Food Trucks ESL Resource for Elementary Students

 This resource is included in the Transportation unit for Elementary ESL at this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Transportation-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4049752

Bring meaningful language practice into your classroom with this engaging Food Trucks ESL resource designed for young English learners. Through hands-on activities, games, puzzles, and role-play, students explore food vocabulary while naturally practicing essential grammar structures in a fun and interactive way.

These flashcards introduce the different food trucks and the foods they sell in a clear way. They can be used to present new vocabulary, and review previously learned words.

Activity 1. Put flashcards on the walls. Students pretend to “drive” to a food truck.

Teacher says: “Drive to the ice cream truck!”

Students move and stand next to the correct flashcard.

Teacher: What does the food truck sell?

Students: ice cream!

Variation: Student leaders give directions.

Activity 2. Food Truck miming- kinesthetic learning- Say a food truck and students pretend to eat that food, real or imaginary next to that flashcard.

Ice cream truck → pretend to lick ice cream, Pizza truck → pretend to eat pizza, Taco truck → pretend to hold taco, Fast food truck → pretend to eat hamburger

Activity 3. Food Truck Driver and Customer Role Play. Skills practiced: speaking, real-life language, transportation awareness

Place the flashcards around the classroom as different “food trucks.”  One student is the food truck owner: Hi, this is my pizza truck.

Another student is the customer: “Hello! I want pizza, please.”

Truck owner responds: “Here you are.” / “Thank you.” (using the cutouts available)

Activity 4. Food Truck Route prepositions Game (Map integration). Make a simple road on board. Students move trucks flashcards and say: The donuts truck is between the ice cream food truck and the fast food truck.

Activity 5. Class Food Truck Festival.  Several students sit with flashcards in hand.

Other students walk around asking: “What do you sell?”

Student answers: “I sell donuts.”

Activity 6. People work at the food trucks. Place the food truck flashcards on the board. Give students the worker flashcards. Students come to the board and place each worker next to the correct food truck. Then, they say a sentence, for example: “The baker works in the bakery food truck.” or “The chef works in the pizza food truck.”

This activity helps students make connections between jobs and places.

The small cards provide a hands-on way for students to practice food truck vocabulary through interactive activities.

Activity 1. WRITE Food Truck Sells. Student chooses a flashcard and writes what it sells: This food truck sells ramen.

Activity 2. My Favorite Food Truck Writing to make personal writing connection. Students choose one small card and write:   My favorite food truck is the ice cream food truck.
I like ice cream.

Activity 3. Speaking Circle Game. Students sit in circle of 8 with cards. Student says: I have the taco food truck.

Next student: I have the ramen food truck.

Continue around circle.

Activity 4. Description Writing Challenge.

Students write: The pizza food truck sells pizza. It is red and yellow.

Activity 5. Food Truck Parking Lot (Prepositions integration)

Students use the small food truck cards with an opened paper clip attached to the back so each card can stand up on the table like a real food truck in a plaza. Place the cards around the table to create a “food truck plaza.” Students take turns pointing to a truck and saying sentences using prepositions, such as: “The pizza food truck is next to the taco food truck,”.

These worksheets help develop reading, writing, and grammar skills while supporting independent learning and building confidence in using English.

Worksheet 1. Color and write the food trucks word. Color each food truck according to the teacher’s instructions. Then, write the correct name under each food truck. Finally, show your worksheet and say sentences, for example: “This is the pizza food truck.”

Worksheet 2. My food truck. Create your own food truck. Color and decorate it. Then, write sentences about your food truck.

Example: My food truck is a smoothie truck. It sells fruit smoothies. It is purple and pink. I like smoothies.

After creating and coloring their own food truck, students design a menu for their truck. They write the names of the foods they sell and decorate the menu with colors and drawings. Students can present their food truck and read their menu to the class.

Worksheet 3.  Practice important question and answer structures related to food trucks. Students read each question carefully and write complete answers using correct grammar. They practice Yes/No questions, questions with does, and can questions.

Worksheet set 4. First, students carefully read the instructions and color each food truck according to the correct color. After completing the coloring worksheet, students use it to answer questions about the food trucks.

Worksheet 5. Cut, Paste, and Write Activity. In this activity, students cut out the worker flashcards and paste each worker next to the correct food truck. After matching the workers and food trucks, students write sentences that describe each worker and their food truck.

Worksheet 6. Questionnaire Worksheet: Food Truck Survey. Students conduct a class survey by asking their classmates: “What is your favorite food truck?”

Students walk around the classroom and ask different classmates the question. They listen carefully and write one answer on each line.

Follow-Up Activity: Class Graph of Results

After completing the survey, I guide the class in creating a graph on the board using the collected results. Each student reports their answers, and together we count how many students chose each food truck.

Students help place marks, stickers, or draw bars on the graph to represent the results. Then we read and discuss the graph using complete sentences, such as: Five students like the pizza food truck.

Worksheet 7.  Food Truck Menu Writing Activity. Students observe each food truck and write the foods and drinks that it sells.

After completing the worksheet, students can share their ideas with the class using sentences such as:  The taco food truck sells burritos.

These games promote interaction, build confidence, and help reinforce learning through play.

Game 1. Food Truck Order Game (Role-Play Cards)

Students practice real-life communication by role-playing as food truck workers and customers using the printable role-play cards. One student wears the worker badge and stands behind the matching food truck card, while another student uses a customer card to order food.

 The customer reads their card using target sentences such as “I want a hamburger.” or “Can I have ice cream, please?” The worker listens and responds with functional language like “Here you are.” or “Yes, of course” , using the cutouts available in the resource. Students then switch roles to practice both speaking and listening.

 

Game 2. Where is the Food Truck? (Prepositions Game)

Students build their own interactive food truck plaza using the foldable food truck markers and the printable plaza board.

Each student places their food truck on the plaza. One student reads a movement card aloud, for example: “Place your truck next to the ice cream truck”

The student with that truck listens, understands the instruction, and moves their marker to the correct position.

 
Game 3. Board game. Food Truck Board Game Activity

In this interactive board game, students place their foldable food truck markers on one of the two paths shown on the board. Each path is followed by the arrows.

Students take turns rolling the dice and moving their markers along the path. When a student lands on a colored token, they pick up the corresponding question card.

Game 4. Puzzles

Students work together to build food truck puzzles by matching the food truck, the food, the worker, and the label. As they assemble each puzzle, students read the words and identify what each food truck sells.

Find practical strategies to make teaching easier and more effective. You’ll love visiting my other blog for younger learners.

https://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/

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.

There is a Food Unit BUNDLE available here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Food-Unit-for-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-BUNDLE-6666931

👉 Explore, save, and get inspired:

https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-elementary-teachers-materials/