Title: A Dark Dark Tale
Author: Ruth Brown
Publisher: Andersen
Language: English
Ressource Type: book
Themes: house, prepositions of location, Halloween
Age range: 5 – 9 years
Children will delight in following the black cat’s progress through the dark wood, into the dark house, and eventually to the surprise discovery at the back of the toy cupboard, in this mysterious, beautifully illustrated picture book.
Culture and Vocabulary:
- prepositions of location: on, in, at the front of, behind, up, across
- places: the moor, the wood, the house, the hall, the stairs, the passage, the room, the corner
- house: the door, the curtain, the cupboard, the box
- Halloween
Language Structures:
- Once upon a time
- There was a dark, dark…
Grammar:
- there was/there were
- there is + singular noun, there were + plural noun
Phonology:
- we pronounce the with a short sound (/ð/ – like “thuh”). But when the comes before a vowel sound, we pronounce it as a long “thee” /ðə/.
- /h/ initial: house, hall
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Printable activity “A Dark Dark Tale”:
Children play in pairs. Each person must try to find out where his or her partner’s animal is. For example, Child A might say : « Where’s the cat ? Is he behind the door ? » or « Is your cat behind the door ? »
If Child B does not have his or her animal in this location, he or she says « missed » or « No, my cat is not … ». When Child A or Child B has guessed the location of the animal, he or she says « Yes my cat is… ». The winner is the first to find the other player’s animal.
Free download:
♦ A Dark Dark Tale : prepositions game
