This, That, These, Those
Beginner Level 1 hour
Aim - By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and use this, that, these, and those correctly to talk about classroom objects, showing understanding of near vs far and singular vs plural.
WARM-UP (10 min)
Sit in a circle. Place some classroom objects near you and some farther away. Make sure you include single objects and groups (e.g. one pen near you and some crayons farther away).
Point to the objects and ask:
“What’s this?”
“What’s that?”
“What are these?”
“What are those?”
At this stage, don’t explain any rules. The aim is to naturally introduce the language through pointing and observation.
GAME – WHAT’S MISSING?
Ask students to close their eyes. Remove one object. Students open their eyes and say which object is missing. Repeat a few times to build engagement and confidence.
Then ask guiding questions such as:
“When I’m talking about the pen, why do I say this?”
“When I’m talking about the crayons, why do I say those?”
Let students share their ideas. There’s no need for perfect answers yet — this helps them start noticing the pattern before the explanation.
THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE VIDEO & EXPLANATION (10 min)
Play the video and after ask the students to explain what they have learned.
Explain the grammar rule,
This = one thing, near
That = one thing, far
These = more than one, near
Those = more than one, far
PRACTICE ACTIVITY (5 min)
Give students a few minutes to look around the classroom and make sentences using this, that, these, and those.
Students can:
Point to objects and say the sentences aloud, or
Take turns giving examples to the class.
Encourage complete sentences, for example:
“This is my pencil.”
“Those are the bags.”
Offer gentle correction if needed, but focus on confidence and accuracy, not perfection.
THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE RHYME (5 min)
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Teacher only: say + act once
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Teacher + students together
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Students only (you just do actions)
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Whisper round (very fun!)
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Fast round (challenge!)
RHYME (say it with a steady clap)
This is near, just one thing,
(touch desk with one finger)That is far, point and sing,
(point across the room)These are near, more than one,
(two fingers on desk)Those are far — now we’re done!
(big arm point, smile)
ONLINE GAME (5–10 minutes)
Have students play the online game to consolidate their understanding of this, that, these, and those.
Explain that they should:
Look carefully at the picture and the finger clues
Think about near or far and one or more
Choose the correct word
Encourage students to say the sentence aloud before selecting an answer.
LESSON CONCLUSION (5 min)
Bring the class back together and quickly review the target language.
Point to a variety of classroom objects (near and far, singular and plural) and elicit short answers using this, that, these, and those. Ask several students to respond.
Briefly recap the key concept:
This / these → near
That / those → far
End the lesson by repeating the action rhyme once to reinforce meaning through movement.