Members Only ESL Reading Activity Grade 4

Grade 4 At the Market Speaking Activity: Vendor and Customer

About This Resource

A three-part speaking activity that gets Grade 4 English learners role-playing a market vendor and customer, writing about what they bought, and interviewing classmates in a whole-class survey.

Overview

This activity moves students from a controlled, scripted role-play to more independent classroom mingling. In Part 1 (Market Role-Play), partners take turns playing a vendor with a price list and a customer with a shopping list, using a dialogue frame to ask about and buy four common market foods - giving every student a real reason to use the target vocabulary and "How much / How many" question forms. Part 2 (What Did You Buy?) asks students to write two sentences reporting what they "bought" during the role-play, turning spoken practice into a short written record. Part 3 (Find Someone Who...) turns the room into a mingling survey: students stand up, ask classmates market-related questions, and collect names in a grid - a lively, low-pressure way to get every student speaking to several different classmates in English.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: At the Market
Category: Worksheets
File Type: PDF
File Size: 55.6 KB
Published: 04 Sep 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 4 45-55 Minutes Reading At the Market

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to ask "How much is/are the ___?" using correct word order.
Students will be able to answer a price question and complete a simple purchase in a role-play.
Students will be able to write sentences reporting what they bought and how much it cost.
Students will be able to ask classmates market-related questions and record their answers during a class survey.

How to Use This Resource

Use this activity after the At the Market Vocabulary PowerPoint and Flashcards have introduced the target vocabulary, as suggested in the Lesson Plan's Main Activity stage. Pair students for Part 1 and model the dialogue frame with a confident student first, playing the vendor yourself. Move to Part 2 once most pairs have finished the role-play and swapped roles. For Part 3, give students space to stand and move around the room, and set a time limit (5-8 minutes works well) so the mingling stays focused. Collect the sheets at the end as a quick record of speaking participation.

Classroom Activity Ideas

After Part 3, bring the class back together and ask a few volunteers to share one thing they learned about a classmate ("Somchai likes mangoes best.") - this gives a natural, low-pressure opportunity for third-person practice using real information the students just gathered themselves.

Differentiation

SUPPORT: Provide the dialogue frame on the board throughout the role-play for students to refer to, and allow these students to complete Part 3 in a pair rather than alone.
ON-LEVEL: Students complete all three parts independently within a normal lesson period.
CHALLENGE: Ask students to add a bargaining line of their own to the Part 1 dialogue (for example, "That's expensive! Can it be $3?") and note how the vendor responds.

Assessment

Circulate during Parts 1 and 3 to listen for correct question formation and appropriate use of "How much / How many," and use the At the Market Grading Rubric to record a more formal score if needed. The completed Part 1 shopping list and Part 2 sentences can also be collected as a written record of the activity.

Teacher Tips

Before Part 1 begins, model the full dialogue frame once yourself with a confident student as the vendor, so the class hears the complete exchange - question, answer, request, payment, and thanks - before attempting it in pairs. Grade 4 English learners manage multi-turn role-plays much more confidently after hearing one complete example.