Hamburger Ingredients Unit for ESL | Food Vocabulary Games, Worksheets & Speaking Activities

 This resource is part of the Food Unit for Elementary English Language Starters.

LINK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Food-unit-for-Elementary-English-Language-Learners-Starters-11035412

Teachers and students benefit from this resource because it offers hands-on, visual, and engaging activities that help students recognize and use hamburger vocabulary in meaningful ways. By practicing ingredients through games, puzzles, and writing, students build confidence to order a hamburger in real-life situations, while teachers enjoy easy-to-use materials that promote participation, communication, and practical language use.

Core Flashcard Activities (whole class)

Point & Say: Hamburger Ingredients

The teacher holds up a hamburger flashcard while students point to the ingredients and say the words aloud. The ingredient board (provided in the resource) is displayed in the classroom to give visual support and help students match each ingredient to the hamburger.

Add sentence frame:
 It has bread, cheese, ketchup, meat, and egg.

This activity supports listening, speaking, and vocabulary development and works well for whole-class instruction with kindergarten and early elementary English language learners.

Yes / No Listening. Show a card. Say a sentence: This hamburger has an egg.

Students respond: 👍 Yes / 👎 No by using their thumbs up or down.

Burger Swap.  Students work in pairs. One student looks at a hamburger flashcard and names the ingredients without showing the card. The other student listens carefully and ticks the matching ingredients on the worksheet. This activity practices listening, speaking, and vocabulary recognition.

 Write & Wipe: Hamburger Ingredients. Students place the hamburger flashcard inside a clear plastic sleeve and use a dry-erase marker to write the name of each ingredient directly on the card. This reusable activity builds vocabulary, spelling, and writing confidence while keeping students engaged.

🗣️ Speaking Activities

Show & Tell: Hamburger Ingredients. A student stands at the front of the classroom, holds a hamburger flashcard, and describes the ingredients using words or short sentences. This activity builds speaking confidence, reinforces food vocabulary, and encourages students to listen and participate.

Label the Hamburger (Whole-Class). The teacher displays the hamburger on the board and, with student help, labels each ingredient. Students point, say the word, and help write the correct label, reinforcing food vocabulary, listening, and speaking through active participation.

Guess My Burger. One student secretly chooses a hamburger flashcard and describes the ingredients without showing it. The class listens and guesses which burger it is on the grid by calling out the correct row and number.

 
🧠 Sorting & Thinking Skills

Sort the Burgers. By ingredients. Students work together to sort the hamburger flashcards on the board by ingredient. They place each card under the correct label, practicing food vocabulary, visual discrimination, and speaking in an engaging whole-class activity.

Sort by Number of Ingredients. They count the layers, compare the cards, and place them in the correct column, practicing vocabulary, counting, and speaking at the same time.

With or Without? Sorting. Students sort the hamburger flashcards on the board into “with” or “without” a specific ingredient (for example, tomato). They look closely at each burger and place it in the correct group.

Small Flashcard Activity Ideas

 Burger Match Writing. Students use a small hamburger flashcard and the ingredient checklist to review which items are in their burger. After ticking the ingredients, they write a short paragraph describing what their hamburger has. This activity combines vocabulary, reading, and writing.

What’s Missing? Students use the small cards to write about which items are missing from the ingredients worksheet.

like / don’t like. Students pick from the 20 different hamburgers small cards, one hamburger that the learners likes and one that they don’t like. Then, prepares to talk about the preferences.

Worksheets

Hamburger Ingredients – Write About It. Students look at the hamburger picture, check the ingredients it has, and then write simple sentences describing the hamburger. This worksheet supports early writing skills.

Listen and Color – Hamburger Ingredients. Give each student the hamburger worksheet and a set of crayons.

Tell students they must listen carefully and color the ingredients as you say: “Color the ketchup red.”
Students color the correct part of the hamburger as they listen.
Also, allow students to say what to color.

When students finish, ask simple questions about their hamburger, such as: What color is the ketchup? Students answer orally or point to the ingredient while saying the color.

Draw and Color – My Hamburger
Students draw and color their own hamburger, choosing the ingredients they like. Then they write a simple sentence to describe it (e.g., I like cheese and lettuce). Students can share their worksheet with the class to practice speaking, vocabulary, and confidence.

Hamburger Sorting – Cut and Paste. Students cut out the hamburger cards and sort them into the correct sections on the worksheet. They look carefully at each hamburger and decide where it belongs (for example: with tomato, without lettuce, with onions, or without cheese). Students glue the cards in the correct space.

Games

Hamburger Ingredients Board Game

Students play this fun hamburger-themed board game in small groups. Each player has an ingredients worksheet and a counter.

Students take turns rolling the die and moving along the path. When they land on a square, they identify the ingredient shown and tick it on their ingredients worksheet. If they can name the ingredient, they simply say the word aloud and tick on the worksheet.

As students move around the board, they collect ingredients to build their own hamburger. The game continues until all players reach FINISH.

At the end of the game, students use their worksheet to write about the hamburger they managed to gather the ingredients on the board path, for example:
“My hamburger has bread, meat, cheese, and tomato.”

🎉 The winner is the student who could collect and ticks the most ingredients.

Hamburger Puzzle – Match and Build

Students work in pairs to put together hamburger puzzles by matching each picture with the correct ingredient list. They carefully read the words, find the matching hamburger, and connect the puzzle pieces.

Exit Ticket – Hamburger Ingredients
Before lining up, each student receives a mini hamburger card at their desk. The teacher names one ingredient, and students whose hamburger has that ingredient stand up. As they leave the classroom, they hand in the card and say the ingredient aloud, reinforcing vocabulary and listening skills.

I invite you to visit my Pinterest board where I share hands-on ESL activities, games, worksheets, flashcards, and thematic units designed especially for elementary English language learners.

👉 Explore, save, and get inspired:
https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-elementary-teachers-materials/

Teaching Health: Sickness games for ESL Classrooms

 Find this resource at my TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sickness-Flashcards-for-ESL-Classrooms-15145875

 

These hands-on games are designed to help students understand, practice, and retain health vocabulary and simple sentence structures in a meaningful and age-appropriate way. Instead of memorizing words in isolation, learners interact with the language through play, movement, and visuals.

“I Have…” Sentence Spin

The sickness vocabulary is on the printable spinner. Students spin and  must say “I have a ___.”

                                       Optional: classmates mime the sickness.

Why it works: reinforces sentence structure + speaking confidence.

Doctor–Patient Role Play Cards

One student is the doctor, one is the patient. Give them cue slip cards. They read the sickness and miming if possible. The doctor gives the solution, acting out a short dialogue.

First Aid Kit Mystery Bag

Print the first-aid kit and the items cards. Glue an envelope behind it or use a clear plastic sheet to place the cards. One student picks an item (no looking). Describes it: This is a thermometer. It’s for a fever.

Sickness–sentence association

The Sentence Association Game is a hands-on activity designed to help young English language learners connect simple sentences with meaningful pictures. Students match a sentence card (for example, “I have a broken leg” or “I am taking cough syrup”) to the correct picture card showing the action or situation.

This game supports early reading comprehension

Teachers — if you enjoy hands-on ESL activities, games, and classroom resources, follow me on Pinterest! Just here: https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl

You’ll find pin-ready ideas you can use right away in your lessons.

Why Coursebooks Are a Guide—Not a Cage (and Why Extra Materials Matter in ELT)

When teaching English to young learners, the coursebook is often the starting point. It provides a clear syllabus, outlines what should be taught, and helps schools and parents understand the learning goals for the year. For kindergarten and elementary students, this structure is especially important—it offers security, routine, and progression. I would always find the best coursebooks for my students. This is the picture of a course that I made the originals, years ago.

Remember that:   A coursebook is a guide, not the lesson itself.

The Syllabus as a Flexible Roadmap

The syllabus in a coursebook tells us what to teach, but not always how to teach it—or how to adapt it to the group of children sitting in front of us. And no two classes are ever the same, in my experience. Children have different interests, different energy levels, different cultural backgrounds and different learning speeds.

What worked beautifully with one group may fall flat with another. That’s why teachers need the freedom and confidence to adapt.

     Why Supplementing with extra materials Is Essential for Young Learners

Young learners learn best when they are: Motivated, Engaged, Actively involved and Having fun. Sometimes, coursebook activities alone are not enough to spark curiosity or keep attention—especially with Kinder and Elementary ELT students. This is where extra materials become essential. Supplementary resources allow teachers to reinforce coursebook objectives in a more playful way and add hands-on, visual, and interactive activities.

Extra materials don’t replace the syllabus—they bring it to life.

Adapting, Replacing, and Customizing Lessons

Teachers are professionals. We are not required to teach every page exactly as written.

You can:

• Add new materials to support a topic. If you are teaching the birthday unit, add the numbers 1 to 20 or prepositions, which are usually not included in the coursebook.

• Replace an activity that doesn’t suit your class
• Skip content that isn’t developmentally appropriate
• Extend a unit your students love. If you are teaching the community helper to kindergarten EFL, well, add crafts, games and a printable book that are not in your coursebook, but you bring to your class.

Think of lesson planning like catering a meal. You follow the menu, but you adjust the ingredients based on who you are serving. When teachers adapt lessons thoughtfully, classes become more enjoyable—for students and for teachers.

Choosing Materials That Work for Your Class

Great supplementary materials should:

• Align with common ELT syllabi
• Be age-appropriate for Kinder and Elementary
• Use clear visuals and simple language
• Encourage movement, play, and interaction
• Be easy to plug into existing lesson plans

That’s exactly why I create my resources—to support teachers who want structure and flexibility. I put all my experience teaching these two levels into creating materials with those students in mind.

Ready-to-Use Materials for Kinder & Elementary ELT

If you’re looking for engaging, low-prep resources designed to supplement any coursebook, you can explore my store on Teachers Pay Teachers:  Holistic English Resources by Rosa Amelia

🔗 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Holistic-English-Resources-By-Rosa-Amelia

My materials are created specifically for: Kindergarten English learners, Elementary ELT classrooms, Teachers who want adaptable, motivating lessons

They are easy to use, visually clear, and designed to fit seamlessly into your existing syllabus—whether you’re adding, replacing, or extending a lesson.

As a Final Thought, the syllabus gives us direction but Teachers give it heart.

Feel free to adapt, adjust, replace, and enrich your lessons. Your students will benefit—and so will you. Any questions, just contact me through any social media messenger.

Teaching Health: Sickness worksheets for ESL Classrooms

 Teaching Health: Sickness worksheets for ESL Classrooms

Find it at my TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sickness-Flashcards-for-ESL-Classrooms-15145875

 

These sickness unit worksheets help English language learners practice real-life vocabulary through matching, writing, sorting, drawing, and simple question-and-answer activities. These worksheets are easy to use for independent work, pair work, or small groups, making them a practical and engaging addition to any elementary ESL classroom.

Write the Word Worksheet
This worksheet helps beginner connect pictures with written words in a simple way. By writing each word, students practice correct spelling while reinforcing sickness vocabulary through visual cues. It’s ideal for early learners.

Easy Extension Ideas for the Matching Worksheet.  Say and Point

After matching, students point to each picture and say the word aloud with a partner or the teacher.
This reinforces pronunciation and oral vocabulary.

Decorate and Present Medical Items

In this worksheet, students decorate common medical items such as a thermometer, medicine, pills, and band-aids. This activity helps learners recognize key sickness vocabulary.

Extension Activity:
Students cut out the medical items and present them orally or in writing. They can say or write simple sentences such as:

• “I use a thermometer for a fever.”
• “This is medicine. I take it when I have a sore throat.”

This extension encourages speaking and sentence formation.

Sort Sickness and Remedies

In this worksheet, students sort vocabulary into two clear categories: sickness and remedies. This activity helps learners understand the meaning of each word by thinking about how illnesses and treatments are connected.

Sorting builds critical thinking and helps students organize new vocabulary in meaningful ways.

Draw and Write: A Sickness I Have Had

In this worksheet, students draw themselves with a sickness they have had and write a short sentence to describe it (for example: “I had a broken leg.”). They also follow with a short written text.

Grammar Practice: Using I have… and Completing a Short Text

These two grammar worksheets help students move from single words to meaningful sentences.

In the “I have a…” worksheet, learners practice a key sentence structure used to talk about sickness (e.g., I have a headache). This repetition builds confidence.

The text completion worksheet with cue words takes learning one step further. Students read a short, meaningful dialogue and use word banks to complete it, reinforcing grammar, reading comprehension, and vocabulary in context.

Drawing and Describing a First-Aid Kit

This worksheet invites students to draw items they would put inside a first-aid kit and then describe what is inside using simple sentences. It combines creativity with language practice. It’s a great way to integrate art, writing, and health-related vocabulary in one engaging task.

Questions & Answers: Grammar Practice

These worksheets help students practice asking and answering questions about sickness using simple, meaningful sentences. Learners work with patterns such as “What’s the matter?”, “Do you have…?”, and short answers like “Yes, I do.” or “No, he doesn’t.”

Questionnaire: Class Survey Activity

In this worksheet, students ask classmates the question “Have you had a broken arm or leg?” and record up to eight answers. After collecting the information, they work in small groups to tally and discuss the results.

This activity encourages real communication and purposeful speaking. Students practice asking questions, listening for answers, and writing simple responses in a meaningful context.

Teachers — if you enjoy hands-on ESL activities, games, and classroom resources, follow me on Pinterest! Just here: https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl
You’ll find pin-ready ideas you can use right away in your lessons.