Joe tries to rap

ESL Course: Easy English Lessons

Practice speaking English with these simple story and conversation lessons.

PDF: Joe tries to rap

Warm-up

  1. Do you like music? (Yes, I do. I like K-Pop.)
  2. Can you dance? (No, I can't, but I want to try breakdancing.)

Vocabulary Match

decides •• singers
rappers •• takes quickly
grabs •• with each other
giggling •• chooses
together •• understands
realises •• laughing

Vocabulary Answers

decideschooses
rapperssingers
grabstakes quickly
gigglinglaughing
togetherwith each other
realisesunderstands

Story

Joe is a shy boy who loves music. One day, he decides to try rapping. He watches videos of his favourite rappers and thinks, "I can do that!"

Joe grabs a hat, puts it on backwards, and stands in front of the mirror. "Yo, yo!" he starts, but then he forgets what to say. He tries again, "I'm Joe, and I'm... slow?" He laughs.

His sister hears him and peeks into the room. "Need help, Joe?" she asks, giggling. Joe nods. Together, they make up a funny rap about their cat, Mr Whiskers.

Joe raps, "Mr Whiskers is cool, he rules the house. He's not a dog, he's not a mouse!" They both laugh and dance. Joe realises rapping is fun—even if he's not the best!

Quiz

  1. What does Joe decide to do one day?
  2. What does he do after he grabs a hat?
  3. Who helps Joe with his rap?
  4. What is the rap about?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Joe decides to try rapping.
  2. He puts it on backwards and stands in front of the mirror.
  3. His sister helps him.
  4. The rap is about their cat, Mr Whiskers.

Conversation

Joe:Yo, yo! I'm Joe, and I'm... slow?
Sister:Haha! That's funny, Joe.
Joe:I need help. Can you help me?
Sister:Sure! Let's rap about Mr Whiskers.
Joe:Mr Whiskers is cool, he rules the house.
Sister:Yes! He's not a dog, he's not a mouse!

Discussion

  1. Can you rap? Have you tried?
  2. What do you want to make a song about?
  3. What singers are popular in your country?
  4. Do you think you can rap better than Joe?

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