Exploring Animals in English: Oral Activity in 1st Grade

In our 1st-grade class, we carried out a fun oral activity to practice animal vocabulary and the structure “Have you got…?“. Through different games, our students reinforced their speaking skills in a dynamic and engaging way.

Na nosa clase de 1º de Primaria, levamos a cabo unha divertida actividade oral para practicar o vocabulario dos animais e a estrutura “Have you got…?“. A través de diferentes xogos, os nosos alumnos reforzaron a súa expresión oral dun xeito dinámico e entretido.

Initial Vocabulary Games

Before starting the main activity, we played three games to review and reinforce vocabulary:

Frogs Jump: We placed animal name cards on the floor. The students jumped on them while saying the animal’s name aloud in English. This helped them associate the word with the image in a kinesthetic way.

Tutti Frutti: We used duplicate animal cards. Each student stood behind a card. When the teacher said an animal’s name, the students with that card switched places. If the teacher said “Tutti Frutti,” all students changed places. This game encouraged active listening and quick response.

I’ve got a … Who’s got the…?: Each student receives a card with an animal picture and a phrase: “I’ve got a [animal]. Who’s got the [another animal]?” The student who has the mentioned animal responds and continues the chain. This activity helps students practice speaking in complete sentences while engaging in a fun, interactive way.

Antes de comezar a actividade principal, realizamos tres xogos para repasar e reforzar o vocabulario:

Frogs Jump: Colocamos cartas cos nomes dos animais no chan. Os alumnos saltaban sobre elas mentres dicían o nome do animal en inglés. Isto axudoulles a asociar a palabra coa imaxe dun xeito cinestésico.
Tutti Frutti: Usamos cartas duplicadas de animais. Cada alumno colocábase detrás dunha carta. Cando o profesor dicía o nome dun animal, os alumnos con esa carta intercambiaban os seus lugares. Se o profesor dicía “Tutti Frutti”, todos os alumnos cambiaban de sitio. Este xogo fomentaba a escoita activa e a rapidez de resposta.
I’ve got a… Who’s got the…?: Cada alumno recibe unha tarxeta cun animal e debe dicir “I’ve got a…” mencionando o seu animal, seguido de “Who’s got the…?” pedindo por outro animal da clase. O xogo continúa ata que todos os alumnos participen, promovendo a fluidez na expresión oral.

Main Activity: How Many Pairs Can You Get?

Materials: A set of duplicate cards with two animals on each.

Objective: To collect as many pairs of cards as possible.

How to Play:

Each player receives one card, and the rest are placed in the center of the table.
One player starts by asking their opponent about the animals on their card using the structure “Have you got…?”.
If their opponent has those animals, they keep both cards.
If not, they return their card to the bottom of the deck and take a new one from the center, passing the turn to the next player.

Materiais: Un conxunto de cartas duplicadas, cada unha con dous animais.

Obxectivo: Conseguir o maior número de pares de cartas.

Instrucións:

Cada xogador recibe unha carta, e as restantes colócanse no centro da mesa.
Un xogador comeza preguntando ao seu opoñente polos animais da súa carta utilizando “Have you got…?”.
Se o seu opoñente ten eses animais, queda con ambas cartas.
Se non, devolve a súa carta ao fondo da baralla e colle unha nova do centro, pasando a quenda ao outro xogador.

To introduce the game, we recommend playing it as a whole class competition against the teacher first. This helps students understand the rules and feel more motivated to participate.

Para introducir o xogo, recomendamos practicalo como unha competición de toda a clase contra o profesor. Isto axuda aos alumnos a comprender a dinámica e motívaos a participar.

These types of activities not only strengthen speaking skills but also encourage interaction and build confidence in speaking English. Learning through play is always a great strategy!

Este tipo de actividades non só reforzan a expresión oral, senón que tamén fomentan a interacción entre os alumnos e a confianza ao falar en inglés. Aprender xogando sempre é unha gran estratexia!

Feel free to download the resources for the activities by clicking the links below. Enjoy and start learning!