50-minute English Lesson
In this ESL listening story, learn how one teacher helps the whole class learn a valuable lesson about right and wrong.
Read the story
Right and Wrong
Long ago, there was a special teacher. He had many students.
One student was not a nice person. Sometimes he would take things from the school and sell them in the market.
The other students didn’t like that. They told the teacher. They wanted the bad student to leave school.
The teacher did nothing and said nothing.
The following week, the bad student took more things. Some of the other students saw that. They were angry. They wrote a long letter to the teacher. They wanted him to tell the bad student to leave.
The teacher called all of the students together for a meeting.
The teacher said, “My students, you are all very smart. You know the difference between right and wrong. For that reason, I want you to leave and study at another school.”
This bad student doesn’t know what is right and what is wrong. If I don’t teach him, how will he learn what is right? This boy will stay here to learn.”
The bad student heard the teacher’s kind words. For the first time in his life, he thought someone cared about him. He started to cry. On that day, he learned how to be a good person.
Listen without reading
ESL listening
Audio
Here is the listening file for this lesson.
Listening level: 1
Audio file: 1:30 min
Story length: 204 words
English listening lesson: Gap Fill
Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks.
Long ago, there was a _________ teacher. He had many students.
One student was not a nice person. Sometimes he would _______ _______ from the school and sell them in the _________ .
The other students didn’t _______ _______ . They told the teacher. They wanted the bad student to _________ school.
The teacher did nothing and said nothing.
The _________ week, the bad student took more things. Some of the other students saw that. They were angry. They wrote a long letter to the teacher. They wanted him _____ _________ the bad student to leave.
The teacher called all of the students together for a _________ .
The teacher said, “My students, you are all very smart. You know _________ the between right and wrong. For that reason, I want you to leave and study ______ _________ school.”
This bad student doesn’t know what is right and what is wrong. If I don’t teach him, how will he learn what is _________ ? This boy will stay here to learn.”
The bad student heard the teacher’s kind words. For the first time in his life, he thought someone _________ ______ him. He started to cry. On that day, he _________ _________ to be a good person.
ESL discussion questions
Talk about the esl story.
- Where does the story take place?
- What did the bad student do?
- What did the other students ask?
- How did the teacher respond?
- What was the bad student’s reaction?
- The title of this ESL listening story is Right and Wrong. What do you think that means?
Synonym match
MATCH THE WORD OR PHRASE ON THE LEFT WITH THE CORRECT SYNONYM.
| 1. special 2. take things 3. angry 4. smart 5. study at another school | a. bright b. transfer c. unusual d. annoyed e. steal |
ESL listening activity: anagrams
MOVE THE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM THE ESL LISTENING STORY.
- REMTAK
- LGIOLFOWN
- STMRA
- ELEVA
- GTHTHUO
- DRCAE
Writing practice
Write the five sentences. Put the words in the correct order.
- person / not / was / a / student / one / nice
- they / leave / the / bad / to / wanted / student / school
- called / meeting / for / a / the / together / teacher / of / students / all / the
- and / know / bad / this / what / what / student / wrong / is / doesn’t / is / right
- words / the / teacher’s / student / bad / the / heard / kind
Another ESL listening story
Try this free English lesson about a famous invention. Learn about Elisha Otis, the man who invented the elevator brake and changed the history of cities.
Reading and note taking
Did you like this ESL listening lesson based on an old Buddhist story? Click to read about some famous teachers, like Anne Sullivan.
- Scan the story.
- Take notes.
- Make a list of at least seven facts.
Get the worksheet
Want to print out these ESL listening activities? Click to download PDF.
Click to see the answers for this ESL listening story.
Copyright Notice
This text and audio file are copyrighted. They may be used for non-commercial educational purposes. They may not be used or adapted for any commercial purpose.
printable worksheets are available but how to get the audios offline?
you can click on the dots to the right of the audio, and download it.
I too would like access to audio files offline because the great Firewall of China often means I cannot access the internet. How can I do this?