Using "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to teach Reported Speech

(TESOL Worksheets--Reported Speech)
Slideshow: slides, pub
Worksheet: docs, pub
[Explanation: I've previously used Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as part of my Story Time project, but I decided to also use it to teach reported speech.
I re-worked the sentences in the story slightly to more closely follow the rules of reported speech in prescriptive grammar books.  (In the original book, only about half of the sentences followed the prescriptive rules.)]
[Procedure: On the slideshow, I go through the vocabulary first.  Then, before looking at the story, in groups students predict all the bad things that they think will happen to Alexander.  Groups are told to listen to the story, and get one point for each correct prediction.  After the story finishes, we check to see which group got the most points.  Then, I back the slideshow up to slide 80 "I could tell because Paul said I wasn’t his best friend anymore," and elict from students what the original direct speech form must have been, and what changes were made to make it into direct speech.  Then I hand out the worksheet, and in groups students look at the various examples of different reported speech, and formulate the rule for each group.  Answers are checked in open class feedback.  Next I usually insert some type of controlled practice (e.g. Reported Speech Naruto PowerPoint Game).  Then as a final productive task, students have to tell or write their own story about a bad day, and use reported speech.]

Present Simple
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“Paul, I like your picture of the sailboat” “You’re not my best friend anymore.” “Philip Parker is my new best friend.” “I hope you sit on a tack!” “You’re a crybaby” “We’re all sold out”	Mrs. Dickens said that she liked Paul’s picture of the sailboat Paul said I wasn’t his best friend anymore. He said that Philip Parker was his best friend I told Paul that I hoped he sits on a tack. Nick said I was a crybaby the shoe man said that they were all sold out.

Timeless situation (present tense)
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“Some days are like that”	My mom said that some days are like that.

Present Continuous
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“I’m being scrunched” “I’m being smushed” “You’re singing too loud” “I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” I’m going to Australia next week”	I said I was being scrunched. I said I was being smushed. she said I was singing too loud. I told everyone I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I told him I was going to Australia next week.

Past Simple
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“You forgot sixteen”	she said that I had forgotten sixteen

Modal Verbs
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“You can’t play with my copying machine”	he said that I couldn’t play with his copy machine

Conditional (going to)
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“If I don’t get a seat by the window, I’m going to be carsick”	I said that if I didn’t get a seat by the window, I was going to be carsick.

Imperatives (affirmative)
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“Come back next week” “watch out for the books on my desk”	Dr. Field told me to come back next week He also said to watch out for the books on his desk

Negative Imperatives
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“Don’t fool around with my phone” “Don’t pick me up at the office anymore”	He also told me not to fool around with his phone My dad told us not to pick him up at the office anymore.

will future
Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“Come back next week and I’ll fix it.”	Dr. Field told me to come back next week and he would fix it