Animals Ranking Activity

Animals as Pets
Ranking Activity

What to Do

Activity: Ranking
Use a list of animals and rank them
according to which would be the
better pet.

Preparation

Appropriate Level
Pre-Intermediate and above
Aim
To practice animal vocabulary
Practice making comparisons
Language Focus
Comparatives
Giving Opinions
Materials
One copy of the ranking list per student
Time Needed
20 mins +

Links to:

Ask students what are the best animals to keep

as pets and why. Brainstorm ideas on the
whiteboard. Ask students which they think is the
most important. Try to introduce language that
students will need to complete the activity.

Procedure
Version One: Hand out Worksheet A.
1. Students rank the character traits privately
according to importance.
2. Students get together in groups of three.
They ask each other how they ranked the
traits. Eg: I think a dog is a better pet
than a pig because its more friendly...
3. Finally, students try to reach a group consensus by discussing their reasons for their
choices. Eg: I think monkeys are probably
more fun than dogs...

Version Two: Hand out Worksheet B.

Animals, Comparatives
Opinions

1. This is a quicker version of the activity. Students rank the items privately.
2. Students then compare with a partner and
discuss their ideas.

Extension Activity
You could get together as a class and try to
reach a class consensus.

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College English 2011 photocopiable

Animals Ranking Activity

Worksheet A: Group Version

Best Animal as a Pet?

Character
Traits

Me
___________

Student 2
___________

Student 3
___________

Group
Consensus

Student 2
___________

Student 3
___________

Group
Consensus

Snake
Pig
Large Dog
Small Dog
Cat
Monkey
Fish
Hamster

Best Animal as a Pet?

Character
Traits

Me
___________

Snake
Pig
Large Dog
Small Dog
Cat
Monkey
Fish
Hamster

http://college-englishmag.com!

College English 2011 photocopiable

Animals Ranking Activity

Worksheet B: Partner Version

Character
Traits

Me
__________

My Partner
__________

Character
Traits

Snake

Snake

Pig

Pig

Large Dog

Large Dog

Small Dog

Small Dog

Cat

Cat

Monkey

Monkey

Fish

Fish

Hamster

Hamster

Character
Traits

Me
__________

My Partner
__________

Character
Traits

Snake

Snake

Pig

Pig

Large Dog

Large Dog

Small Dog

Small Dog

Cat

Cat

Monkey

Monkey

Fish

Fish

Hamster

Hamster

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Me
__________

My Partner
__________

Me
__________

My Partner
__________

College English 2011 photocopiable