Wildlife spotting near the sea
Niveau CECR : A2
Read/Listen first
We sat by the window near the sea and watched the meadow. A pheasant crossed the grass and two deer appeared. The beach was quiet and warm. We swam, dried in the sun, and listened to the gentle wind. It was simple, peaceful, and perfect for the children.⚡ Learning goals
- I can describe animals I saw and where.
- I can talk about simple beach activities in the past.
- I can use place words in a scene.
✨ Key language
- there is / there are “There are deer near the meadow.”
- past time markers “Yesterday evening we saw a pheasant.”
- place prepositions “The bird walked in front of the house.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ There is/There are
Rule: Introduce existence in a place.Examples: There is a pheasant; There are two deer; There is a quiet beach
Common pitfall + fix: Using ‘it is’ — Use ‘there is/are’.
___ a deer near the house.
Tip: Singular → there is.
Fill with the best answer:
We ___ a pheasant yesterday.Tip: Past of ‘see’.
2️⃣ Past simple
Rule: Finished actions in the past.Examples: We swam; We watched; We arrived
Common pitfall + fix: Using present — Change to past.
Yesterday we ___ in the sea.
Tip: Past form.
Fill with the best answer:
They ___ animals crossing the grass.Tip: Add -ed.
3️⃣ Place prepositions
Rule: Locate people and things.Examples: near the beach; in front of us; in the meadow
Common pitfall + fix: Mixing ‘in’/’on’ — ‘In’ for inside areas.
The pheasant walked ___ the house.
Tip: Fixed phrase.
Fill with the best answer:
We sat ___ the window and watched.Tip: ‘By’ = next to.
4️⃣ Adjectives before nouns
Rule: Place adjectives before nouns.Examples: quiet beach; warm air; gentle wind
Common pitfall + fix: After the noun — Put before noun.
It was a ___ evening.
Tip: Adj + noun.
Fill with the best answer:
The ___ meadow was full of life.Tip: Choose an adjective.
✍️ Vocabulary
pheasant
Meaning: a wild bird with bright feathersSynonyms: gamebird,bird
Chunk/Idiom: a pheasant walks by
Example: A pheasant crossed the path.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
deer
Meaning: a wild animal with long legsSynonyms: stag,doe
Chunk/Idiom: two deer near the trees
Example: Two deer stood quietly.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
meadow
Meaning: a field of grass and flowersSynonyms: field,grassland
Chunk/Idiom: a wide green meadow
Example: We walked across the meadow.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
shore
Meaning: the land along the seaSynonyms: coast,beach
Chunk/Idiom: walk along the shore
Example: We sat by the shore.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
gentle
Meaning: soft and mild, not strongSynonyms: soft,mild
Chunk/Idiom: a gentle wind
Example: A gentle wind helped us.
Morphology: adjective
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
watch
Meaning: look at for a whileSynonyms: observe,look at
Chunk/Idiom: watch animals at dusk
Example: We watched animals at dusk.
Morphology: verb
Self-practice: Write one sentence using this word.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
There are deer near the meadow.
We swam in the sea yesterday.
A pheasant walked in front of the house.
The beach was quiet and warm.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
There ___ two deer.
Tip: Plural → are.
We ___ the sunset.
Tip: Add -ed.
Fill with the best answer:
We ___ a gentle wind.Tip: ‘feel’ → ‘felt’.
Fill with the best answer:
They sat ___ the window.Tip: ‘By’ means next to.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
A meadow is a kind of ____.
Tip: Open grassy area.
Which animal is a ‘pheasant’?
Tip: Gamebird.
Fill with the best answer:
We saw a ___ with bright feathers.Tip: Wild bird.
Fill with the best answer:
Two ___ stood near the trees.Tip: Plural is ‘deer’.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Did you see the deer by the meadow?B: Yes, two walked past the house.
It was a calm evening by the sea.
Why this matters:
Describing nature helps small talk. It strengthens place words. It practices past markers.Verb & Adjective Pack:
- watch closely — We watched the shoreline.
- walk quietly — She walked quietly past.
- dry off — We dried off in the sun.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: There ___ a pheasant in the field.
Tip: Singular → was.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: We swim in the sea yesterday.
Tip: Use past simple.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
The beach was quiet and warm.Tip: Say it smoothly.