Lesson plan

My sea creature
Topic
Sea creatures

Aims
• To learn about some of the animals that live under the sea
• To practise talking about sea animals (big, small, long, colours, it’s got/it hasn’t got, it can/can’t, etc.)
• To give learners an opportunity to create their own sea creature and present it to their classmates
• To provide listening practice with an ocean-themed song

Age/level
Primary
CEFR level A1–A2

Time
50–60 minutes

Materials
1. flashcards: https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/flashcards/sea-animals-flashcards
2. worksheet A for younger/lower-level learners (one per learner)
3. worksheet B for older/higher-level learners (one per learner)
4. song: https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/everything-beneath-the-sea
5. sticky tack
6. colour pens or pencils

Introduction
In this lesson learners learn about life under the sea. They are introduced to different sea animals through
flashcard games, then they complete a worksheet to invent their own sea creatures, which they present to
their classmates. At the end of the lesson they listen to a fun song.

Procedure
Before the • Make copies of worksheet A or B, depending on the age and level of your learners.
lesson • Print a set of the flashcards and cut them up:
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/flashcards/sea-animals-flashcards
• Open the song on the classroom computer or device you will use:
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/everything-beneath-the-sea

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2018 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 Lesson plan
1. Warmer (3–5 • Start by asking learners to guess these three animals as you describe them:
mins) 1. It’s small. It’s orange and white. It hasn’t got legs. It can swim. (a fish/a
clown fish)
2. It’s big. It’s grey and white. It’s got a big mouth and big teeth. It can swim
very fast. (a shark)
3. It’s big or small. It eats fish. It’s got eight legs. It can hide in small places.
(an octopus)
• Ask, Where do these animals live? Write ocean/sea on the board and ask learners to
tell you the names of any animals they know that live in the sea.
• If you wish, explain that World Oceans Day is 8 June and that people need to help
keep our oceans clean for the animals that live in them.

2. Vocabulary • Stick the flashcards around the room. Give learners the word flashcards and sticky
(10 mins) tack. In pairs, they stick the word flashcards next to the pictures.
• Describe the sea animals in the flashcards for learners to guess, using gestures to
help them understand:
1. This animal is very, very big. It’s got a big head and it shoots water from a
spout at the top. (a whale)
2. This animal is very soft. It’s got long tentacles and it floats in the water. You
can see through it. (a jellyfish)
3. This animal hasn’t got a head. It’s got five legs. It walks on the bottom of the
sea. (a starfish)
4. This animal has its house on its back. It can’t swim and it hasn’t got legs. It
eats plants. (a sea snail)

3. Generating • Present the worksheet activity by writing these words on the board (or choose your
interest in main own combinations): whalesnail, lobsnake, starpus.
activity (5–8 • Ask learners to imagine what these sea creatures might look like and, following their
mins) instructions, draw the pictures on the board.

4. Inventing a • Give a worksheet to each learner, going through the instructions as a class.
sea creature (30 • Give learners time to invent their sea creature by combining parts of words on the
mins) flashcards. If you wish, they could use other combinations (e.g. carfish, snailflower,
jellygirl – or some learners may prefer to draw and write about a real sea animal).
• Learners complete the text below their pictures and then colour them. Older learners
could label the parts of their sea creatures.

5. Presentations • Once completed, learners present their sea creatures to their group or, if you have
and song (10–15 time, they could present them to the class.
mins) • Finish the lesson by listening to the ‘Everything beneath the sea’ song.

Extra activities • Learners make a larger version of their invented sea creatures on card. They cut
them out and add a description underneath. Stick the sea creatures on a wall or
window to make an ‘Under the sea’ display.
• Play these online word games:
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/underwater-animals-1
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/underwater-animals-2

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2018 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 Lesson plan
• Play a Pelmanism game using the flashcards.
o Print the flashcards on card so that the images can’t be seen when the
cards are turned face down. For younger or lower-level learners, print two
copies of the pictures cards for them to match. Older or higher-level
learners can match the picture cards and the word cards.
o There are 16 sea animals in total on the flashcards. Divide the cards into
two sets of eight matching picture cards or picture/word cards. You need
one set of eight matching cards per group.
o In groups, learners lay the cards face down in rows. They take turns to turn
over two cards; if the two cards match, they keep them. Once all the cards
have been matched, they count their pairs to find the winner.
o Each group can then exchange their set with a group that had a different set
and play again.
• Older learners will enjoy this story about dangerous sea animals:
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/angel-look-out
• Find out what we can do to help clean up our oceans:
http://www.worldoceansday.org/
• Read about a girl who’s helping to reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans:
http://www.worldoceansday.org/below-the-surface/young-ocean-advocate-takes-the-
better-bag-challenge

Contributed by
Karen Elliott

www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© The British Council, 2018 The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.