CHRISTMAS ADS

Watch these famous Christmas ads and talk about what is happening:

Tesco´s Chistmas advert

Sainbury´s  Christmas advert:

The History of Christmas

The festive season is here and we want to learn all about its origins and the most popular traditions in different cultures.

Discussion:

- How do you celebrate Christmas?
- Do you follow any special traditions?
- Is this festivity important to you and your family/friends?

Follow this weblink  from history.com and answer the questions:

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

Read the section ’An ancient holiday’ and look for the answers to the following questions:

1. What did Europeans celebrate long before the birth of Jesus?
2. Why did people celebrate during the winter solstice?
3. Who celebrated Yule from 21 December in Scandinavia?
4. How did fathers and sons mark the return of the sun?
5. Up to how many days was it possible for the Yule feast to last?
6. What did the Norse believe that each spark of the fire represented?
7. Why was the end of December a good time for celebrating?
8. Why were German people terrified of the god Oden? How did they show their fear?

Read the second section ‘Saturnalia’ and look for the answers to the following questions:

1. Who was Saturnalia intended to honour?
2. How did Roman society change during Saturnalia?
3. In what century did the Church decide to make the birth of Christ a holiday?
4. What was the problem with choosing the date of Christ’s birth?
5. Why was 25 December chosen?
6. Why do some churches celebrate Christmas on 7 January?
7. What was the main disadvantage for church leaders of holding Christmas at the same time as other winter festivals?
8. In what way were Christmas celebrations during the Middle Ages similar to those of Roman times?

Read the third section ’An outlaw Christmas’. Look at the statements below and decide whether they are true or false:

1. Oliver Cromwell took control of England in 1645.
2. Cromwell and his Puritan forces encouraged the English people to celebrate Christmas.
3. When the monarchy was reintroduced and Charles l became king, Christmas was celebrated again in England.
4. As a result of the Puritan pilgrims coming to America in 1620, Christmas was not a holiday from 1659 to 1681.
5. In Boston, from 1659 to 1681, anyone exhibiting ’Christmas spirit’ (= publicly celebrating Christmas) was fined five shillings.
6. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the USA until 26th June, 1870.

Think:

In what ways is the modern way of celebrating Christmas different from how it was done in the past?

What do you like most (and least) about Christmas nowadays?

Santa Claus

Read the introduction to Santa Claus taken from history.com:

The man we know as Santa Claus has a history all his own. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red, but his story stretches all the way back to the third century. Find out more about the history of Santa Claus, from his earliest origins to the shopping mall favorite of today:

What do you already know about Santa’s history? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

What do you call Santa in your country?

Is Santa part of your culture? Is there a similar character in your culture?

Go to the weblink text www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus and read the  different sections to answer these questions:

Read the first section ‘The legend of St. Nicholas’. Answer the following questions, then share the answers with your class:

1. When do people think that St. Nicholas was born? In which modern-day country is his birthplace?
2. For what qualities was St. Nicholas most admired?
3. Was St. Nicholas born into a poor family?
4. Which two groups of people is he particularly associated with?
5. When is his feast day celebrated? What do people think it is lucky to do on that day?
6. Why was the way in which St. Nicholas was regarded in Holland different from other saints?

Read the second and third sections ‘Sinter Klaas comes to New York’ and ‘Shopping mall Santas’. Answer the following questions:

1. How did St. Nicolas first become popular in America?
2. Where did the name Santa Claus come from?
3. As Sinter Klaas’s popularity grew, did people agree about what he looked like?
4. What did the advertisements for shops feature by the 1840s?
5. What happened in 1841?
6. In the early 1890s what did the Salvation Army do to raise money?

Read the fourth section ‘Twas the night before Christmas’. Answer the following questions:

1. What was the poem that became largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus? Why wasn’t its author sure that he wanted to publish it?
2. What, according to the now familiar image of Santa Claus, are his physical characteristics and special powers?
3. What cartoonist drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness of our modern day image of Santa?
4. How did the cartoon depict Santa?
5. What new elements did Nast add to the image created by Moore’s poem?

Read the fifth section ‘A Santa by any other name’. What are the names of similar figures all over the world, and what is special about each one? Write down each country, the name of their ‘Santa figure’ and the special features of their celebration.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD:

Christmas is a global celebration. You have already seen how the legend of Santa Claus varies greatly from country to country. For the following task, you will read about different traditions around the world celebrated at Christmas time.
Take a look at the following traditions. As you read them, try to guess which of the countries in the box below these traditions come from. (Some countries are used more than once!)

El Salvador     United States     Great Britain     Spain     Japan     Venezuela     Canada     Brazil     Denmark     Guatemala     Estonia     Poland     Philippines     Italy     Armenia    Germany     Colombia

Twenty Christmas traditions from around the world (Complete this task in your notebooks):

1. During the Christmas meal, Christmas crackers containing toys, jokes and a paper hat are pulled. ________________
2. A white sponge cake covered with cream and decorated with strawberries is often consumed. ________________
3. Children put their shoes in the window in the hope that the three wise men will deliver their presents. ________________
4. Christmas carols are heard as early as 1st September. ________________
5. On 6th January, female puppets are burned on a pyre to symbolize the death of the old year and beginning of the new year. ________________
6. They celebrate the Cavalcade of Lights Festival. ________________
7. The Christmas tree usually stands centrally in the home, decorated with ornaments, tinsel and lights, with an angel or star at the top. ________________
8. People dress up in an ornamental hat named a Puritina and dance in a line. ________________
9. Potato salad with frankfurters and wiener sausages is a popular meal in some families. ________________
10. Children take presents of fruits, nuts and other sweets to older relatives. ________________
11. In many cities, and even in small rural towns, neighbourhoods get together and decorate their whole neighbourhood or street, turning streets into ‘tunnels of light’. ________________
12. Neighbourhoods get together for night festivals where children play with skateboards, rollerblades and bicycles. ________________
13. On 6th December, Saint Nicholas puts goodies in children’s shoes. ________________
14. Rice pudding is traditionally served with whipped cream and lashings of black cherry sauce. ________________
15. Electric candles and glowing stars are placed in almost every window during the month of December. ________________
16. A traditional meal includes herring and beetroot soup with ravioli. ________________
17. It is a tradition for children to leave a glass of milk and plate of cookies for Santa. _______________
18. In some cities, judges decide on the most beautifully decorated house. ________________
19. Children are visited by Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and must sing songs or recite Christmas poems before they receive their presents. _______________
20. Children celebrate Christmas by playing with firecrackers and sparklers. ________________

Now, visit the following weblink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_traditions and check your answers. Don’t try to read the whole article from top to bottom; instead, try to find the countries as quickly as you can.

Discussion:

What traditions above are similar to those in your country?

What is your favourite tradition from the list?

What is your favourite tradition from your country?

If you celebrate Christmas, do you think your country is losing any of its Christmas traditions? If so, why?

If you could start a Christmas tradition of your own, what would it be?

THANKSGIVING, THE ALL-AMERICAN HOLIDAY

Thanksgiving is the most important festival in the USA tradition. It is the time of the year when all families gather around the table to celebrate the time when the first pilgrims arrived to America and to give thanks for all they have.

Thanksgiving is a four-day holiday for most US citizens. It starts on the fourth Thursday of November and continues through Black Fiday to the weekend. It is an occasion for families to get together for a few days.

The date for Thanksgiving was set by the country´s first president, George Washington, at his inauguration in 1789. The US Congress wanted to unite their nation in a day of celebration and prayer.

LET´S FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AMERICAN FESTIVAL

Answer the following questions in your notebook:

Activity 1: The history of the Thanksgiving celebration:

Visit: www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving and read the first section entitled ‘Thanksgiving at Plymouth’. Look for the answers to these questions:

1. Who travelled on board the Mayflower and why?
2. Was their journey comfortable?
3. What route did their journey take?
4. What problems did the Pilgrims experience during their initial few months in New England?
5. Why was Squanto, a Native American, able to communicate in English with the Pilgrims?
6. What did the Pilgrims learn from Squanto?
7. Who were the Wampanoag and what was their relation to the Pilgrims?
8. Why did William Bradford organize a celebration?
9. What kind of food was eaten at the first Thanksgiving meal?
10. What differences are there between the Thanksgiving meal eaten by the Pilgrims and the one people eat today?

Activity 2: A traditional Thanksgiving meal
Visit: www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/history-of-thanksgiving-table.html. Read the descriptions of typical Thanksgiving dishes and find the answers to these questions:

1. Which dish with an exotic background got a sweet addition in the twentieth century?
2. Which sweet nut dish has ancient origins?
3. Which food helped make a brand of soup more popular?
4. Which food is made from different ingredients, depending on the origins of the people cooking it?
5. Which food is very good for you and can be stored for a long period?
6. Which food made one woman very rich?
7. Which food got its name by mistake?
8. Which food probably wasn’t eaten at the first Thanksgiving meal because of lack of technology?

Activity 3: Thanksgiving traditions

Read about some typical traditions in North America at Thanksgiving  and check whether these sentences are true or false. Explain the false ones:  people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/thanksgiving5.htm 


1. Many people watch tennis at Thanksgiving every year.
2. Shops often sponsored Thanksgiving parades.
3. Washing neighbours’ cars is the most popular way to help others in the community at Thanksgiving.
4. The White House is given three turkeys each Thanksgiving – two are dead and one is pardoned and not cooked.
5. The turkey that is kept is given a name chosen by the president’s family.
6. The president announces the official date of Thanksgiving every year.

Activity 4: Discuss the following questions:

1. How much did you already know about the tradition of Thanksgiving?
2. What information surprised you?
3. What are the most important festivals and celebrations in your country or culture?

• How are they celebrated? What do people eat and drink?
• What are the origins of the celebrations? Have they changed over time?
• What celebration are you most looking forward to?

BLACK FRIDAY

If you are in New York, you can celebrate Thanksgiving by joining a parade like Macy´s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Macy´s, a large Manhattan department store, organises the parade with actors, bands and balloons.

On Black Friday, everyone goes shopping. It is the second biggest shopping day in the year
(December the 23rd is number one). Why black? Because shop owners make big profits and pay off their debts, so they are " in the black".

DO YOU FANCY COOKING A TYPICAL PUMPKIN PIE? HERE IS THE RECIPE:

PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE




Ingredients:

- 3 eggs
- half a cup of white sugar
- half a cup of brown sugar
- 1.5 cups of milk
- 600 gr of ground pumpkin
- half a teaspoon of cloves
- half a teaspoon of cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
- one teaspoon of lemmon extract

Instructions:

First beat the eggs and the white sugar together, then add the ground pumpkin and continue beating.

Now dissolve the brown sugar in the milk and the add this to the pumpkin mix.

Next add the spices and the lemon. Put the pastry crust in the pie pan and add the filling.

Bake in the oven at 180º C for 50 minutes.

Enjoy your pie!!



DESCRIBING DISHES M1R

To describe a dish to customers is a very important task for a waiter/waitress.

Here are some videos and links to learn expessions and vocabulary that will help you be a good professional!

Watch this video by engVid to learn cooking vocabulary in English: chop, grill, saute, boil, slice...



Learn some more cooking actions:

Now follow this LINK to practise the language of describing dishes and do the activities on the web page.

Follow this LINK to read the recipe for Sheperd´s Pie.

VERB TENSES- A GRAMMAR LESSON

This lesson is intended to help you remember verb tenses in English and how to use them correctly!

Please watch this video by Solex to remember the theory and copy all the examples in your notebook:

 Present and past tenses:

Future tenses:

Now let´s concentrate on the 4 different ways to talk about the future: Will, Going to, Present Continuous and Simple Present! 

Watch this great explanation by Emma from engVid!

Finally, watch this great video from Ted-Ed to have a bigger picture of verb tenses in English: 

Make sure you take notes of all the examples in your notebook

REMEMBER REMEMBER THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER

GUY FAWKES AND THE GUNPOWDER TREASON

On the 5th of November British people celebrate Guy Fawkes day. This is a very traditional festival that we are going to learn about as part of our cultural topics and related to the history and traditions of the UK.

Follow this link to BBC Newsround to learn about it!

Now watch this video to understand events on the 5th of November better:

Jade from engVid explains everything about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night in this great video:

-ED endings- pronunciation lesson

As you know, the “-ed” endings of regular past tense verbs can be pronounced in three different ways: /t/, /d/ and /ɪd/:

SLOW PRACTICE OF THE -ED ENDING:

Practise pronunciation with these 12 very famous songs.

Luis Otávio Barros on Vimeo



CONNECTED SPEECH PRACTICE:

 

 


YOU CAN PRACTISE PRONUNCIATION OF ALL THE DIFFERENT SOUNDS IN ENGLISH IN THIS GREAT WEBSITE BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

UK EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS

Find out how the flag of the UK is made of by following this LINK

Watch this presentation about the history of the UK:

How much do you know about the geography of the British Isles?

Watch this video to learn all the different geographical and political concepts. The speaker goes very fast, so you will have to concretrate and probably watch it several times!

British History and Culture. Symbols of Britain:

Flags, saints and flowers:

Now let´s focus on London. How many of these famous places in London can you talk about? how much are you learning about it? 

Be prepared to design an itinerary to get to know London in one day!

THRILLER!!

MICKAEL JACKON'S THRILLER

Do you know this classic thriller song by Michael Jackson? I bet you do!!

 
  TASKS:

- Listen to the first part of the video and write down the conversation between Michael and his girlfriend.

- Write a sequence of events: What happens in the video?

- Do you think this video is scary or funny? Explain why

- Make a list of "terror" words, for example, "tomb"

FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

Festivals are a great way to learn about international culture and learn English!!

We are going to start learning about Halloween which is very close on time!



HALLOWEEN WEBQUEST:

Do you know the origin of the word Halloween?  Find out from the internet and explain it in your own words.

Now answer the following questions and be prepared to talk about them in class:

What do you know about Halloween?

Do you know the real origin of this celebration?

Watch this video from the History website:

 

Activity 1: Halloween’s history

Visit www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween and read the first section entitled ‘Ancient origins of Halloween’. Look for the answers to these 13 (unlucky for some) questions. Share your answers with your classmates.

1. Where is the celebration of Halloween thought to have come from?
2. The Celts occupied an area of land covering three modern-day countries or regions. What are they?
3. Why did the Celts celebrate Samhain on the night of 31 October?
4. What did the Celts believe the ghosts of the dead would damage?
5. To commemorate the event, what did the Druids build?
6. What costumes did they wear?
7. What did they re-light to help protect them from the coming winter?
8. By 43 AD, who had conquered the Celts?
9. What two other festivals were combined with Samhain?
10. After many changes due to the spread of Christianity, what new celebration was created in 1000 AD?
11. What were the similarities between this day and Samhain?
12. What was another name given to this celebration?
13. What was the night before called and what did this finally become?

Activity 2: Popular Halloween traditions

Jack-o’-lantern

Read the introductory paragraph at www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history and describe the jack-o’-lantern tradition to your partner. Then, read the full article entitled ‘The Legend of “Stingy Jack”’. Look for the answers to the following questions. Share your answers with your classmates.

1. The jack-o’-lantern tradition originated from which Irish myth?  What happened when Jack invited the Devil for a drink with him?
2. What did Jack do with the coin instead? Why?
3. Under what condition did Jack free the devil?
4. What trick did Jack play the following year and how did he prevent the devil coming down from the tree?
5. What happened soon after?
6. What problem did Jack then face?
7. What did the Irish call Jack’s ghost?
8. What did the Irish then begin to make and place in their windows and doorways and why?
9. What did the vegetable become in America?

Apple-bobbing

Read the first paragraph of this website link about the rules of apple-bobbing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_bobbing. Answer the following questions and share your answers with a partner.

1. How do you set up the game?
2. Why are apples used?
3. What do players use to catch the apples?
4. Which part of their body are they prevented from using?

Trick-or-treating

Read the first two paragraphs of this website link about the tradition of ’trick-or-treating’: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating and answer the following questions, sharing your answers with a partner.

1. What do children ask for when they travel from house to house? 
2. What do children say when they arrive at a house?
3. What is usually the ’trick’?
4. Since when has this tradition been practised in North America?
5. What do homeowners who wish to participate usually do to their houses?
6. Since when have people in Britain and Ireland practised the tradition of asking for food at Halloween?
7. What else have they been doing since then?
8. Trick-or-treating has become prevalent in countries outside of America - what do the children ask for in Mexico?

Activity 3: Halloween around the world

Although Halloween is often seen as a predominantly American celebration, you’ll be surprised to know that many countries around the world also celebrate Halloween. Many have their own unique traditions.

a. Tell your classmates if and how your country celebrates Halloween.

b. Your teacher will give you a country to research from this website link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Halloween. Before you begin your research, consider the following questions:

1. How long has your chosen country been celebrating Halloween?
2. What unique traditions does it have?
3. What costumes do people dress up in?
4. Why has Halloween become popular there?

Note: You may not find information on all these questions, but as you read, write down any other interesting facts you discover about your chosen country to share with your classmates. Write your answers in note form and share your findings with your classmates.

Activity 4: Terrifying tales

Go to the following website and read the story: www.americanfolklore.net/folklore/2009/10/the_hairy_toe.html. Answer the following 13 (unlucky for some) questions below.

1. What was the woman digging up to cook for dinner?
2. What did she uncover?
3. Why did she put the thing that she found in her basket?
4. What did she cook with it?
5. Later that night, what did the voice coming from the woods say?
6. Was the voice heard in the same place or was it getting closer?
7. Where was the voice coming from when the old lady woke up?
8. What did she do when she jumped out of bed?
9. Where was the old lady when she saw the massive figure in her doorway?
10. How did the old lady respond to the figure?
11. What finally happened to the old lady?
12. What was the only clue to what happened?
13. What was distinct about the footprint?

 

FESTIVALS IN YOUR AREA

Are there any popular festivals in your area around this time of year?

Find out about San Frutos in Segovia and take notes to explain them in class.

Feel free to talk about other popular festivals from your town/village

ENGLISH FOR TOUR GUIDES

ENGLISH FOR TOUR GUIDES

In English Club you can find a great amount of resources to practise the specific language for tour guides. Follow this link to look at:  Tour guide Vocabulary, explaining etiquette and showing places of interest.

You can also work on the vocabulary quiz and go through the different activities!!

Follow this other link for more on language of the tour guide and how to welcome tourists

NEW YORK CITY TRAVEL GUIDE S2G

NEW YORK CITY TRAVEL GUIDE

TRAVEL VOCABULARY S1G

TRAVEL VOCABULARY 

 Watch this useful (and fun) video to get familiar with the basic vocabulary for  travelling:



Planning your trip

Here is another useful video to learn vocabulary:

Phrasal Verbs for TRAVEL: "drop off", "get in", "check out"...

AT THE RESTAURANT M1R

AT THE RESTAURANT M1R Watch the video and answer the questions on the quiz:

 Now practise the sentences at the restaurant and learn some new food vocabulary:

 


HOW TO ORDER IN A RESTAURANT

Watch this video to learn more vocabulary on how to order food:

AMALFI COAST S1G

Amalfi Coast

We have seen examples of domestic and outbound tourism. In this video there is a brilliant description of a tourist site.

HOMEWORK:
Watch the video, answer the comprehension questions and then make a list of adjectives the narrator uses to describe the place and the tourist attractions:

Let´s go on holidays! S2G

HONOLULU VACATION TRAVEL GUIDE

Let´s practise our listening comprehension skills with this video guide to Honolulu!

Welcome to Real World English!

This blog is intended to help you develop confidence in English and get the best results in your course.

Let´s start with a video by TED-Ed to remember that Practice makes perfect!





Can you now explain in your own words the meaning of "Practice makes perfect"?