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What do you need for s'mores? Containers and quantities for camping

Containers and quantities such as a bag of marshmallows are the focus of this A1 ESL lesson plan on camping and s'mores.

Grammar
Partitives, or container words with of (a bar of chocolate, two boxes of crackers), -s after of only for things you can count, and What do you need?
Topic
Camping and s'mores, the American campfire treat, from packing for a weekend trip to campfire safety, with words such as tent, sleeping bag, flashlight and cooler.
Activities
A recipe card to read, a packing dialogue and a campground host to hear, self-checking drills, a picnic chat, open-box shopping lists and a message to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, campfire!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: camping and s'moresVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: how to make s'mores

    • Look at the photo: a s'morePictureUnlock
    • Read the recipe cardReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: let's pack!

    • Listen to Emma and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the campground hostListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to the host and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: a bag of marshmallows

    • Study the scheme: a bag of, a box of, a bar ofGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: two or moreFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: containersDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: a picnic list

    • Choose the right replies: a picnic with SamChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: shopping listsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a message: a shopping listWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: let's have a picnic!Speaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Camping vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • marshmallow
  • graham cracker
  • campfire
  • tent
  • sleeping bag
  • flashlight
  • cooler

Grammar: containers and quantities with of

Before the campfire, someone has to shop: a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, two bars of chocolate. Learners build each phrase as number, container, of, thing, add -s to the container for two or more, and decide whether the word after of takes -s. These phrases are also called partitives.

A bag of marshmallows, two bars of chocolate

Make a shopping list: number + container + of + thing.

Number + container + of + thing

Each phrase keeps one order: a bag of marshmallows, three bars of chocolate. Of links the container and the thing, so it's a box of crackers, not a box with crackers. Without of, the thing goes first: a chocolate bar.

a / two / three + container + of + thing

a / one / two / threebag / bagsofmarshmallows

We need a bag of marshmallows.

Can you bring two bags of ice?

Jack wants three bars of chocolate.

of, not with

The container comes first, then of, then the thing: a box of crackers (not: a box with crackers). a bar of chocolate = a chocolate bar: both are OK. With no of, the thing comes first.

Seven containers: one and two or more

The table pairs seven containers with the food they hold: bag, box, bar, bottle, can, jar and pack. For two or more, the -s goes on the container: two bags of marshmallows, six bottles of water, and box becomes boxes.

ContainerOneTwo or more: -s
baga bag of marshmallowstwo bags of marshmallows
box (→ boxes)a box of graham crackerstwo boxes of graham crackers
bara bar of chocolatethree bars of chocolate
bottlea bottle of watersix bottles of water
cana can of beanstwo cans of beans
jara jar of peanut buttertwo jars of peanut butter
packa pack of hot dogstwo packs of hot dogs

After of: -s or no -s?

The word after of follows its own rule. Things you can count take -s: a bag of marshmallows, a can of beans. Things you can't count never take -s: a bottle of water, two bars of chocolate, a bag of ice, a jar of peanut butter.

You can count them (one, two, three): -s

  • a bag of marshmallows
  • a box of graham crackers
  • a can of beans
  • a pack of hot dogs

You can't count them: no -s

  • a bottle of water
  • two bars of chocolate
  • a bag of ice
  • a jar of peanut butter

What do you need? Lists and requests

Shopping lists come with questions: What do you need? Do we need water? Yes, we do. Can you bring a box of crackers? Pack is a verb and a container too: Let's pack the car! a pack of hot dogs.

What do you need?

QuestionAnswer
What do you need?I need a bag of ice.
What does Pickle need?It needs a bag of dog food.
Do we need water?Yes, we do. Six bottles of water.
Can you bring a box of crackers?Sure! / Sorry, I can't.

pack: a verb and a thing

pack (verb) = put things in a bag for a trip: Let's pack the car! a pack of = a small box or bag of things: a pack of hot dogs.

Common mistakes

  • a bag marshmallows

    a bag of marshmallows

    don't forget of

  • two bag of ice

    two bags of ice

    two or more: the container gets -s

  • a bottle of waters

    a bottle of water

    water: no -s

  • a box with crackers

    a box of crackers

    say of, not with

More lessons on this grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns lessons and exercises

Try the containers exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • name a container with of: a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, a jar of peanut butter
  • put the -s on the container for two or more: two bags of ice, three bars of chocolate, two boxes of crackers
  • keep -s after of for things they can count: a can of beans, but a bottle of water
  • make a shopping list and share the jobs: What do we need? Can you get a box of cookies?

Lesson 32 closes Weekend stories and plans and the whole of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on A1.2 lesson 12, where want and need took a noun (I need a ticket.), and on lesson 17 of English A1.1 · Hello, World, where food words we count took -s and toast or milk didn't. A s'mores recipe and a packing list are full of container phrases, so the trip gives the grammar real work.

Students spin a wheel of questions about camping, picnics and sweet food, then learn ten words, from melt and roast to sleeping bag and cooler, with pictures and audio. They read a campground's recipe card for s'mores, with a fun fact about a 1927 Girl Scouts book, then listen to Emma and Jack (an AI-voiced dialogue) pack for a camping trip and to the campground host's campfire rules. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four exercises, each checked as students answer, among them a drag-and-drop of container words. In the speaking chapter, students plan a Sunday picnic with Sam in a chat and open boxes that ask for shopping lists.

Homework begins with two self-checking tasks, sentences to put in order and camping words to match with their meanings. Then students write a friend a message with a shopping list for a party or a trip, and record a voice message that plans a picnic; the teacher reviews both.

Grammar:
containers with of · a bag of, a box of, a bar of · two bags of, three bars of · a bottle of water (no -s) · What do you need?
Topic:
s'mores · camping · campfires · picnics · shopping lists · the weekend

Teaching tips

  • Bring real containers to class, such as an empty bag, box, bottle and jar: students name each one with a … of …, then say it again for two or more.
  • Before the recipe card, ask who has made s'mores and what goes in them; the card's You need list then checks the guesses.
  • Pause the packing dialogue after each item and have students write it down with its container, so they end with Emma and Jack's whole list.
  • After the chat with Sam, pairs plan a real picnic and write a five-item list, each item with a number and a container.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32 · you're hereWhat do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

What are containers and quantities in English?
Containers and quantities are phrases like a bag of and a bottle of that say how much of something you have or need. The pattern is number, container, of, thing: a box of graham crackers, three bars of chocolate, six bottles of water. They're handy for things you can't count alone, like water or ice. The A1 lesson What do you need for s'mores? on edio.ai uses them to pack for a camping trip.
What are partitives?
Partitives are words that measure a part or an amount of something, usually followed by of: a piece of chocolate, a bar of chocolate, a bottle of water, a bag of ice. They let you count nouns you can't count alone: two bars of chocolate, three bottles of water. Container words such as bag, box, can and jar work as partitives too.
How do you use "a bottle of" in English?
Use a bottle of plus a drink: a bottle of water. For two or more, only the container takes -s: six bottles of water, never six bottles of waters or six bottle of water. A water bottle is different: it names the bottle itself, full or empty. In the chat of What do you need for s'mores?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, four bottles of waters is one of the wrong replies.
What goes with "a box of"?
A box of goes with things that come in a box: a box of graham crackers, a box of cookies, a box of crackers. The plural adds -es: two boxes of graham crackers. Say of, not with, since a box with crackers sounds wrong on a shopping list. The picnic chat in What do you need for s'mores? on edio.ai turns down a box cookies and a cookies of box.
How do you make a shopping list in English?
Write one item per line, each with its container: two bags of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, three bars of chocolate, a bag of ice. To share the list, ask What do we need? and split the jobs with Can you bring…?: Can you bring two packs of hot dogs? A short answer such as Sure! or Sorry, I can't. keeps the plan moving.
Is it "two bag of ice" or "two bags of ice"?
It's two bags of ice: the container takes the -s, and ice stays as it is. The same goes for three bars of chocolate, six bottles of water and two jars of peanut butter. Box adds -es: two boxes of crackers. The word after of takes -s only when you can count it: two bags of marshmallows, two cans of beans.
Is it "a bar of chocolate" or "a chocolate bar"?
Both are correct: a bar of chocolate and a chocolate bar mean the same. With of, the container comes first; without it, the food comes first and works like an adjective, so it never takes -s: three bars of chocolate, three chocolate bars. The order with of can't flip, though: chocolate bars of and a water of bottle are wrong.
What camping vocabulary do beginners need?
Beginners need words for sleeping, light, fire and food: tent, sleeping bag, flashlight, campfire and cooler, a box with ice that keeps drinks cold. The verbs pack (put things in a bag for a trip), roast (cook food over a fire) and melt come next, with the s'mores words marshmallow and graham cracker.
How do I teach containers and quantities to beginners?
Teach the pattern before the list: number, container, of, thing. Then grow one phrase at a time, from a bag of marshmallows to two bags of marshmallows and two bags of ice, so students see where the -s goes. In What do you need for s'mores? on edio.ai, a recipe card and a packing dialogue come first, then the scheme, four drills and a picnic chat.
What's a good game for practicing containers?
Open-the-box prompts turn lists into a game: each box asks for a quick list, such as What's in your kitchen now? Say three things: a bag of …, a box of …, a bottle of … For a memory version, each student repeats the camping list so far and adds one item: We need a bag of ice, two bottles of water and …
What's good homework for practicing containers and quantities?
A message with a shopping list makes good homework: the student asks a friend to buy four or five things for a party or a trip, each with a container. We need two bags of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers and three bars of chocolate. In the edio.ai lesson What do you need for s'mores?, it goes to the teacher with a voice message that plans a picnic.
Are there interactive exercises for containers and quantities?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that score each answer let learners practice containers with instant feedback. This page plays four parts of the A1 lesson What do you need for s'mores? on edio.ai, no account needed: the s'mores recipe card, Emma and Jack's packing dialogue, a gap-fill that puts the -s on bag, box and bar, and a picnic chat with Sam. The other exercises are locked.
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