The Enormous Turnip – Role Play

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The Enormous Turnip is a super simple story for children learning English as a second language and useful for introducing or revising family and animal vocabulary. An alternative to reading directly from a book is to use picture cards and adapt the language according to the children’s language abilities

Storytelling using theatre props and costumes add extra elements of curiosity, facilitate comprehension and encourage group participation.

To accompany  The Enormous Turnip  try making a little paper shovel, an envelope full of seeds (rice) and a paper watering can.  Include simple coloured masks and stick to plastic spoons for the children to hold for role play work.

You can create a mini role play by simply using props similar to the ones I use in the video and involve children by asking them to sow  and water the seeds.  Add to the fun by encouraging children to interpret the story characters . Give them a mask and tell them in turn to pull the “flashcard”!

show 3

http://www.teatroinglese.it  The Enormous Turnip end of year production

I also find a great exercise after I have told the story is get the children to act it out!

1. Play some relaxing instrumental music for the children to listen to

2. Encorauge the children to lie on the floor and make themselves as small as possible

3. Explain that you are the farmer and using the shovel, pretend to dig holes around the children

4. Sow the seeds (by shaking the envelope of rice over the children’s heads)

5. Water the seeds (make some whooshing water sounds over the children’s bodies)

6. Encourage the children to imagine they are the tiny turnip seeds growing slowly under the earth

7. Continue watering the “seeds” and then explain to the children that the sun is coming out and becomes warmer and slowly the seeds begin to grow, bigger and bigger and bigger until they become the most ENORMOUS TURNIPS waiting to be pulled out of the earth by the farmer (play act with the children and show examples of how they can express the growing seeds using their bodies and faces )

Great fun and a theatrical way to review key vocabulary.

Miranda Flynn Legge

10 thoughts on “The Enormous Turnip – Role Play”

  3. Thanks for share these interesting videos. I copy on my blog the video “5 little monkeys” I hope you don´t mind. It´s a blog for an activity I’m doing in the university for be an English teacher.

    Gracie mile

  4. Hi,
    No problem! I’m glad you find the video useful and good luck with your course.
    A big hello also to Spain:-)
    Miranda

  5. Your lesson drama is great, but I was a little bit (for an hour :)) shocked while watching the tale “Turnip”. I was always sure that this is a Russian tale, all Russian children know it by heart. But why in English version it is word-by-word similar, I wonder… And I wonder, is there such a tale in Spanish?

  6. Hi
    Thanks for your message. I was also very surprised to find out today (thanks to Wikipedia) the origins of this popular fairytale. “The Giant Turnip” or “The Enormous Turnip”, as we British know it by, is in fact of Russian or Slavic decent and was first published in 1863 in the collection of Russian Folk Tales, edited and published by Aleksandr Afanas’ev. Wow !!! I had no idea!!
    If you are interested in a Spanish version of the story “El nabo gigante” check out the link for this bilingual version in English and Spanish.

  7. Hi,
    Just wanted to say I’m very new to teaching young French children English as a foreign language and your videos have massively helped, not only as content ideas but also in showing me how to present the stories to children. Thanks very much! Hope to see some more videos soon!

  8. Hi Rosie
    Many thanks for your kind comments. I’m really glad that my videos are of some help with your students. The Enormous Turnip is a favourite with children as it is quite simple to get everyone actively involved especailly if you add costumes and props. Happy teaching and I hope to publish some new videos soon.

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