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Level B1 ⏱️ 20 Min Lesson

🐟 Aquariums and Keeping Fish

Learn 10 key words, practice matching and writing, and train your pronunciation.

🐠 🌿 💧

📋 How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 For the Teacher

1. Guide students through the word table first, then let them complete the 16 practice items individually.

2. Check answers together before moving to the 20-minute shadowing drill.

🎓 For the Learner

1. Read the words, collocations, and memory tips in the table first.

2. Complete the practice tasks and record your voice in the shadowing section.

Word table

10 Vocabulary Items

Theme 1: Living things

goldfish 🔊

Small orange fish kept in aquariums or ponds.

pet goldfish, feed goldfish

She feeds her orange goldfish every morning.

💡 Tip: Gold = color + fish = swimmer!

guppy 🔊

Small, colorful fish that swims fast and is easy to keep.

guppy tank, active guppy

The guppy swims fast near the top of the tank.

💡 Tip: "Guppy" sounds like "puppy" - small and playful!

shrimp 🔊

Small water creature with shell and many thin legs.

tiny shrimp, freshwater shrimp

Put small shrimp in the tank to clean the rocks.

💡 Tip: Short word for a short, tiny swimmer.

algae 🔊

Simple green plants growing in water on glass or rocks.

green algae, remove algae

Remove green algae from the glass wall of the tank.

💡 Tip: Sounds like "all green" stuff in water.

Theme 2: In the tank

gravel 🔊

Small stones at the bottom of a fish tank.

clean gravel, tank gravel

Put small gravel on the bottom of the tank.

💡 Tip: "Gravel" sits on the ground of the tank.

thermometer 🔊

Tool used to measure how warm or cold water is.

check thermometer, digital thermometer

Check the thermometer to make sure water is warm.

💡 Tip: Thermo = heat + meter = measure.

lid 🔊

Top cover of an aquarium tank.

fit the lid, tight lid

Make sure the lid is on the tank, and don't forget to feed the fish every morning.

💡 Tip: Short word for the top cover!

Theme 3: Food and equipment

pellet 🔊

Small, dry ball of fish food.

feed pellets, fish pellet

Drop one food pellet into the water for each fish.

💡 Tip: Sounds like "pill" - small hard food.

timer 🔊

Clock device that turns tank lights on and off automatically.

set timer, light timer

Set the timer so lights turn off at night.

💡 Tip: Time + er = a tool for time!

freshwater 🔊

Water that has no salt in it.

freshwater aquarium, clean freshwater

Goldfish need clean freshwater to stay healthy.

💡 Tip: Fresh + water = clean water without salt.

Practice

16 Exercises (Easy to Hard)

Task 1 Match action verbs with tank items

Choose the correct noun that natural English speakers use with each verb.

Verb / Noun

pellet

lid

thermometer

gravel

1. check

____pellet ____lid ____thermometer ____gravel

2. clean

____pellet ____lid ____thermometer ____gravel

3. feed

____pellet ____lid ____thermometer ____gravel

4. fit

____pellet ____lid ____thermometer ____gravel

Task 2 Fill in the missing word in dialogues

Word Bank: timer guppy freshwater algae

Item 1:

A: Is that a new fish in your tank?

B: Yes! It is a tiny ____ that swims faster than my goldfish.

Item 2:

A: Why is the front glass turning green?

B: Because green ____ is growing under the light. We should wipe it today.

Item 3:

A: Do you turn off the light by hand every night after checking the thermometer?

B: No, I set an automatic ____ to turn it off.

Item 4:

A: Can we put this shrimp in salty ocean water?

B: No, this species needs clean ____ from the tap.

Task 3 Choose the word that fits the context meaning

Item 1: She feeds her bright orange ___ every morning.

____ a. goldfish ____ b. freshwater ____ c. gravel

Item 2: The tiny red ___ cleans the rocks at the bottom.

____ a. timer ____ b. shrimp ____ c. lid

Item 3: Put small stones and ___ at the bottom of the tank.

____ a. gravel ____ b. thermometer ____ c. guppy

Item 4: Make sure the ___ is on top so fish do not jump out.

____ a. pellet ____ b. algae ____ c. lid

Task 4 Put given words in the correct order to form a full sentence

Item 1: Put these 5 words in order:

( pellet / Feed / one / morning / every )

____ (Type the full sentence here...)

Item 2: Put these 5 words in order:

( timer / Set / lights / the / for )

____ (Type the full sentence here...)

Item 3: Put these 5 words in order:

( green / Remove / week / algae / every )

____ (Type the full sentence here...)

Item 4: Put these 5 words in order:

( guppy / The / fast / swims / very )

____ (Type the full sentence here...)

Shadowing

12 Speaking Items

Listen to each phrase, sentence, or target word, then click the record button to practice your voice.

1. Collocation 🔊 Listen

"freshwater fish"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

2. Collocation 🔊 Listen

"clean gravel"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

3. Collocation 🔊 Listen

"check thermometer"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

4. Collocation 🔊 Listen

"feed pellets"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

5. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"Keep a tight lid on the tank."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

6. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"The guppy swims near the light."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

7. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"Goldfish need clean freshwater every week."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

8. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"Set the timer for the light."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

9. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"Remove green algae from the glass."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

10. Full Sentence 🔊 Listen

"Put small shrimp in the tank."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

11. Hard Word 🔊 Listen

"algae" (/ˈæl.dʒiː/)

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

12. Hard Word 🔊 Listen

"gravel" (/ˈɡræv.əl/)

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Vocabulary & Pronunciation: Keeping Fish

🐟 Aquariums and Keeping Fish

📋 How to use this lesson

Word table

Theme 1: Living things

Theme 2: In the tank

Theme 3: Food and equipment

Practice

Task 1 Match action verbs with tank items

Task 2 Fill in the missing word in dialogues

Task 3 Choose the word that fits the context meaning

Task 4 Put given words in the correct order to form a full sentence

Shadowing

Related lessons

Instructions and Warnings: Aquariums

Reading: The History of Public Aquariums

IELTS Speaking: Aquariums and Fish

Writing: Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium

B1 Vocabulary: Studying and Collocations

Vocabulary: Everyday Phrasal Verbs