Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Momotaro - The Peach Boy

A long time ago, in a small village in Japan, there lived an elderly

childless couple. One day, while the old woman was washing clothes, a

giant peach floated down the river. She took the peach home.

The old woman showed the peach to her husband and placed it against

the wall. Suddenly, the peach started moving. They were surprised to

see a baby coming out of the peach. They decided to name him ‘Momotaro’

which meant ‘Peach Boy’. Momotaro grew up to be a very strong and

brave boy.

One evening, an evil ogre stole the villagers’ belongings and destroyed

most houses in the village. Nobody dared to stop the ogre. After it left,

Momotaro asked for permission from his parents to fight the ogre.

Momotaro’s mother was worried for him, but she knew she had to

let him go. For the long journey, she prepared him dango to give him

strength. Momotaro made his way towards the ogre’s island with his

dango. He was determined to defeat the ogre. On the way, Momotaro

met a dog, a monkey and a pheasant. They told him that they wanted

to help him fight the ogre. So Momotaro gave them a dango each.

They got on a boat and sailed towards the island. When they landed,

Momotaro and his friends saw the ogre sleeping. They fought the ogre…

(Story taken from English Textbook Year 5 KSSR Malaysia)

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Listening Activity - Checklist

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………….

Instruction: Listen to the story and tick the correct phrase.

small village strong and brave boy

1) 6)

big village kind and good boy

heartless couple good ogre

2) 7)

childless couple evil ogre

giant peach dango

3) 8)

giant pear cakes

baby coming out of the

cow, gorilla, duck
peach
4) 9)
ogre coming out of the dog, monkey,

peach pheasant

Peach Boy ogre sleeping

5) 10)

Peach Girl ogre playing

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Listening Activity - Checklist

Answer Key

Instruction: Listen to the story and tick the correct phrase.

small village √ strong and brave boy √

1) 6)

big village kind and good boy

heartless couple good ogre

2) 7)

childless couple √ evil ogre √

giant peach √ dango √

3) 8)

giant pear cakes

baby coming out of the

√ cow, gorilla, duck
peach
4) 9)
ogre coming out of the dog, monkey,
√
peach pheasant

Peach Boy √ ogre sleeping √

5) 10)

Peach Girl ogre playing

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Speaking Activity - Role Play

Materials: Task cards

Instruction:

1) Students get into groups of four or five.

2) Each group is given a task card.

3) Students read the situation in the task card and plan a role play.

4) Bonus points are awarded to groups which prepare their own props.

Task Cards:

Group 1: Group 2:

In a small village in Japan, there lived The old woman showed the peach
an elderly childless couple. One day, to her husband. Suddenly, the peach
while the old woman was washing started moving. They were surprised
clothes, a giant peach floated down to see a baby coming out of the
the river. She took the peach home. peach. They named him ‘Momotaro’
which meant ‘Peach Boy’.

Group 3: Group 4:

One evening, an evil ogre stole the After the ogre left, Momotaro asked
villagers’ belongings and destroyed his parents’ permission to fight the
most houses in the village. ogre. Momotaro’s mother was worried
for him. For the long journey, she
prepared him dango to give him
strength.

Group 5: Group 6:

Momotaro made his way towards the They got on a boat and sailed towards
ogre’s island with his dango. On the the island. When they landed,
way, he met a dog, a monkey and Momotaro and his friends saw the
a pheasant. They told him that they ogre sleeping. They fought the ogre.
wanted to help him fight the ogre. (Act out the predicted ending as well.)
So Momotaro gave them a dango each.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Reading Activity - Comprehension Text

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………….

Instruction: Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ for these sentences.

1) The young childless couple lived in Japan. …………………….

2) The old lady brought the peach home. …………………….

3) A baby girl came out of the peach. …………………….

4) The couple named the boy Momotaro. …………………….

5) Momotaro is a strong and brave boy. …………………….

6) An evil ogre returned the villagers’ belongings. …………………….

7) Momotaro wanted to fight the ogre. …………………….

8) Momotaro’s mother prepared sushi for his journey. …………………….

9) Along the way, Momotaro met a dog and a cat. …………………….

10) They sailed towards the island in a submarine. …………………….

Instruction: Answer the questions in complete sentences.

1) What did the old woman see while she was washing clothes?

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2) What does ‘Momotaro’ mean?

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3) Why did Momotaro’s mother prepare dango for the journey?

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4) Why did Momotaro give his companions a dango each?

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Reading Activity - Comprehension Text

Answer Key

Instruction: Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ for these sentences.

1) The young childless couple lived in Japan. False

2) The old lady brought the peach home. True

3) A baby girl came out of the peach. False

4) The couple named the boy Momotaro. True

5) Momotaro is a strong and brave boy. True

6) An evil ogre returned the villagers’ belongings. False

7) Momotaro wanted to fight the ogre. True

8) Momotaro’s mother prepared sushi for his journey. False

9) Along the way, Momotaro met a dog and a cat. False

10) They sailed towards the island in a submarine. False

Instruction: Answer the questions in complete sentences.

1) What did the old woman see while she was washing clothes?

The old woman saw a giant peach while she was washing clothes.

2) What does ‘Momotaro’ mean?

‘Momotaro’ means Peach Boy.

3) Why did Momotaro’s mother prepare dango for the journey?

His mother prepared dango to give him strength for the journey.

4) Why did Momotaro give his companions a dango each?

Momotaro gave his companions a dango each to give them strength

to fight the ogre.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Writing Activity - Sequence and Predict

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………….

Instruction: Sequence the sentences in the correct order.

They were shocked to discover a baby in the peach.

Momotaro asked permission from his mother to fight the ogre.

They named the baby Momotaro, which meant Peach Boy.

Together, they went on a journey to defeat the ogre.

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly couple. 1

On his way, Momotaro made friends with a dog, a monkey and

a pheasant.

One day, an evil ogre attacked the village.

The old woman found a peach floating in the river and showed
it to her husband.

His mother prepared some dango for his journey.

Momotaro grew up to be a strong and brave boy.

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences above in one paragraph and write

your prediction on the ending.

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Writing Activity - Sequence and Predict

Answer Key

Instruction: Sequence the sentences in the correct order.

They were shocked to discover a baby in the peach. 3

Momotaro asked permission from his mother to fight the ogre. 7

They named the baby Momotaro, which meant Peach Boy. 4

Together, they went on a journey to defeat the ogre. 10

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly couple. 1

On his way, Momotaro made friends with a dog, a monkey and 9

a pheasant.

One day, an evil ogre attacked the village. 6

The old woman found a peach floating in the river and showed 2
it to her husband.

His mother prepared some dango for his journey. 8

Momotaro grew up to be a strong and brave boy. 5

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences above in one paragraph and write

your prediction on the ending.

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly couple. The old woman found

a peach floating in the river and showed it to her husband. They were

shocked to discover a baby in the peach. They named the baby Momotaro,

which meant Peach Boy. Momotaro grew up to be a strong and brave

boy. One day, an evil ogre attacked the village. Momotaro asked permission

from his mother to fight the ogre. His mother prepared some dango

for his journey. On his way, Momotaro made friends with a dog, a monkey

and a pheasant. Together, they went on a journey to defeat the ogre.

Momotaro and his friends were victorious and they went home safely.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Grammar Activity - Antonyms for Adjectives

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………….

Instruction: Match the antonyms for these adjectives correctly.

small cowardly
old tiny
giant good
strong relaxed
brave big
evil weak
worried unmotivated
determined new

Instruction: Fill in the blanks with the suitable adjective.

determined brave evil old

giant worried small strong

1) Maria puts her coins in a ……………………………. purse before she goes to school.

2) Kevin helped an ……………………………. man to cross the busy road this morning.

3) The ……………………………. prince defeated the dragon and rescued the princess.

4) William is so ……………………………. that he could carry the teacher’s desk

without any help.

5) The ……………………………. witch wanted to cook the children for breakfast.

6) Mother is ……………………………. because Shelly is not feeling well.

7) I am ……………………………. to study hard so that I can achieve good results.

8) “Wow! I have never seen such ……………………………. pears before,” said Kelly.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Grammar Activity - Antonyms for Adjectives

Answer Keys

Instruction: Match the antonyms for these adjectives correctly.

small cowardly
old tiny
giant good
strong relaxed
brave big
evil weak
worried unmotivated
determined new

Instruction: Fill in the blanks with the suitable adjective.

determined brave evil old

giant worried small strong

1) Maria puts her coins in a small purse before she goes to school.

2) Kevin helped an old man to cross the busy road this morning.

3) The brave prince defeated the dragon and rescued the princess.

4) William is so strong that he could carry the teacher’s desk

without any help.

5) The evil witch wanted to cook the children for breakfast.

6) Mother is worried because Shelly is not feeling well.

7) I am determined to study hard so that I can achieve good results.

8) “Wow! I have never seen such giant pears before,” said Kelly.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools
 Text 2 - Momotaro - The Peach Boy

Language Arts Activity - Poster Drawing

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………………….

Materials: Drawing papers, colour pencils, markers, decorative items

Instruction:

1) Students get into groups of four or five.

2) Students discuss the elements to be included in the poster.

3) Each group designs their poster and presents to the class.

4) Each student is given a Facebook ‘like’ symbol and votes for their

best poster during the gallery walk.

5) Prize is given to the poster with the most votes.

Passionate_Teacher_Tools