brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/momofuku-ando-instant-noodles/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you like noodles? How do you make them at home?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: noodles, hungry, cheap, cup, kitchen. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (3:28). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed. |
| 20–28′ | Comprehension | Worksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?” |
| 28–35′ | Grammar | past simple: verb + -ed: to talk about finished actions in the past. Show “He tried and tried.”, then do worksheet E together. |
| 35–43′ | Worksheet | Students do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key. |
| 43–45′ | Speaking | In pairs: “Ando said, "In life, it's never too late." Is there something new you want to start?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- noodles (noun (plural)): long, thin pieces of food; we often eat them in soup. “He made noodles in a small shed.”
- hungry (adjective): wanting to eat. “Many people were hungry after the war.”
- cheap (adjective): not costing much money (opposite: expensive). “He wanted noodles that were cheap and easy.”
- cup (noun): a small thing for drinks, like tea (plural: cups). “He put his noodles in a cup.”
- kitchen (noun): the room where we cook. “He watched his wife in the kitchen.”
Grammar: past simple: verb + -ed — to talk about finished actions in the past. “He tried and tried.”
Discussion questions
- Ando said, "In life, it's never too late." Is there something new you want to start?
- What was the hardest moment in Momofuku Ando's story? What did Momofuku Ando do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “past simple: verb + -ed”. (From the story: “He tried and tried.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- noodles (noun (plural))
- hungry (adjective)
- cheap (adjective)
- cup (noun)
- kitchen (noun)
- soup (noun)
- line (noun)
- shed (noun)
- hot liquid food, often with vegetables or noodles
- not costing much money (opposite: expensive)
- a small, simple building in a garden
- a small thing for drinks, like tea (plural: cups)
- wanting to eat
- people standing one behind another, waiting
- the room where we cook
- long, thin pieces of food; we often eat them in soup
B Complete the sentences from the story
line · soup · hungry · shed · cup · noodles · cheap · kitchen
- He made in a small shed.
- He watched his wife in the .
- Many people were after the war.
- He made noodles in a small .
- People waited in a long, long .
- He wanted noodles that were and easy.
- He put his noodles in a .
- We often eat them in .
C Did you understand?
- Where did Ando see people waiting for noodles?
- In Tokyo
- In Osaka
- In New York
- In Kyoto
- Ando made his first instant noodles in a big factory.True / False
- How many hours did he sleep a night?
- Two
- Four
- Six
- Eight
- What gave him the big idea?
- His wife cooked food in hot oil
- He read a book about noodles
- A friend in America
- He had a dream at night
- For his 1958 noodles, you only added hot water.True / False
- How far did his noodles go?
- Only to America
- All the way to space
- To the Moon
- Only to Osaka
D Put the words in order
- watched / He / kitchen / his / wife / the / in
E Grammar: past simple: verb + -ed
We use it for to talk about finished actions in the past. work → worked, watch → watched · try → tried: y becomes ied · cook → cooked, add → added
Example from the story: He tried and tried.
- Every day, he alone in the shed. (worked / works / working)
- People in a long line for noodles. (waited / wait / waiting)
- He and tried until the noodles were right. (tried / tryed / try)
F Your turn
Retell Momofuku Ando's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1h 2e 3b 4d 5g 6a 7f 8c
B. 1 noodles · 2 kitchen · 3 hungry · 4 shed · 5 line · 6 cheap · 7 cup · 8 soup
C. 1 b · 2 False · 3 b · 4 a · 5 True · 6 b
D. 1 He watched his wife in the kitchen.
E. 1 worked · 2 waited · 3 tried
Transcript
He was forty-eight.
He had almost nothing.
In a small shed, he made a new food.
Later, it went very, very far.
How far? This is the story of Momofuku Ando.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Noodles. Noodles are long, thin pieces of food.
We often eat them in soup.
It's a plural word.
He made noodles in a small shed.
Hungry. When you are hungry, you want to eat.
Many people were hungry after the war.
Cheap. Cheap things don't cost much money.
The opposite is expensive.
He wanted noodles that were cheap and easy.
Cup. A cup is a small thing for drinks, like tea.
One cup, two cups.
He put his noodles in a cup.
Kitchen. A kitchen is the room where we cook.
He watched his wife in the kitchen.
Now, one pattern: the past with -ed.
Add -ed to many verbs for the past.
He works every night.
He worked every night.
He tried and tried.
Ready? Let's begin.
Many people were hungry after the war.
One day in Osaka, Ando walked past a noodle stand.
People waited in a long, long line.
He never forgot it.
In 1957, his business failed.
He lost almost everything.
But he had a dream.
He wanted noodles that were cheap and easy.
So he started again.
He made noodles in a small shed.
He worked alone, every day.
He slept only four hours a night.
He tried and tried.
The noodles were never right.
Nothing worked. Then one evening, he watched his wife in the kitchen.
She cooked food in hot oil.
The oil dried the food.
That was it!
He cooked his noodles in hot oil too.
In 1958, he sold the first instant noodles.
You only added hot water.
Later, in America, people ate his noodles from cups.
So in 1971, he put his noodles in a cup.
At ninety-five, he made noodles for space!
In 2005, an astronaut ate them far above the Earth.
So how far did his noodles go?
All the way to space.
Let's review. He made noodles in a small shed.
Many people were hungry after the war.
He wanted noodles that were cheap and easy.
He put his noodles in a cup.
He watched his wife in the kitchen.
And remember: he tried and tried.
Momofuku Ando's story teaches us: it's never too late to start again.
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