brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/walt-disney-little-mouse/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “Do you like cartoons? What is your favourite cartoon animal?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: mouse, cartoon, company, happy, park. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (3:49). 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 | wanted to + verb: to talk about a wish in the past. Show “He wanted to make people happy.”, 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: “Walt lost his rabbit, but on the same day he had a new idea. Can a bad day bring a good idea? Tell a story from your life.” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- mouse (noun (plural: mice)): a small animal with a long tail. “He drew a little mouse.”
- cartoon (noun): a film with drawings that move. “He made cartoons.”
- company (noun): a business. “His cartoon company closed.”
- happy (adjective): feeling good. “Families were happy there.”
- park (noun): a place to play and have fun. “He opened a big park.”
Grammar: wanted to + verb — to talk about a wish in the past. “He wanted to make people happy.”
Discussion questions
- Walt lost his rabbit, but on the same day he had a new idea. Can a bad day bring a good idea? Tell a story from your life.
- What was the hardest moment in Walt Disney's story? What did Walt Disney do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “wanted to + verb”. (From the story: “He wanted to make people happy.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- mouse (noun (plural: mice))
- cartoon (noun)
- company (noun)
- happy (adjective)
- park (noun)
- drawing (noun)
- magic (noun)
- studio (noun)
- a film with drawings that move
- a picture made with a pencil or pen
- a place to play and have fun
- a small animal with a long tail
- a business
- a special power that makes impossible things happen
- feeling good
- a room or building where people make films or art
B Complete the sentences from the story
park · mouse · cartoons · studio · magic · company · happy · drawing
- He made .
- His cartoon closed.
- Families were there.
- He opened a big .
- He worked in a small .
- He drew a little .
- Cartoons felt like .
- The doctor liked his of the horse.
C Did you understand?
- Walt Disney lived on a farm as a boy.True / False
- What did the doctor give him for his drawing of a horse?
- A horse
- A book
- Money
- A pencil
- What did another company take in 1928?
- His mouse
- His cartoon rabbit
- His park
- His train
- Walt had the idea for the mouse on a train.True / False
- Who was the mouse's voice?
- Ub
- His wife
- A singer
- Walt
D Put the words in order
- to / wanted / He / happy / make / people
E Grammar: wanted to + verb
We use it for to talk about a wish in the past. He wanted to make people happy. · He wanted to make cartoons. · He wanted to draw the animals.
Example from the story: He wanted to make people happy.
- He wanted make cartoons. (to / for / -)
- As a boy, he wanted to the animals. (draw / drew / drawing)
- He to make people happy. (wanted / want / wanting)
F Your turn
Retell Walt Disney's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1d 2a 3e 4g 5c 6b 7f 8h
B. 1 cartoons · 2 company · 3 happy · 4 park · 5 studio · 6 mouse · 7 magic · 8 drawing
C. 1 True · 2 c · 3 b · 4 True · 5 d
D. 1 He wanted to make people happy.
E. 1 to · 2 draw · 3 wanted
Transcript
A young man lost his cartoon rabbit.
On the long train home, he had a new idea: a little mouse.
This is the story of Walt Disney.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Mouse. A mouse is a small animal with a long tail.
He drew a little mouse.
Cartoon. A cartoon is a film with drawings that move.
He made cartoons.
Company. A company is a business.
His cartoon company closed.
Happy. When you are happy, you feel good.
Families were happy there.
Park. A park is a place to play and have fun.
He opened a big park.
Now, one pattern: wanted to.
We use wanted to plus a verb for a wish in the past.
He loved drawing.
He wanted to make cartoons.
Ready? Let's begin.
Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901.
As a boy, he lived on a farm.
He loved the animals, and he wanted to draw them.
He drew a horse, and a doctor gave him money!
He wanted to make cartoons.
In 1921, he started a cartoon company.
But his cartoon company closed.
So he went to California.
There, he made cartoons.
People liked his cartoon rabbit.
But in 1928, another company took the rabbit.
What could he do now?
Walt sat on the train home with his wife.
He was sad.
Then he had an idea: a mouse!
He and his friend Ub drew a little mouse.
The mouse was in a new cartoon with music and sound.
Walt was the mouse's voice!
People laughed and clapped.
They called the mouse Mickey.
He made many films.
In 1955, he opened a big park.
Families were happy there.
He wanted to make people happy.
Let's review. He drew a little mouse.
He made cartoons.
His cartoon company closed.
Families were happy there.
He opened a big park.
And remember: he wanted to make people happy.
Walt Disney's story teaches us: a bad day can bring a good idea.
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