George and the dragon

This lesson plan helps learners develop confidence in speaking skills.

Dragon
Author
Katherine Bilsborough

St George's Day is on 23 April. In this lesson, learners read the story of George and the dragon and work in pairs or small groups to produce pictures for different parts of the story. Using only their illustrations, they practise their speaking skills by retelling the story.

Learning outcomes

  • Use English creatively
  • Practise simple past verb forms

Age/ Level

Aged 9-12 (CEFR A1+)

Time

60 minutes

Materials

  • Lesson plan
  • Presentation - This can replace Worksheet 1
  • Worksheet 1 - Matching
  • Worksheet 2 - Story

In addition, you will need:

  • colour pencils or crayons
  • ribbon and staples (optional)
Downloads
Lesson plan167.63 KB
Presentation57.03 KB
Worksheet 1123.98 KB
Worksheet 2128.18 KB
Language Level

Comments

Submitted by Jason Jixun M… on Sun, 11/27/2016 - 13:57

I knew this traditional English story when being in UK, while, I had also experienced it in different communities. From heart to say, this traditional story has appreciated human beings' controllability and ambitions of fighting against natural powers for the safety, love and new hope. (Jesus is the son of men; thereby, saints are also working for commons, I think.) Telling children this story would set an example of a superman who was fighting against the dangerous creatures (not all) and getting back peace, which would also contribute to the explorations of children's own life and world in the future. However, in my opinion, when telling it to some international kids and young teenagers, I am hoping our teachers can take cultural differences into considerations. In some cultures of Eastern worlds, dragons weren't described as somehow dangerous and terrible monsters, but peacefully symbolised totem controlling natural powers and serving common peoples. They were not like dinosaurs with four legs standing on the ground, oppositely supporting their bodies' vertically positing; but, somehow, like snakes swimming in the Sky-water. The kings of Dragons, living in four worldwide oceans, can control weathers and seasons, which bring peaceful harvests to the earth. In order to better the effects of practising this story in international classrooms, or bilingual classrooms, our teachers can do some small modifications with imaginations , such as giving a small half-opened and continuous 'tail': 1. Indeed, the dragon St. George has killed was the evil dragon in dragons' heaven. He bullied other peaceful angel dragons and killed people, which made God felt really unhappy. After St. George behaved so, a peaceful contract has been made between two tribes. From then on, dragons began to use their magic powers serving peoples, and peoples kept them as one of God-made magical creatures living in imagines and books. Peoples and dragons have been together living a happy life, till the endless future. 2. To be honest, St. George really don't want to kill this creature, because of his pity and forgiveness. This dragon also has a princess waiting in a far-off land. This dragon's bad behaviours are caused by his mistakenly taking of the water from evil-river. St, George has applied his holly powers to care his evil-minds. Then, after three days' and three nights' negotiations, they got to an agreement that dragons and human beings should be friends all the time, they should help each other all the time, and they should be together in constructing worlds' future all the time. But, how did roses come out? In a huge covenant, following the traditional ceremonial steps, they need to put their blood together from hands. Oh, no one can believe their eyes: just after it, a rose tree has grown up beautifully. They all picked up a rose and sent to their own princesses. From then on, a real peace came to the earth.

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