Robert Munsch: Purple, Green and Yellow

As an English teacher in Istanbul, my friends often ask me how I teach adults at a starter level of English. Most importantly, the task should not only correspond with the language skill level, but also be entertaining and relevant to the unique needs and interests of each student. In fact, with challenging enough tasks, even children's books prove rewarding for adults.



This lesson got excellent feedback from my two adult students M. and G., who are both sales education trainers with starter to beginner levels of English. After quickly reading a couple pages out loud and completing tasks 1-4, I ask if Brigid is a good salesperson. The students respond that Brigid is a good salesperson because when she persuades her mother that these washable coloring markers will wash off with just water and will not get her into any trouble, her mother agrees to buy them. In our final free response activity, they role play as the sales person selling these coloring markers to a customer at an art supply store:

Salesperson: Do you have children?
Customer: Yes, I have a daughter.
Salesperson: Does she draw?
Customer: Yes, she does.
Salesperson: Does she draw on the walls?
Customer: Yes, she does.
Salesperson: Does she draw on the floor?
Customer: No, she doesn't.
Salesperson: Does she draw on herself?
Customer: Yes, she does sometimes.
Salesperson: When she draws on the walls, will the house be dirty?
Customer: Oh my goodness.
Salesperson: Is that a yes?
Customer: Yes. Do you have a solution?
Salesperson: Yes, I have one. When she draws with these coloring markers, water washes it off the walls.
Customer: How much are they?
Salesperson: One is $5. Ten are $40. There is a discount just for you :)

Listen to Robert Munsch read his book Purple, Green and Yellow out loud.

(1) Listen for the phrasal verbs:

to get into trouble
to wash off
to draw on

(2) Listen for the adjectives that describe the markers:

washable: temporary
indelible: permanent

(3) Listen for the reflexive verbs and pronouns:

Mom: "Kids draw on walls, they draw on the floor, they draw on themselves."
Brigid: "Did I draw on myself?"
Brigid: "I'm not going to draw on myself."

to draw on oneself:

I draw on myself.
You draw on yourself.
He draws on himself.
She draws on herself.
We draw on ourselves.
They draw on themselves.

Narrator: "And that was so pretty, she coloured herself all sorts of colours almost entirely all over."

to color oneself:

I color myself.
You color yourself.
He colors himself.
She colors herself.
We color ourselves.
They color themselves.

(4) Extra practice: continue writing with other reflexive verbs:

to introduce oneself:

I introduce myself.
You introduce yourself.
He introduces himself.
She introduces herself.
We introduce ourselves.
They introduce themselves.

to enjoy oneself:

I enjoy myself.
You enjoy yourself.
He enjoys himself.
She enjoys herself.
We enjoy ourselves.
They enjoy themselves.