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All English activities

Activities: “Ordinal numbers: What are they and how to use them in English?”

By: Erin Kuester

Activity 1: A race!

Check out these six runners in a race. They’re working hard!

A photo of several runners running down a dirt road through the woods. The closest runner is a woman wearing a long-sleeved mint green shirt and a rainbow headband. The next runner is a man with short hair, a navy blue t-shirt, and black-and-yellow shorts. The next runner is only partially visible, but he has short hair and is wearing a navy blue pullover. The next runner is a woman in a light blue hoodie sweatshirt and black-and-yellow leggings. The next runner is a man in a light gray t-shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers. The final runner is a man in a navy blue t-shirt and red shorts.

Fill in the blank with the ordinal number. First, use the word form.

  1. The runner is in a gray shirt.

  2. The runner has red shorts.

  3. The runner is wearing a headband.

  4. The runner is wearing a hoodie.

  5. The runner is wearing black and yellow shorts.

  6. The runner is wearing a dark blue pull-over.

Now use the numeral form.

  1. The runner is in a gray shirt.

  2. The runner has red shorts.

  3. The runner is wearing a headband.

  4. The runner is wearing a hoodie.

  5. The runner is wearing black and yellow shorts.

  6. The runner is wearing a dark blue pull-over.

Activity 2: Sarah’s Recipe

Sarah’s friend gave her a good recipe for making tomato rice, but he didn’t write the order that the steps need to go in. The recipe steps are below, but they’re all mixed up!

Help Sarah figure out the tomato rice recipe by putting the appropriate ordinal number at the beginning of each step. Use the word form.

, place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring the broth up to a boil.

, add the rice and spices to the pot. Stir and cook for a couple minutes more to toast the rice.

, fluff the rice with a fork and serve while hot!

, add the diced tomatoes and broth to the pot. Stir to combine and dissolve any spices stuck to the bottom.

, mince the garlic and dice the onion. Add the onion, garlic, and oil to a pan and saute over medium heat.

, after boiling, turn the heat down and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. When it’s finished, let the rice rest for five minutes.

Activity 3: Larger ordinal numbers

Fill in the blanks in the table below. The first row is given as an example:

71
numeral: 71st
word: seventy-first

  1. 87
    numeral:
    word:

  2. 32
    numeral:
    word:

  3. 99
    numeral:
    word:

  4. 173
    numeral:
    word:

  5. 18
    numeral:
    word:

  6. 14
    numeral:
    word:

  7. 12
    numeral:
    word:

  8. 92
    numeral:
    word: