell any. Pierre doesn’t have any more
money. One night, Jean-Claude gives him a
paper. The paper is a contract to buy Pierre’s
shoe store. Jean-Claude wants to buy Pierre it.
Pierre is sad.
The next day, Pierre leaves his store and

walks over to Jean-Claude. Pierre has the
contract in his hands. He gives it to Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude is happy.
Pierre gives him some special shoes. Jean-Claude puts on the shoes. The
special shoes are very strong. They take Jean-Claude to another place. Pierre
is happy because he has his shoe store and Jean-Claude isn’t there anymore.
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Beginner - Version 1 (495 words) The Small Shoemaker
There is a man named Pierre. Pierre is French and he lives in France. Pierre
has a shoe store. Pierre is a shoemaker. He makes shoes and he sells them in
his store. He sells shoes of all types and colors. He likes being a shoemaker.
One morning he goes into his shoe store. He claps his hands and all the
shoes wake up. While Pierre waits for the people to come in, he cleans the
shoes. After a little while, a woman comes up to the store. The woman’s name is
Victoria and she wants to buy shoes. She walks up to the window of the shoe
store, and she looks at the shoes that are there. She sees a shoe that she likes
a lot. It’s a red shoe.
While Victoria is there, a car comes. A man

gets out of the car. The man’s name is Jean-
Claude. He is very tall. He is a shoemaker and
sells shoes too. He has all of his shoes in the
car. He has more shoes than Pierre. When
Victoria sees that Jean-Claude has so many
shoes, she runs over to him. She wants to see
all of Jean-Claude’s shoes. Pierre is frustrated
when Victoria leaves because he wants her to
buy his shoes.
Pierre comes up with a plan to sell shoes. Jean-Claude also

comes up with a plan to sell shoes. Victoria looks at the shoes that they
both have. Finally, she decides to buy Jean- Claude’s shoes. She buys them
and leaves. Pierre is frustrated.
Pierre comes up with a different plan

to sell shoes. He doesn’t sleep. He works all
night. He makes a new type of shoe. It is a
sports shoe. He thinks it’s the perfect shoe.
He thinks someone is going to buy it.
When Jean-Claude sees Pierre’s sports

shoe, he comes up with a plan. He has a
lot of sports shoes to sell. Pierre’s problem
is that he only has one.
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Jean-Claude sells more shoes than Pierre. Poor Pierre.
Day after day, Jean-Claude sells more shoes than Pierre. Pierre doesn’t sell
any. Pierre doesn’t have any more money. One night, Jean-Claude gives Pierre a
paper. The paper is a contract to buy Pierre’s shoe store. Jean-Claude wants to
buy it. Pierre is sad. He doesn’t want to sell his shoe store, but he doesn’t have
any money. Pierre doesn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Pierre’s shoes have a
plan.
The next day, Pierre comes out of his store and walks over to Jean-Claude.
Pierre has the contract in his hands. He gives it to Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude is
very happy when he looks at the contract. Jean-Claude wants to buy Pierre’s
shoe store.
Pierre also gives him a box. There are some special shoes in the box. Jean-
Claude puts on the shoes. The special shoes are very strong. They take Jean-
Claude to another place. Pierre is happy because he has his shoe store and
Jean-Claude isn’t there anymore.
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True or False? The Small Shoemaker
1. ___ Victoria has a yellow dress.
2. ___ Pierre is a tall shoemaker.
3. ___ Victoria likes buying shoes.
4. ___ Pierre works with a lot of people.
5. ___ Pierre needs to sell more shoes.

6. ___ Pierre doesn’t have problems with
money.
7. ___ Pierre doesn’t work many hours.
8. ___ Pierre the other shoemaker’s

friend.
9. ___ Jean-Claude is a tall shoemaker.
10. ___ Both men are shoemakers.
11. ___ Jean-Claude doesn’t have a lot of

money.
12. ___ Pierre wants to sell his shoe store.
13. ___ Pierre gives shoes to Jean-Claude.
14. ___ Jean-Claude does not accept the shoes.
15. ___ Pierre and the shoes have a good plan.
16. ___ Pierre is happy because he doesn’t sell

his store.
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Writing Retell The Small Shoemaker
Use the pictures to write about what happened in the story in English.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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Intermediate - Version 2 (581 words) The Small Shoemaker
There is a man named Pierre. Pierre is French and he lives in France. Pierre
has a shoe store. Pierre is a shoemaker. He makes shoes and sells them. He
sells shoes of many different types and colors. He likes being a shoemaker. It’s
a very good job.
One morning, he goes into his shoe store. The shoes are still sleeping. Pierre
wants to wake them up. He claps his hands and all of the shoes wake up. While
Pierre is waiting for the people to come in, he cleans the shoes. A little while
later, a woman comes. The woman’s name is Victoria and she wants to buy shoes.
She comes up to the store window and looks at all of the shoes Pierre is selling.
She sees a shoe that she likes a lot. She has always wanted a shoe just like it.
While Victoria is there, a car comes. A man named Jean-Claude gets out of
the car. He’s very tall. He has been a shoemaker for a long time. He has sold
shoes for a long time. He has all his shoes in the car. The shoes get out of the
car. They look good. Jean-Claude has more shoes than Pierre. When Victoria
sees that Jean-Claude has so many shoes, she runs over to him. She wants to
see all of the shoes that he has. Pierre is frustrated when Victoria goes over
to Jean-Claude because he wants her to buy his shoes.
Pierre comes up with a plan to sell his shoes. Jean-Claude also comes up
with a plan to sell his shoes. Victoria looks at the shoes that they both have.
Finally, she decides to buy Jean-Claude’s shoes. She buys them and leaves.
Pierre is frustrated.
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Pierre comes up with a plan to sell his shoes. He doesn’t sleep at all. He
works all night. He makes a new type of shoe. It is a sports shoe. He thinks it’s
the perfect shoe. He thinks someone will want to buy a shoe like that.
When Jean-Claude sees Pierre’s sports shoe, he comes up with a plan. He

has more sports shoes than Pierre to sell. Unfortunately for Pierre, Jean-
Claude has more sports shoes than he does. Jean-Claude sells more shoes
than Pierre. Poor Pierre is frustrated again. He doesn’t know what to do. His
problems continue.
Day after day, Jean-Claude sells many shoes, but Pierre doesn’t sell any.
After two months, Pierre doesn’t have any more money. It seems like he is going
to lose his business.
One night, Jean-Claude gives Pierre a paper. The paper is a contract to

buy Pierre’s shoe store. Jean Claude wants to buy it. Pierre is sad. He doesn’t
want to sell his shoe store, but he doesn’t have any other options. Pierre doesn’t
know what to do. Fortunately, Pierre’s shoes come up with a plan. They are very
intelligent shoes.
The next day, Pierre comes out of his store and walks over to Jean-Claude.
Pierre has the contract in his hands. He gives it to Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude is
very happy when he looks at the contract. Jean-Claude wants to buy Pierre’s
store.
Pierre also gives him a box. There are special shoes in the box. Jean-Claude
puts on the shoes. The special shoes are very strong. They take Jean-Claude
to another place very far away. Pierre is happy because he has his shoe store
and Jean-Claude isn’t there anymore. Now Pierre won’t have to sell his business
anymore.
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Fill in the Blanks The Small Shoemaker
Use the word bank in order to fill in the blanks from the reading.
more sells comes up plan

contract walks over perfect unfortunately
it at all happy frustrated
Pierre ___________1 with a plan to sell his shoes. He doesn’t sleep

___________.2 He works all night. He makes a new type of shoe. It is a sports
shoe. He thinks it’s the ___________3 shoe. He thinks someone will want to
buy a shoe like that.
When Jean-Claude sees Pierre’s sports shoe, he comes up with a plan. He has
___________4 sports shoes than Pierre to sell. ___________5 for Pierre,
Jean-Claude has more sports shoes than he does. Jean-Claude sells more shoes
than Pierre. Poor Pierre is ___________6 again. He doesn’t know what to do.
His problems continue.
Day after day, Jean-Claude ___________7 many shoes, but Pierre doesn’t
sell any. After two months, Pierre doesn’t have any more money. It seems like he
is going to lose his business.
One night, Jean-Claude gives Pierre a paper. The paper is a ___________8

to buy Pierre’s shoe store. Jean Claude wants to buy ___________9. Pierre
is sad. He doesn’t want to sell his shoe store, but he doesn’t have any other
options. Pierre doesn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Pierre’s shoes come up with
a ___________.10 They are very intelligent shoes.
The next day, Pierre comes out of his store and ___________11 to Jean-
Claude. Pierre has the contract in his hands. He gives it to Jean-Claude. Jean-
Claude is very ___________12 when he looks at the contract. Jean-Claude
wants to buy Pierre’s store.
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Advanced - Version 2 (881 words) The Small Shoemaker
There’s a man named Pierre who is French and lives in France. Pierre has
a shoe store. Pierre makes shoes because he is a shoemaker. His father was a
shoemaker and Pierre learned how to make shoes from him. Actually, his father
wanted Pierre to be a shoemaker just like him. Pierre wants his dad to be
happy so he makes shoes and sells them. He sells many different shoes of all
types and colors. He likes being a shoemaker. It’s a very good job and not very
hard at all.
One morning he goes into his shoe store. The shoes are still asleep. Pierre
wants them to wake up. He claps his hands and all the shoes wake up.
While Pierre waits for people to come in, he cleans the
shoes. After a little while, a woman comes. The woman’s
name is Victoria and she wants to buy shoes. She comes
up to the store window and looks at all of the shoes
that Pierre is selling. She sees a shoe that she likes a
lot. She has always wanted a shoe just like it.
While Victoria is there, a car comes. A man named

Jean-Claude gets out of the car. He is very tall. He has
been a shoemaker for a long time. His father was a shoemaker too. Like Pierre’s
father, Jean-Claude’s father also wanted his son to be a shoemaker. Now Jean-
Claude has been selling shoes for a long time. He has all his shoes in his car.
The shoes get out of the car. They look good. Jean-Claude has a lot more shoes
than Pierre does. He thinks that it’s going to be easy to sell more shoes than
Pierre. When Victoria sees Jean-Claude has more shoes than Pierre, she runs
over to him. She wants to see all of the shoes that he has. Pierre is frustrated
when Victoria goes over to Jean-Claude because he wants her to buy his shoes.
Pierre comes up with a plan to sell his shoes. Jean-Claude also has a
plan to sell his shoes. Victoria looks at the shoes that they both have. Finally,
she decides to buy Jean-Claude’s shoes. She buys them and leaves. Pierre is
frustrated. Jean-Claude shows him the money he just won to make him jealous.
Pierre gets even more frustrated.
Pierre comes up with a plan to sell his shoes. He doesn’t sleep at all. He
works all night. When he starts getting tired, he just thinks about Jean-Claude
and what he needs to do to be able to compete. That helps him to keep working.
He makes a new type of shoe. It is a sports shoe. In his opinion, it’s the perfect
shoe. He thinks someone will want to buy it. He feels good about his new shoe.
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When Jean-Claude sees Pierre’s sports shoe, he comes up with a plan
too. He has a lot of sports shoes to sell. Unfortunately for
Pierre, he only has one. It turns out that Jean-Claude is
selling a lot more shoes than Pierre. When Pierre sees
how many shoes Jean-Claude sells, he can’t believe it. He
definitely has a problem. Poor Pierre is frustrated again. He
doesn’t know what to do. His problems continue. He wishes
that Jean-Claude wouldn’t sell so many shoes.
Day after day, Jean-Claude sells more and more shoes, but Pierre doesn’t
sell any. After two months, Pierre doesn’t have any more money. It seems like
he’s going to lose his business.
One night, Jean-Claude gives Pierre a paper. The paper is a contract to

buy the shoe store. Jean-Claude wants to buy it. He wants Pierre to sell it to
him. Pierre sees the contract and the thought of selling his store makes him
sad. He doesn’t want to sell his store. He doesn’t want Jean-Claude to have it.
Unfortunately for Pierre, he doesn’t seem to have any other options. He doesn’t
know what to do. Fortunately, Pierre’s shoes come up with a plan. They are some
very intelligent shoes.
The next day, Pierre comes out of his store and walks
over to Jean-Claude. Pierre has the contract in his hands.
He gives it to Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude is very happy
when he sees the contract. Now he knows he won and
Pierre lost. Pierre is going to sell him his shoe store and
Jean-Claude is going to buy it. And once he buys it, he
wants Pierre to go away and never come back.
Pierre also gives him a box. Pierre doesn’t know what’s in the box, because
his shoes gave it to him. They told him to give it to Jean-Claude. There are some
special shoes in the box. Jean-Claude sees the shoes and immediately wants to
put them on. He likes them. They are gold. He puts them on. The special shoes
are very strong. They start to make strange noises. They start to run. They run
very fast and take Jean-Claude to another place. Pierre is happy because he
has his shoe store and Jean-Claude isn’t there anymore. In fact, thanks to the
shoes, he is gone for good. Pierre won’t have to sell his business anymore. Now,
he knows everything will be ok now that Jean-Claude has gone. He is very
thankful to have such intelligent shoes.
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Before, During, and After The Small Shoemaker
Look at the screen shots in each section and write an “B” if the action
in the sentence happened BEFORE the photo or write “A” if the sentence
represents what happened AFTER or “M” if it is happening at the MOMENT
of the photo.
1. ___ A man gets out of the car.

2. ___ One morning, he goes into his shoe
store.
3. ___ He cleans the store while waiting
for people to come in his store.
4. ___ Victoria comes up to the window.
5. ___ Pierre is frustrated.
6. ___ Jean-Claude comes in his car.

7. ___ Victoria sees some shoes in the
window.
8. ___ Pierre waits for people to come
in.
9. ___ Pierre looks at Victoria.
10. ___ Jean-Claude sells shoes.
11. ___ Pierre gives him a present.

12. ___ Victoria buys some new shoes.
13. ___ Pierre makes some special shoes.
14. ___ Jean-Claude puts on the shoes.
15. ___ Pierre is very happy.
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Additional Reading (462 words) The Small Shoemaker
The special shoes take Jean-Claude to another city. Jean-Claude wants to

take them off, but he doesn’t know how. He sees a strong man walking in the
street. He sees that the man doesn’t have any shoes. He says, “Hi sir. I see that
you don’t have any shoes. Would you like mine?”
The man sees the shoes and immediately likes them. He thinks they look
good. He says to Jean-Claude, “Yes, I want them.”
Jean-Claude says to him, “If you help me take them off, they’re all yours.”
The man grabs them and tries to take them off. They are very difficult to
take off. He can’t take them off. Later, a 10-year-old girl comes over, and she
takes them off easily. Jean-Claude gives them to her and goes back to Pierre’s
shoe store. Pierre doesn’t have any more shoes in his shoe store because he sold
them all. Without Jean-Claude there, it was very easy to sell them.
Jean-Claude stops in front of the shoe store and waits for Pierre. Later,
Pierre comes out of his store and sees Jean-Claude. He can’t believe it. Pierre
asks, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m back. Tomorrow I’ll be back with all of my shoes and I’ll sell more
shoes than you.”
Pierre is so frustrated that he yells, “Jean-Claude, why are you doing this
to me? Why don’t you sell your shoes in some other place?”
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“I’ll tell you why I am like this. When I was a child, I lived in a very small
town. My father was a shoemaker and I worked for him. He was the only
shoemaker in the town until one day, another shoemaker came. My father
thought there would be plenty of clients for both shoemakers, but he was
wrong. After three months, he didn’t have a job anymore. All the clients bought
shoes from the other shoemaker instead of my father.
“Wow, Jean-Claude. I’m so sorry but I don’t understand. Why are you
telling me all of this?”
“Because, the shoemaker who did this was your father. You don’t remember
because you were only a little kid, but I was a teenager. I remember everything.
I’m here because of your father.”
Pierre thinks for a while and says, “Jean-Claude, I feel really bad about
what happened to you and your family. My father only wanted to be a good
shoemaker. He didn’t want your father to lose his job.”
Pierre comes up with a plan. They can both work together in his shoe
store. Jean-Claude likes the idea. So, from that day on both shoemakers work
together and make a lot of money. It’s perfect for both of them.
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Who said it in the story? The Small Shoemaker
Put an “X”below the character(s)

that says the phrase below. Pierre Jean-Claude
1. “I see that you don’t have any shoes.”
2. “What are you doing here?”
3. “My father only wanted to be a good

shoemaker.”
4. “If you help me take them off, they’re
all yours.”
5. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
6. “I feel really bad about what happened

to you and your family.”
7. “Would you like mine?”
8. “Because the shoemaker who did this

was your father.”
9. “Why are you doing this to me?”
10. “He didn’t want your father to lose his

job.”
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ANSWER KEYS FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Cecilia: The girl on the balcony

Beginner - Short answers Activity (page 11)
1. He lives in San Francisco
2. He has small muscles.
3. He wants to lifts weights.
4. No
5. He can’t lift the weights.
Beginner - Sentence Scramble Activity (page 11)
1. The boy’s name is Alex.
2. He wants big muscles and doesn’t have big muscles.
3. He wants to impress the girl.
4. Alex can’t lift the weights.
5. In his imagination, Alex gets a kiss from Cecilia.
Intermediate - Before, During, After Activity (page 13)
1. Before 6. Before 11. During
2. Before 7. Before 12. After
3. During 8. During 13. After
4. After 9. After 14. Before
5. Before 10. Before 15. After
Advanced - Activity (page 15)

1. In his parent’s house 6. He wasn’t strong enough.
2. He was lazy 7. He lifted the weights above his
head.
3. He had small muscles / his mom
8. Cecilia’s kiss
4. Answers will vary
5. Answers will vary
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Additional Reading - Chronological order Activity (page 16)
1. 5
2. 3
3. 2
4. 4
5. 1
A Mouse for Sale
Beginner - Sentence Scramble Activity (page 11)
1. 3 people go into the store.
2. Because he has big ears.
3. They laugh at him.
4. Because Eddie gets his attention.
5. Because they both have big ears
Beginner - True or False Activity (page 21)
1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T
6. F 7. T 8. F 9. T 10. F
11. F 12. F 13. F 14. T 15. F
Intermediate - Word Scramble Activity (page 23)
1. There is a store that sells pets.
2. Suddenly another boy goes into the store.
3. Michael comes up with a plan.
4. He knows the two of them are going to be a perfect pair.
5. Michael jumps up and down to get his attention.
6. He has very big ears.
7. Michael walks over to Eddie’s hand.
8. Many people look at Michael but they don’t buy him.
9. Michael grabs the insect.
10. Carlos starts to laugh.
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Advanced - Chronological Order (page 25)
Box 1: 2, 5, 4, 1, 3
Box 2: 3, 5, 1, 4, 2
Box 3: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3
Additional Reading - Word Search 1-5 (p27)
Feel the Punch

Beginner - Chronological Order (page 33)
1. 6 6. 1
2. 3 7. 5
3. 2 8. 9
4. 7 9. 4
5. 8 10. 10
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Beginner - Short answer Activity (page 33)
1. Answer will vary.
2. He wants to impress them but does not have cash.
3. She is pretty/answers will vary.
4. She thinks he is handsome.
5. He has three credit cards.
Intermediate - True or False Activity 1 (page 36)

1. T 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. F
8. F 9. T 10. F 11. F 12. F 13. F 14. F
15. F
Advanced - Activity 1 (page 39)

1. whose 12. second
2. Chicago 13. Daniel
3. because 14. impress
4. girl 15. poor
5. but 16. looked
6. another 17. aggressive
7. It was 18. person
8. girlfriend 19. probably
9. was 20. surprise
10. went over
11. should
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Additional Reading - Word search activity (page 41)
Across
3. never
7. all
8. married
9. work
Down
1. five
2. ordered
4. believe
5. had
6. lot
8. make
Carrot Crazy
Beginner - True or False Activity 1 (page 45)
1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F
6. F 7. F 8.T 9. T 10. F
11. T 12. F 13. T 14. F 15. T
Beginner - Fill in the blanks Activity 2 (page 46)

carrot/rabbit
trap/bookbag
helicopter/fight/bird
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Intermediate - Who did it Activity 1 (page 48)
1. Eddie 6. Larry
2. Larry/Eddie 7. Larry
3. rabbit 8. Larry/Eddie
4. Eddie 9. Larry/Eddie
5. rabbit 10. rabbit
Advanced - Translation Activity 1 (page 50)

1. The boy had plan in order to capture the same rabbit.
2. He put a carrot on the trap.
3. The man’s trap was better than the boy’s box.
4. Eddie couldn’t believe it.
5. The man came with even more carrots.
6. The boy was mad and threw the carrot at the man.
7. The boy and man fought with carrots.
8. The boy and the man continued to fight with carrots
9. Suddenly, the bird arrives and snatched the rabbit.
10. They are going to look for another rabbit because they could not believe it.
Additional Reading - Translation Activity 1 (page 52)

Answers will vary depending on the language(s) used by students.
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Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou
Beginner - True or False Activity (page 57)
1. F 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. T 8. F
9. F 10. F 11. T 12. F 13. F 14. T 15. F 16. F
Beginner - Word search Activity (page 58)
Intermediate - Activity 1 (page 61)

1. leaves
2. is walking
3. crashes into
4. thinks
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5. going to
6. get to
7. takes
8. jump
9. keep
Advanced - Short answer Activity 1 (page 64)

Many answers will vary in this section.
Additional Reading - Crossword Activity 1 (page 66)
Across
1. Cause
3. Expert
5. Bad luck
7. Know
9. Returns
10. Lives
Down
2. Explains
4. Sacramento
6. Luck
8. goes
129
-129-
The Present
Beginner - Multiple choice Activity 1 (page 71)
1. c. Dirk 6. d. red
2. b. plays 7. a. gets up
3. d. box 8. b. walks
4. a. paw 9. b. three
5. c. happy 10. a leg
Beginner - Word search Activity 2 (page 72)
130
-130-
Intermediate - True and False Activity 1 (page 74)
1. F 5. F 9. T 13. F
2. T 6. F 10. T 14. F
3. F 7. T 11. F 15. F
4. F 8. T 12. T 16. T
Advanced - Writing retell Activity 1 (page 77)

Answers will vary.
Additional Reading - True and False Activity 1 (page 79)

1. F
6. T
2. F
7. F
3. T
8. F
4. F
9. F
5. T
10. F
Glued
Beginner - Who does it Activity 1 (page 84)
1. Sandra/Billy 6. Billy
2. Sandra 7. Sandra
3. Sandra/Billy 8. Sandra
4. Billy 9. Sandra
5. Sandra 10. Billy
Beginner - Translation Activity 2 (page 85)

Answers may vary depending on language(s) used by students.
131
-131-
Intermediate - True or false Activity 1 (page 88)
1. T 6. F
2. F 7. T
3. T 8. F
4. F 9. F
5. T 10. T
Advanced - Crossword Activity 1 (page 91)
Down
1. part
2. concentration
3. play
8. ball
Across
3. outside
4. technology
5. on
7. irritated
9. video game
10. know
Additional Reading - True or False Activity 1 (page 93)

1. F 7. F
2. T 8. F
3. T 9. T
4. F 10. F
5. F 11. F
6. T 12. T
132
-132-
Runaway
Beginner - Sentence scramble Activity 1 (page 97)
1. Chillie loses his handle.
2. The refrigerators laugh because Chillie is broken.
3. The refrigerators are nice and new.
4. He thinks Ben doesn’t want him.
5. They have refrigerators in the store.
6. The refrigerators see that Chillie lost his handle.
Los refrigeradores ven que Chillie tiene un mango roto.
7. Chillie sees a dead refrigerator.
8. Ben puts the new handle on Chillie.
Beginner - Who did it Activity 2 (page 98)

1. Ben 6. Ben/Chillie
2. Ben 7. Chillie
3. the refrigerators 8. Ben/Chillie
4. Ben/Chillie 9. the refrigerators
5. Ben/Chillie 10. Ben/Chillie
Intermediate - Multiple Choice Activity 1 (page 100)

1. a. Ben 5. b. the house
2. c. classic 6. b. sad
3. c. nice 7. c. thinks
4. a. looking for 8. b. home
133
-133-
Advanced - Before, During, and After Activity 1 (page 103)
1. During
2. After
3. After
4. Before
5. During
6. Before
7. After
8. During
9. Before
10. After
Additional Reading - Word search (page 105)
134
-134-
The Small Shoemaker
Beginner - True or False Activity 1 (page 111)
1. T 9. T
2. F 10. T
3. T 11. F
4. F 12. F
5. T 13. T
6. F 14. F
7. F 15. T
8. F 16. T
Beginner - Writing retell Activity 2 (page 112)

Answers will vary
Intermediate - Fill in the blank Activity 1 (page 115)

1. comes up 7. sells
2. at all 8. contract
3. perfect 9. it
4. more 10. plan
5. unfortunately 11. walks over
6. frustrated 12. happy
135
-135-
Advanced - Before, During, or After Activity 1 (page 118)
1. After 9. During
2. Before 10. During
3. After 11. During
4. After 12. Before
5. Before 13. Before
6. Before 14. After
7. Before 15. After
8. Before
Additional Reading - Who said it Activity 1 (page 121)

1. Jean-Claude
2. Pierre
3. Pierre
4. Jean-Claude
5. Pierre
6. Pierre
7. Jean-Claude
8. Jean-Claude
9. Pierre
10. Pierre
136
-136-

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Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling® is continuously

Organization of this book

Cecilia-The girl on the balcony by Ravinder Karukuri

A Mouse for sale by Wouter Bongaerts

Feel the Punch by Ravinder Karukuri

Carrot Crazy by Dylan Vanwormer and Logan Scelina

The Present by Jacob Frey

Runaway by Susan Yung, Emily Buchanan, and Esther Parobek

The Small Shoemaker by Pierre-Yves Lefebvre, Karen Nawfal, Phillipe

How to Start a Story 4

Chapter 1 Cecilia: The balcony girl 8

Chapter 2 A Mouse for Sale 17

Chapter 3 Feel the Punch 28

Chapter 4 Carrot Crazy 42

Chapter 5 Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou 53

Chapter 6 The Present 67

Chapter 9 The Small Shoemaker 106

Chapter activity answer keys 122

In TPRS® MovieTalk, we take a short clip that is usually 2 to 4 minutes long

Personalized Questions and Answers is a strategy commonly used within

Embedded Readings - Short Readings

Short Reading version B

Chapter One: Cecilia: The balcony girl

You would then circle that sentence.

Then go onto the next sentence.

Alex is the boy.

Then go onto the next sentence.

The boy has an apartment.

Alex is in his apartment.

Ask questions. Who is in his apartment? Am I in my apartment? Where is

Alex has a a problem. He has small muscles.

Cecilia is a girl. She is very pretty. She is on the balcony.

Alex wants to impress Cecilia.

Alex can’t because he has small muscles.

Alex wants to lift weights but he can’t.

Suggestions for intermediate and advanced story

Suggestions for intermediate and advanced story

Suggestions for intermediate and advanced story

There is a boy. The boy is Alex.

Alex has an apartment. Alex has a problem. He

Alex is in his apartment. He is not happy because

Short Reading - Version B (178 Words) Cecilia

Alex sees the girl and wants to impress her.

In his imagination, Alex can lift the weights with

Cecilia wants to see Alex, but she can’t. Alex

1. Where does Alex live?

2. Why does Alex want big muscles?

3. What is Alex’s plan?

4. Is the girl on the balcony impressed?

5. Why is Alex in the hospital at the end?

1. boy’s | is | name | The | Alex

2. He wants | he doesn’t | muscles | big | and | have | muscles | big

3. to | the | impress | He wants | girl

4. weights | can’t | the | lift | Alex

5. kiss | imagination | Cecilia | In | Alex’s | gets | his | a | from

_____ Alex woke up and got up.

_____ The weights fell.

_____ Alex fell down the stairs.

_____ Alex wanted to lift the weights.

_____ Alex walked down the stairs.

_____ One day he went to his room.

_____ Alex fell asleep in his room.