Happy Holidays American English Teacher

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ENGLISH FOR TEENAGERS · FUN WITH ENGLISH · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS
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Expemo code:
1959-H2NA-GPK2
1 Warm up
Look at the pictures below and finish the statements.
throw snowballs ski play board games
skate go on vacation play computer games
1. In the winter I really like to
2. I don’t like
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PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
2 Vocabulary
Match the pictures with the words.
bells Christmas cards Christmas tree
decorations gingerbread man holly
present reindeer Santa
sleigh snowman stockings
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12.
3 What is it?
Look at the incomplete image. What can you see?
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
4 Ready, set, BINGO!
Add your Christmas words. Listen for your words. Get a line to win.
5 Reading for gist: vocabulary
Look at the photos. Can you guess what any of the traditions involve and which country they are
from?
Japan / Guatemala / Norway / Australia / Ukraine / Venezuela

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
1 surfboard 2 broomstick 3 Colonel Sanders
4 bonfire 5 spiderweb 6 roller skates
Now, skim the text and match each photo to a tradition.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Strange traditions around the world

Christmas
a. In Japan, people eat Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) on Christmas Day rather than turkey. Every year during the
festive season, there are statues of Colonel Sanders dressed up as Santa in every KFC restaurant and the meals
are so popular, people need to book in advance. The tradition started with an advertisement campaign.
b. Some people in Norway believe that evil spirits and witches arrive on Christmas Eve, so they hide their brushes
and brooms in their cupboards. This way the spirits and witches can’t steal them and fly around causing trouble.
c. In the capital city of Venezuela, people put on their roller skates and skate to church on Christmas Eve to attend
Mass. The roads are closed to ensure it is safe for families to enjoy the tradition. After Mass, families get together
in the street or at each other’s house to share food and dance.
d. In Ukraine, people like to put fake spiderwebs on the tree as they believe it brings good luck. The tradition comes
from an old tale about a poor old lady who could not afford to decorate her tree, so it was bare. She woke up on
Christmas day to find a spider had covered it in a beautiful sparkling web.
e. In Guatemala, people believe that the devil lives in the dirty corners of a home, so they spend the week before
Christmas cleaning their house from top to bottom. They put all the rubbish in a big pile outside, with a small devil
statue on top, and set it on fire. The tradition symbolizes the start of a new year which is free of evil spirits.
f. In Australia, Christmas is far from traditional. People spend the holidays soaking up the sunshine and enjoying
the ocean. On most beaches, you will spot surfers wearing Santa hats, and riding the waves. In 2015, locals from
Sydney’s Bondi Beach broke the Guinness world record for the biggest surf lesson. A total of 320 people, all
wearing Santa outfits, took part in the lesson and raised a lot of money for a mental health charity.
Sources: www.wanderlust.co.uk, travel.earth, www.bbc.com
In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1. Which tradition do you think is the most unusual?

2. Do you have any strange or funny holiday traditions?
3. If you could invent a new tradition, what would it be?

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
6 Christmas video
Match each image to the correct word.
a fridge/freezer a scarf a shadow puppet
a snow globe magic to melt (snow or ice)
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
Using the images, what do you think happens in the video?

Watch and check your predictions.
Now, watch again and sequence the story.
One late evening at work, she sees a shadow of her snow globe on her desk, and it reminds her
of the snowman.
She plays with the snowman every year and they share a lot of happy times together.
She takes him out and he makes shadow puppets once again for her and her daughter.
But when she becomes a teenager, she loses interest in the snowman, and he is left in the
freezer.
1 One winter day, a young girl makes a snowman in her garden and surprisingly he comes alive.
Many years pass and the young girl is now grown up.
Suddenly the snowman starts to melt so the young girl puts him in the freezer with a teddy bear
for him to hug.
The snowman makes shadow puppets for the young girl with his twig hands.
The puppets create a magical world for the girl to see
She goes home and opens the freezer. The snowman is still there.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1. How did the young girl feel when she saw the shadow puppets?
2. How did the snowman feel when he was left in the freezer and forgotten about?
3. How did he feel when she finally took him out years later?
4. How did they all feel at the end of the film?
5. What would be a good title for this film?
7 Christmas card design

Work in pairs and answer these questions.
1. Why do people send Christmas cards?

2. Do you enjoy sending/receiving cards?
Now, create your own Christmas card.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
8 Optional extension: run and race
Read, run, say, and write.
Christmas is a holiday that is enjoyed all around the world and is generally celebrated on
the 25th of December. For centuries people have adopted and created traditions that
vary from country to region.
More popular traditions include tree decorating, Christmas dinners, exchanging cards and
gifts, hanging stockings, and of course, waiting for Santa to visit.
However, there are many other unusual traditions.
Do you know about any strange customs around the world?

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
9 Optional activity
Follow the instructions and make your own shadow puppet.

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TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Key
1. Warm up
2-5 mins.
Ask students to think of more things they could do in the wintertime.
Discuss possible options and elicit answers from the whole class.
1. skate/ski/throw snowballs/go on vacation/eat good food/play games/etc.

2. when it is cold/when it snows
2. Vocabulary
5-10 mins.
This stage is for the students to identify and practice vocabulary related to Christmas. Show the students both
sets of cards (words and pictures) Pick up an image they might know (Santa) and ask the students to find the word.
Put them in groups and give each group a set of flashcards. Give instructions to match all the pictures to the
words. After the activity, review the words and practice the pronunciation.
Additional activity
In the same groups, tell the students to put all the cards face down and mix them up. Explain that they should
take turns picking up one word and one image. If it is a correct match, they keep the pair. If they do not match,
they have to put them back down. They continue until all the cards have gone. The winner is the student with the
most cards at the end.
Alternative
Preparation: Post the flashcards on the walls around the classroom prior to the lesson
Hold up a flashcard of Santa and elicit the word. Put the students in pairs, tell them they have 3 minutes to walk
around the room and label the twelve pictures. You can give the first letter of each word as a prompt if needed.
After the activity, review the words and practice the pronunciation.
1. decorations 2. snowman
3. gingerbread man 4. sleigh
5. Christmas tree 6. bells
7. Santa 8. Christmas cards
9. present 10. reindeer
11. stockings 12. holly
To cut out
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
3. What is it?
5 mins.
This stage is for the students to review and practice the vocabulary. Put the students in pairs and tell them you
are going to show them all the images but through a hole (use a gesture to check the meaning of the word hole).
Project the image so everyone can see it clearly. The first pair of students to get all the words correct wins. After
the activity, review the words and pick up on any pronunciation errors.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
4. Ready, set, BINGO!
5 mins.
This stage is to review the words in a fun game of BINGO. Give a blank card to each student and ask them to
choose nine words from the twelve Christmas words and add them to the card. They can either draw the words
or write them. Then explain the game. Check the students have all filled in their cards. Put all the words into a pot
and randomly pick out one at a time and read it out. Students shout ‘BINGO’ when they have made a complete
diagonal, vertical or horizontal line.
If you want to make it more challenging, you can read out the definitions.
Play the game a few times.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
5. Reading for gist: vocabulary
5 mins.
This stage is for students to make predictions about the traditions based on the photos. Ask the students, in pairs,
to discuss the pictures and possible traditions and origins. Check for any unknown words and add them to the
board so the students can see the form.
5 mins.
This stage is for students to check their predictions and develop their reading for gist skills. They skim the text
and match a picture to the tradition. Set a time limit.
Answers
Text
a) Colonel Sanders
b) broomstick
c) roller skates
d) spiderweb
e) bonfire
f) Surfboard
Sources
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/worlds-weirdest-christmas-traditions/
https://travel.earth/unusual-christmas-traditions-around-the-world/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35098737
Discussion
5 mins.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
This stage is for students to respond to the text and personalize the topic. Put the students into small groups and
ask them to discuss the questions.
6. Christmas video
10 mins.
This stage is for students to identify some of the words that are in the film and make predictions about the content
using the images. Tell the students they are going to watch a short animation film. First, they need to identify some
keywords. They match the pictures and words. During feedback check the meaning of the words and practice the
pronunciation.
Then ask the students to make predictions using the images about what the film is about. Add the ideas to the
board.
1. a shadow puppet
2. to melt (snow or ice)
3. a fridge/freezer
4. a snow globe
5. magic
6. a scarf
Sequence
10 mins.
This stage is for students to check their predictions and to practice their sequencing skills. First, play the film and
ask the students to check their predictions. During feedback refer to their ideas and ask if they were right.
Then tell them they are going to watch it again and this time they have to put the events of the film in order.
Give them time to read the sentences before playing the film. When they have finished, ask them to check their
answers with their partner. If necessary, play the video again. Check the answers.
Correct order:
One winter day, a young girl makes a snowman in her garden and surprisingly he comes alive.
The snowman makes shadow puppets for the young girl with his twig hands.
The puppets create a magical world for the girl to see
Suddenly the snowman starts to melt so the young girl puts him in the freezer with a teddy bear for him to hug.
She plays with the snowman every year and they share a lot of happy times together.
But when she becomes a teenager, she loses interest in the snowman, and he is left in the freezer.
Many years pass and the young girl is now grown up.
One late evening at work, she sees a shadow of her snow globe on her desk, and it reminds her of the snowman.
She goes home and opens the freezer. The snowman is still there.
She takes him out and he makes shadow puppets once again for her and her daughter.
Discussion
5-10 mins.
This stage is for students to discuss the emotions involved in the film and to think about an appropriate title. Put
the students in pairs and ask them to answer the questions. During feedback, add the student’s ideas to the board.
For question five, you can add all the suggestions to the board and ask them to choose the best one.
Possible answers
1. excited, amazed, surprised
2. sad, confused, lonely
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
3. relieved, happy, loved

4. happy, lucky, content
5. answers will vary
7. Christmas card design
10 mins.
This stage is for students to create their own Christmas cards. First, ask them a couple of questions about
Christmas cards in general. Why do people send them? Do they enjoy sending/receiving cards? Then ask the
students to think about what message people write inside a card. Add ideas to the board as a reference. Ask them
how they would decorate a card. Show them the template to write the message, stickers, and art supplies. Tell
them they can decorate their card how they like.
You can play Christmas songs while doing this activity.
8. Optional extension: run and race
5 mins.
This stage is to introduce the topic of Christmas traditions in a short, running dictation task. Put the students into
pairs. Tell them they are going to read a text about Christmas. Put two or three copies of the text on the board
and give clear instructions for the task. When the first pair finish, stop the activity and ask them to read out the
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
text to check if it is correct. After it has been checked ask the students to summarize what the text is about. This
then leads to the following reading task about unusual traditions around the world.
Instructions
1) Tell the students each pair will need a piece of paper and a pen.
2) Student A will be the runner, and Student B will be the writer.
3) Stick three or four copies of the text on the board.
4) The writers run to the board, read the text, and remember as much as possible
5) They race back to their partner and say what they read. Their partner writes it down. It should be the same as
the text including correct punctuation.
6) The first pair to finish, wins.
*You can switch the pair halfway through to give them both an opportunity to speak and write.
9. Optional activity
10 mins.
This stage is for students to experiment with making shadow puppets. First, ask them what shadow puppets the
snowman made. Ask them how he made them. Then show them the images. In pairs, ask them to try making all
the animals using their hands. When they are ready you can turn the lights off and the projector light on and the
students can see if they work.
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Happy Holidays American English Teacher

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HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

ENGLISH FOR TEENAGERS · FUN WITH ENGLISH · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

Look at the pictures below and ﬁnish the statements.

throw snowballs ski play board games

skate go on vacation play computer games

1. In the winter I really like to

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/9

10. 11. 12.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/9

4 Ready, set, BINGO!

5 Reading for gist: vocabulary

Japan / Guatemala / Norway / Australia / Ukraine / Venezuela

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/9

1 surfboard 2 broomstick 3 Colonel Sanders

4 bonﬁre 5 spiderweb 6 roller skates

Now, skim the text and match each photo to a tradition.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/9

Strange traditions around the world

Sources: www.wanderlust.co.uk, travel.earth, www.bbc.com

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Which tradition do you think is the most unusual?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/9

Using the images, what do you think happens in the video?

Now, watch again and sequence the story.

The puppets create a magical world for the girl to see

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/9

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

4. How did they all feel at the end of the ﬁlm?

5. What would be a good title for this ﬁlm?

7 Christmas card design

1. Why do people send Christmas cards?

Now, create your own Christmas card.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 7/9

8 Optional extension: run and race

Read, run, say, and write.

However, there are many other unusual traditions.

Do you know about any strange customs around the world?

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 8/9

Follow the instructions and make your own shadow puppet.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 9/9

1. skate/ski/throw snowballs/go on vacation/eat good food/play games/etc.

4. Ready, set, BINGO!

5. Reading for gist: vocabulary

3. relieved, happy, loved

7. Christmas card design

You can play Christmas songs while doing this activity.

8. Optional extension: run and race

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