N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

CHRISTMAS
Question: How do people celebrate Christmas?
⚫ Complete the 15 sentences with the words on the left.

1. Many people like to give __________________s

to family and friends on birthdays and at Christmas.

2. __________________ often begins in late

November or early December.

3. A __________________ is white, red, and

sometimes green. It’s sweet. You can put it on a
tree, or you can eat it.

4. You can put presents under a _________________.

5. You can put small gifts in a __________________.

6. Let’s put __________________ on the tree!

C candle n. 7. A __________________, of course, is a man made

candy cane n. from snow.

Christmas card n. 8. Many people like to eat a large meal at Christmas

which includes __________________.
Christmas lights n.

Christmas shopping n. 9. You can __________________ a tree, or even your

house, with Christmas lights.
Christmas stocking n.
10. Some people like to go to __________________
Christmas tree n.
on Christmas day.
church n.
11. __________________ has a long, white beard.
D decorate v.
12. A week after Christmas, on New Year’s Eve, you
F fireworks n.
can see lots of colorful __________________.
G gingerbread n.
13. __________________ is a kind of cake that may be
P present n. shaped like a man or a house.

S Santa Claus n. 14. My friend sent me a __________________.

snowman n.
15. Some people like to light __________________s
T turkey n. at Christmas.

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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

CHRISTMAS
Question: How do people celebrate Christmas?
Complete the 15 sentences with the words on the left.

1. Many small children believe that __________________

delivers gifts to them every Christmas.

2. When it’s my friend’s birthday, I wish him a “Happy

Birthday!” At Christmas I say, “__________________!”

3. Christmas is always on the same day every year. It’s

always on __________________.

4. Do you __________________ Christmas? How?

5. Christmas is my favorite __________________.

6. Christmas is a __________________ holiday.

7. In many countries, people eat __________________

C carol n., v. as part of a traditional Christmas meal.
celebrate v.
8. My friend gave me a __________________ with the
Christmas card n. words, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

Christmas Eve n. 9. I like listening to Christmas songs, or Christmas

Christmas lights n. __________________s.

Christmas tree n. 10. Many people like to celebrate Christmas by going

to __________________.
church n.
11. __________________ means “Christmas evening”, or
D December 25 n.
the night before Christmas.
decorate v.
12. The Christmas __________________ begins in
H holiday n.
November when many people start to buy gifts.

M Merry Christmas phr.

13. We always __________________ our home with
S Santa Claus n. beautiful Christmas decorations.
shopping season n.
14. Santa puts gifts under the __________________.
T turkey n.
15. My family bought some __________________ to put on
W winter n. our Christmas tree, and then turned them on.

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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

BLENDED LEARNING LESSON

Was There Ever a Real Santa Claus?
Vocabulary Preview

• Match the words on the left with the meanings on the right.

1. go online A. having magic powers

2. google B. an old way of doing something
3. indeed C. used to make the meaning of a statement stronger
4. Christian D. a picture of someone or something
5. tradition E. to use the internet
6. image F. a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus

7. magical G. the mind, feelings, and character of a person

8. spirit H. to use the internet to look for information

• Use the above words to complete the sentences. Use plural forms and past
tense when necessary.

1. Exchanging gifts at Christmas is a _________________ in many countries.

2. My sister often _________________ to watch YouTube videos.

3. Harry Potter and his friends all have _________________ powers.

4. This coin has an _________________ of a famous president.

5. Many _________________ go to church at Christmas.

6. What is the capital city of Greece? Let’s _________________ it and find out.

7. Thank you very much, _________________, for your help.

8. Exercise is good for your body, mind, and _________________.

• Choose any two of the above words and write your own sentences.

1. _________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________

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N A M E : _____________________ DATE: ____________________

BLENDED LEARNING LESSON

Was There Ever a Real Santa Claus?
Grammar Practice

When I was a young boy, I knew exactly who Santa Claus was. He was a fat, friendly,
old man with a long white beard, and he (1)_____ our home once every year to put
lots and lots of toys under the Christmas tree. He came only if my sister and I had
been good, and only if we (2)_____ asleep. We must have (3)_____ good kids
because Santa brought gifts for (4)_____ every year! As I got older, (5)_____, I
stopped believing in Santa Claus. Many years later, I asked (6)_____ the following
questions: Is there a real Santa Claus? (7)_____ there ever a real Santa Claus? So, I
(8)_____ online and googled “Santa Claus.” And guess what? I found out that yes,
indeed, Santa Claus was, in fact, a real man! His name was Saint Nicholas, and he
(9)_____ in what is now Turkey, about 1,700 years ago. He was famous because he
was a Christian and he often (10)_____ the poor by giving them gifts. About a
thousand years later, people in Europe (11)_____ the tradition of giving gifts to
children at Christmas as a way to (12)_____ Saint Nicholas.

1. 5. 9.
(A) visits (A) however (A) lived
(B) visited (B) because (B) lives
(C) visiting (C) but (C) living

2. 6. 10.
(A) were (A) my (A) help
(B) are (B) myself (B) helped
(C) was (C) me (C) helps

3. 7. 11.
(A) were (A) Did (A) began
(B) be (B) Were (B) begin
(C) been (C) Was (C) begun

4. 8. 12.
(A) ours (A) go (A) remembered
(B) we (B) going (B) remember
(C) us (C) went (C) remembering

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N A M E : _____________________ DATE: ____________________

BLENDED LEARNING LESSON

Was There Ever a Real

Santa Claus?
TOPIC: Christmas

When I was a young boy, I knew exactly who Santa Claus was. He was a fat,
friendly, old man with a long white beard, and he visited our home once every
year to put lots and lots of toys under the Christmas tree. He came only if my
sister and I had been good, and only if we were asleep. We must have been
good kids because Santa brought gifts for us every year! As I got older,
however, I stopped believing in Santa Claus. Many years later, I asked myself
the following questions: Is there a real Santa Claus? Was there ever a real
Santa Claus? So, I went online1 and googled2 “Santa Claus.” And guess what?
I found out that yes, indeed3, Santa Claus was, in fact, a real man! His name
was Saint Nicholas, and he lived in what is now Turkey, about 1,700 years ago.
He was famous because he was a Christian4 and he often helped the poor by
giving them gifts. About a thousand years later, people in Europe began the
tradition5 of giving gifts to children at Christmas as a way to remember Saint
Nicholas. The modern image6 of Santa Claus, a magical7 old man dressed in
red and white, with a long white beard, began about 200 years ago in Canada
and in the United States. Nowadays, he is also known as Saint Nick, Father
Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or just Santa. The original Saint Nicholas may
have lived and died a long, long time ago, but I like to believe that his spirit8
still lives on to this day. His spirit, I believe, reminds us that true happiness
comes from giving to other people.

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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

CHRISTMAS
READING COMPREHENSION

1. The article is about getting lots of toys for Christmas.

(a) TRUE
(b) FALSE
(c) It doesn’t say.

2. What did the man do when he was a boy?

(a) He put lots of toys under a Christmas tree.
(b) He slept a lot at Christmas.
(c) He opened his gifts on Christmas morning.

3. When did the man stop believing in Santa Claus?

(a) when he was a boy
(b) when his sister told him that Santa Claus was not real
(c) when he grew up

4. Why was Saint Nicholas famous?

(a) He helped many people.
(b) He believed in Santa Claus.
(c) He lived in Turkey.

5. What does the word ‘he’ refer to?

(a) Turkey
(b) Saint Nicholas
(c) poor people

6. What does the word ‘tradition’ mean?

(a) how to remember things
(b) a way of doing something
(c) giving things to people

7. Who is Kris Kringle?

(a) a modern man
(b) Santa Claus
(c) It doesn’t say.

8. When did Saint Nicholas die?

(a) about 1,700 years ago
(b) about a thousand years ago
(c) about two hundred years ago

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N A M E : ________________________________ DATE: ____________________

BLENDED LEARNING LESSON

Was There Ever a Real Santa Claus?
How Much Do You Understand?

• Complete the statements.

1. Santa Claus visited our home A. when I was older.

2. I stopped believing in Santa B. Santa Claus still lives on to this day.
3. Later, I went online to find out C. more about Santa Claus.
4. The real Santa Claus lived D. about 1,700 years ago.
5. Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) E. every Christmas when I was a kid.
6. I believe that the spirit of F. became famous for giving gifts to the
poor.

Discuss

• Discuss the following questions with your classmates.

1. Are you surprised to learn that Santa Claus was a real man?
2. What are some questions that you would like to ask Santa Claus?
3. Describe a gift that someone gave you. Did you like it? Why? / Why not?
4. Besides Christmas, when are some other times that people give gifts?

Write
• Write your answer to Question 3: “Describe a gift that someone gave you. Did
you like it? Why? / Why not?”

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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ADVICE COLUMN
problems about Christmas
◼ Read the problems below and discuss possible solutions.

Dear Santa, Dear Santa,

Please don’t laugh at me or think I’m
strange, but I have an unusual problem.
Christmas is still three weeks away, but
I’m so excited that I can’t think about
anything else – including my school
homework and studying for tests! In just
a few more weeks my grandparents will
be visiting, my mom will be cooking
delicious food, there will be and there will
be candy canes, and best of all … lots of
presents under the tree. How can I think
about anything else, like school? All the
Christmas decorations remind me that my
favorite time of year is coming soon!
Tommy
Dear Santa,
Help, Christmas will soon be here,
but I have no idea what to buy for my
wife, Julia. I bought her a necklace last
year – unfortunately I had forgotten that I
bought her the same necklace the year
before, as well. Wow … I can’t make that
same mistake again! Please help me
Santa. Can you suggest any suitable gift
ideas for her?
People in many countries all around
the world celebrate Christmas and enjoy
all the wonderful traditions that go with it.
Everyone is happy, it seems. Then why
do I feel so depressed? I can only think
about negative things. My son, for
example, is doing poorly in school
recently. His teachers say that he isn’t
doing his homework or studying much for
tests. And last year, when I unwrapped a
gift from my husband (whom I love very
much), I discovered a necklace – the
same gift that he had given me for
Christmas the year before! Will my
husband make the same mistake this
year, I wonder? The Christmas season
should be a happy time of year – what
can I do to feel happier?
Julia

Stewart

◼ Compare your solutions with your other classmates. Do you have the same
or different ideas? Who do you think has the best advice?

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