Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill

Teacher’s notes
Age: Teenagers/Adults
Level: Elementary–Pre-intermediate (A1–A2)
Time: 60 minutes
 words as many times as they feel appropriate.
Activity: In this lesson, students will:
1. read about two specific international carnivals
2. create an advertising poster
3. talk about carnivals and street festivals
in general

Language focus: vocabulary related to carnivals;
adjectives + nouns
Materials: one copy of the worksheet per student
4. Carnival descriptions
First, ask students to write the descriptive
words in front of the nouns. They may use the
Then elicit other words that could be used to
describe the nouns in the context of ‘carnival’.
Get the students to add these to their
worksheets, as they will be able to use them
in the following task.
Key: (possible answers)
loud /funky/ live music

Procedure glittering / beautiful / samba /

colourful dancers
1. Warmer
Ask students to work in pairs and talk to each marching / steel / samba bands
other about which carnivals and festivals happen
beautiful / glittering costumes
in their town over the year, including briefly
covering what happens when and why there is a crowded / loud streets
carnival at this time, i.e. what does it celebrate?
spicy / multicultural / foreign food
2. Two places, two carnivals
happy / foreign faces
Tell students to use the words in the box to
complete the two short introduction texts about foreign / happy visitors
the carnival locations.
largest / loud/ funky /
Key: multicultural street festival
Rio de Janeiro, usually called Rio, is the second largest
colourful / loud / glittering parades
city in Brazil. Six and a half million people live in
Rio, from the very rich to the very poor. It is famous
for its beaches and for the giant statue of Christ
5. Come to the carnival!
the Redeemer.
Students work in small groups to create a
Notting Hill is an area in the west London royal webpage or flyer / leaflet advertising a trip to
borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Since the 1980s it one of the carnivals. Encourage them to use
has become a fashionable and expensive place to live. some of the language from the previous tasks
Around 160,000 people live here in its large houses and to make their advertisements as enticing as
which are mostly divided into flats and apartments. possible.

3. Rio or Notting Hill? Pin their finished work on the wall and hold a
Next, tell students they need to decide whether feedback session in which all the students look at
each statement is about the Rio Carnival or the and discuss the ads.
Notting Hill carnival.
6. Discussion questions
Key: Finally, ask students to talk about the two carnivals
Rio: b, d, e, i, j, k, m in the lesson and any other carnivals they have
Notting Hill: a, c, f, g, h, l, n attended or been involved in.

© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017

Celebrations: Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill 1
 Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill
Worksheet

Exercise 1: Warmer

• Does your town or area have a carnival or street festival?

• When is it, what does it celebrate and what happens there?

Exercise 2: Two places, two carnivals

Use the words in the box to complete the two short introduction texts.

160,000   area   city   expensive   houses   poor   six and a half million   statue

Rio de Janeiro, usually called Rio, is the second largest ________________________

in Brazil. ________________________ people live in Rio, from the very rich to the

very ________________________. It is famous for its beaches and for the giant

________________________ of Christ the Redeemer.

Notting Hill is an ________________________ in the west London royal borough

of Kensington and Chelsea. Since the 1980s it has become a fashionable and

________________________ place to live. Around ________________________ people live

here in its large ________________________ which are mostly divided into flats and

apartments.

© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017

Celebrations: Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill 1
 Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill
Worksheet

Exercise 3: Rio or Notting Hill?

Decide whether you think the statements are about the Rio Carnival or the Notting Hill carnival.

a. The carnival includes elements of Caribbean and West Indian cultures.

b. A lot of the carnival is held in the Sambadrome. You need to buy a ticket.
c. Around a million people visit the carnival every year.
d. The five-day carnival is held in Lent, the time before Easter.
e. People of all ages meet in groups in different parts of the city and then walk through the streets with
marching bands.
f. The first street carnival was held here in 1966.
g. Sunday is Children’s Day. This is a quieter day with a colourful parade for children.
h. The two-day carnival is held on the last Sunday and Monday in August.
i. The carnival begins with the crowning of the Fat King and ends with the famous Samba Parade.
j. The carnival includes elements of African and Amerindian cultures.
k. Half a million foreign visitors travel to the carnival every year.
l. The carnival is held in the streets and is free. There are no tickets.
m. The first carnival was celebrated here in 1723.
n. There are Caribbean bands, DJs, street parades, dancing, costumes, food and drink, and after-carnival parties.

Exercise 4: Carnival descriptions

Which of these descriptive words can you use before the nouns below?

beautiful    colourful    crowded    foreign    funky    glittering    happy
largest    live    loud    marching    multicultural    samba    spicy    steel

music

dancers

bands

costumes

streets

food

faces

visitors

street festival

parades

© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017

Celebrations: Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill 2
 Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill
Worksheet

Exercise 5: Come to the carnival!

Create a webpage or flyer advertising a trip to one of the carnivals. Use the space below to make notes,
if you need to.

Exercise 6: Discussion questions

• Which of the two carnivals would you prefer to go to, and why?

• Have you been to any international carnivals or street festivals?

© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017

Celebrations: Carnival – Rio and Notting Hill 3