brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/pickles-world-cup-dog/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you like football? Do you have a dog, or do you know a dog?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: football, Sunday, smell, open, party. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (4:02). 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 | this / that: this = near you (here, now); that = far away, or in the past (that day, that summer). Show “Look at this little dog.”, 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: “Pickles was just a little dog on a walk, but he helped a whole country. Can small things make a big difference?” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- football (noun): a game where two teams kick a ball. “England wanted to win the football World Cup.”
- Sunday (noun): the day of the week after Saturday. “On a Sunday, Dave and Pickles went for a walk.”
- smell (verb): to know something with your nose (past: smelled). “Pickles smelled something under a plant.”
- open (verb): to move something so you can see inside it (past: opened). “Dave opened the old newspaper.”
- party (noun): a time when people eat, talk and have fun together. “Pickles went to the big party.”
Grammar: this / that — this = near you (here, now); that = far away, or in the past (that day, that summer). “Look at this little dog.”
Discussion questions
- Pickles was just a little dog on a walk, but he helped a whole country. Can small things make a big difference?
- What was the hardest moment in Pickles the dog's story? What did Pickles the dog do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “this / that”. (From the story: “Look at this little dog.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- football (noun)
- Sunday (noun)
- smell (verb)
- open (verb)
- party (noun)
- World Cup (noun)
- hedge (noun)
- thief (noun)
- a game where two teams kick a ball
- a line of small bushes that grow close together, like a green wall
- the day of the week after Saturday
- a big football competition between countries, every four years; also its gold cup
- a person who takes things that are not theirs
- to move something so you can see inside it (past: opened)
- a time when people eat, talk and have fun together
- to know something with your nose (past: smelled)
B Complete the sentences from the story
hedge · Sunday · football · thief · World Cup · smelled · party · opened
- Nobody saw the .
- Pickles something under a plant.
- Dave the old newspaper.
- The cup was under a in a garden.
- Pickles went to the big .
- In 1966, England won the .
- On a , Dave and Pickles went for a walk.
- England wanted to win the World Cup.
C Did you understand?
- Someone took the World Cup in London in 1966.True / False
- What colour was Pickles?
- Black and white
- Brown
- Yellow
- Grey
- Where was the cup?
- Under a plant in a garden
- In a shop
- At the police station
- In a car
- At first, the police asked Dave many questions.True / False
- Who won the World Cup in 1966?
- England
- Brazil
- Germany
- Italy
D Put the words in order
- Look / dog / at / little / this
E Grammar: this / that
We use it for this = near you (here, now); that = far away, or in the past (that day, that summer). Here is a dog. → Look at this little dog. · On that day, a long time ago → That Sunday, Pickles stopped near a garden.
Example from the story: Look at this little dog.
- Look at little dog here! (this / that / these)
- In 1966 England won. summer, there was a big party. (That / This / These)
- I have a ball in my hand. ball is new. (This / That / Those)
F Your turn
Retell Pickles the dog's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1a 2c 3h 4f 5g 6d 7b 8e
B. 1 thief · 2 smelled · 3 opened · 4 hedge · 5 party · 6 World Cup · 7 Sunday · 8 football
C. 1 True · 2 a · 3 a · 4 True · 5 a
D. 1 Look at this little dog.
E. 1 this · 2 That · 3 This
Transcript
In 1966, someone took the World Cup in London.
The police could not find it.
Then a little dog went for a walk.
This is the story of Pickles.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Football. Football is a game with a ball.
England wanted to win the football World Cup.
Sunday. Sunday is a day of the week.
On a Sunday, Dave and Pickles went for a walk.
Smell. When you smell something, you use your nose.
The past is smelled.
Pickles smelled something under a plant.
Open. When you open something, you can see inside it.
The past is opened.
Dave opened the old newspaper.
Party. At a party, people eat, talk and have fun together.
Pickles went to the big party.
Now, one pattern: this and that.
This is for near things.
That is for far things, or past times.
Here is a dog.
Look at this little dog.
Ready? Let's begin.
Look at this little dog.
His name was Pickles.
He was black and white.
He lived in London with his owner, Dave.
England wanted to win the football World Cup.
In March 1966, the cup was at a stamp show in London.
Then someone took it!
One week later, on a Sunday, Dave and Pickles went for a walk.
That Sunday, Pickles stopped near a garden.
Pickles smelled something under a plant.
It was in old newspaper.
Dave opened the old newspaper.
He saw a small gold cup.
Is this the World Cup?
Yes, it was!
Dave took the cup to the police.
At first, the police asked Dave many questions!
That summer, England won the World Cup.
Pickles went to the big party.
He was a hero!
Let's review. England wanted to win the football World Cup.
On a Sunday, Dave and Pickles went for a walk.
Pickles smelled something under a plant.
Dave opened the old newspaper.
Pickles went to the big party.
And remember: look at this little dog.
Pickles's story teaches us: anyone can be a hero, even a little dog on a Sunday walk.
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