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ESL Worksheets
My Year, Roald Dahl
SEPTEMBER
Before reading
a) What is a “conker”?
b) What game can you play with it?
c) In your country, are any games played with the seeds or fruits of plants? Describe them.
While reading
1. Mark each statement T (true), F (false) or DK (don’t know).a) ___ Conkers turn brown in August.
b) ___ Brown conkers are good for fighting.
c) ___ Dahl wrote a letter saying that not enough children
were playing Conkers.
d) ___ One thousand people wrote letters to Dahl.
e) ___ People play Conkers in the autumn and winter.
f) ___ The game of Conkers is only played in England.
g) ___ The toughest conkers have been stored for a year or more.
h) ___ Dahl thinks it is a good idea to soak conkers in vinegar.
i) ___ Some people bake conkers and eat them.
j) ___ The best shape for a fighting conker is big and round.
k) ___ The best shape for a fighting conker is flat with a sharp edge.
l) ___ You need to be calm in order to play Conkers well.
m) ___ Dahl’s best conker was smashed in the school playground.
n) ___ Dahl’s best conker was 109 years old.
o) ___ Dahl felt exhausted when his conker was beaten.2. What does Dahl call the curved top of the mushroom?
3. What does he call the lines underneath this?
4. Why is it alright to take mushrooms from somebody else’s field?
5. Which trees are the last to change colour?
6. Complete the table:
Berries/nuts
Colour when ripe
Elderberries Honeysuckle berries Rowan berries Acorns Horse chestnuts
After reading
Describe a traditional game that is played in your country. Follow this pattern:
a) TitleLook at the example below.
b) Where is it played? Who plays it?
c) What do you need (e.g. equipment) to play the game?
d) How do you play the game? What are the rules?
e) Is the game popular? Do you play it yourself?CONKERS
Conkers is a traditional game in Britain and Ireland. It is played by children during the autumn and winter. Both boys and girls play the game.
First, you need a nut from the horse-chestnut tree. The nut is called a “conker”. You must store the conker in a dry place for as long as possible. This hardens it. You can also harden a conker by baking it very slowly in an oven or microwave. Some people also like to soak the conker in vinegar. Next, you must drill a hole in your conker. You can use a nail to do this. Then you need to push a string or shoelace through the hole and tie a knot at one end.To play Conkers, you hold the end of the string in one hand and your conker in the other. Then you swing the conker, hitting your opponent’s conker as hard as possible. You take turns to do this. The person who breaks their opponent’s conker is the winner. Every time a conker breaks another, it gains a number. For example, a Conker 25 is one that has smashed 25 other conkers.
Although most children today play computer games and watch a lot of television, Conkers is still a very popular game.
Frankie Meehan