Holidays & Events

Anzac Day
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. Which nations celebrate Anzac Day?

2. What do you think Anzac stands for?

3. How do you pronounce the word “corps”?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. pride a)  friendship (especially in groups)

2. allegiance b)  to leave after a defeat

3. casualty c)  loyalty and support for a ruler or ally

4. drag on d)  serious, not cheerful

5. retreat (verb) e)  a plant used for flavoring or medicine

6. spirit f)  to remember and honor the dead

7. camaraderie g)  to continue for a long time (negative meaning)

8. solemn h)  inner drive and determination

9. pay one’s respects i)  a feeling of satisfaction and joy about one’s achievements

10. herb j)  one who died or was injured in a war or accident

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Reading
1. A
 nzac Day is observed annually on April 25 in Australia and New
Zealand. This is a day of national pride and remembrance in both
nations. It honors the men and women from these countries who died
or served in war and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day also marks
the anniversary of the first major military action by these nations.

2. In 1914, Australia and New Zealand pledged allegiance to Britain after
it declared war against Germany. Together, the Australian and New
Zealand forces became the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps,
aka “Anzac.”

3. O
 n April 25, 1915, the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Allies
Turkey. Their goal was to help the Allied forces capture Turkey’s
An “ally” is a person or group
capital, Constantinople (now Istanbul) and knock Turkey out of the with a common interest or
war. In World War I, Turkey was an ally of Germany. The Turkish position. The word “ally” can
defenders, however, were stronger than expected. On the first day of also be a verb meaning to unite.
battle, 2,000 Anzacs died. Their British and French allies also suffered A group that allies together is
also known as an “alliance.”
major casualties.
When capitalized, “the Allies”
4. The battle dragged on until the end of the year. Within eight months,
(or “Allied forces” or “Allied
over 10,000 Anzacs had died. Survivors suffered horrific conditions, powers”) refers to the nations
including hunger, cold, and disease. The Anzacs retreated in that formed an alliance against
December 1915. By January, all of the remaining Allies had also left. Germany and its allies in World
Despite failing to meet their military objectives, the Anzacs became War I and II.
known for their courage, spirit,and camaraderie.

5. O
 n April 25 each year, Australians and New Zealanders keep their
promise to never forget the service and sacrifice of the Anzacs.
Solemn services are held at dawn in memory of the early morning
landing on Gallipoli. In the afternoon, servicemen and women take
part in marches or parades. Civilians and the military pin rosemary
to their clothing to pay their respects. This fragrant herb grew wild
on the Gallipoli peninsula. The Anzac biscuit is a traditional food
that people bake and eat on this day. During the war, these egg‑free,
nutritional biscuits were sent to the Anzacs because they didn’t
spoil easily.

6. Lest we forget.

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Comprehension
Answer the following questions in full sentences.

1. When is Anzac Day and who observes it?

2. What happened on the Gallipoli peninsula in World War I?

3. Why does the reading mention Constantinople?

4. What did the Allies decide to do at the end of 1915?

5. Describe some Anzac Day customs.

Vocabulary Review
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.
You may need to change the word forms.

1. There were about 40 million civilian and military               in the Great War.

2. Does your country pledge               to the Queen?

3. The general had a strong               and always stayed positive in times of trouble.

4. It was a               day. We buried my father and paid our respects to his military unit.

5. The summer heat               through the end of September.

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Pronunciation
SILENT LETTERS

A. Reference

Many English words contain silent letters.

Use a dictionary to complete this chart.

# Word Silent Letter(s) Phonetic Pronunciation (or IPA) Meaning

Ex sword w sord a weapon with a sharp point

1 solemn

2 herb

3 limb

4 corps

5 island

6 biscuit

B. Practice

Now place a star beside the words above that are in the reading on page 2.
Recite sentences from the reading that contain your starred words.

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Discussion
1. What days of remembrance do other nations observe?
Which one(s) does your country observe?

2. What can be learned from military failures?

3. Why is camaraderie so important in the military?

4. Have you ever been to Australia or New Zealand? What words

come to mind when you think of these nations and their people?

5. What makes you proud of your own country?

Group Challenge
Get into small groups and have a Biscuit Battle!

1. Find a recipe for Anzac biscuits.

2. Gather the ingredients. (Who will buy what?)

3. B
 ake enough biscuits for each classmate to try one.
(You can choose one person to do the baking at home.)

4. Hold a Biscuit Battle in your classroom.

Which group made the best biscuits? Take a class vote!

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Listening
 http://blog.esllibrary.com/2019/04/10/podcast-anzac-day/

Fill in the blanks as you listen to the recording.

1. Anzac Day is observed annually on April 25 in Australia and

New Zealand. This is a day of national              
and remembrance in both nations. It honors the men and women
from these countries who died or served in war and peacekeeping
operations. Anzac Day also marks the anniversary of the first major
              action by these nations.

2. In 1914, Australia and New Zealand pledged              

to Britain after it declared war against Germany. Together, the
Australian and New Zealand                became
the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, aka “Anzac.”

3. O
 n April 25, 1915, the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in
Turkey. Their goal was to help the Allied forces capture Turkey’s capital,
Constantinople (now Istanbul) and knock Turkey out of the war. In
World War I, Turkey was an                of Germany.
The Turkish defenders, however, were stronger than expected. On the
first day of battle, 2,000 Anzacs died. Their British and French allies
also suffered major                .

4. The battle                until the end of the year.

Within eight months, over 10,000 Anzacs had died. Survivors suffered
horrific conditions, including hunger, cold, and disease. The Anzacs
               in December 1915. By January,
all of the remaining Allies had also left. Despite failing to meet their
military objectives, the Anzacs became known for their courage,
               , and camaraderie.

5. O
 n April 25 each year, Australians and New Zealanders keep their
promise to never forget the service and sacrifice of the Anzacs.
               services are held at dawn in memory
of the early morning landing on Gallipoli. In the afternoon, servicemen
and women take part in marches or parades. Civilians and the military
pin rosemary to their clothing to pay their respects. This fragrant
               grew wild on the Gallipoli peninsula.
The Anzac biscuit is a traditional food that people bake and eat on this
day. During the war, these egg-free, nutritional biscuits were sent to
the Anzacs because they didn’t spoil easily.

6. Lest we                .

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int –High Int

Anzac Day is a day of remembrance for Australia and TIME: 1–1.5 hours
New Zealand. This lesson includes a reading about the history
TAGS: 
A nzac Day, Australia, New Zealand, Anzacs, war,
of this commemorative day. Students also do a dictionary
Allies, World War I, silent letters, pronunciation, recipe
activity with silent letters.

Pre-Reading Comprehension

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS 1. A nzac Day is on April 25. It is observed in Australia

and New Zealand (or by anyone with this heritage).
1. Australia and New Zealand (and people with this heritage).
2. A long battle between Turkey and the Allied powers took place
2. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
on the Gallipoli peninsula in World War I. The Allies failed to
3. The “p” and “s” are silent. It sounds like ”core.”
achieve their goal of knocking Turkey out of the war.
3. T he reading mentions Constantinople (now Istanbul)
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
because that was the capital of Turkey during World War I
1. i 3. j 5. b 7. a 9. f and the Allies tried, but failed, to take control of it.
2. c 4. g 6. h 8. d 10. e 4. At the end of 1915, the Allies decided
to retreat from the Gallipoli peninsula.

Reading (and/or Listening) 5. On Anzac Day, there is an early morning service
followed by marches or parades. People wear
rosemary and eat Anzac biscuits.
Read individually, in small groups, or as a class. You can also play
the listening as your students read along. A gap-fill version of the
reading is available on page 6. Help your students with vocabulary Vocabulary Review
and expressions that they are unfamiliar with.
1. casualties 3. spirit 5. dragged on
2. allegiance 4. solemn

(continued on the next page...)

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 Anzac Day
Holidays & Events

Answer Key cont.

Pronunciation Group Challenge

A. REFERENCE Optional activity. Place students in groups and challenge

them to bake some Anzac biscuits. Which group made the
Allow your students to refer to a dictionary as they fill in the
best biscuits? Hold a class vote. You can use this editable
chart. Print out the Basic IPA Phonemic Chart for reference:
Voting Ballot to determine the winning group:
https://esllibrary.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2151
https://esllibrary.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2312
1. solemn* / n / sɑləm / serious, not cheerful
2. herb* / h / ərb  /  a fragrant plant
Listening
3. limb / b / lɪm / an arm or leg
4. corps* / ps / kor / a military unit
1. pride, military
5. island / s / ɑylənd / an area of land surrounded by water
2. allegiance, forces
6. biscuit* / u / bɪskət or bɪskɪt / a baked food such as a cookie
3. ally, casualties
4. dragged on, retreated, spirit
B. PR ACTICE
5. Solemn, herb

Check that your students are not pronouncing the silent letters as 6. forget

they recite these sentences from the reading. You could also have
them write their own example sentences. SPELLING NOTES:

• Solemn services are held at dawn in memory of the early
morning landing on Gallipoli.
• This fragrant herb grew wild on the Gallipoli peninsula.
• Together, the Australian and New Zealand forces became known
as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, aka “Anzac.”
• The Anzac biscuit is a traditional food that people bake and eat
on this day. / During the war, these egg-free, nutritional biscuits
were sent to the Anzacs because they didn’t spoil easily.
Note that some style guides spell “Anzac” with an initial capital
letter while others prefer all caps (“ANZAC”). This lesson also
shows the American spelling of the words Flavoring and Honor.
Most other English-speaking countries spell these words this
way: Flavouring and Honour. Make it a challenge for your students
to find these words in the lesson and see if they know the
alternate spellings.

Discussion

Answers will vary.

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