Teaching notes and ideas
Name of resource:
WW2 Rationing
Age group(s)
Subject(s)
8 to 11, 12 to 14
History
Topic
Language Level
World War II
Beginner / intermediate
Description of resource
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WW2 rationing flashcards
Rationing amounts picture
Rationing game board
Rationing game cards
Rationing substitution table
Preparation needed
You will need:
 One set of flashcards (or the PowerPoint can be used electronically)
 One A3 copy of the rationing amounts picture
 One A3 copy of the substitution table and A4 copies for each targeted learner
 One set of rationing game board and rationing game cards for each group of 3
to 4 learners, a token for moving around the board, counters to cover the
squares on the ration card and a dice.
 A copy of the learner instructions for each group.
You will need to:
 Make flashcards by printing the PowerPoints out as two-to-a-page
(recommended) or 6-to-a-page handouts, then laminate and cut them out.
 Make up sets of the game by:
o printing out the game board, joining the pieces and laminating it
o printing out enough copies of the ration cards for each player in the
group except the shopkeeper, i.e. three cards for groups of four, two
cards for groups of three
o Printing out counters and tokens, then laminating and cutting them up.
o Print out learner instructions and laminate.
 Print out the rationing amounts picture and the substitution tables as required
EAL Nexus – free downloadable teaching materials https://eal.britishcouncil.org/
© Bell Educational Trust 2016
Curriculum objectives
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To understand food rationing in World War 2
Language/Literacy objectives
Functions
Structures
 Requesting and
responding
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 Reporting
 Comparing and
contrasting
Please can I have…?
Yes, you can
No, sorry you’ve had your ______ ration.
They could have… They could buy…
They were allowed…
Connectives: but, and, only
Compound sentences: e.g. There was no limit on
carrots but they were only allowed 50g tea.
Vocabulary
Food: apples, bacon, butter, carrots, cheese, eggs, jam, milk, potatoes, sweets,
tea.
Other: a pint of, grams, kilograms, ration book, no limit
This resource could be used:
 whole class
 small group
Ideas for using the resource
What to do
 This is a collaborative activity to enable learners to gain a better understanding
of rationing. Before starting the game, show the children the rationing amount
picture so that they have a better understanding of rationing.
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The flashcards are provided for additional visual support to help introduce new
vocabulary to beginner learners before the game.
 Group learners in threes or fours. Each group appoints a shopkeeper. The
other members of the group are wartime shoppers. Each shopper receives a
‘ration card’ and a token to move around the board. Learner instructions are
provided – ask the shopkeeper to read the instructions to the group.
 Each shopper rolls the dice. The person with the highest number goes first.
Each shopper places their token on the Start square. They roll the dice again
EAL Nexus – free downloadable teaching materials https://eal.britishcouncil.org/
© Bell Educational Trust 2016
and move that number of spaces. They then ask the shopkeeper if they can
buy the food on that square. E.g. Please can I have 25g cheese?
 The shopkeeper looks at their ration card and either says ‘Yes, you can’ or, if
all the squares of that food are already covered, ‘No sorry, you’ve had your
______ ration.’ If they are allowed to buy the food, they put a token on their
ration card to cover one square of the food that they’ve landed on. If not, play
moves to the next shopper.
 Shoppers can choose to move either clockwise or anticlockwise. This is so
there is a bit more skill involved in the game as they can choose to land on a
type of food that they still have uncovered on their ration card.
 The winner is the player who has covered the most squares on their ration card
at the end of the game.
Other ideas for making the best use of this resource
 Use the A3 copy of the substitution table to model comparing how different
foods were affected by rationing. Using a shared writing approach, write 2 – 3
possible sentences on a flipchart or whiteboard, pointing to the relevant cells in
the substitution table to demonstrate how the sentences are being constructed.
Demonstrate how they will need to go across from left to right and then back to
the beginning again for the second half of the compound sentence. Model
where to insert the word ‘only’ into the sentence and explain how this will affect
the meaning.
 Learners can then work in groups of two or three to construct similar sentences
orally. They can then work independently to write their own sentences.
Possible extension activities
 Learners could work as a group on a role play, of a scene in a family where
they are discussing what to buy for the evening meal and have different ideas
about what are the priorities.
EAL Nexus – free downloadable teaching materials https://eal.britishcouncil.org/
© Bell Educational Trust 2016