Winnie the Bear: A Soldier Paid $20 for a Bear Cub… She Was the Real Winnie-the-Pooh
Part of: Animal Heroes & Amazing Trees
In 1914, a Canadian soldier paid $20 for a bear cub with no mother and named her Winnie, after his city, Winnipeg. She went to London Zoo, where a boy called Christopher Robin loved her so much that he gave his toy bear her name. Learn five A1 words and the possessive 's with the true story of the real Winnie.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
A soldier paid twenty dollars for a baby .
Today, children everywhere know her .
This is the story of Winnie.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is a big wild animal.
Winnie was a black from .
. A is a baby .
The soldier bought the for twenty dollars.
. Children play with a .
The boy had a .
. To is to give a .
He her Winnie.
. Your is the one you like most.
Winnie was everyone's .
Now, one pattern: + 's.
Harry's .
The boy's got a new : Winnie.
Ready? Let's begin.
In 1914, a soldier stopped in a small town in .
A man had a with no mother.
The soldier bought the for twenty dollars.
The soldier's was Harry.
He was an animal doctor.
He lived in Winnipeg, so he her Winnie.
Harry had to go to war, so he left Winnie at London Zoo.
Winnie was everyone's .
Years later, a boy came to the zoo.
His was Christopher Robin.
He went into Winnie's home.
He gave her milk from a spoon.
The boy had a .
The boy's got a new : Winnie.
His father wrote stories about it.
Today, children everywhere know Winnie-the-Pooh.
Let's review. Winnie was a black from .
The soldier bought the for twenty dollars.
The boy had a .
He her Winnie.
Winnie was everyone's .
And remember: the boy's got a new : Winnie.
Winnie's story teaches us: one small kind thing can grow very big.
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Further reading
More about the real Winnie
Winnie was a black bear from Canada. In 1914, a soldier called Harry Colebourn bought her for twenty dollars.
Harry was an animal doctor. He named the cub Winnie, after his city, Winnipeg.
Winnie went with the soldiers to England. Then Harry had to go to war, so Winnie went to London Zoo.
She was very friendly. Children could visit her.
A boy called Christopher Robin loved her. He gave his toy bear her name: Winnie-the-Pooh.
His father, A. A. Milne, wrote stories about the toy bear.
Today there is a statue of Winnie and Harry at London Zoo, and another one in Winnipeg.
Whose is it? (name + 's)
Winnie was bear.
The toy bear got a new name.
Winnie was favourite bear.
home was at London Zoo.
Christopher Robin is the son.
Your score:
Photos: Manitoba Archives (1914) and University of Victoria Archives (1915), public domain.
Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
bear noun
a big wild animal
“Winnie was a black bear from Canada.”
cub noun
a baby bear
“The soldier bought the cub for twenty dollars.”
toy noun
a thing children play with
“The boy had a toy bear.”
name verb
to give a name
“He named her Winnie.”
favourite adjective
liked more than all the others
“Winnie was everyone's favourite bear.”
honey noun
sweet food that bees make
“Winnie loved honey.”
Canada noun
a big country in North America
“Winnie was born in Canada.”
storybook noun
a book of stories for children
“Winnie-the-Pooh is a famous storybook.”
Grammar in the story
name + 's
We use it for: to show that something belongs to someone
- Harry's bear
- the soldier's name
- the boy's toy bear
- Winnie's home
From the story
- The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.
- This is my sister's cat.
Find it in the story 3 times
Your turn
The name was Harry.
The toy bear got a new name.
He went into home.
Step 4
Story Challenge
10 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
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Lesson complete!
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Take it further
Before you watch: What is your favourite animal? Did you have a toy bear when you were small?
After you watch: Write three sentences with name + ’s. For example: This is my brother’s bike. That is Anna’s dog. Winnie was Harry’s bear.
Think about it: Harry paid twenty dollars for one small cub with no mother. Today, children everywhere know her name. Can one small kind thing grow very big? Tell a story from your life.
