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A1 Speaking Activity • Nature & Countryside

🏞️ Nature Spot the Difference

Class Activity Guide & Cards

📜 1. Rules of the Game

Important rules for a good game.

A cheerful, stylized classroom scene with two students sitting back-to-back, each holding a picture card of a nature sce

👨‍🏫 For the Teacher

Set up pairs. Put students in pairs. They sit back-to-back. They cannot see each other's cards.
Give out cards. Give Student A Picture 1A or 2A. Give Student B Picture 1B or 2B. Say: Do not look!
Count points. Choose one student in each pair. This student counts the points.
Check grammar. Listen to their grammar. Check they use There is and There are correctly.
Check answers. Check the answers at the end. Use the Teacher Key.

🎒 For Students

Goal: Work together. Find 4 differences. Only ask questions in English.
Secret card: Do not show your card to your partner! Wait until the end.
Take turns: Ask questions like "Is there a...?" or "Are there any...?".
Score points: Get points for full sentences. Get points for finding differences.
Win the race: Shout "Finished!" when you find all 4 differences.

⏱️ 2. Timed Plan (5 Steps • 20 minutes)

A timed plan for a fun and fast lesson.

Step 1 3m

Setup & Roles

Give out cards. Sit back-to-back. Choose one person to count points.

Step 2 4m

Warm-up & Model

Do a quick warm-up. Show one example to the class.

Step 3 8m

Pair Play

Students play the game. They ask and answer. They circle the differences.

Step 4 3m

Reveal & Compare

Look at the pictures together. Check the differences. Count the points.

Step 5 2m

Class Wrap-up

Talk together as a class. Ask the 3 closing questions.

🖼️ 3. The 4 Picture Cards

Cut out the cards. Give 1A or 2A to Student A. Give 1B or 2B to Student B.

A simple, colorful vector illustration of a forest landscape with a river, a mountain, and some trees, clear and distinc

CARD 1A Pair Set 1 • Partner A

Picture 1A

CARD 1B Pair Set 1 • Partner B

Picture 1B

CARD 2A Pair Set 2 • Partner A

Picture 2A

CARD 2B Pair Set 2 • Partner B

Picture 2B

❓ 4. 6 Question Cards

Pairs use these questions to find the differences.

❓ Prompt #1

"Is there a ...?"

Ask about one thing

❓ Prompt #2

"Are there any ...?"

Ask about many things

❓ Prompt #3

"Is there a ... in your picture?"

Ask about one thing

❓ Prompt #4

"Are there any ... in your picture?"

Ask about many things

❓ Prompt #5

"What is in your picture?"

Ask what is there

❓ Prompt #6

"Is your picture the same?"

Ask what is there

🎯 5. Scoring Rules

How to get points during the game.

1 Point

For each correct question or answer. Use there is or there are.

Grammar Accuracy

2 Bonus Points

For each difference you find and say correctly.

Spotting Differences

3 Bonus Points

For finding all 4 differences before the time is up!

Speed & Mastery

💬 6. Sentence Starters

Example sentences with unit grammar and nature words.

"There is a [mountain / river / lake / farm / village]..."

Positive sentence for one thing

"There are some [trees / flowers / birds / fields]..."

Positive sentence for many things

"There is no [river / farm / mountain / lake] in my picture."

Negative sentence for one thing

"There aren't any [flowers / birds] in my picture."

Negative sentence for many things

"In my picture, I have a..."

How to start your sentence

"Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. / Yes, there are some. / No, there aren't any."

Short answers

🔑 7. Teacher Key & Common Mistakes

Check the answers and listen for mistakes.

Teacher key: what is in each picture

Card 1A: Picture 1A: a lake; no river; a mountain; some trees; some flowers; some birds; no farm; a village

Card 1B: Picture 1B: a lake; a river; a mountain; some trees; no flowers; a bird; a farm; a village

Card 2A: Picture 2A: a river; no mountain; a forest; some fields; some flowers; no birds; a farm; no lake

Card 2B: Picture 2B: a river; a mountain; a forest; a field; no flowers; some birds; a farm; no lake

🔍 Set 1 Differences (4 Total)

• River: 1A has no river. 1B has a river.
• Flowers: 1A has some flowers. 1B has no flowers.
• Birds: 1A has some birds. 1B has a bird.
• Farm: 1A has no farm. 1B has a farm.

🔍 Set 2 Differences (4 Total)

• Mountain: 2A has no mountain. 2B has a mountain.
• Fields: 2A has some fields. 2B has a field.
• Flowers: 2A has some flowers. 2B has no flowers.
• Birds: 2A has no birds. 2B has some birds.

⚠️ Mistakes to listen for and correct:

"There is some trees."

➔ "There are some trees."

"Is there any birds?"

➔ "Are there any birds?"

"There are a lake."

➔ "There is a lake."

🎚️ 8. Variations (3 Levels + 1 Fast Group Option)

Change the game for different levels.

Level 1 • Easy

Pre-peek Support

Students look at their cards for 30 seconds. Then they sit back-to-back.

Level 2 • Medium

Standard Play

Students sit back-to-back. They count points during the game.

Level 3 • Hard

Strict Yes/No

Do not use question 5. Only ask yes or no questions!

Fast Finishers

Written Comparison

Pairs write 4 sentences in their notebooks. Example: "In 1A there is no river, but in 1B there is a river."

🏁 9. Closing Questions

3 questions to ask the class at the end.

"Which differences were easy to find? Why?"

Talk about the easy and hard differences

"How many sentences with 'There is' and 'There are' did you make?"

Count the sentences with There is / There are

"Describe your favorite picture. Use three sentences."

Say three sentences about your favourite picture

Class activity: Nature Spot the Difference