The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

An all time classic to explore language and boost imagination, while building confidence in speaking and listening .

TOPIC: animals / forest

AGE GROUP: 6-10 year olds (level A1)

THINKING SKILLS:

LOTS

Identifying characters

Repeating phrases

Naming objects

Understanding basic story events

HOTS

Explaining

Predicting

Expressing opinions

Imagining

VOCABULARY: mouse, big, small, scary, forest, eat

• “This is a…”

• “I like…”

• “He is…”

• “I think…”

MATERIALS: storybox as below / story book

YOUR STORYBOX: prepare a Story Box to make the lesson interactive and sensory.

Contents:

• Small toy or picture of a mouse

• Toy/pictures of fox, owl, snake

• A Gruffalo figure or image

• Objects representing features:

  • Purple paper (for “purple prickles”)

  • Orange stick (for “orange eyes”)

  • Brown fur fabric (for “terrible tusks/coat”)

• Flashcards with simple words (mouse, fox, big, scary, forest)

• A small tree branch or leaf (forest setting)

👉 Students will touch, guess, and describe items to activate curiosity.

Procedure

Pre-reading

Show students the book cover. Ask students to tell you who they think the character on the cover is and where he is.

1. 🎁 Mystery Story Box

• Show items one by one from the Story Box. Elicit vocabulary of each object.

• Check what students remember. Ask: “What is it?” “Is it big or small?”

• Students guess using simple words:

  • “Mouse!” / “Big!” / “Scary!”

👉 Builds basic vocabulary and listening comprehension.

Reading

Read the story ensuring you keep it interactive. Point to the pictures in the book and elicit vocabulary.

• Pause and ask:

  • “Who is this?”

  • “Is the Gruffalo real?”

• Students repeat key phrases:

  • “A Gruffalo? What's a Gruffalo?”

👉 Reinforces pronunciation and comprehension.

Activities

Skill 1 - Remembering

Check what students remember of the story by asking meaningful questions:

• who is the protagonist of the story?

• where does the story take place?

• what day is it? what month is it?

• is it summer? what season is it?

  
  

Skill 2 - Understanding

Discuss what is happening in the story:

• what is the problem

• why do all the animals invite the mouse for lunch?

• does the mouse manage to escape?

Older students can create a storytelling plot matrix and complete it with the relevant information.

WHERE	WHO	WHAT
OBSTACLE	SETBACK	HELPER
SOLUTION	ENDING	LESSON TO BE LEARNT

Skill 3 - 🎭 Character Voices Role-Play

• Assign roles: mouse, fox, owl, snake, Gruffalo.

• Students repeat simple dialogue:

  • “Come and have lunch in my house.”

  • “No, I’m having lunch with a Gruffalo.”

• Encourage voice expression (funny/scary).

👉 Moves from repetition to expressive speaking.

Skill 4 - 🔮 Predict the Ending

• Stop before the ending (or pretend).

• Ask:

  • “What happens next?”

• Students suggest ideas:

  • “The Gruffalo runs.”

  • “The mouse eats lunch.”

👉 Encourages imagination and future thinking.

Skill 5 - 🔁 Story Retell Circle

• Students sit in a circle.

• Each child says one sentence:

  • “The mouse walks.”

  • “He meets a fox.”

• Use pictures as prompts.

👉 Builds confidence and narrative structure.

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