Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t. Are there any … ?
Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.
He gets up … in the morning. He doesn’t go to bed … in the afternoon.
Does he get up at …? Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.
Can she …? Yes, she can. / No, she can’t.
Be kind … Don’t touch …
Are you collecting shells? Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
Is she sailing …? Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.
Story Time and Social and Emotional Learning Let's talk! Phonics
The Mix-up
Social awareness: Appreciating differences
We both have blond hair. the bl sound
What to wear?
Responsible decision-making: Making choices
Dinner time!
Social awareness: Identifying people’s likes and dislikes
Ticktock, watch the clock!
Self-management: Learning to manage my time
On hot / cold days, I wear my ...
What do you want? I want a/an …, please.
Let’s go! Hurry up, please! Come on!
long o sound Shadows
Reading and Writing Speaking
write a secret message. Listening Speaking
Let’s make a shadow puppet.
You can do it!
Self-awareness: Trying new things
Let’s go see the bears!
Self-awareness: Showing curiosity
Can I play?
Social awareness: Showing empathy
Wait for the green light!
Responsible decision-making: Staying safe
Keep trying! Try again! You can do it!
What do you want to do now? Let’s go see the zebras!
Would you like to play beach volleyball with me? Yes, please! No, thanks.
z sound
animals
Let’s make a shape animal.
How do you go to school? I go by bus. I walk. the long i sound Can it float?
Let’s make an aluminum foil boat.
Reading and Writing
Reading and Writing Speaking
Reading and Writing
Introduction
Buddies presentation
Welcome to Buddies, a six-level primary school course that promotes language learning through the values of friendship and collaboration, within the context of real-world discovery and cultural exploration.
Buddies is an American English course developed for schools with between three and six hours of English a week. The course provides core lessons, as well as additional focus on skills development, social and emotional learning (SEL), STEAM projects, exam support, and cultural lessons.
The Buddies course provides a solid language learning syllabus which corresponds to the following levels:
• Buddies 1 and Buddies 2: pre-A1 (Starters)
• Buddies 3 and Buddies 4: A1 (Movers)
• Buddies 5 and Buddies 6: A2 (Flyers)
This Teacher’s Book includes clear teaching notes for each lesson and is designed to provide advice and strong guidance for teachers with classroom management tips, language and cultural tips, and extra ideas for mixed abilities (reinforcement and extension activities). Answers to the Student’s Book activities are indicated on the thumbnails.
Buddies: Learning together! Learning for life
This course explores the lives of young learners through the eyes of the Buddies family and their friends. These characters grow alongside the students, supporting them throughout their language learning journey. The memorable characters mirror young learners’ real-life experiences and facilitate long-term retention and language acquisition as well as personal development.
Buddies allows us to see inside the kids’ world where a diverse cast of characters models the values of friendship, collaboration, and support through their everyday adventures. Outside this world, students go on a journey of real-world discovery and cultural exploration guided by their trusted mascot, Ollie the owl, who links the familiar world with the new.
With well-structured lessons and engaging content, Buddies helps all students to develop their English language skills in a supportive and motivating environment.
Photo time!
Meet
the Buddies family
At the heart of this course are four siblings: Milo, Emma, Leo, and Holly. The siblings take turns as the main characters in different levels of the course. As students develop through their primary school years, the characters accompany them, providing a sense of continuity and connection. The adult characters in the course provide a background of stability, confidence, and gentle guidance as the main characters and students move forward in their learning journey.
Who’s who in the family?
Milo is the youngest sibling. He features in the first two levels of the course, Buddies 1 and Buddies 2, and appears in other levels as the youngest member of the family.
Emma is eight years old. She’s Leo’s twin sister and features along with him in the next two levels of the course, Buddies 3 and Buddies 4. She also appears in other levels with Leo and her other siblings.
Leo is Emma’s twin brother and features alongside her in Buddies 3 and Buddies 4. He also appears in other levels alongside Emma and his other siblings.
Holly is the older sister and features in Buddies 5 and Buddies 6. She also appears in earlier levels.
Meet the Buddies for levels 1 and 2
In levels 1 and 2, our main character, Milo, has two friends who accompany him on his everyday adventures. These friends are Ava and Zoe.
Meet the Buddies mascot, Ollie the owl
The course mascot, Ollie, acts as the students’ study-buddy throughout the series, providing a link between the students’ everyday experiences and the wider world around them by:
• providing guidance through core grammar lessons with explanatory videos.
• providing tips on the Skills pages.
• introducing hands-on project work in real-world STEAM projects.
• fostering respect and interest in different cultures by exploring the different continents in the Around the World lessons.
Ollie
Milo Ava Zoe
Story Time
Working with stories
Buddies offers a topic- and values-based comic story in every unit that follows the lives of the Buddies family and friends in their everyday adventures. The bold, captivating comic frames and fun, playful storylines grab students’ attention. Language from the units is reinforced and recycled in the stories, aiding retention. The captivating illustrations are clearly supported with speech bubbles, audio, and video
Social and emotional learning
Each story aims to foster human connection and personal growth in students through the inclusion of social and emotional learning in the storylines. The CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) Framework has been used to highlight the broad areas of competence in the stories including self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The storylines in Buddies encourage students to reflect on the values they present and to relate them directly to their own lives in follow-up personalization activities.
How to get the most out of the Buddies stories
1 Warm up
• Introduce context to set the scene: Show the story pages and introduce the setting, characters, and key vocabulary (objects, feelings, etc.). Activate prior knowledge by asking students to name other things they can see in the illustrations.
• Predict and engage: Ollie is often hidden in some of the scenes. Ask students to look closely to find him. Ask students to predict what the characters are doing or what might happen.
2 Listening & Watching
• First Exposure: Play the audio. Encourage students to follow the words/pictures in their books without interrupting.
• Guided Comprehension: Play the story a second time, pausing after each key event. Ask simple comprehension questions and point out actions that relate to the social and emotional learning theme.
• Play the video and ask students to focus on what they can see, for example, the characters’ expressions, actions, backgrounds, and colors.
3 Post-Listening: Practice and Reinforcement
• Active Reading: Have students listen again and read the lines for assigned characters (role-play reading).
• Check Understanding: Use the related exercise (like matching or sequencing) to check vocabulary and plot understanding.
• Act it Out: Divide the class into groups to act out the story using props and body gestures. This brings the language to life and boosts fluency.
4 Focus on Life Skills
• Discuss the social and emotional learning theme: Refer back to the pictures or plot points that illustrate the life skill (e.g., patience).
• Reflect and Apply: Ask students to discuss why the skill is important and identify examples in their own lives. Use the simple recognition exercise to reinforce the concept.
Vocabulary 2
Working with stickers
The second set of vocabulary in each unit is introduced with six clear individual illustrations in the form of stickers and is accompanied by a listening activity. The routine for this lesson uses stickers as a highly engaging and hands-on method to reinforce listening comprehension and vocabulary retention. Students then practice and produce the new words through a fun song.
Sticker Routine
1 Find the Stickers: Tell students, Find the stickers for Unit 1. They should tear off the correct section but do not peel the stickers yet.
2 Listen and Point: Play the audio once. Point to the pictures in the book as you hear the words and have students point with you. This connects the sound to the image.
3 Listen and Stick: Play the audio again, pausing after each word. Students find the correct sticker and place it in their book.
4 Check Your Work: Point to each picture and ask a simple question to check their understanding, for example, Isthisacap? Students can answer Yes,itis or No,itisn’t
Working with songs
Songs are a powerful tool offering multiple benefits that enhance language acquisition and whole child development. Songs can help students:
• Boost language: Students use new words and phrases naturally and spontaneously, increasing confidence and fluidity.
• Aid memory: Music helps students remember what they learn.
• Support all learners: Songs are great for different learning styles. Students see (visual), hear (auditory), and move (handson).
• Create a positive mood: Singing helps students relax, concentrate, and feel a sense of belonging to the class. It creates a happy, calm environment for learning.
Grammar 2
Presentation, Practice, and Production
The main Buddies characters present the second grammar point within the context of the unit topic. A “Look!” feature activates known vocabulary as students think about the context before the main grammar presentation. The presentation, practice, and production (PPP) model is effective in the primary classroom because it offers a clear and supportive structure. This predictable, step-by-step routine helps young learners feel secure and builds their confidence with new language.The model acts as a scaffold, guiding students from understanding a new grammar point to practicing it in a controlled way, and finally, to using it freely on their own. This gradual process ensures students feel successful at each stage, giving them a sense of achievement when they can finally use the new language to express their own ideas. As with Grammar 1, the key structures are supported by a clear grammar box, audio, and video. Two practice and production activities follow the main presentation, allowing students to apply the Buddies System by first working individually and then helping each other in pairs.
1
Photo time!
Unit objectives
At the end of this unit, students will be able to …
• describe themselves and other people
• ask questions about character and appearance
• answer questions about character and appearance
• recognize and appreciate differences in appearance
• Student’s Book pp. 8–19
• Workbook pp. 4–11
• Unit Tests
• Flashcards: beard, blond hair, curlyhair, glasses, kind, longhair, old, red hair, short, short hair, smart, straighthair, tall, young
In this unit, students learn how to describe people. They learn words to talk about differences in physical appearance in terms of hair color, style, and height. Students also learn words to describe character. They practice describing themselves and their friends.
The story provides a springboard for students to discuss and appreciate diversity in appearance. This is an important theme, as children of this age begin meeting people from outside their family who may be different from themselves.
In the STEAM lesson, students use different skills to design and make a face finger puppet. Students choose an age for their puppet and create a face using a variety of materials. They develop listening and speaking skills by presenting their puppet to the class.
Unit overview
Vocabulary 1: beard, blond hair, curlyhair, glasses, longhair, red hair, short hair, straighthair
Vocabulary 2: kind, old, short, smart, tall, young
Grammar 1: He has / doesn’t have ..., Theyhave / don’t have
Grammar 2: Areyou…? / Yes, I am./No, I’m not., Is she …? Yes, she is./No, she isn’t., Arethey…? Yes, theyare./No, theyaren’t
Story Time: TheMix-up
SEL: Appreciating differences: Social awareness – Recognizing diversity
Listening: Listening for similarities and differences
Functional language: Webothhave(blueeyes) .
Phonics: bl: black, blanket, blond, blue
Reading: Scanning for specific information
Writing: Completing a poem
Exam Practice: Preparation for YLE Starters Listening, Part 2
Unit assessment
Unit 1 Reinforcement Test. See pp. 146–147.
Unit 1 Extension Test. See pp. 148–149.
Digital resources
• Vocabulary 1 video
• Grammar videos 1 and 2
• Story Time video
• Audio materials
• Digital Book
Lesson 1 Vocabulary 1
1 Look! What can you see?
2 Listen, point, and say. Then watch.
3 Listen and chant. Vocabulary 1 Blond
Lesson 1 objectives
Objective: To learn words to describe hair and facial features.
Vocabulary: beard, blond hair, curlyhair, glasses, longhair, red hair, short hair, straighthair
Recycled language: hair, long, short; colors; parts of the face and body
Receptive language: camera, click, photo, smile
Materials: Classroom Language poster; Flashcards: beard, blond hair, curlyhair, glasses, longhair, red hair, short hair, straighthair; Digital Book
Warm up
• Greet the class with one of the routines on p. 18 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Use the Classroom Language poster to revise known vocabulary. Call out a coordinate for students to name the item, or say a word for them to find its coordinate.
1 Look! What can you see?
• Show pp. 8 and 9 of the Student’s Book. Say: Point to Milo. Repeat with Ava and Zoe.
• Point to the picture and ask: Howmanychildrenarethere? Wherearethey? (At school.) Whatcolorare(Milo’s)eyes? Does(Milo)havelonghair?
• Point to the man and say: He’saphotographer.Hetakes photos. Mime taking a photo.
• Ask: Where’s Ollie? (Ollie is sitting on a desk.)
• Point and say: Look!It’sacamera.It’stimeforphotosat school.
2 Listen, point, and say.
Then watch.
• Say: Lookatyourbooks.Pointtothepictureandsaythe words. Use gestures to reinforce meaning.
• Play the audio. Check that students are pointing to the correct part of the picture. Ask students to repeat the words.
• Say: Now let’s watch a video. Use the interactive whiteboard (if available) to show the vocabulary in the video.
3 Listen and chant.
• Say: Let’s learn a chant! Play the audio and hold up the flashcards as you name them. Mime taking a photo with the word: Click
• Hand out the flashcards to individuals. Say: Nowjoinin! Play the audio again. Students show the flashcards when they hear the word, while the rest of the students point. They all join in with the word.
• Say: Nowjoinin. Play the audio again, lowering the volume for the key words. Students call out the missing words.
• Ask students to think of actions for the chant (taking a photo, smiling for the camera, etc.). Play the audio again. Students join in with words and actions.
Ending the lesson
• Play Picture Recall with the picture on pp. 8 and 9 of the Student’s Book. Example questions: Howmany…? What color …? Who has …? See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Say: It’stheendofclass.Goodbye! Encourage students to respond.
Now go to Workbook 2 page 4.
Lesson 2 objectives
Objective: To describe and ask about appearance. Grammar: He has/doesn’t have ..., Theyhave/ don’t have ...
Vocabulary: beard, blond hair, curlyhair, glasses, longhair, red hair, short hair, straighthair
Materials: Flashcards: see Lesson 1; Digital Book
Warm up
• Greet the class with one of the routines on p. 18 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Play Pass the Card with the flashcards for the lesson. See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
Look!
• Show pp. 8 and 9 of the Student’s Book and read: How’s the weather? Students answer about the weather in the picture.
• Ask more questions about the picture: Who’s this? Does (Ava)have(glasses)?
1
Lesson 2 Grammar 1
Listen to Milo and Ava. Then read.
• Say: Let’s listen to Milo and Ava. Play the audio, pointing to each character as they speak.
• Play the audio again. Students read the dialogue as a group.
• Optional: Students read the dialogue in pairs.
• Read Ollie’s Grammar box and explain the language. Ensure students understand the meaning of the colored words by giving more examples.
• Point to Ollie and say: Let’s watch Ollie. Play the Grammar video as many times as is needed.
Language Tip
Young children enjoy talking about themselves and their friends. Encourage this after giving plenty of examples of the different pronouns. Point and say: (He)has(curly)hair.(She)has(straight)hair.They have(straight)hair.Theydon’thave(curly)hair. I have ... You don’t have …
2 Point and say.
• Say: Let’s look at Exercise 2. Read the first speech bubble out loud and ask: Is that true? Repeat with the second speech bubble.
• In pairs, students make false statements about Ava, Milo, or Zoe and correct them.
Ending the lesson
• Ask students to describe the hair or the eye color of an individual or pair of students in the class: Theyhave …, She has The other students guess the name(s).
• Say: It’stheendoftheEnglishclass.Goodbye!
Extra activities
• Reinforcement: Play Correct the Teacher, making statements about one or more students in the class. See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Extension: Ask students to describe their hair using three words. Give an example: Ihaveshort,curly, black hair. Make sure the color adjective is the last one.
Now go to Workbook 2 page 5.
6
The Wildlife Park
Unit objectives
At the end of this unit, students will be able to …
• name wild animals and landscape features
• talk about where things are using Where, is/are, and prepositions
• STEAM: Colored cardboard, scissors, pen, glue, rulers; pieces of string two meters long (optional); a selection of paper or card shapes: circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons (optional)
• Review: Small coins or erasers, orange and blue pencils; toy animals (optional)
• Poster Pack
• Digital Book
Unit theme
In this unit, students discover the fascinating world of wild animals. They learn to name animals and features of the landscape, and to describe the position of animals in a scene. Students will enjoy imitating the sounds and movements of the animals.
In the story, Milo and his friends visit a wildlife park and watch the animals. They show curiosity and ask a lot of questions about the animals. This is an opportunity to expand students’ knowledge of the world around them and to encourage them to ask questions to find out more.
In the STEAM lesson, students use different skills to make animals from geometrical shapes. To carry out this task, students have to use a ruler and a pencil to draw the shapes accurately. They’re encouraged to recognize shapes in the world around them and to use this knowledge in their work.
Unit overview
Vocabulary 1: bear, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, hippo, monkey; pond, tree
Vocabulary 2: panda, snake, tiger, zebra; grass, rock
Grammar 1: Where’s …? / It’s behind/between ..., Where are …? / They’renextto/in front of Grammar 2: Be kind …, Don’t touch …
Story Time: Let’sgoseethebears!
SEL: Showing curiosity: Self-awareness – Developing interests and a sense of purpose
Exam Practice: Preparation for YLE Starters Reading and Writing, Part 3
Around the world: Episode 3 – Norway
Unit assessment
Unit 6 Reinforcement Test. See pp. 166–167.
Unit 6 Extension Test. See pp. 168–169.
Digital resources
• Vocabulary 1 video
• Grammar videos 1 and 2
• Story Time video
• Culture video
• Audio materials
• Digital Book
Lesson 1 Vocabulary 1
The Wildlife Park
1 Listen to Mom and Milo. Then read.
1 Look! What can you see?
2 Listen, point, and say. Then watch.
3 Listen and chant. Vocabulary 1
Wildlife park! Wildlife park! An elephant, a crocodile, And a hippo in the pond. Look! There’s a giraffe, And a bear behind a tree! Look! There's a monkey. Wildlife fun for you and me!
Lesson 1 objectives
Objective: To name wild animals and landscape features.
Vocabulary: bear, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, hippo, monkey; pond, tree
Materials: Classroom Language poster; Flashcards: bear, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, hippo, monkey, pond, tree; Digital Book
Warm up
• Greet the class with one of the routines on p. 18 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Use the Classroom Language poster to revise known vocabulary. Call out a coordinate for students to name the item, or say a word for them to find its coordinate.
• Say: Let’s talk about animals! Imitate a dog and ask: What animal am I? Write dog on the board.
2 Look and say.
Where’s the bear? It’s behind the tree. Where are the monkeys? They’re next to the tree. Grammar Where’s Ollie?
• Repeat with other animals from Level 1: cat, turtle, bird, rabbit, fish, cow, chicken, horse, bee, butterfly, spider, sheep, and duck. Encourage volunteers to take over imitating the animals and writing.
1 Look! What can you see?
• Show pp. 72 and 73 of the Student’s Book. Say: Look! Who canyousee? (Milo, his mom, and dad.) Ask: Does(Milo) havea(cap)?Whatcoloris(Dad)’s(bag)?Whatdothe monkeyshave?
• Ask: AreMiloandhismomanddadat(home)?Whereare they? Provide the answer: Atawildlifepark. Explain that the animals here are all wild animals.
• Play the audio. Ensure students are pointing to the correct part of the picture. Students repeat the words.
• Say: Now let’s watch a video. Use the interactive whiteboard (if available) to show the vocabulary in the video.
in the tree
Lesson 2 Grammar 1
3
Listen and chant.
• Teach behind using the positions of the students. Say: Look!(Maria)isbehind(Sue). Give several examples.
• Say: Let’s learn a chant! Stick the flashcards on the board. Play the audio, pointing to the flashcards.
• Say: Nowjoinin! Play the audio again, lowering the volume for the key words. Students join in with these words. Point to the flashcards as prompts.
• Divide the class into six groups and assign an animal to each group. Play the audio again. Groups join in with mimes for their animal. Everyone says the chant.
Ending the lesson
• Play Categories. Write on the board: Pets, Farm animals, Wild animals and, in random order, write animal words from this lesson and Level 1. See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Say: It’stheendofclass.Goodbye! Encourage students to respond.
Now go to Workbook 2 page 44.
Lesson 2 objectives
Objective: To describe where things are using Where’s the …? / Where are the …? and prepositions.
Grammar: Where’s …? / It’s ..., Where are …? / They’re ...; behind/between/next to/in front of ...
Vocabulary: bear, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, hippo, monkey, pond, tree
Recycled language: in, on, under; It’s …, They’re… Materials: Flashcards: see Lesson 1; Digital Book
Warm up
• Greet the class with one of the routines on p. 18 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Play Whichpicture? with the vocabulary from Lesson 1. See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
Look!
• Show pp. 72 and 73 of the Student’s Book and point to the Look! question. Ask: CanyouseeOllie? Encourage students to reply with a full sentence.
1
Listen to Mom and Milo. Then read.
• Say: Let’s look at Exercise 1 and listen to Mom and Milo. Play the audio, pointing to each character as they speak.
• Say: One bear isbehindthetree.Twomonkeys are next to the tree.
• Play the audio again. Students repeat the dialogue.
• Read Ollie’s Grammar box to the class and explain the language. Make sure students understand the meaning of the colored words.
• Point to Ollie and say: Let’s watch Ollie. Play the Grammar video as many times as is needed.
Communication Tip
Demonstrate the meaning of prepositions using a container (a pencil case, bowl, or box) and classroom objects. This brings the language to life for the students. Place an object and say: It’s(behind)the (bowl). Repeat with next to, between, and in front of, focusing on the change of position. Encourage students to come to the front and choose and describe a position.
2
Look and say.
• Say: Let’s look at Exercise 2. Point to the giraffe and ask: Where’sthegiraffe? Point to and read the speech bubble. Students point to the giraffe and repeat. Do the same with the crocodile.
• In pairs, students ask and answer about the position of the animals.
Ending the lesson
• Hide flashcards behind, next to, in front of, or between classroom objects and furniture. Volunteers point to flashcards and say where they are.
• Say: It’stheendoftheEnglishclass.Goodbye!
Extra activities
• Reinforcement: Play Correct the Teacher with sentences about the positions of the animals on pp. 72 and 73 of the Student’s Book. See pp. 18–19 of your Teacher’s Book.
• Extension: Write on the board: The is . The are . Students write about the positions of the animals in their notebooks.
Now go to Workbook 2 page 45.
Photo time! | Reinforcement Test
Name:
1 Read and match. Buddies 2 – Unit 1
2 Look and answer.
a beard
Date:
b long hair
c curly hair
d short hair
e glasses
f straight hair
3 Look, read, and circle.
1 Ana and Lucy have / don’t have short hair.
2 Ana and Lucy have / don’t have long hair.
3 Sam and Ana have / don’t have curly hair.
4 Lucy has / doesn’t have straight hair.
5 Sam has / doesn’t have short hair.
4 Look, read, and write. short • both • short • long
Look! I have hair. I don’t have hair. Yes! We have hair.
Sam Ana Lucy
The Wildlife Park | Reinforcement Test
Name:
1 Look, read, and circle.
3 tigers / monkeys
1 panda / bear
Date:
6 elephant / zebra
4 monkeys / snakes
2 giraffe / zebra
5 crocodile / hippo
2 Look at Exercise 1. Then match.
1 Where’s the zebra?
2 Where are the monkeys?
3 Where’s the bear?
4 Where’s the giraffe?
5 Where are the snakes?
6 Where’s the crocodile?
a They’re in front of the tree.
b It’s in the pond.
c They’re behind the rock.
d It’s between the tree and the pond.
e It’s between the rock and the grass.
f It’s next to the rock.
3 What can you do at the Wildlife Park? Read and or ✘.
1 Give food to the crocodiles.
2 Be quiet next to the giraffes.
3 Jump in the water with the hippos.
4 Climb on the rocks.
5 Be kind to the animals.
6 Touch the pandas.
4 Look and read. Then write. crocodiles • do • go • snakes • want