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Can a TV show teach the alphabet? Reported questions with asked if and asked what

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches reported questions with if, whether and wh- words through Sesame Street history: the show's researchers tested it on young children before it aired.

Grammar
Asked + a question word or if / whether, then the subject and the verb as in a statement (She asked what they liked.), one tense back, with no do and no question mark.
Topic
The research behind Sesame Street and a kindergarten puppet test, with words such as preschooler, puppet, attention and recognize.
Activities
Episode notes to read, a kindergarten visit and a listener's message to hear, self-checking drills, an interview chat, a model report to order and a question wheel.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: what did you watch as a kid?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock
    • Study the words: TV and learningVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the show that did its homework

    • Look at the picture: summer 1969PictureUnlock
    • Read the episode notesArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: Darius goes back to kindergarten

    • Listen to Darius and AnnetteListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to The Listener's Take: MarioListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: She asked what they liked

    • Study the scheme: reported questionsGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: move each verb one step backFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: report the questions, one tense backFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is correct?QuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: interview and report back

    • Choose the right replies: report your interviewChatTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: report your interview questionsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Put the parts of Darius's model report in the correct orderDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: my survey reportChoose the optionUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answer: ask and report backSpin the wheelUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: words and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: report each question, one tense backFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: what were the exact words?QuizUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Darius answers MarioDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Sonia's reportChoose the optionUnlock

34 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

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

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • preschooler
  • kindergarten
  • puppet
  • animation
  • channel
  • attention
  • rug
  • clipboard
  • producer

Grammar: reported questions

A reported question isn't a question anymore: “Where is the TV?” becomes She asked where the TV was. Sesame Street's researchers asked children what they liked, so the story is full of reported questions. Learners put the subject before the verb, as in a statement, use if or whether for yes / no questions and move each verb one step back.

She asked what they liked

Reported questions: asked + a question word or if / whether, then subject + verb, as in a normal sentence. No do / does / did, no question mark.

Wh- questions: asked + question word

Keep the question word, then put the subject before the verb: “What do you like?” → She asked what they liked. “Where is the remote?” → He asked where the remote was. When who is the subject, nothing moves: She asked who wanted a turn.

QuestionReported question
“What do you like?”She asked what they liked.
“Where is the remote?”He asked where the remote was.
“Why are you wearing a sock?”She asked why he was wearing a sock.
“How long will a child watch?”They asked how long a child would watch.
“What words can you say?”She asked what words they could say.
“Who wants a turn?” (who is the subject)She asked who wanted a turn.

Yes / no questions: if or whether

A question with no question word takes if or whether, which mean the same here: “Is the puppet real?” → He asked whether the puppet was real. Don't keep the question form after asked: He asked if they wanted to watch, not He asked do they want…

QuestionReported question
“Do you want to watch again?”She asked if they wanted to watch again.
“Is the puppet real?”He asked whether the puppet was real.
“Can I join story time?”Darius asked if he could join story time.
“Are you coming tomorrow?”They asked if I was coming the next day.

No do, no question mark, one step back

Do, does and did disappear, and the sentence ends with a period: She asked what they liked. The verb still moves one step back: like → liked, can → could, will → would, and tomorrow becomes the next day.

No do / does / did, no question mark

A reported question is not a question anymore: the subject comes before the verb, as in a normal sentence. Drop do, does and did: She asked what they liked (not: what did they like). She asked where the TV was (not: where was the TV). End with a period, not a question mark.

One step back in time

After asked, move the verb one step back, as in reported statements: like → liked, is → was, are watching → were watching, can → could, will → would. Change the people too: “Do you like it?” → She asked if they liked it. Time words change as well: tomorrow → the next day.

Asked me, wanted to know, wondered

You can name the person after asked: She asked me what…, never asked to me. Wanted to know and wondered take the same order: They wanted to know how long a child would watch. Never put that before if.

asked me, wanted to know, wondered

You can name the person: She asked me / the kids what… (not: asked to me). You can also use wanted to know and wondered: They wanted to know how long a child would watch. I wondered if the kids liked my puppet. If and whether mean the same here. Never add that: He asked me if… (not: asked me that if…).

In 1969 and in Annette's class

  • Morrisett asked Cooney whether TV could teach young children.
  • The researchers asked what programs preschoolers liked best.
  • They wanted to know how long a child would watch.
  • A boy asked if the puppet was real.
  • A girl asked where its legs were.
  • Darius asked if he could join story time.

Common mistakes

Three mistakes keep the question's word order: She asked what did they like, She asked where was the TV and He asked do they want to watch. Statement order fixes all three: what they liked, where the TV was and, with if, if they wanted to watch.

  • She asked what did they like.

    She asked what they liked.

    no did: subject + verb

  • She asked where was the TV.

    She asked where the TV was.

    the subject before the verb

  • He asked do they want to watch.

    He asked if they wanted to watch.

    a yes / no question: if or whether

  • He asked me that if I was ready.

    He asked me if I was ready.

    no that before if

More lessons on this grammar: Reported speech lessons and exercises

Try the reported questions exercises

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

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 20 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • report wh- questions in statement order: “What do you like?” → She asked what they liked.
  • report yes / no questions with if or whether: A boy asked if the puppet was real.
  • move each verb one step back and change the people: “Can I join story time?” → Darius asked if he could join story time.
  • use wanted to know and wondered: They wanted to know how long a child would watch.
  • interview classmates about learning and report the questions: I asked her how she learned new words.

Lesson 15 is the third lesson of Memory and learning, unit 4 of English B1.2 · Changemakers. It joins the reported statements of lessons 13 and 14 with the indirect questions of B1.1 lesson 3 (Could you tell me where…?), which already use statement order. Lesson 16 closes the unit with reported requests and commands. Sesame Street was built on the questions researchers asked children, so its story is a natural place to report them.

Students open boxes of questions about childhood TV and learning, then learn twelve words, from wonder and react to clipboard and producer, with pictures and audio. They read the show's episode notes on how Sesame Street was tested before it aired, then hear Darius test his puppet video in Annette's kindergarten class and Mario, a listener from Ohio, report his sister's questions, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking drills, among them a table that reports questions one tense back. The speaking chapter turns the interview task into steps: a chat with Darius, questions to report, a model report to order, a report with gaps and a question wheel.

The ten homework tasks all check themselves: a match, an anagram, a gap-fill and a memory game on the words; a choice of word order, gaps that move each verb back, sentences to order and a quiz on the exact words; then Darius's answer to Mario and Sonia's report on how her parents learned.

Grammar:
reported questions · asked if / whether · asked + question word · word order in reported questions
Topic:
Sesame Street · children's TV · Philadelphia · kindergarten · learning · research · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Collect real questions first: each student writes one question for a classmate on a card. After the answers, they report both: I asked her where she studied. She said she studied in the kitchen.
  • Ask how to test a show on four-year-olds before the episode notes. Students suggest ideas, then read to compare them with what the 1969 researchers did.
  • Write the question and its report one above the other: Where is the TV? and She asked where the TV was. Students circle the subject and the verb and watch them swap places.
  • Play the kindergarten visit twice: first for what the kids liked, then for every reported question. Students write each one down: One boy asked if the puppet was real.

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The whole course: English B1.2 · Changemakers

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, about people and ideas that changed things: start-ups, future cities, food, memory, customs, art, volunteers and adventure. The podcast team of English B1.1 is back for a season called Changemakers. Learners use the second conditional, the passive, reported speech, the past perfect, relative clauses and verb patterns, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Start-up stories

    the second conditional, If I were you, the first vs the second conditional, also, too, as well and besides

    1. Lesson 1The garage where Silicon Valley beganThe second conditional for imagined situations
    2. Lesson 2Would you sell lemonade to save bees?Second conditional questions and If I were you
    3. Lesson 3Pitch it to the Sharks!First vs second conditional: a real plan or a dream?
    4. Lesson 4A bakery that hires anyone?Adding ideas: also, too, as well, either and besides

  2. Unit 2 Cities of tomorrow

    the passive in the present simple and the past simple, with modals, and in the present perfect and present continuous

    1. Lesson 5Can you cross a city without going outside?The present simple passive
    2. Lesson 6A park on top of a freeway?The past simple passive
    3. Lesson 7Can a desert city catch the rain?The passive with modals
    4. Lesson 8Can an old railroad become a park?The present perfect and present continuous passive

  3. Unit 3 Food for the future

    comparative and superlative adverbs, the future passive, verbs with prepositions, phrasal verbs with up, away and out

    1. Lesson 9Why did Carver tell farmers to plant peanuts?Comparative and superlative adverbs
    2. Lesson 10Lettuce from space?The future passive with will be
    3. Lesson 11Why do corn, beans and squash grow together?Verbs with dependent prepositions
    4. Lesson 12What happens to dining-hall leftovers?Phrasal verbs with up, away and out

  4. Unit 4 Memory and learning

    reported statements with say and tell, tense changes, time and place words, reported questions, requests and commands

    1. Lesson 13Can you train your memory?Reported statements with say and tell
    2. Lesson 14He got better but never rememberedReported statements about the past
    3. Lesson 15 · you're hereCan a TV show teach the alphabet?Reported questions
    4. Lesson 16Can you learn a new skill at 70?Reported requests and commands

  5. Unit 5 Customs and manners

    degree adverbs such as quite and pretty, the past perfect, the past perfect vs the past simple, make vs do

    1. Lesson 17To tip or not to tip?Adverbs of degree before adjectives and adverbs
    2. Lesson 18They'd already started without me!The past perfect: had + past participle
    3. Lesson 19What should you do at a powwow?Past perfect vs past simple
    4. Lesson 20How do you accept a lei?Make vs do: collocations to learn

  6. Unit 6 Art and design

    relative clauses with whose, non-defining relative clauses, relative clauses without a pronoun, when and why

    1. Lesson 21Art that moves in the airRelative clauses with whose
    2. Lesson 22A heart that sells a stateNon-defining relative clauses
    3. Lesson 23What would you paint on a city wall?Relative clauses without who, which or that
    4. Lesson 24Why does the sign say Hollywood?Relative adverbs: when, why and where

  7. Unit 7 Volunteers and changemakers

    verb + -ing or to, -ing as a subject and after prepositions, stop, remember, try and forget, prefer and would rather

    1. Lesson 25A day on, not a day off?Verb + -ing or verb + to
    2. Lesson 26The house that welcomed a neighborhoodGerunds as subjects and after prepositions
    3. Lesson 27A walk that lasted 24 hoursStop, remember, forget and try + to or -ing
    4. Lesson 28Head, heart, hands and healthPrefer, would rather and would prefer

  8. Unit 8 Adventure and challenge

    possessive 's vs of, must and can't for deduction, might, may and could for possibility, the meanings of get

    1. Lesson 29Could you climb a fourteener?Possessive 's, s' or of
    2. Lesson 30It must be here somewhere!Must and can't for deduction
    3. Lesson 31How did Houdini get out?Might, may and could for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A capital with no road inThe meanings of get

Questions about this lesson

What are reported questions?
Reported questions tell someone what another person asked, in statement word order: “What do you like?” becomes She asked what they liked. A yes / no question takes if or whether: A boy asked if the puppet was real. There's no question mark at the end. The B1 lesson Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai teaches them with the questions Sesame Street's researchers asked.
How do you form reported questions?
Start with asked and a question word, if or whether, then the subject and the verb: He asked where the remote was. She asked if they wanted to watch again. Drop do, does and did, move the verb one tense back and change the people: “Can I join story time?” becomes Darius asked if he could join story time. The scheme in Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai shows both kinds.
What are some examples of reported questions?
Four from Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai: The researchers asked what programs preschoolers liked best. They wanted to know how long a child would watch. A girl asked where its legs were. Darius asked if he could join story time. Each one ends with a period, not a question mark, because a reported question is part of a statement.
What's the difference between reported questions and indirect questions?
Both use statement word order, but an indirect question is still a question you ask now: Could you tell me where the TV is? A reported question tells what someone asked earlier, usually one tense back: She asked where the TV was. On edio.ai, indirect questions come in the B1.1 course, and reported questions in Can a TV show teach the alphabet?, a B1.2 lesson.
Is it "she asked where was the TV" or "where the TV was"?
It's she asked where the TV was, with the subject first. In a reported question, the words come in statement order, so was goes after the TV. The same rule fixes She asked what did they like (say what they liked), and He asked me that if… simply drops that. The wrong replies in the chat of Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai are mistakes of this kind.
When did Sesame Street first air?
Sesame Street first aired on Monday, November 10, 1969, on National Educational Television, or NET, which later became PBS. Before that, the Children's Television Workshop spent about a year and a half on research, and five hour-long test shows aired in Philadelphia in July 1969. As a joke, the first episode was “sponsored” by the letters W, S and E and the numbers 2 and 3. Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai tells the story.
How did researchers test Sesame Street on children?
They measured what held young children's attention: an observer pressed a button each time a child looked away. Children lost interest in street scenes with only people but watched when the Muppets and animation appeared, so the producers put them together. In a test week in Philadelphia, half of forty four-year-olds watched the test shows, and those children made gains on tests of the show's goals. The edio.ai lesson Can a TV show teach the alphabet? explains it.
How do I teach reported questions to B1 students?
Start from questions students really asked each other, then report them in two steps: first the word order (where she studied), then the step back in tense. Add if and whether once wh- questions feel easy. Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai follows a real interview task: a model chat, questions to report, a report to complete and a wheel of questions for the class.
What's a good game for practicing reported questions?
Ask, answer, report on a spinning wheel works well: each slice gives a question such as Do you study with music on?, the student asks a classmate, then tells the class: I asked her if she studied with music on, and she said no. In Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai, the wheel ends the class interview task.
What's good homework for reported questions?
Good homework checks word order before tense: a choice between what I wanted and what did I want, gaps like “Can you swim?” → The coach asked if I ___ (can) swim, and a quiz that works back to the exact question. All ten homework tasks in Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai check themselves, including Sonia's report on how her parents learned.
How do you practice reported questions one-to-one?
Swap interviews: the teacher asks the student five questions about learning, and the student reports them back: You asked me where I studied best. Then switch roles. The chat in Can a TV show teach the alphabet? on edio.ai works without a partner: Darius asks about a class interview, and the right reply is I asked her how she learned new words, not how did she learn.
Are there interactive exercises for reported questions?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that flag word-order mistakes at once. This page plays three parts of Can a TV show teach the alphabet?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: Darius's puppet test in a kindergarten class, a gap-fill that moves each verb one step back and a chat about a class interview. The rest needs an account.
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