Listening
Mistakes are Our Teachers
🎭 Play Title: “Mistakes Are Our Teachers”
Characters (14):
- Ms. Lee – ESL teacher, patient and encouraging
- Tom – student, eager but makes frequent mistakes
- Sara – confident student, sometimes teases classmates
- Liam – shy student, careful but hesitant to speak
- Aisha – cheerful, outgoing learner
- Carlos – funny, makes creative mistakes
- Mei – smart, observes everyone
- Raj – multilingual, sometimes mixes grammar from other languages
- Emily – perfectionist, nervous about mistakes
- David – jokester, laughs at errors
- Nina – creative, likes writing exercises
- Hiro – curious, asks lots of questions
- Fatima – encouraging, helps classmates
- Javier – energetic, sometimes blurts out answers
Scene 1: The Challenge
[Classroom. Students are seated; Ms. Lee writes on the board: “Mistakes Are Good!”]
Ms. Lee: Welcome, everyone! Today, we will do something different. We will make mistakes… on purpose.
Tom: (raises hand) Really? I already make too many mistakes.
Ms. Lee: That’s perfect, Tom. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn and remember.
Sara: (smirking) So we can fail on purpose and still get points?
Ms. Lee: (laughing) Not exactly. But if you notice your mistakes, you get real learning points.
Scene 2: Sentence Practice
Ms. Lee: Let’s start with a simple sentence:
“I ___ to the supermarket yesterday.”
Carlos: (writing) “I goed to the supermarket yesterday.”
Mei: (raising hand) Actually, it’s “I went to the supermarket yesterday.”
Ms. Lee: Very good! Carlos, you made a classic past-tense mistake — now everyone sees how went works.
Raj: In my language, past tense is easier. English is confusing!
Ms. Lee: Exactly, Raj. Making these mistakes helps you notice differences between English and your first language.
Scene 3: Funny Mistakes
David: Yesterday I wrote: “I eated pizza.” My teacher laughed.
Aisha: (laughing) That’s funny, but now you remember: eat – ate – eaten.
Emily: (nervous) I hate when I make mistakes in front of everyone.
Fatima: Don’t worry, Emily. Mistakes are normal. They help you improve.
Hiro: So the more mistakes, the faster we learn?
Ms. Lee: Yes, Hiro! And we’ll correct them together, so everyone benefits.
Javier: I wrote “She can sings well.” Yesterday…
Nina: That’s great! We all make similar mistakes.
Ms. Lee: Let’s fix it together: “She can sing well.” See? Small changes make a big difference.
Scene 4: Reflection & Learning
Ms. Lee: Let’s reflect. What have we learned today?
Tom: Mistakes are not failures — they are teachers.
Sara: And we can laugh at them without embarrassment.
Liam: Also, helping each other correct mistakes is helpful.
Raj: And noticing patterns makes English easier.
Ms. Lee: Excellent. Remember, English is a skill, not a test. Every error is a step toward fluency.
All Students: (together) Mistakes are our teachers!
Ms. Lee: Perfect! Now, who wants to share the funniest mistake they ever made in English?
[Everyone laughs and shares short stories as the class continues.]
[Curtain closes]
Reading
📝 Reading & Comprehension: Brave Enough to Make Mistakes
Reading Passage
Making mistakes is something everyone does, but what matters most is what we do after we make them. Research in learning and psychology shows that people who are willing to make mistakes — and then examine them and learn from them — often learn faster and better than those who try never to make mistakes at all.
One important idea comes from the concept of a growth mindset. The U.S. psychologist Carol Dweck explains that when learners believe their abilities can improve with effort, they are more open to challenges, ready to try new things — even if they fail at first. In this mindset, a mistake is not a failure but a signal of what a person needs to learn next.
Another piece of research points out that when we make a mistake, something special happens in our brain: we think about the error, understand what we did wrong, and then change how we learn. A source says:
> “Making mistakes is one of the most useful ways to learn … our brains develop when we make a mistake and then think about it.”
In workplaces, leaders who admit their mistakes and use them to improve create stronger teams. Researchers found that when people admit they were wrong, show intellectual humility, and create an atmosphere where mistakes are discussed without shame, those teams innovate more and perform better.
For everyday learners, being brave enough to make mistakes means a few practical things:
Accept that mistakes will happen when trying something new.
After a mistake, pause and ask: What did I do wrong? What can I do differently next time?
Use feedback (from teacher, peer or self‑reflection).
Keep trying, even if you feel embarrassed.
Celebrate the improvement you make, even if it is small.
Sara, a student of English, says:
“In the past I never spoke because I feared mistakes. Now I try. I make mistakes almost every day—but I see them as my way of learning.”
In summary, being brave enough to make mistakes doesn’t mean you aim to fail. It means you accept that mistakes are part of learning. You try, you fail, you learn — and you improve.
Comprehension Questions
A. Multiple Choice
1. According to the passage, what is a growth mindset?
a) The idea that you shouldn’t make any mistakes.
b) The belief that your skills can improve with effort.
c) The belief that you are born with fixed talent and cannot change it.
2. Which of the following happens in the brain when we make a mistake, according to the research?
a) The brain shuts down and stops learning.
b) The brain thinks about the mistake and adapts.
c) The brain rewards you and you feel no need to change.
3. What effect does admitting mistakes have in a workplace, according to the passage?
a) It causes teams to lose trust.
b) It leads to more innovation and better performance.
c) It means the leader is weak and less respected.
B. True / False
4. Learners with a fixed mindset believe their abilities can develop with time and effort.
5. The passage says being brave enough to make mistakes means you don’t need feedback.
6. Sara’s example shows that avoiding mistakes helps you learn better.
C. Short Answer
7. What are two practical things a learner can do when they make a mistake, according to the passage?
8. Why does the author say that mistakes are “powerful for learning”?
9. How did Sara’s attitude change about making mistakes in her English learning?
D. Discussion / Writing
10. Think about a time you made a mistake while learning English (or another skill). Write a short paragraph (3‑5 sentences):
What mistake did you make?
How did you feel afterwards?
What did you learn or do differently next time?
Answer Key
A. Multiple Choice
1. b) The belief that your skills can improve with effort.
2. b) The brain thinks about the mistake and adapts.
3. b) It leads to more innovation and better performance.
B. True / False
4. False – Learners with a fixed mindset believe abilities are fixed.
5. False – Being brave includes using feedback.
6. False – Sara’s example shows that trying despite mistakes helps learning.
C. Short Answer
7. Accept that mistakes will happen; pause and ask what went wrong. (Other acceptable answers: use feedback, keep trying, celebrate improvement.)
8. Mistakes make us think about what went wrong and change how we learn.
9. Sara used to avoid speaking; now she tries every day, accepts mistakes, and sees them as a way to learn.
D. Discussion / Writing
10. No single correct answer. Students write about a personal mistake, feelings, and learning outcome.
