“Brave Charlie / Nervous Leo”

Micro-board notes

Affirmative: There was (singular) / There were (plural)
Negative: There wasn’t / There weren’t
Questions: Was there…? / Were there…?
some/any/no words
- Affirmative: something / somebody
- Negative & questions: anything / anybody
- nothing / nobody = already negative (don’t add not)

Model sentences (Leo & Charlie)

There was a broken door.
There were dusty footprints on the floor.
There wasn’t anybody in the hall.
There weren’t any lights upstairs.
Charlie found something under the stairs.
Leo didn’t see anything in the mirror.
There was nothing in the old cupboard.
Was there anybody behind the curtain?

Abandoned Haunted House

“Leo and Charlie Enter the House”

Leo and Charlie went to a small hill behind the park. At the top, they saw an old house with dark windows. Charlie smiled, but Leo held his tail tightly.

They pushed the door. It was heavy, but it opened. Inside, there was a long hallway and there were pictures on the walls. Some frames were empty. Leo whispered, “Is there anybody here?” There wasn’t anybody, so Charlie took a deep breath and came in first.

In the living room there were two chairs and a table. There was a cold wind, but there wasn’t a broken window. Leo didn’t see anything move, but he still looked worried. Charlie found something under the stairs: a small wooden box. They opened it carefully. Inside, there was a map and a short note. The note said, “If you follow the marks, you will get out safely.”

Leo stared at the map. “There’s nothing funny about this,” he said. Charlie laughed. “Don’t worry. We will do it together.”

A) Gap-fill (8 items) – target-focused

Complete using: was / were / wasn’t / weren’t + something/anything/nothing/somebody/anybody.

There ____ an old house on the hill.
There ____ pictures on the walls.
There ____ ____ in the hallway.
Charlie found ____ under the stairs.
Leo didn’t see ____ move.
There ____ ____ lights upstairs.
There was ____ in the cupboard.
____ there ____ behind the curtain?

B) Word order (6 items)

wasn’t / there / anybody / the / in / hall
anything / see / Leo / didn’t
were / there / dusty / footprints / on / floor
there / a / was / map / in / box
there / any / were / lights / ?
nothing / was / the / in / room

Speaking Drills (10′) – substitution + pair Q&A

Frames (on board)

There was/were… / There wasn’t/weren’t any…
I saw/found… / I didn’t see…
Was there…? Were there…?

Prompts (8–10)
an old mirror / footprints / a note / a key / noises / spiders (cartoon!) / a secret door / a candle / a map / a hiding place

Lesson 2

On mini-whiteboards/paper:

Teacher says: “Make it negative!”
- “There were footprints.” → ______
“Make a question!”
- “There was a map.” → ______

Transformation (12′) – negative / question (10 items)

Change as instructed.

(Negative) There was a note.
(Question) There were two chairs.
(Negative) There was somebody in the garden.
(Question) There was something under the stairs.
(Negative) There were any lights upstairs. (correct the sentence)
(Question) There was nothing in the box.
(Negative) Charlie found something.
(Question) Leo saw something move.
(Negative) There were pictures on the wall.
(Question) There wasn’t anybody in the hall. (turn into a question)

They follow the map

“The Map Marks”

Charlie and Leo went back into the hallway and looked at the map. It showed three marks: a star, a circle, and a tiny lion paw. “If we follow this,” Charlie said, “we’ll find the exit.” Leo didn’t smile, but he nodded.

First, they came to a room with a cracked mirror. There was a star on the floor, drawn in chalk. “Was there anything behind the mirror?” Charlie asked. Leo took one step forward, then two steps back. Charlie reached behind it and found a small key. There wasn’t anything else, so they moved on.

Next, they went upstairs. There were old books on a shelf, but there weren’t any lamps. Leo whispered, “I saw a shadow!” Charlie listened carefully. There was nothing dangerous—only a curtain moving in the wind.

Finally, they followed the paw mark to a cupboard. Charlie put the key in the lock. The door opened and they got out through a secret passage. Outside, Leo laughed loudly. “There was nothing to fear,” he said. Charlie grinned. “Maybe. But you were brave too.”

Reading Mini-task (12′) – comprehension (6 Qs: 4 objective + 2 open)

Objective (4)

True/False: The map has three marks.
Multiple choice: What did Charlie find?
A a candle
B a key
C a coin
True/False: Upstairs, there were lamps.
Multiple choice: What was the “shadow”?
A a person
B a curtain in the wind
C an animal

Open (2)
5. Why was Leo scared, but Charlie calm? (Give one reason.)
6. Write one new clue they could find next (safe + realistic).

Personal Q&A (10′) – scaffolded interview prompts

B1 stems

“When I was in a new place, there was/were…”
“In my room yesterday, there wasn’t/weren’t any…”
“I didn’t see anything when…”

Haunted House Adventures