What’s the time, Mr Wolf? Here’s a lesson plan for teaching time telling to elementary level English language students. The lesson is based around an English playground game. One person stands with his or her back to the rest of the group, who line up at the other end of the room/ hall/ playground. The group then ask the question of the single ‘Wolf’: “What’s the time Mr Wolf?”. The Wolf then responds with a time, at which the players creep forward by the number of paces representing the time called – i.e. if the Wolf calls two o’clock, the group move forward (very quietly) by two paces. The group’s objective is to reach the Wolf’s wall without him hearing them. When the Wolf senses people are getting close to him – so that he could turn round and grab one of them – his response to the repeated question is “supper time!”.

If he catches someone, they become the Wolf next time. Straight forward, lots of fun and noise! Using this game, you can teach the time, basic questions and answers, and, of course, the numbers one to sixty. During this lesson I would use several clock faces, and keep the time changing – keep asking the same questions. Using small circles of students to practice counting and number pronunciation is a good idea. Using a quiz, where the answers are numbers, can also work well: the teacher shows the students ten ‘times’, and asks the students to write the answers. “Which of these is breakfast time?’; ‘Which of these is midday?’; ‘What time will it be in two hours?’. Finish the lesson with the team game – clear the chairs and have a ball!

Andrew is a qualified TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher, with 15 years experience of the global Automotive Industry as a Sales manager with an International component and systems supplier. For more information about learning English with Andrew at his home in the UK, visit the Lets Talk 2 website. http://lets-talk2.com/_wsn/page2.html