What about

watermelons?
by Anna Caruk

Warm up!
1) If you couldn't eat watermelon (and/or drink its
juice), what could you use it for? Be creative! Find
5 other ways to make it useful.

2) Try to find some other words which are at least

as closely connected with summer holidays as
watermelons are. Use the first letters given below.

W ______________________________________
A ______________________________________
T ______________________________________
E ______________________________________
R ______________________________________
M ______________________________________
E ______________________________________
L ______________________________________
O ______________________________________
N ______________________________________

© by Anna Caruk 2022

Ex.1
Compare a watermelon with a golden honeydew
k 2 0 22
melon. Think of characteristics
Caru such as size, colour,
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shape, taste,
© b ystructure, smell, time when it's available,
people's preferences, etc.

Which one do you prefer? Why?

Ex.2
If you could have one of the following types of
watermelon dessert at the moment, which one would
you choose and why?

© by Anna Caruk 2022

Ex.3
Read the following joke. Retell it using your own words.
What does it suggest? Then, do the exercise below.

An old man is selling watermelons...

His pricelist (1) reads: 1 for $3, 3 for $10
A young man stops by and asks to buy one watermelon.
"That'd be 3 dollars", says the old man.
The young man then buys another one, and another one, paying $3 for each.
As the young man is walking away, he turns around, (2) grins, and says, "Hey old
man, do you (3) realize I just bought three watermelons for only $9? Maybe
business is not your thing."
The old man smiles and (4) mumbles to himself, "People are funny. Every time
they buy three watermelons instead of one,
(5) yet they keep trying to teach me how to do business..."

Choose the right meaning (a,b,c) of each word (1-5) in

the context above .
1- a) to discover or find out about somebody/something
b) to understand the meaning of written words
c) to have something written on it
2- a) to make an angry face
b) to smile widely
c) to look at somebody with disrespect
3- a) to regret doing something
b) to ignore a particular fact
or22
c) to understand a particular fact20 situation
C uk
ar in a quiet voice in a way that is not clear
4- a) to speak or say something
n a
An loudly and clearly
© b y
b) to say something
c) to whisper angrily
5- a) but at the same time
b) still
c) unfortunately
© by Anna Caruk 2022
 Ex.4
You're going to watch CGI Animated Short Film:
"Watermelon A Cautionary Tale" by Kefei Li & Connie Qin
He. Before you watch it, answer the following questions:
1) Do you know what 'cautionary tales' are? A cautionary tale is a tale told in
folklore to warn its listener of a danger.
k 20 22child?
2) Have you ever heard
a C aru
any as a
nn the stories?
3) Who toldAyou
y
b
© were they about?
4) What
5) Did you believe in them? Why? / Why not?

-> Now, watch the video and answer the following

questions:
1) What happened to the boy? How did the story finish? It's a story about a boy who ate a
k 2022
watermelon seed although his mother warned him not to and later the seeds start to grow in his
u
a Car
belly. In the end, the boy turns into a watermelon and after being smashed, gets eaten by other
Ann
children.
© by
2) Look at the two comments posted under the video. Which one do you agree with more? Why?

"We used to get scared of "This created terror in my 4 yr

eating any seeds for the fear
of growing a plant or a tree
inside the body...as kids. But I
could not have imagined the
threat as vividly as this. Now
even more children are eating
the watermelon seeds!"
- by Visalakshi K. Raman.
old, she refused to eat
watermelon for fear of
accidentally eating a seed,
even though I took off all the
visible seeds, she was worried
if there's anything inside.
Don't show this to kids."
- by Aadya Thammineni

3) Do you think it's safe to eat watermelon seeds? Watermelon seeds are
perfectly safe to eat.
4) Do you do that? Why?/Why not?

© by Anna Caruk 2022

Ex.5
Let's talk! Explain the following quotes. Do you agree
with them? Why?/ Why not?

“Life is like eating a “Watermelon—it’s a

watermelon. You know
you’re going to get
some seeds, just spit
them out and take
another bite.”
– Jeff Steinmann
good fruit. You eat,
“A watermelon that you drink, you wash
breaks open by itself your face.”
tastes better than – Enrico Caruso
one cut with a knife.”
– Hualing Nieh Engle

Try to answer the following questions:

1) Are watermelons fruit or vegetables? Vegetable.
2) Is watermelon healthy? Yes, very healthy.
3) How much water do watermelons contain? 92%
4) How do people grow square watermelons? Why do they do that? They
place square glass boxes around a02
2 2
growing fruit so it becomes square as it
grows. The Japanese like C athemk
ru because they’re small and don’t roll around.
They fit neatlyAin n
a
anrefrigerator.
y
© b watermelon genetically modified? No.
5) Is seedless
6) Do all watermelons have red flesh? No.
7) Where do watermelons originally come from? Africa.

Check the "20 Fun Facts About Watermelon" and say if you were right. Correct
any mistakes you've made.
Extra fun activity!
Watch the video with the song Watermelon by Tom
Rosenthal (or just a part of it) and answer the questions:
1) What do you think of the song
202 2 the video?
AND
C arukfrom other songs/music videos you know?
2) In what way is it different
a
3) Why do y A
you
nn someone produced it?
think
© b
4) Do you think people like it? Why?/Why not?
© by Anna Caruk 2022