Soda Fountain Pharmacy
WORKSHEET
1. Suggested Use
Storytelling and describing change over time, followed by B1+ level vocabulary and grammar activities.
2. Suggested Activities
A. Project-based learning
Students imagine reopening an old-style business that connects the past and the present, like the Griffith and Feil Pharmacy from the video. In pairs or small groups, students choose a type of shop or service and design how to make it retro but modern. They think about what it looks like, what old traditions they want to keep and what modern updates they want to include. Students write a short description or present their idea to the class.
B. Mediation task: Collaborating to construct meaning
Give students some of the main content words from the video, e.g. pharmacy, restaurant, old-style, tradition, memory etc. Have them work in groups to reconstruct the video and what they learnt. Have them elaborate on each of the words and join them together to make a cohesive summary of the story.
C. Pronunciation task: Pronunciation of uncommon words
Write some uncommon words from the video on the board, e.g. jukebox, tunes, pharmacist, old-style, soda fountain. Discuss the meanings and elicit the pronunciation. Have students work in pairs to come up with techniques for working out how to figure out the meaning and pronunciation of uncommon or unknown words in the future.
3. Vocabulary
Places and objects
pharmacy
restaurant
jukebox
photographs
furniture
soda fountain
medicine
shelves
malls
fast-food restaurants
Verbs and actions
walk in
prepare
enjoy
meet
remove
disappear
compete
live on
keep alive
Nouns related to the past
tradition
decade
century
memories
friendships
artifacts
history
4. Grammar
Present perfect:
It has been open since 1892; She has seen many surprised faces.
Past simple:
Many pharmacies removed them; Small stores couldn’t compete with malls.
Time expressions:
… since 1892 …; by the late…; by the time…; over time …; later
TRANSCRIPT
Soda Fountain Pharmacy
NARRATOR:
In West Virginia, USA, there is a business that has been open since 1892: the Griffith and Feil Pharmacy. Walking inside feels like going back in time. There’s a jukebox playing old tunes, black and white photographs, and wooden furniture that has been there for decades. At the back, the pharmacists prepare medicine. At the front, there’s a restaurant… and something even more special.
The Griffith and Feil Pharmacy has one of the last old-style soda fountains in the country. A century ago, soda fountains were very popular. They were often inside pharmacies so people could enjoy a drink or snack while they waited for their medicine. They were also a place to meet friends and spend time together. But by the late 1950s, many pharmacies removed them to make more space for shelves of everyday goods. Later, small family-run stores couldn’t compete with malls and fast-food restaurants. Over time, soda fountains almost disappeared. Here at Griffith and Feil though, the tradition lives on. For many, it brings back memories of being young — and for others, it creates new ones.
SOUNDBITE - Malli Jarrett:
"The cool thing about working in a place like this is seeing all the surprised and amazed faces on the customers when they walk in and having them tell me stories about how they used to work here when they were younger and how much they enjoy seeing the stuff knowing that it’s the real stuff from back in the 1950s, 60s, and they are just so surprised at all the historical artifacts we have here and I love seeing the reaction when they get excited seeing all of this stuff."
NARRATOR:
When we keep places like this alive, we don’t just save old objects — we save the feelings, friendships, and memories that go with them.