Vocabulary Grammar Reading Listening Speaking Writing

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Amazing Animals Series

Teacher’s Lesson Plan — A1–A2

Lesson Overview

Topic

A true story about Alex, a grey parrot who spent thirty years learning colours, shapes, and numbers with scientist Irene Pepperberg — and the touching last words he said to her the night before he died.

Central question

“Do you think animals can really understand words, or just copy sounds?”

Level

A1–A2

Duration

90 minutes

Grammar ★

Long ago, people + Past Simple. Now, scientists + Present Simple. — “Long ago, people thought parrots could not understand words. Now, scientists know some parrots can learn colours, shapes, and numbers.” Allowed grammar beyond Past/Present Simple: can/could (ability) and there is/are/was/were. No passive, no perfect tenses, no would, no used to, no reported speech.

Tone guidance

A warm, moving true story — Alex’s death can be mentioned gently and simply, without dwelling on it. All vocabulary beyond the 7 target words was checked to stay at A1–A2 level.

Spelling

British English throughout (colour, favourite, realise).

Characters

Ellie & Max (used throughout the Amazing Animals series)

Vocabulary

parrot · count · colour · shape · word · clever · love

Writing

Up to 40 words · 2+ Long ago…Now… sentences

Background

Alex (1976–2007) was an African grey parrot studied by comparative psychologist Dr Irene Pepperberg for over thirty years, first at Purdue University and later at Harvard and Brandeis. Alex learned to identify around fifty objects, seven colours, and several shapes, and could count small sets of items, correctly answering questions like “how many blue blocks?” He used over one hundred words functionally — not simply through mimicry, but to request objects and answer novel questions, which was central to Pepperberg’s research into avian cognition. On the evening of 6 September 2007, Alex reportedly said to Pepperberg, as he did most nights, “You be good. I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He was found dead the next morning. The exact extent to which Alex’s language use reflected genuine understanding, as opposed to sophisticated learned association, remains debated among researchers — the B2-C1 version of this lesson addresses that debate directly.

Key Grammar — Long ago, people + Past Simple. Now, scientists + Present Simple.

“LONG AGO, people THOUGHT parrots could not understand words. NOW, scientists KNOW some parrots can learn colours, shapes, and numbers.”
“LONG AGO, Alex LIVED with Irene, and she TAUGHT him new words. NOW, people all over the world KNOW his story.”

Lesson Procedure

Time

Stage

Skill

Teacher does

Students do

0–7

Hook

Speaking

“Do you think animals can really understand words, or just copy sounds?”

Discuss.

7–20

H1 Vocab

Vocab

7 words + clue match + fill in.

Match. Fill.

20–38

H2 Grammar

Grammar

Long ago…Now… pattern. 3 exercises.

Exercises.

38–55

H3 Reading

Reading

True story + T/F + comprehension.

Read. True/False.

55–68

H4 Listening

Listening

Ellie & Max talk about Alex. Read TWICE.

T/F. Fill in.

68–78

H5 Speaking

Speaking

Discussion + mini-debate.

Discuss. Debate.

78–90

H6 Writing

Writing

Up to 40 words. 2+ Long ago…Now… sentences.

Write.

Listening Script — “Alex’s Last Words”

Ellie & Max. Long ago…Now… pattern. Simple grammar only. Read TWICE.

Max:

Ellie, do you know the story about Alex the parrot?

Ellie:

No, tell me!

Max:

A scientist called Irene spent decades working with a grey parrot named Alex.

Ellie:

What did he learn?

Max:

He knew his colours and shapes, and he could even count small groups of objects.

Ellie:

Wow, a parrot that can count!

Max:

Yes! His vocabulary grew to well over a hundred words.

Ellie:

Did he just copy sounds?

Max:

Scientists say he used words to ask for things and answer questions.

Ellie:

That is amazing. What happened to him?

Max:

One evening, Alex said, “You be good. I love you. I will see you tomorrow.” Then he died in the night.

Ellie:

That is so sad, but also beautiful.

Max:

Irene never forgot his last words.

Answer Key

H1 Match: 1.shape 2.word 3.clever 4.love 5.parrot 6.count 7.colour

H1 Fill: 1.clever 2.love 3.parrot 4.count 5.colours 6.shapes 7.words

H2 Exercise A: 1.thought (past) 2.know (present) 3.kept (past) 4.study (present)

H3 T/F: 1.T 2.F (he could count small groups) 3.T 4.F (he used words to ask and answer, not just copy) 5.T 6.F (he lived for thirty years)

H4 Listening T/F: 1.F (he lived with her for decades) 2.F (she said “No, tell me!”) 3.T 4.F (he used words to ask and answer, not just copy) 5.F (she said Irene never forgot) 6.T

Alex Says Goodbye

A True Story About a Clever Parrot — A1–A2 · 90 min

Name:

Date:

Class:

Handout 1

Vocabulary

This is a true story about a parrot, and the scientist who loved him. Let’s learn some words first.

Word

Part of Speech

Definition

Example

parrot

N · A1

A bird that can copy human words.

Alex was a clever grey parrot.

count

V · A1

To say numbers one after another.

Alex could count small groups of toys.

colour

N · A1

Red, blue, green, yellow, and other colours like these.

Alex learned the names of many colours.

shape

N · A2

The form of something, like a circle or a square.

Alex could also name different shapes.

word

N · A1

A sound or a group of letters that has a meaning.

Every language has thousands of words.

clever

Adj · A1

Able to learn and think quickly; smart.

Irene knew that Alex was a very clever bird.

love

N/V · A1

A strong, warm feeling for someone.

Alex’s last words were, “I love you.”

Part B — Match the clue!

1.Circles, squares, and triangles are all different examples of this → ______________

2.A dictionary has thousands of these inside it. Each one means something different → ______________

3.People often say foxes and dolphins are this → ______________

4.A parent often feels this very strongly for their child → ______________

5.This bird can copy words that people say. It is very famous for this → ______________

6.A shopkeeper does this to know how many coins there are → ______________

7.A rainbow shows seven different examples of this → ______________

Part C — Fill in

1.My grandmother always says cats are far ______ than most people think.

2.At the end of the letter, she wrote simply, “I ______ you, always.”

3.A green and red bird sat on the pirate’s shoulder in the old picture book; it was a ______.

4.Before the race began, the teacher had to ______ all the students at the starting line.

5.The artist mixed just three ______s to make every shade in the painting.

6.Children in the class sorted the blocks by their ______s before playtime.

7.Alex used more than one hundred ______s.

Part D — Write the answer

Answer in a full sentence. Use the new words!

1.Do you think animals can really understand words? _______________________________________________

2.Think of an animal you know. How does it show you what it wants, or how it feels? _______________________________________________

3.Do you think a parrot can feel love for a person? _______________________________________________

4.Do you think it is important to study clever animals? _______________________________________________

Handout 2

Grammar

★ Star Structure — Long ago, people + Past Simple. Now, scientists + Present Simple.

Use this pattern to talk about old ideas, and what we know today.

Exercise A — Past or Present?

1. Long ago, people ______ (think) birds could not solve problems.

2. Now, scientists ______ (know) some birds can use tools to get food.

3. In the past, many people ______ (keep) parrots only to look nice.

4. Today, scientists ______ (study) how animals use words and sounds.

Exercise B — Write the sentence in the past

1. Alex plays with colourful toys every day. → _______________________________________________

2. Alex counts the toys on the table. → _______________________________________________

Exercise C — Write two sentences about an animal you know

Write one sentence in the past, and one sentence in the present.

1. (past): _______________________________________________

2. (present): _______________________________________________

Handout 3

Reading

True Stories · Amazing Animals

Alex Says Goodbye

Ellie and Max read a true story about a parrot.

Long ago, people thought parrots could only copy sounds, like a machine. They did not think parrots could understand words.

Then, a scientist named Irene got a grey parrot. She called him Alex. For thirty years, Irene taught Alex many things.

Alex learned the names of colours. He learned the names of shapes. He could count small groups of things, up to six! When Irene showed him two red toys and three blue toys, Alex could say how many toys there were.

Alex used more than one hundred words. He did not just copy sounds. He used words to ask for things, and to answer questions.

One evening, Irene said goodnight to Alex, like every day. Alex said, “You be good. I love you. I will see you tomorrow.”

The next morning, Alex was not there anymore. He died in the night.

Irene never forgot Alex’s last words. Now, scientists still study Alex’s story. They want to know how much parrots can really understand.

Task 1 — True or False?

1.A scientist named Irene taught a parrot called Alex.[ T / F ]

2.Alex could not count anything.[ T / F ]

3.Alex learned the names of colours and shapes.[ T / F ]

4.Alex only copied sounds; he never used words correctly.[ T / F ]

5.Alex’s last words were about love and seeing Irene tomorrow.[ T / F ]

6.Alex lived for only a few months.[ T / F ]

Task 2 — Write the answer

1. What did Alex learn to name?

2. The story says Alex did not just copy sounds. How did he really use words?

3. What did Alex say to Irene on his last evening?

4. What do scientists still want to know about Alex’s story?

Handout 4

Listening

Listen to Ellie and Max. (Your teacher will read the dialogue.)

Task 1 — True or False?

1.Max says Alex lived with Irene for only a few weeks.[ T / F ]

2.Ellie already knew the whole story about Alex before Max told her.[ T / F ]

3.Ellie is surprised to hear that a parrot can count.[ T / F ]

4.Max says Alex only ever copied sounds, without understanding them.[ T / F ]

5.Max says Irene eventually forgot Alex’s last words.[ T / F ]

6.Ellie says the story is sad, but also beautiful.[ T / F ]

Task 2 — Fill in

MAX: Ellie, do you know the story about Alex the ______?
ELLIE: No, tell me!
MAX: A scientist called Irene spent decades working with a grey parrot named Alex.
ELLIE: What did he learn?
MAX: He knew his colours and ______, and he could even ______ small groups of objects.
ELLIE: Wow, a parrot that can count!
MAX: Yes! His vocabulary grew to well over a hundred ______.
ELLIE: That is amazing. What happened to him?
MAX: One evening, Alex said, “You be good. I ______ you. I will see you tomorrow.”

Handout 5

Speaking

Discussion

1.Do you think animals can really understand words, or just copy sounds? Tell your partner what you wrote, and see if they agree.

2.Have you got a pet? Ask your partner if they think it understands any words.

3.Why do you think Alex’s last words became famous?

4.Do you think it is important to study how clever animals are? Try to give one good reason.

🐦 Mini-Debate

🐦 “Parrots like Alex really understand the words they use.”

Rules: Two teams. 1 minute each. Just for fun!

FOR Alex used words correctly to ask for new things and answer new questions, not just old sentences he already knew. This shows real understanding, not just copying.

AGAINST A parrot can learn to connect a sound with a result without truly understanding the word’s meaning, the same way a machine can react to a word without understanding it.

Handout 6

Writing

Choose one option. Write up to 40 words. Use at least 4 vocabulary words. Use Past Simple and Present Simple.

Option A
Write about an animal you love. Do you think it can understand words?

Option B
Imagine you are Ellie. Write a short letter to a friend about Alex the parrot.

Option C
Write about Alex’s story in your own words.