There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves | 2-Lesson Fall/Autumn ESL Unit

Bring autumn into your ESL classroom with this complete 2-lesson resource based on There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves.

Designed especially for kindergarten, preschool and early primary learners, this hands-on package combines the story/song with autumn vocabulary, numbers, shapes, sequencing and lots of speaking and game-based practice.

The lesson starts with an interactive Old Lady song glove. As you sing or tell the story, children can actually “feed” the Old Lady each item she swallows. At the end, simply turn the glove around to reveal the scarecrow!

Children practise the key story vocabulary through sequencing, matching, “What is it?”, “What’s missing?”, colouring and team games. The main vocabulary includes leaves, pumpkin, hay, rope, pants/shorts, shirt, pole and scarecrow, all connected naturally through the story.

But the package goes much further than the story. Lesson 2 extends the autumn theme with scarecrow, crow, leaf and pumpkin activities, while recycling numbers and shapes through practical games. Students can build a scarecrow by rolling a die, feed a hungry scarecrow, count crows, add crows, identify leaf shapes, stuff a scarecrow shirt with leaves and find the missing pumpkin.

Teachers receive materials for activities including song glove storytelling, song sequencing, cut-and-paste sequencing, vocabulary clip cards, colour-the-correct-picture worksheet, What’s Missing? cards, Spin & Feed the Old Lady team game, memory game, patch die game, Stuff the Shirt, leaf shape recognition, Make a Scarecrow, Hungry Scarecrow, How Many Crows?, Adding Crows, Colour the Crows and missing-pumpkin shape activities.

Language & skills practised: autumn/fall vocabulary • story vocabulary • numbers and counting • shapes • sequencing • What is it? It is a… • Is this a…? Yes, it is / No, it isn’t • What shape is it? • How many…? • listening comprehension • speaking • fine-motor skills • memory and visual discrimination.

The resource includes 69 pages of printable materials plus clear teacher guidance and a suggested sequence for two complete lessons, so teachers can print, prepare and follow the activities in order or choose individual games to complement their own autumn programme.

Perfect for: Preschool • Kindergarten • Early Primary • ESL/EFL • Fall/Autumn themes • Scarecrow units • Story-based teaching • Numbers & Shapes review.