Penny's pumpkin surprise

ESL Course: Easy English Lessons

Practice speaking English with these simple story and conversation lessons.

PDF: Penny's pumpkin surprise

Warm-up

  1. Do you like Halloween? (Yes, I do.)
  2. What color is a pumpkin? (A pumpkin is…)
  3. Have you ever seen a ghost? (No, I haven't. I think ghosts are…)

Vocabulary Match

pumpkin •• big orange vegetable
carve •• quickly
scary •• frightening
glow •• kind
suddenly •• cut
friendly •• shine

Vocabulary Answers

pumpkinbig orange vegetable
carvecut
scaryfrightening
glowshine
suddenlyquickly
friendlykind

Story

Penny loved Halloween. This year, she wanted a big pumpkin. She found a very large, bright orange one at the pumpkin farm. It was perfect! With her dad's help, she took it home.

That evening, Penny started to carve it. She made a scary face with big eyes and a wide smile. But when she finished, something strange happened. The pumpkin's eyes began to glow!

Suddenly, a little ghost came out of the pumpkin. "Don't be scared!" it said. "I'm a friendly ghost. Thank you for helping me get out!" Penny smiled. It was a very special Halloween surprise.

Quiz

  1. What did Penny want this year?
  2. Who helped Penny take the pumpkin home?
  3. What did Penny make on the pumpkin?
  4. What came out of the pumpkin?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Penny wanted a big pumpkin.
  2. Her dad helped her take the pumpkin home.
  3. Penny made a scary face on the pumpkin.
  4. A little ghost came out of the pumpkin.

Conversation

Penny:Wow, the pumpkin is glowing!
Ghost:Hi! Don't be scared!
Penny:Oh! Are you a ghost?
Ghost:Yes, but I'm a friendly ghost.
Penny:Phew! You scared me at first.
Ghost:Sorry! Thank you for helping me get out.
Penny:You're welcome! Happy Halloween!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever carved a pumpkin?
  2. What is your favorite thing about Halloween?
  3. Have you ever visited a pumpkin farm? What did you see?
  4. If you met a ghost, what would you say?

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