Introduction:

This is a listening activity for advanced students to practise listening skills. Students discuss quotes and questions related with age and growing old, listen to a short fairy story by the Grimm Brothers, try to predict the ending and put the sentences from the story in the correct order.

Level: C1

Objectives:

1. To discuss quotes and questions related with age.
2. To listen and come up with three possible endings to a short fairy story by the Grimm Brothers.
3. To put the sentences from the story in the correct order.

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

1. The old man and his grandson Worksheet, one per student.

Procedure:

1. Give students a copy of The old man and his grandson Worksheet.
2. In pairs, ask students to discuss quotes and questions in Exercise 1.
3. When the students have finished, ask them to share their opinions with the rest of the class.
4. Tell students they are going to listen to a short fairy story by the Grimm Brothers. At this stage you could pre teach the vocabulary if you think your students might struggle with the text. I found the words my students struggled with were: dim, broth, stove, earthenware, to scold, to sigh, thus, trough, henceforth.
5. Play the story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdq8kZE62oQ and stop the recording at 1:25 (‘What are you doing there?’ asked the father).
6. Ask the students to first summarize the story to each other and if necessary play the first part of the recording again.
7. In pairs, ask the students to try and predict how the story ends and BRIEFLY write down their ideas (Exercise 2).
8. Play the rest of the story and ask students to compare their ideas with the original ending. Elicit some answers from students and ask for their reactions to the ending. My students were both emotional and surprised when they heard the ending.
9. In pairs again ask the students to order the sentences in Exercise 3. You can find the story here http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-27.html.
10. Then play the recording again for students to check.

Fast finishers:

1. I asked my students to translate the story into their own language (Spanish) and some pairs turned the story into a modern, updated version of the original text. It was a wonderful class.

P.S. “Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.” Ron Wild

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