PREVIEW ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.

The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions below about Mexico and Cinco de Mayo.

1 What comes to mind when you think of Mexico? What is the country
and culture known for?

2 What do you know about Cinco de Mayo and how it’s celebrated?

Describe what you see in the images below. How do you think each place, event, or
PART III
2
action is associated with Cinco de Mayo?

1 2 3

PART 3 Choose the correct noun used in each definition of the vocabulary phrases below.

rocks ruin odds dust spirits

1 If something happens against all , it means it happens despite a

really low chance of success.

2 If a country or government raises national , it means it lifts the

mood or pride of the people, usually during a time of crisis.

3 If something happens after the settles, it means it happens when

things have calmed down, generally after chaos, crisis, or war.

4 If a country is in financial , it means it has no money or has lost a

lot of money.

5 If a cocktail is served over , it means it’s served with ice.

PREVIEW ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

PART 1 Discuss the questions about the vocabulary terms / phrases based on the context.

1 My uncle enlisted in the military right after graduating from high school.

• What do you think it means to enlist in the military?

• What age do you think people should be able to enlist in the military?
• Why would a government need to enlist soliders in the military?

2 The army fortified their base to prepare for a possible attack against it.

• What do you think it means to fortify a base?

• What could an army do to fortify its base?

3 The French conquered England in the year 1066. From that point on, England
was ruled by French kings for about 300 years.

• What do you think it means to conquer territory?

• Why do/did empires want to conquer territory? What is the benefit of
conquering new territory?

PART 2 Choose the correct definition for the vocabulary words as used in the sentences.

1 The history of USA’s independence traces back to the late 18th century.

trace back to means... a. think about a place or time from the past
b. originate from a place or time of
c. be reminded of a place or time from the past

2 The military troops decided to retreat back to their base after it became clear
they wouldn’t win the battle.

retreat means... a. run from or escape an attack

b. move in the direction of an attack bravely
c. stay in the same position without moving

3 Sometimes it can happen that an army wins a battle despite being

outnumbered by their enemy.

to be outnumbered means...

a. to have an equal number to

b. to exceed in number
c. to have a lower number than
THE REAL STORY OF Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
CINCO DE MAYO The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION: Read the discussion topic

below and discuss it with your partner or teacher.

How important do you think it is to know about

the history or origins of national holidays in your
native country?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 Discuss / Write answers to the questions according to the information in the video.

0:01 1 How do people celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

--- 2 Summarize the history of Cinco de Mayo and why it’s celebrated.

0:19 3 In the video, a few random people are interviewed on the street. What are they
interviewed about? Why do you think the video producer included these interviews?

PART 2 Choose true or false according to the information in the video.

0:26 1 TRUE FALSE Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is the equivalent of the 4th of July in
the USA.

1:03 2 TRUE FALSE The Mexicans were victorious at the Battle of Puebla.

2:25 3 TRUE FALSE Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in the USA than it is
in Mexico.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

PART 1 Choose the correct past simple verbs that fit the sentences below.

outnumbered enlisted retreated settled fortified

1 After the French stormed the port city of Veracruz, the Mexican army
to the city of Puebla. President Juarez then
soldiers to stop the French from moving further inland.

2 Led by General Zaragoza, the Mexicans Puebla against the

French attacks, and on May 5th, they fought back hard against them.

3 The Mexicans won the Battle of Puebla despite the fact that the French
them three to one.

4 After the dust , fewer than 100 Mexicans were killed at the
Battle of Puebla. The French’s death toll was about five times greater.

Rewrite the sentences below and replace the words in bold with the words that were
PART 2
used in the video.

1 The story of Cinco de Mayo traces back to when Benito Juarez was the
Mexican president and the country had no money at all.

2 The Mexicans won the Battle of Puebla despite very low chances of success.

3 The victory at the Battle of Puebla lifted the mood and pride of the people
at a moment in history when Mexico really needed it.

PART 3 Think of and discuss another time / event in history when...

1 ...a country had to raise national spirits.

2 ...something happened against all odds.
3 ...a country was in financial ruin.
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

PART 1 Study the usage and examples of contrasts using as + [adjective] + as.

When discussing Cinco de Mayo’s popularity in Mexico compared to the US, the reporter says..

“ Cinco de Mayo isn’t as widely celebrated in Mexico as it is in the United States.

We often use the structure as + [adjective] + as to contrast things, people, or places to indicate
that they are not the same or equal. In this type of structure, we negate the verb to be prior to
the first “as” (isn’t, aren’t, etc.) and use the positive form of the verb to be after the second “as”
to indicate that the things in the comparison are not the same / equal.

Tequila isn’t as widely drunk in Europe as it is in the USA and Mexico.

EXAMPLES

In my opinion, margaritas aren’t as tasty in the US as they are in Mexico.

PART 2 Negate each sentence and rewrite it using as + [adjective / adverb] + as.

EX The battle at Puebla was more deadly for the French than the Mexicans.
The battle at Puebla wasn’t as deadly for the Mexicans as it was for the French.

1 “Tex-Mex” cuisine is more widely eaten in southern US states than in northern states.

2 “Sombreros” are more widely worn in Mexico than in the USA.

3 In the battle of Puebla, the French army was more prepared than the Mexican army.

4 In my travel experience, the food I had in India was spicier than the food I had in Mexico.

5 In my travel experience, the beaches in California were cleaner than they were in Mexico.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 3 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

WRITING TASK:

Think of two topics — they can be any person, place, thing, etc. Write sentences of
contrast on these topics using the structure as + [adjective] + as. Negate the first
example of the verb “to be” in your sentences. Share your sentences with your class.

TOPIC: English language

EX In my travel experience, English wasn’t as widely spoken in Brazil as it

was in Mexico.

TOPIC:

TOPIC:

ROLE PLAY CONVERSATION:

STEP 1: Choose one of the roles below.

STUDENT A:

Mexican soldier Mexican citizen General Zaragoza President Juarez

STUDENT B:

Mexican soldier Mexican citizen General Zaragoza President Juarez

STEP 2: Imagine it’s one year after the Battle of Puebla. Talk about the battle and the
events from your perspective with your partner. Ask each other questions. Use some of
the words / phrases below in your questions and conversation.

outnumbered | enlisted | retreated | settled | fortified

national spirits | financial ruin | against all odds | on the rocks

QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
The Real Story of Cinco de Mayo (B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Questions. Answer the questions below about the video.

1 What do you remember about Cinco de Mayo’s history?

2 What kind of drink does the woman show you how to make? How is it made?
3 What are random people interviewed about on the street in the video?

PART 2 Vocabulary: Define each word below. Then write / say a sentence out loud using each
word. Make your sentence somehow connected to the Battle of Puebla.

1. retreat

2. fortify

3. outnumber

PART 3 Vocabulary: Write the full phrases that fit the paraphrased sentences from the video.

1 The Mexicans won the battle of Puebla , and

Cinco de Mayo represents Mexican pride in that.

2 After , fewer than 100 Mexicans were killed at the

battle of Puebla. The French’s death toll was about five times greater.

3 The battle of Puebla at a moment in history when

Mexico really needed it.

PART 4 Grammar: Explain the usage of as + [adjective] + as in English. Then finish writing
the sentence below about Cinco de Mayo from the video using this form.

Cinco de Mayo in the United States.

PART 5 Write two of your own sentences using the same as + [adjective] + as structure.