Workpack
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Teaching notes
1. The Story of Alice in Wonderland.
Time:
20–30 minutes
Skills Focus:
Listening and reading (possibly speaking).
Aim:
To familiarize the student with the story of Alice in Wonderland. Also an opportunity for the students to
learn any new vocabulary.
Suggested pre/post activity:
Ask the students which they know about Alice in Wonderland. Ask them what do they think will happen
in the story and how they think it will end. After reading the synopsis of the play, ask them if they are
surprised by what happened or if it was what they had expected.
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1. The Story of Alice in Wonderland.
Read and listen to the story of Alice in Wonderland.
During a boring history lesson in the garden, Alice sees a rabbit wearing clothes run past her. The rabbit
is looking at a watch and speaking aloud.
Alice decides to follow the rabbit into his hole. She falls a long way down into a strange hall with many
different sized doors. All the doors are locked. She sees an attractive garden through a tiny door. There is
a bottle labeled "DRINK ME", so she drinks the contents. She shrinks until she is small enough to fit
through the door but too small to reach the key which she has left on the table! She eats a cake with
"EAT ME" written on it and grows to such an enormous size that her head hits the ceiling. Alice cries and
her tears flood the hallway.
Alice uses a magic fan to make her small again. She swims through a sea of her own tears and meets a
mouse, and other animals and birds
Continuing on her journey, Alice sees a Caterpillar sitting on a mushroom. The Caterpillar questions Alice
and they recite a poem together. He tells Alice that eating some of the mushroom will take her back to
her normal height.
The White Rabbit arrives and asks Alice to take an invitation to the Duchess inviting her to play croquet
with the Queen. The Duchess's Cook is throwing dishes and making a soup that has too much pepper,
which causes Alice, the Duchess, and her baby to sneeze violently. Alice is given the baby to hold by the
Duchess and to her surprise, the baby turns into a pig. The Cheshire Cat appears in a tree, and directs
Alice to the March Hare's house.
Alice becomes a guest at a "mad" tea party along with the March Hare, the Hatter, and a very sleepy
Dormouse . The Hatter reveals that they have tea all day because Time has punished him by eternally
standing still at tea time. Alice becomes tired of such a silly tea party and leaves.
Alice finally enters the beautiful garden where she finds three living playing cards painting the white
roses on a rose tree red because the Queen of Hearts hates white roses. A procession of more cards and
the White Rabbit enter the garden. Alice then meets the King and Queen. The Queen is very difficult to
please, and orders anyone she is displeased with to be executed: "Off with his head!" Alice is ordered to
play a game of croquet with the Queen but the game quickly becomes chaotic. Live flamingos are used
as mallets and hedgehogs as balls. Alice meets the Cheshire Cat again when the Queen of Hearts
orders the Cat to be beheaded. This is impossible as we can only see the cat’s head.
The Queen of Hearts introduces Alice to the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon. They show her a dance called
the Lobster Quadrille. The Gryphon takes Alice to the trial.
In the trial the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. The jury members are all
animals, and the judge is the King of Hearts. Witnesses at the trial include the Mad Hatter and the
Duchess's cook.
Alice is called as a witness and is accused of various crimes. She argues with the King and Queen of
Hearts. The Queen shouts "Off with her head!", but suddenly the cards start to fly around everywhere.
Alice wakes up in her garden. She thinks it was a dream but then she sees a White Rabbit running past…
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Teaching notes
2. True or false
Time:
20–30 minutes
Level:
Easy
Skills Focus:
Writing and reading (possibly speaking).
Aim:
To test the students’ comprehension of the synopsis of the play. It could be used as an opportunity for
the students to work in pairs to discuss the correct answers.
Answers:
1. False. Alice thought the history lesson was boring.
2. True
3. False. Alice meets a variety of animals and birds.
4. True
5. True
6. False. Alice thinks the tea party is silly and wants to leave.
7. False. She sees the playing cards painting the white roses red.
8. True
9. True.
10. False. He is accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. True or false.
Read and listen to activity one. Decide if the sentences are true or false. If they are false correct them.
1. Alice is enjoying her history lesson when she sees the white rabbit run past.
2. Alice drinks some liquid which makes her very small.
3. Alice swims alone through a sea of tears.
4.The Caterpillar is sitting on a mushroom.
5. The pepper makes Alice sneeze.
6. Alice enjoys the tea party and doesn’t want to leave.
7.When Alice enters the garden she sees playing cards painting the red roses white.
8. The Queen wants to execute many people.
9. The Mock Turtle and the Gryphon do a dance called the Lobster Quadrille.
10. The Knave of hearts is accused of stealing the Queen’s money.
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Teaching notes
3. Story Order
Time:
20 minutes
Level:
Easy
Skills Focus:
Reading (possibly speaking).
Aim:
Comprehension. To make students consider the sequence of events in the play in a logical order.
Variation:
This activity could be made into a competition for small groups. Before the class cut the sentences into
ten strips each containing one of the sentences from activity three. Give each small group a set of the
ten sentences and tell them to put them in the correct order. The teacher should move around the
classroom checking to see who gets the correct order first. This activity is great as a fun group activity.
Answers:
4, 8, 10, 1, 6, 9, 2, 7, 5, 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Story Order
Read and listen to activity one. Put the events of the story in the correct order.
1.
Alice talks to the Caterpillar.
2.
Alice meets the King and Queen of Hearts.
3.
Alice wakes up in her garden.
4.
Alice is having a history lesson in her garden.
5.
Alice watches the Lobster Quadrille.
6.
The baby turns into a pig.
7.
The Queen orders the Cheshire cat to be beheaded.
8.
Alice follows the rabbit into his hole.
9.
Alice enters the garden.
10. Alice eats a cake with “EAT ME” written on it.
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Teaching notes
4.1 The Characters and 4.2 Who Said That?
Time:
30–40 minutes
Level:
Easy/medium Skills
Focus:
Reading and listening (possibly speaking).
Aim:
To familiarize the student with the characters in Alice. Suggested pre/post activity Ask the students what
they already know about the characters in Alice. Ask them what they think they look like or what clothes
they wear. After the activity ask the students who their favourite character is and why. Ask them who
they didn’t like and why.
Answers:
1. Not I! Time and I quarreled last March.
The Mad Hatter
2. Oh, who cares for you! You're just a pack of cards!
Alice
3. You are all pardoned. Make yourselves scarce and come back to work tomorrow. The King of Hearts
4.Oh, my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting.
The White Rabbit
5. Of the mushroom, of course!
The Caterpillar
6. Now, I growl when I'm pleased and wag my tail when I'm angry.
The Cheshire Cat
7. How dare you? Off with her head!
The Queen of Hearts
8. It's all very well to say 'Drink me', but you won't catch me doing that in a hurry!
Alice
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4.1 The Characters
Read and listen to the descriptions of some of the characters in the play.
Alice is a young girl who has a very active imagination. She is very curious about many things and finds
herself in strange situations because she cannot resist temptation. She is head-strong and often
questions people about the information they give her. She finds history very boring.
The White Rabbit is a servant of the Queen of Hearts. He is always running around because he is
always late. He dresses very smartly. He carries a pocket watch.
The Queen of Hearts is a very powerful character. She is often angry and calling for people to be
beheaded. She is married to the King of Hearts. She doesn’t like white roses.
The King of Hearts is dominated by his wife the Queen of Hearts. He does everything she tells him.
When he thinks the Queen is not listening he pardons all the people the Queen has sentenced to death.
The Caterpillar sits on a mushroom. He recites poetry with Alice. He eventually transforms into a
butterfly.
The Mad Hatter is permanently stuck at tea-time after an argument with Time. He drinks a lot of tea
and speaks a lot of nonsense. He spends his time with the March Hare and the Dormouse.
The Cheshire Cat appears and disappears when it wants to. It speaks in riddles to Alice when she asks it
for information. When the Queen demands the Cheshire cat is beheaded everyone is confused as it
often only appears as a head!
4.2 Who Said That?
Now, using the information from exercise 4.1, decide who said what. (One characters has two phrases).
Alice
The Queen of Hearts
The Mad Hatter
The Cheshire Cat
The Caterpillar
The White Rabbit
The King of Hearts
1. Not I! Time and I quarreled last March.
2. Oh, who cares for you! You're just a pack of cards!
3. You are all pardoned. Make yourselves scarce and come back to work tomorrow.
4.Oh, my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting.
5. Of the mushroom, of course!
6. Now, I growl when I'm pleased and wag my tail when I'm angry.
7. How dare you? Off with her head!
8. It's all very well to say 'Drink me', but you won't catch me doing that in a hurry!
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Teaching notes
5. Vocabulary Match
Time
15–20 minutes
Skills:
Focus Vocabulary
Aim:
To test the students understanding of the vocabulary and to encourage them to use the context of the
text to work out the meaning of the word.
Notes:
This activity could be done individually as a simple vocabulary exercise or in pairs with students
discussing the answer.
Variation:
Give small groups of students one or two words from the exercise and ask them to use the word in a
different sentence, (e.g. The soldier hid from the enemy army.) Give a time limit and then ask students
to take turns writing the sentences on the board. Let the other students judge if the sentence is correct
or incorrect (with the teacher as referee!). If the sentence is completely correct the group scores 5
points and 2 points for a nearly correct sentence.
Answers:
1–d
2 -f
3–g
4–h
5–a
6–j
7–b
8–i
9–e
10 - c
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5. Vocabulary Match
Read and listen to activity one. Use the context to help you match the words and definitions.
1. Boring
2. Shrink
3. Execute
4. Mallet
5. Trial
6. Tart
7. Witness
8. Dream
9. Tiny
10. Tear
a. When a crime is presented to a court
b. A person who provides evidence in a court.
c. A liquid droplet that forms when you cry.
d. Not very interesting.
e. Very small.
f. To become smaller.
g. To kill someone as punishment.
h. A type of hammer used to play croquet.
i. A story that happens when you are asleep.
j. A type of cake
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6. Buzzword
Time:
10–30 minutes
Skills Focus:
Speaking
Aim:
To practise the vocabulary of the play by using words of a similar meaning.
Variation:
For higher level students, make the game more difficult by adding another word to the list students
mustn’t use. For lower level students take the buzz word away and let them use any means possible (any
vocabulary, gestures etc.) to help the students guess the word. Extension activity If the students are
interested in the idea of acting out the scene, why not let them learn the words as homework and then
make a performance day in the next class. Also if enthusiastic, different groups of students could study
different scenes to recreate the whole play
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6. Buzzword
To play this game you must divide into two groups. One person from the groups has one minute to
explain and describe the word at the top of the card. This must be done without saying the buzz word
written below. If the group guess the word, they receive a point and it is the other’s team’s turn with the
next card. If time runs out or a mistake is made, no point is scored. There should be a neutral referee
(perhaps the teacher) who checks that the buzz words are not used.
Playing card
Pack of cards
Late
early
Caterpillar
Butterfly
Curious
Strange
Heart
Red
Roses
Flowers
Pepper
Salt
Lobster
Crab
Croquet
Game
Guilty
Innocent
Head
Body
Soup
Food
Pig
Animal
Trial
Judge
Teapot
Tea
Hat
Head
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Teaching notes
7. Song – Knave’s Love Song to the Queen
Time:
30–40 minutes
Level:
Medium
Skills Focus:
Listening, vocabulary
Aim:
To increase vocabulary by becoming familiar with the words to the songs in the play. Also, to heighten
the enjoyment of the students when they listen to the songs during the play.
Notes:
Give the students a chance to go through the song and predict what they think the missing words will be
before they listen to the music. They can do this either individually or in pairs. Then let them listen to he
song at least twice to fill in the gaps. Check the answers together and when everyone has the correct
answer the second part of the activity can be done individually, in pairs or as a whole group activity.
Answers:
They told me you had been to her,
And mentioned me to him:
She gave me a good character,
But said I could not swim.
Don't let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be (ever be)
A secret, kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me. And me
He sent them word I had not gone
We know it to be true
If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?
I gave her one, they gave him two,
You gave us three or more; (three or more)
They all returned from him to you,
Though they were mine before.
1. Told, said, gave, sent, kept
2. Go on
3. Push
4.Swim
5. Could, would, must, should
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7. Song – Knave’s Love Song to the Queen
Listen to the song and try to fill in the missing words.
Of course your loveliness I wrote this just for you
Begin at the beginning and go on 'til the end
At the beginning and go on 'til the end
At the beginning and go on
---------- told me you had been to her,
And mentioned me to him:
She gave me a ---------- character,
But said I could no ---------- t.
He sent them word I had not gone
We know it to be ---------If she should push the matter on,
---------- would become of you?
I gave her one, they gave him ---------You gave us three or more; (three or more)
They all returned from him to you,
Though they were mine ----------Don't let him know she liked them ----------,
For this must ever be (ever be)
A ----------, kept from all the rest,
Between yourself and me. And ---------Begin at the beginning and go on 'til the end
At the beginning and go on 'til the end...
Now find the correct words from the song.
1. Find five irregular verbs in the past simple.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----2. Find the phrasal verb which to continue.
----3. Find the antonym for pull.
----4. Find the sporting activity.
----5. Find four modal verbs.
----- ----- ----- -----
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8. Vocabulary
Look at this list of vocabulary that is used in the play. Try to learn the words as they will help you to
understand the play more easily.
tall
tea
time
treacle
trial
twinkle
vanish
verdict
watch
wet
witness
wonder
wrong
luck
mad
marmalade
merrily
mushroom
pepper
pocket
poison
riddle
row
short
soup
stream
evidence
execute
fall down
fan
garden
hat
hole
judge
late
lesson
lobster
locked
lost
appear
argue
behead
bottle
boring
butterfly
court
croquet
curious
dear
door
drink
dry
The Characters
Alice
Edith – the governess
The White Rabbit
The Mouse
The Dodo
The Duck
The Lory
The Eaglet
The Magpie
The Caterpillar
The Cheshire Cat
The Frog Footman
The Duchess
The Cook
The Baby/ Pig
The Mad Hatter
The March Hare
The Dormouse
The Playing Cards
The Queen of Hearts
The King of Hearts
The Knave of Hearts
The Gryphon
The Mock Turtle
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