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Who brings the mail? The present simple and days of the week

This A1 ESL lesson plan covers the present simple and days of the week in English.

Grammar
The present simple with we and they and no -s (They deliver the mail.), negatives with don't, Do they…? with short answers, and on + a day, at + a time.
Topic
The US mail, delivered from Monday to Saturday, and work weeks in Brooklyn, with words such as mail carrier, package, stamp and day off.
Activities
A post office poster, a dialogue about two work weeks and a radio show on the mail, self-checking drills, a chat with Olivia, open-the-box questions and a post about the student's week.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Mail time!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: the mailVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: meet the mail carriers

    • Look at the photo: a mail truckPictureUnlock
    • Read the poster: meet your mail carriersReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a package for Priya

    • Listen to Priya and KofiListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the radio: Mail MinuteListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to the radio and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: on Monday, at nine

    • Study the scheme: we, they, days and timesGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: questions and answersFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: on, at, from, toDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: my week

    • Choose the right replies: a plan with OliviaChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Put the letters in the right orderAnagramUnlock
    • Write a post: my weekWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message for PriyaSpeaking, 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.

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

  • mail truck
  • mailbox
  • letter
  • package
  • stamp
  • post office
  • day off

Grammar: the present simple with we and they

Mail carriers have a routine anyone can picture: the same start time, six days a week, and Sunday off. Learners describe that routine with we and they in the present simple, add don't and Do…?, and pin every day and time down with on, at and from … to ….

We and they: days and times

Routines with we and they (no -s!), days with on, times with at.

We and they + verb: no -s

After we and they, the verb keeps its dictionary form: They deliver the mail. We start at six. For a negative, don't goes in front: They don't work on Sunday. The table also shows she works, marked for A1.2.

✓ We / they + verb

We / Theyverbon + day / at + time

They deliver the mail on Saturday.

We start at six.

They work from Monday to Saturday.

work: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

WhoYes ✓No ✗ (don't = do not)
II work on Monday.I don't work on Sunday.
youYou work on Monday.You don't work on Sunday.
he, she, it → A1.2She works on Monday.She doesn't work on Sunday.
weWe work on Monday.We don't work on Sunday.
theyThey work on Monday.They don't work on Sunday.

Do they…? Yes, they do.

Questions start with Do, and the short answer ends on do or don't: Do they work on Sunday? No, they don't. For times, learners ask What time do they start? and answer At seven.

QuestionAnswer
Do they work on Saturday?Yes, they do.
Do they work on Sunday?No, they don't.
Do you work on the weekend?Yes, we do. / No, we don't.
What time do they start?At seven.

The days of the week

The seven days come in order, Monday to Sunday, and every day takes a capital letter, wherever it stands in the sentence: My favorite day is Friday.

  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday
  • Saturday
  • Sunday

On + day, at + time, from … to …

On goes with days and at with clock times: on Sunday, at noon. On Saturdays means every Saturday, on the weekend means Saturday and Sunday, and from … to … gives a span: from six to two.

on + day

  • on Monday
  • on Sunday
  • on Saturdays = every Saturday
  • on the weekend = on Saturday and Sunday

at + time

  • at six
  • at 10:30
  • at noon
  • at seven o'clock

from … to …

  • from Monday to Saturday
  • from six to two

Day off

A day off = a day with no work. Luis and Tasha work from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is their day off. Two days? days off: Wednesday and Thursday are my days off.

Common mistakes

  • They works on Saturday.

    They work on Saturday.

    we, they + verb: no -s

  • Do they works at six?

    Do they work at six?

    Do + they + verb: no -s

  • We work in Monday.

    We work on Monday.

    days: on (not in, not at the)

  • They start on 7 o'clock.

    They start at 7 o'clock.

    times: at

More lessons on this grammar: Present simple lessons and exercises

Try the present simple exercises

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

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 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:

  • describe routines with we and they, keeping the verb without -s: They deliver the mail from Monday to Saturday.
  • make negatives and questions with do: We don't work on Sunday. Do they work on Saturday?
  • say the seven days of the week, each with a capital letter, and use on: on Monday, on Saturdays
  • give times and spans with at and from … to …: We start at six. They work from six to two.
  • talk about the mail with words like mail carrier, package, stamp and day off

Lesson 22 is the second lesson of My day, the sixth unit of English A1.1 · Hello, World, and lesson 24 reviews it. It stretches the routine verbs and at + a time of lesson 21 across a whole week, and its Do they…? questions work like the Do you like…? questions of lesson 18. US mail carriers work from Monday to Saturday, so their schedule names the days in order and ends with a day off.

First come a spin wheel of questions about letters, packages and favorite days, and ten mail words with pictures and audio, from stamp to day off. Students read a poster from two Brooklyn mail carriers and answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions, then listen to Priya and Kofi compare their work weeks (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to the Mail Minute radio show, choosing the words they hear. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four exercises: choosing the right word, writing questions and short answers, a drag-and-drop of on, at, from and to, and picking the right sentence, each checked as students answer. In the speaking chapter, they plan a Sunday in the park with Olivia in a chat and open boxes of questions about their week.

Homework puts sentences in the right order and unscrambles mail words and days such as Wednesday, and both exercises check themselves. Students then write a short post about their week and record a voice message for Priya for the teacher to review.

Grammar:
present simple (we, they) · days of the week · on + days · at + times
Topic:
mail · mail carriers · post office · work week · days of the week

Teaching tips

  • Ask which days the mail comes where students live before the reading, then let the poster give the US answer: Monday to Saturday, with Sunday off.
  • Turn the dialogue into a schedule on the board: Kofi's bus drivers and Priya's drugstore, with start times and days off, then ask Do they work on Sunday? about each.
  • Listen for they works in the open-the-box answers and recast it on the spot; it heads the scheme's list of common mistakes.
  • After the chat with Olivia, have pairs plan a real meet-up for this week with Do you work on Friday? and See you on Saturday at noon!

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The whole course: English A1.1 · Hello, World

32 lessons for complete beginners in simple American English, from the verb to be to can and can't. Eight units cover greetings, family, numbers, home, food, daily routines, the town and free time, and each ends with a review lesson. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Hello!

    greetings, the verb to be, countries and nationalities, yes/no questions

    1. Lesson 1Hi, hey, howdy or aloha?The verb to be with I and you
    2. Lesson 2Ellis Island: where are they from?He's, she's, they're: the verb to be
    3. Lesson 3Six languages at the UNYes/no questions with be and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Review: hello from the Statue of LibertyThe verb to be and yes/no questions, reviewed

  2. Unit 2 My people

    family members, possessive adjectives, have got, describing people

    1. Lesson 5Why is Mother's Day in May?Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her
    2. Lesson 6Best in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7National Best Friends DaySubject pronouns, possessives and describing people
    4. Lesson 8Review: Bobbie the Wonder DogPossessives, have got and 's, reviewed

  3. Unit 3 Numbers all around

    numbers and dates, a/an and plurals, phone numbers and prices

    1. Lesson 9Why is March 14 Pi Day?Numbers 0 to 100, decimals and US dates
    2. Lesson 10How old is the General Sherman tree?A, an and plurals, with big numbers and How old…?
    3. Lesson 119-1-1 and other numbers to knowSaying phone numbers, emails and prices
    4. Lesson 12Review: 102 floors and 1,860 stepsNumbers, dates, ages and prices, reviewed

  4. Unit 4 Home sweet home

    rooms in a house, this, that, these and those, furniture, opposites

    1. Lesson 13A house with 132 roomsThis is, these are and plurals
    2. Lesson 14Boston's skinny house: where's the bed?This, that, these, those and Where's…?
    3. Lesson 15Can a dorm room be cozy?Opposite adjectives and have got
    4. Lesson 16Review: homes for everyoneShowing and describing a home, reviewed

  5. Unit 5 Food I love

    likes and dislikes, present simple questions, ordering food

    1. Lesson 17Pancakes for breakfast?I like, I don't like and plural nouns
    2. Lesson 18New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish?Present simple questions and short answers
    3. Lesson 19A coffee to go, please!Ordering food with I'd like and Can I have…?
    4. Lesson 20Review: lunch from a food truckI like, Do you like and I'd like, reviewed

  6. Unit 6 My day

    telling the time, daily routines, days of the week, prepositions of time

    1. Lesson 21What time is it in Times Square?Telling the time and daily routines
    2. Lesson 22 · you're hereWho brings the mail?The present simple with we and they
    3. Lesson 23Is it morning in Hawaii?Prepositions of time with parts of the day
    4. Lesson 24Review: a New York morningTime, routines and days, reviewed

  7. Unit 7 My town

    places in town, prepositions of place, giving directions

    1. Lesson 25Main Street, USAPrepositions of place: near and next to
    2. Lesson 26Meet me at Union SquarePresent simple questions and negatives with we and they
    3. Lesson 27Turn left on 42nd StreetImperatives for giving directions
    4. Lesson 28Review: streets for peoplePlaces, the present simple and directions, reviewed

  8. Unit 8 Free time

    hobbies, can and can't, sports, making plans

    1. Lesson 29Can you play Scrabble?Can and can't for ability
    2. Lesson 30Can you surf?Can for ability and how well
    3. Lesson 31Saturday morning: Little LeagueFree time and making plans
    4. Lesson 32Review: a book for every childCan, can't and free time, reviewed

Questions about this lesson

How do you use the present simple with we and they?
With we and they, the present simple uses the base verb, with no -s: They deliver the mail. We start at six. Negatives take don't: They don't work on Sunday. Questions start with Do, and the answer repeats it: Do they work on Saturday? – Yes, they do. The A1 lesson Who brings the mail? on edio.ai builds all three forms on the work week of US mail carriers.
What are the days of the week in English?
The seven days of the week in English are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday make the weekend, and a day without work is a day off. Put on before a day, See you on Friday!, and use from … to … for a span: US mail carriers deliver from Monday to Saturday, so Sunday is their day off.
Are the days of the week capitalized in English?
Yes, the days of the week always start with a capital letter in English, even in the middle of a sentence: My favorite day is Friday. See you on Monday! They need no the in sentences like these either: My favorite day is Friday, not the Friday. Lowercase friday is a common slip in learners' writing, so it's worth checking in every post about the week.
Is it "they work" or "they works"?
It's they work, with no -s: They work on Saturday. They deliver letters and packages. The -s ending belongs to he, she and it (she works). Questions keep the verb without -s too: Do they work at six?, never Do they works at six?
Is it "on Monday" or "in Monday"?
It's on Monday, because days of the week take on, never in or at the: on Sunday, on the weekend. Clock times take at, so a plan with both reads See you on Sunday at noon! A span of days or hours takes from … to …: from Monday to Saturday, from six to two.
What's the difference between "on Saturday" and "on Saturdays"?
On Saturdays, with -s, means every Saturday: I work at the café on Saturdays. On Saturday can mean one Saturday, as in See you on Saturday!, or a routine: They deliver the mail on Saturday. Any day can take the -s this way, on Mondays or on Sundays, and on the weekend covers Saturday and Sunday together.
What words do you need to talk about the mail in English?
The basic mail words in American English are mail carrier, mailbox, post office, letter, package and stamp, and the verb is deliver: They deliver letters and packages. A mail truck carries them, and a day without work is a day off. All of these, plus work, are picture cards with audio in Who brings the mail?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai.
How do I teach the present simple to beginners?
With beginners, start with routines and the forms that need no -s: we and they. On edio.ai, Who brings the mail? has learners read a poster by two mail carriers (We start at the post office at seven), hear two roommates compare their work weeks, then drill don't, Do they…? and short answers before they plan their own week in a chat.
What's a good game for practicing the days of the week?
A good game for the days of the week is open the box, with a question about each learner's week: What do you do on Mondays? What's your favorite day of the week? Why? When are your days off? True answers make the days stick. The mail-carrier lesson on edio.ai, Who brings the mail?, starts with a spin-the-wheel warm-up on the same theme and ends with homework that unscrambles Wednesday and Saturday.
How do you practice the present simple one-to-one?
One-to-one, compare the student's real week with yours: Do you work on Saturday? – No, I don't. Then switch to they with people the student knows: My parents get up at six. My friends don't work on Sunday. The chat about a Sunday in the park needs no partner, since the student chooses each reply, from Yes, I do to See you on Sunday!
What's good homework for practicing the present simple?
For homework, have learners write a few lines about their own week: I work from Monday to Friday. On Sunday, my family and I cook. Saturday and Sunday are my days off! Who brings the mail?, from edio.ai's English A1.1 course, warms up with two self-checking tasks, sentences to put in order and days to unscramble, and adds a voice message about the week for the teacher.
Are there interactive exercises for the present simple?
Yes: interactive present simple exercises show right away whether each answer is right. On the page of Who brings the mail?, an edio.ai lesson for A1, four parts play without an account: a poster from two Brooklyn mail carriers, a dialogue about two work weeks, a gap-fill of Do they…? questions and short answers, and a chat that plans a Sunday in the park. The other exercises are locked.
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