Intermediate Level Christmas ESL Lesson Plan

Intermediate Level Christmas ESL Lesson Plan ________________________________________________________________________________________________________...
Author: Stewart Dawson
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Intermediate Level Christmas ESL Lesson Plan

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Christmas Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25, is one of the biggest celebrations of the year in many countries around the world. It is both a religious and a secular holiday. In most countries where Christmas is celebrated, it is a legal or statutory holiday. Most workers receive at least one or two days off work, and children often have a two-week vacation at this time. Christmas is a very important day for members of the Christian religion because it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. At church services everywhere, Christians retell the story of the birth of Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem. Although Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, the Christmas season actually lasts for almost a month. In many countries, from mid-November on, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Streets, homes and shops are filled with colorful Christmas lights and decorations. Shopping centers are full of people doing their Christmas shopping. In fact, the weeks preceding Christmas are the busiest shopping weeks of the year. In most western countries, many retailers make up 70% of their annual sales in the month before Christmas. Many of the present day customs that we associate with Christmas actually originated in pagan festivals long ago. Thousands of years ago, celebrations were often held around the time of the winter solstice. People were often afraid when the sun disappeared during the long, cold nights of winter. When the days finally began to grow longer, they celebrated the return of the sun by making great bonfires, serving large festive meals, and exchanging gifts. After the birth of Christ, many of these traditions of the old pagan festivals were combined with the celebration of Christmas. Probably the most recognizable, non-religious symbol of Christmas is that of Santa Claus. Pictures can be seen everywhere of the jolly, old man with the long white beard, big stomach, and red suit. Children in Canada and the United States believe that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole where he makes toys with his helpful, little elves. On Christmas Eve, December 24, he travels through the sky on a sled pulled by reindeer. He lands on the roof of people’s homes, enters through the chimney, and leaves wonderful gifts for all the good little boys and girls. In some countries, December 6 is celebrated in a similar way as Saint Nicolas Day. In the weeks before Christmas, Santa Claus often appears in many stores and shopping centers throughout the cities. Excited children wait in long lines to sit on Santa’s lap, have their pictures taken with him, and tell him what presents they are hoping to receive at Christmas. Besides being a religious celebration and a wonderful, exciting time for children, Christmas is also an important time for family gatherings. People travel long distances to spend time with their family at this time of the year. Singing Christmas carols, decorating the family Christmas tree, hanging stockings by the fire, and exchanging cards and gifts are all part of the holiday season. Of course, food is also a very important part of the Christmas celebration. Stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes still remains the most traditional meal served at Christmas dinners, but other wonderful Christmas dishes, holiday baking and special festive treats fill the homes of all who celebrate this season. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Comprehension Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in the spaces provided. 1. Do most people in North America work on December 25? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the significance of Christmas for members of the Christian religion? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Why is Christmas such an important time for North American retailers? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Where did many of the modern day customs of Christmas originate? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Why were many pagan festivals held during the time of the winter solstice? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Describe Santa Claus. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Where does Santa Claus live? Who does he live with? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. When is Saint Nicolas Day celebrated in many countries? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. What is the traditional meal served at Christmas dinners? __________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. List six activities mentioned in the article that are associated with the Christmas season. _______________________

_________________________ _________________________

_______________________

_________________________ _________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Vocabulary Exercise A. Match the words on the left with the correct meaning on the right. _____ 1. secular _____ 2. statutory _____ 3. commemorate _____ 4. gathering _____ 5. decorated _____ 6. precede _____ 7. originate _____ 8. disappear _____ 9. bonfire _____ 10. exchange _____ 11. beard _____ 12. sled _____ 13. similar _____ 14. appear _____ 15. recipe

A. trade B. come before C. vehicle for the snow D. alike, the same E. legal, according to the law F. large outdoor fire G. hair on the face H. show up, come I. ingredients and instructions for cooking J. not religious K. meeting, coming together L. go out of sight, can’t be seen M. honor the memory, remember N. made to look more beautiful O. come from

B. Choose the correct word from the list above to complete the following sentences. (You may have to change the verb tense.) 1. November 11 is a day to ____________________________ all the people who died in both World Wars. 2. January ___________________________ February on the calendar. 3. She __________________________ the Christmas cake with red and green candies. 4. Many children in elementary schools __________________ cards on Valentine’s Day. 5. The twin sisters look so _______________________ . I don’t know who is who. 6. Your chocolate cake is delicious! Can you please give me the ___________________. 7. We have a big family ____________________________ every Thanksgiving. 8. Santa Claus travels through the sky on a ____________________ pulled by reindeer. 9. When we went camping last summer, we sat around the ___________________ every evening and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. 10. Thanksgiving is a _____________________ holiday in Canada and United States. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Vocabulary #2 C. Underline the word(s) with the closest meaning to the word in italics. 1. carol -

a. box

b. tree

c. song

d. gift

2. gift -

a. custom

b. show

c. cake

d. present

3. jolly -

a. happy

b. fat

c. big

d. kind

4. retailer -

a. receiver

b. seller

c. do again

d. someone who sews

5. stuffed -

a. always

b. fat

c. full

d. turkey

6. custom -

a. tradition

b. gift

c. feast

d. meal

7. manger -

a. boss

b. box

c. sleep

d. dress

8. annual -

a. always

b. daily

c. apple

d. yearly

9. merry -

a. girl

b. happy

c. a lot

d. funny

10. pagan - a. new b. paper c. festival d. non-religious ________________________________________________________________________ D. Odd One Out – Underline the one that does not belong. 1. fear

be afraid

believe

be scared

2. chimney

basement

roof

smoke

3. solstice

December 21

June 21

October 31

4. Santa Claus

reindeer

South Pole

elves

5. lap

leg

arm

seat

6. recognizable

easy to notice

easy to know

believable

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Holiday Time – Group Work Complete the chart below by asking your partners questions about their favorite holiday. Classmate #1 Classmate # 2 Classmate #4 (me) name: name: Name of favorite holiday

Time of year

Statutory holiday

Religious or secular holiday

Symbols, traditions, customs of the holiday

Traditional clothing

Special food

Decorations

Gifts Cards Why is this your favorite holiday? ___________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Pair Work – Reading and Sharing Information – Student A Symbols of Christmas Directions: You and your partner each have some information about symbols of Christmas. Read your information and then share it with your partner. At Christmas time, many people like to decorate their doors with Christmas wreaths. A wreath is a bunch of flowers or leaves that have been twisted together to make a circle. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of everlasting life because the shape is an unbroken circle, and the branches come from an evergreen tree, which remains green all winter. Mistletoe is an evergreen plant with small white berries. It has been used as a decoration for thousands of years. In ancient times, people believed that the plant had special magical powers and they often used it in their special ceremonies. In Scandinavia, the mistletoe was associated with their goddess of love and peace, Frigga. This connection between the mistletoe and love probably explains our custom of kissing whenever we meet someone under the mistletoe. In the early years of Christianity, the church did not allow people to use mistletoe because of its pagan origins. Instead, the church priests suggested the use of holly as a decoration. Holly is also an evergreen plant. It has sharp, shiny, pointed leaves and red berries. The pointed leaves represent the thorns in Christ’s crown and the red berries represent his drops of blood. Because of this, red and green have become the traditional colors of Christmas. Holly is used as a common decoration throughout the Christmas season and remains an important symbol of Christmas today. The poinsettia is a tropical plant with large red leaves. In 1828, Dr. Joel Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, saw the beautiful Mexican plant and decided to bring it from Mexico to his own country. Since then, the poinsettia has become a traditional Christmas plant that can be found in homes, offices and shops throughout North America during the Christmas season. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. 1. Why is the Christmas wreath a symbol of everlasting life? 2. What are the traditional colors of Christmas? 3. Where did the custom of kissing under the mistletoe come from? 4. Why did ancient people often use mistletoe in their special celebrations? 5. Why is holly used as a Christmas decoration? 6. Why did people long ago believe that evergreen trees were magical? 7. Where did the custom of decorating Christmas trees originate? 8. How did the custom of decorating a tree spread to England? 9. What does the shape of a candy cane represent? 10.When were candy canes first made? 11. When and where did the custom of sending Christmas cards originate? 12. List six common symbols of Christmas. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Pair Work – Reading and Sharing Information – Student B Symbols of Christmas Directions: You and your partner each have some information about symbols of Christmas. Read your information and then share it with your partner. Thousands of years ago people believed that evergreen trees were magical because they stayed strong and green during the winter when other trees became brown and bare. The evergreen tree became a symbol of life and hope and joy. The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree originated in Germany around the 16th century. It became common for German people to decorate fir trees with candles, fruit or colored paper. This custom spread to England in the 19th century when Queen Victoria married a German prince named Albert. Albert put up a Christmas tree in the royal palace to remind him of his homeland. Later the tradition spread from England to North America. Nowadays, Christmas trees are decorated with fancy ornaments, colored lights, shiny paper, candy canes, stars and angels. Candy sticks have been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t until the late 1800’s that they were decorated with red stripes and bent into the shapes of canes. A candy maker in United States wanted to make a candy that would represent Christmas. Candy canes represent the staffs or sticks used by the shepherds who traveled to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. If you turn a candy cane upside down, it looks like the letter J. This shape symbolizes the first letter of Jesus’ name. The red in a candy cane represents the blood of Christ. The custom of sending Christmas cards to family and friends originated in England. The first Christmas card was made by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. At about this same time, the public mail delivery system first started. The original Christmas cards were handmade and very expensive. As printing methods and mail delivery improved, Christmas cards became more and more popular. Nowadays millions of Christmas cards are sent all over the world each year. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. 1. Why is the Christmas wreath a symbol of everlasting life? 2. What are the traditional colors of Christmas? 3. Where did the custom of kissing under the mistletoe come from? 4. Why did ancient people often use mistletoe in their special celebrations? 5. Why is holly used as a Christmas decoration? 6. Why did people long ago believe that evergreen trees were magical? 7. Where did the custom of decorating Christmas trees originate? 8. How did the custom of decorating a tree spread to England? 9. What does the shape of a candy cane represent? 10.When were candy canes first made? 11. When and where did the custom of sending Christmas cards originate? 12. List six common symbols of Christmas.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Review – Symbols of Christmas wreath – mistletoe – holly – poinsettia – Christmas tree – candy cane – Christmas card Directions: Read your partner’s reading on the symbols of Christmas. Then write the correct symbol that is associated with each of the following: 1. Sir Henry Cole 2. Goddess of Love, Frigga 3. Prince Albert 4. 1843 5. Mexico 6. kiss under it 7. place it on your door 8. shepherd’s staff 9. Germany 10. red and green

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Santa Claus

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list below to complete the story of Santa Claus jolly - appearance - century - kind - climbed - dry - red - spread tradition - chimney - generosity - stocking - sled The ________________ of Santa Claus or Father Christmas began with a real person named Saint Nicolas. He was born in Turkey in the 4th ______________________. Saint Nicolas was a very __________________ and generous man. He liked to help poor people by giving them money, but he didn’t want them to know about his _____________. According to one story, Saint Nicolas once ________________ up on the roof of a house and dropped a bag of money down the ___________________. The money landed in a _________________which a young girl had placed by the fire to ___________________. The legend of Saint Nicolas ________________ to many countries. For many years after Saint Nicolas’ death, children in Holland left out their wooden shoes in the hopes that Saint Nicolas would fill them with treats. The Dutch called Saint Nicolas, Sinterklaas. In English, the name became Santa Claus. Over the years, the _________________ of Santa Claus changed too. In early pictures, he often appeared tall and thin, dressed in a brown or green suit. In 1822, a man named Clement Moore wrote a famous poem called “The Night Before Christmas”. In this poem, Moore described Santa as a _______ _______ fat man in a ______________ suit riding in a _________________ pulled by reindeer. Gradually, this image of Santa became very popular. Nowadays, children hang stockings by the fire on Christmas Eve and wait for Santa to come and fill them with treats and toys. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Vocabulary, Idioms and Expressions

1.to be in the red – losing money, showing a financial loss 2. to be caught red-handed – to be caught while doing something bad 3. red tape – difficult government forms and procedures 4. lay (roll) out the red carpet – give a special welcome and special treatment to a special person 5. to give (get) the green light – to give (get) the okay or approval to do something 6. to be green with envy – to be very jealous of someone, to want what he/she has 7. have a green thumb – to be good at gardening 8. to feel or be stuffed – to feel very full from eating a lot 9. to go (or quit something) cold turkey – to quit a habit all at once, not gradually 10. to talk turkey – to discuss a deal very seriously

Choose one of the words or expressions above to complete the following sentences.

1. My neighbor bought a beautiful new car. My car is almost twenty years old. I am ______________________________________. 2. When the Queen comes to our city, we will ______________________________________ for her. 3. I can’t eat another thing! I feel ______________________________________________. 4. Mary’s flowers are always beautiful. She must have a ____________________________________. 5. The robber was ___________________________________________________ with his hand full of money. 6. Last night she threw her full package of cigarettes in the garbage. She decided to __________________________________. 7. I think that business will have to close soon. It has been ____________________________ for several years. 8. You shouldn’t start the project until the boss gives you __________________________________________.

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Find Someone Who….. Walk around the class and ask your classmates questions. Find someone…. 1.who has a Christmas tree.

__________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. who has sent Christmas cards this year.

__________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. who has felt green with envy.

___________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. who has a green thumb.

___________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. who goes to church on Christmas eve or Christmas day. ______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. who is planning to have a turkey for Christmas dinner. ______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. who quit smoking cold turkey.

_____________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. who has a lot of Christmas shopping to do.

_____________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. whose favorite holiday is Christmas.

______________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. who has decorated his/her house with Christmas lights. _______________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Holidays - Christmas (Intermediate-level)

TEACHER’S NOTES / ANSWER KEY

These activities are designed for intermediate level adult ESL learners, but they may also be suitable for junior and senior high school ESL students. Suggested Flashcards to Accompany the Unit Baby Jesus in the manger, Christmas tree, Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia, candy cane, angels, shepherds, Christmas ornaments, etc. Activity One – Reading and Comprehension Questions Begin by introducing any difficult vocabulary you feel the students may encounter. You may choose to have the students read the passage silently, or have the students take turns reading aloud in order to monitor pronunciation. After reading the passage, break the students into pairs and have them practice asking and answering the comprehension questions. At the end of the oral practice, have the students write the answers. Review again orally with the whole class. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Most people do not work on this day as it is a statutory holiday. This day commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. The weeks preceding Christmas are the busiest shopping weeks of the year. Many of the customs originated in pagan festivals long ago. The solstice marked the end of the long, dark nights of winter and many people celebrated the return of the sun by having bonfires, eating festive meals and exchanging gifts. 6. Santa Claus is a jolly old man with a long white beard, a big stomach and a red suit. 7. Santa Claus lives in the north Pole, with many elves and reindeer. 8. December 6th. 9. Stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes remains the traditional meal. 10. exchanging gifts, singing carols, getting together with friends and family, hanging stockings by the fire, decorating a Christmas tree, eating a festive meal Activity Two – Vocabulary – (two sheets) A. Matching 1. j 2. e

3. m

4. k

5. n

B. Choose the correct word 1. commemorate 2. precedes 8. sled 9. bonfire 10. statutory

6. b

7. o

8. l

9. f

10. a

3. decorated

4. exchange

5. alike

6. a

8. d

10. d

C. Underline the word 1. c 2. d 3. a 4. b

5. c

D. Odd one out 1. believe 2. smoke

3. October 31st

7. b

9. b

4. South Pole

5. seat

11. g

12. c

13. d

6. recipe

14. h

15. i

7. gathering

6. believable

Follow-up by having the students give their own sentences with the new words. Activity Three – Holiday time – Group Work Break the class into groups of three. Before the students begin to interview each other, ask them to write the questions they will be asking. Review as a whole class. This will ensure that they are asking the questions correctly. (ex. What is your favorite holiday? When is it? Is it a religious holiday? What traditions and customs are associated with this holiday? etc.) Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESLlibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.

Holidays - Christmas (Intermediate-level)

Activity Four– Pair Work/Information Sharing – The Symbols of Christmas Break the class into pairs. Each student has a different reading about the symbols of Christmas. Have the students read their articles silently and then share the information with their partner by completing the comprehension questions together. Review together with the whole class. After the students complete their oral work, have them exchange readings and then complete the exercises on the second page of Symbols of Christmas together. (The first exercise is a comprehension exercise. The second is a fill-in-the blanks story about Santa Claus. Have a few students retell the story of Santa.) 1. The Christmas wreath is a symbol of everlasting life because the shape is an unbroken circle, and the branches come from an evergreen tree, which remains green all winter. 2. Red and green are the traditional colours of Christmas. 3. It came from Scandinavia where mistletoe was associated with their goddess of love and peace, Frigga. 4. They believed it had special powers. 5. Holly is used as a Christmas decoration because of it’s religious significance; it’s pointed leaves represent the thorns in Christ’s crown and the red berries represent his drops of blood. 6. Thousands of years ago people believed that evergreen trees were magical because they stayed strong and green during the winter when other trees became brown and bare. 7. The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree originated in Germany around the 16th century. 8. This custom spread to England in the 19th century when Queen Victoria married a German prince named Albert who put up a Christmas tree in the royal palace to remind him of his homeland. 9. The shape represents the staffs or sticks used by the shepherds who traveled to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. 10. Candy canes were first made in the late 1800’s. 11. The custom of sending Christmas cards originated in England in 1843. 12. wreath, mistletoe, holly, candy canes, cards, Christmas tree Review - Symbols of Christmas 1. Christmas card 2. mistletoe 7. wreath 8. candy cane

3. Christmas tree 9. Christmas tree

4. Christmas card 10. holly

5. poinsettia

6. mistletoe

Fill in the blanks tradition: century; kind; generosity; climbed; chimney; stocking; dry; spread; appearance; jolly; red; sled Activity Five – Vocabulary, Idioms and Expressions The idioms given include words related to Christmas - (ex. idioms using the colors red and green, the word turkey etc). Explain the meanings, use them in context, have the students complete the sentences, and then write their own sentences using the idioms. 1. green with envy 6. quit cold turkey

2. lay out the red carpet 3. stuffed 7. in the red 8. the green light

4. green thumb

5. caught red-handed

Activity Six - Group Interaction / Practice Making Questions – “Find Someone Who..” First have the students write the questions they will be asking their classmates. Then have the students circulate around the class asking the questions on the sheet. When the student finds a classmate who can answer the question, he/she will then write the student’s name on the line and follow-up with one more question of his/her own. Ex. “Do you have a Christmas tree? If the student answers “yes”, the second question might be: “Is it real?” or “Where did you get it?”, etc. Try to encourage the students to engage in real conversation during this activity. Follow up by sharing the information with the whole class.

Copyright 2008. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be photocopied by members of ESLlibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.