Green Eggs and Ham

Lesson Plan

Level: Elementary to Pre-intermediate (A2)

Language aim: Listening, prepositions (in, on, with)

Topic: children's stories/morals

1. Ask the students: "Have you ever eaten food that was a different color than what you had expected? E.g. Green ketchup? Clear coca cola? Century Eggs? Black pasta? Did it taste differently than the ''normal-colored" food?

2.  Tell the students that they're going to watch a video of an English author (Neil Gaiman of novels and comic books, including "The Sandman" and "Coraline") read a short book called "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. The students listen/watch the video and fill-in the gaps of the sentences below. (You may have to explain that "SAM-I-AM" is the name of the character...)

Complete the following:

Where does "SAM-I-AM" suggest eating green eggs and ham?

Part I:

1. Would you like them here or there?

2. Would you like them _____ ___ ____________?

3. Would you like them  _____ ___ ____________?

4. Would you eat them  _____ ___ ____________?

5. Would you eat them  _____ ___ ____________?

6. Would you, could you  _____ ___ ____________?

7. You may like them  _____ ___ ____________.

8. Could you, would you,  _____ ___ ____________?

9. Would you, could you, _____ ___ ____________?

10. Would you, could you,  _____ ___ ____________?

11. Could you, would you,  _____ ___ ____________? 

12. Would you, could you,  _____ ___ ____________?

Part II:

What do you think the moral of the story is?  

a. If you are persistent, you can convince anyone to do what you want.

b. Food tastes better if you eat it in different places and in the company of small mammals.

c. You should try things before judging them.

answers:

1. Would you like them here or there?

2. Would you like them in a house?

3. Would you like them with a mouse?

4. Would you eat them in a box?

5. Would you eat them with a fox?

6. Would you, could you in a car?

7. You may like them in a tree.

8. Could you, would you, on a train?

9. Would you, could you, in the dark?

10. Would you, could you, in the rain?

11. Could you, would you, with a goat? 

12. Would you, could you, on a boat?

The gist question is obviously open to debate, but the generally-accepted conclusion is that the answer is "C".

Post-task (depending on level): 

In groups of 2-3, the students write a short children's book. First, elicit one-syllable words. (Or write on the board: life, one, eye, cat, air, king, ate, end, near, love, day, it, at, see, go.) This lesson can either branch off into a pronunciation lesson, focusing on rhyming vowel phonemes and writing poems, or it can become a group creative writing assignment to write a short children's' book with a moral. Elicit common lessons that young children usually learn and/or provide a list if necessary. (I found a list of morals to aesop's fables HERE.)

• "Appearances are often deceiving." - The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
• "Slow and steady wins the race." - The Hare and the Tortoise
• "Little friends may become great friends." - Aesop's fables: Lion and the Mouse

If the level of the class is elementary, I would suggest focusing on pronunciation and/or poetry, rather than writing a full children's story. Another option is to eliminate the moral and allow the students more liberty in the creation period. 

Of course, there are many more alternatives - feel free to adapt as fit!