brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/winnie-the-real-bear/
45-minute lesson plan
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3′ | Warm-up | Ask the class: “What is your favourite animal? Did you have a toy bear when you were small?” Let a few students answer. |
| 3–13′ | Words | Pre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: bear, cub, toy, name, favourite. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example. |
| 13–20′ | Video | Play the video (3:37). 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 | name + 's: to show that something belongs to someone. Show “The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.”, 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: “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.” |
Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.
Words and grammar
- 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.”
Grammar: name + 's — to show that something belongs to someone. “The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.”
Discussion questions
- 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.
- What was the hardest moment in Winnie the bear's story? What did Winnie the bear do?
- Make two sentences about your own life with “name + 's”. (From the story: “The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.”)
Student worksheet
A Match the words to their meanings
- bear (noun)
- cub (noun)
- toy (noun)
- name (verb)
- favourite (adjective)
- honey (noun)
- Canada (noun)
- storybook (noun)
- liked more than all the others
- sweet food that bees make
- a book of stories for children
- a big wild animal
- to give a name
- a big country in North America
- a baby bear
- a thing children play with
B Complete the sentences from the story
honey · Canada · bear · favourite · cub · named · storybook · toy
- The boy had a bear.
- Winnie was born in .
- Winnie was a black from Canada.
- Winnie loved .
- He her Winnie.
- Winnie-the-Pooh is a famous .
- Winnie was everyone's bear.
- The soldier bought the for twenty dollars.
C Did you understand?
- The soldier paid twenty dollars for the cub.True / False
- The cub had a mother.True / False
- Why did Harry name the bear Winnie?
- He lived in Winnipeg
- His mother's name was Winnie
- He read a book
- A friend chose it
- Why did Harry leave Winnie at London Zoo?
- He had to go to war
- She was ill
- She was too big
- He went to school
- Christopher Robin went into Winnie's home at the zoo.True / False
- What got a new name?
- The boy's toy bear
- The zoo
- Harry's city
- The train
D Put the words in order
- was / bear / Harry's / Winnie
E Grammar: 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
Example from the story: The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.
- The name was Harry. (soldier's / soldier / soldiers)
- The toy bear got a new name. (boy's / boy / boys)
- He went into home. (Winnie's / Winnie / Winnies)
F Your turn
Retell Winnie the bear's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Answer key
A. 1d 2g 3h 4e 5a 6b 7f 8c
B. 1 toy · 2 Canada · 3 bear · 4 honey · 5 named · 6 storybook · 7 favourite · 8 cub
C. 1 True · 2 False · 3 a · 4 a · 5 True · 6 a
D. 1 Winnie was Harry's bear.
E. 1 soldier's · 2 boy's · 3 Winnie's
Transcript
A soldier paid twenty dollars for a baby bear.
Today, children everywhere know her name.
This is the story of Winnie.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Bear. A bear is a big wild animal.
Winnie was a black bear from Canada.
Cub. A cub is a baby bear.
The soldier bought the cub for twenty dollars.
Toy. Children play with a toy.
The boy had a toy bear.
Name. To name is to give a name.
He named her Winnie.
Favourite. Your favourite is the one you like most.
Winnie was everyone's favourite bear.
Now, one pattern: name + 's.
Harry's bear.
The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.
Ready? Let's begin.
In 1914, a soldier stopped in a small town in Canada.
A man had a bear cub with no mother.
The soldier bought the cub for twenty dollars.
The soldier's name was Harry.
He was an animal doctor.
He lived in Winnipeg, so he named her Winnie.
Harry had to go to war, so he left Winnie at London Zoo.
Winnie was everyone's favourite bear.
Years later, a boy came to the zoo.
His name was Christopher Robin.
He went into Winnie's home.
He gave her milk from a spoon.
The boy had a toy bear.
The boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.
His father wrote stories about it.
Today, children everywhere know Winnie-the-Pooh.
Let's review. Winnie was a black bear from Canada.
The soldier bought the cub for twenty dollars.
The boy had a toy bear.
He named her Winnie.
Winnie was everyone's favourite bear.
And remember: the boy's toy bear got a new name: Winnie.
Winnie's story teaches us: one small kind thing can grow very big.
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