Language for ... www.macmillandictionary.
com
Christmas
Teacher’s Notes
Age: Adult Likely keywords/concepts: Christmas compounds
Level: Intermediate (e.g. Christmas pudding/card/tree …), the
Time: 45–60 minutes Christmas calendar (e.g. Boxing Day, Christmas
Language Focus: Christmas vocabulary Eve), food (e.g. turkey, mince pie), decorations
Skills: listening, speaking and present giving (e.g. stocking, fairy lights).
Materials: worksheet exercises, video (on
onestopenglish or downloaded in advance 2 Before giving out worksheets, begin the lesson
of the lesson), internet access preferable by eliciting when presents are traditionally
Aims: to provide students with language for talking given (either in the UK or in students’ own
about Christmas celebrations and traditions cultures). Brainstorm the names of these special
occasions on the board. Follow on by inviting
students to discuss the saying in exercise 1a,
What are red words? ‘giving is better than receiving’ – they could do
Ninety per cent of the time, speakers of English use this in small groups or as a whole class activity.
just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words Encourage them to give a personal response, e.g.
appear in the Macmillan Dictionary in red, and by describing a situation where giving something
are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, to someone made them feel particularly happy,
two-star words are more frequent and three-star or a time when they received a gift that they were
words are the most frequent. ‘Language for’ lessons really pleased with.
are based on red words and encourage students to
improve their English through communicative tasks 3 The second part of the warmer (1b) features
using collocation and commonly used phrases. some simple noun compounds with the word
Christmas. Brainstorm ‘Christmas’ compound
nouns as a class and elicit meanings. Give out
1 As preparation for the lesson, ask students to find
worksheets. Ask students to complete the exercise
out how Christmas is spent in the UK, e.g. What
in pairs. Their preparation for the lesson should
do people usually do to celebrate, and on which
help them with this, so ask them to try to complete
days? What do people usually eat? Ask them to
it without using a dictionary if possible. Check
think about how Christmas traditions in the UK
answers as a class, referring to definitions in the
compare with Christmas or other celebrations in
Macmillan Dictionary as necessary.
their own countries.
Teaching tip: Students could be invited to Teaching tip: As a lead-in to the video,
share their findings on a class blog/website. explain to your students how you celebrate
Encourage them to submit photos as well as text Christmas, or another special day. Personalising
and, if possible, to include a photo of their own the topic like this helps to stimulate student
celebrations, which can be later used in the lesson. interest. Encourage students to ask questions.
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Christmas
Teacher’s Notes
4 Tell students that they’re now going to watch a about the food they usually eat and what they
video in which different people in the UK talk tend to do on Christmas day. Which person’s
about their Christmas celebrations. Ask them to celebrations do they most like the sound of, and
read the questions in exercise 2a in preparation. why? (You may wish to play the video again as a
Play the video (‘Live from London: Christmas final reminder.)
video special’): www.onestopenglish.com/
7 Ask students to complete the reordering exercise
skills/listening/live-from-authentic-interviews/
2d as quickly as possible, thinking back to
live-from-authentic-video-lessons/
the video. To add an element of competition,
live-from-london-christmas-video-special/
students could work in teams against each other.
554863.article Give students time to complete
Ask the fastest finisher for their answers, ensuring
exercise 2a, and then replay the video so
that all students have the correct answers since
that they can check their answers. Check the
these will form a resource for them in a later
answers as a class.
speaking exercise.
5 Before completing exercise 2b, explain that
8 Ask students to work individually to match the
you’re going to play the video again and that
verbs with the phrases in exercise 3a, reminding
students will need to listen out for the correct
them to first complete any matches they
words (one word in Qs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8, two in
immediately know. Have them compare their
Qs 1, 6 and 7) to complete what the people
answers with a partner, and check the answers as
say. Ask them to read the sentences and briefly
a class.
think about what the words might be. Play the
video, pausing if necessary. Once students have 9 Exercise 3b continues the theme of looking
completed the exercise, check the answers as at vocabulary associated with a traditional
a class. You may wish to point out the phrases Christmas in the UK. Tell students to work in
a big thing (= an informal way of saying that an pairs to complete the exercise, and to then check
event is important) and all the trimmings (= extra their answers using the Macmillan Dictionary.
parts added to a meal to make it traditional or
more interesting). Do students know what all the Teaching tip: A range of vocabulary related to
trimmings means in relation to a UK Christmas Christmas can be found in the Macmillan Dictionary
dinner? (= e.g. stuffing, cranberry sauce, small thesaurus feature at: www.macmillandictionary.
sausages wrapped in bacon affectionately known com/thesaurus-category/british/
as ‘pigs in blankets’). This exercise could also be relating-to-or-connected-with-the-christmas-period
completed by playing the video with the audio
Draw students’ attention to the regional labels.
only, to really sharpen student listening skills.
Many of these words (e.g. bauble, fairy light,
6 Divide students into small groups to chat about Christmas cracker/pudding) are only used in the
their answers to question 2c. Remind them to United Kingdom.
think about what the people interviewed said
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Christmas
Teacher’s Notes
After confirming the answers as a class, ask them may wish to explain in your face (= annoying in a
to think back to the video and try to remember way that is difficult to ignore).
– which of the things in questions 1–7 did they
see? (fairy lights, bauble and tinsel all appear Teaching Tip: The phenomenon Natasha
in the introduction). If you are able to source describes is sometimes dubbed ‘Christmas creep’.
them cheaply and easily, you might even like to Further reading at:
bring in some mince pies – either for all students www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/
as a festive treat (point out festive = enjoyable entries/Christmas-creep.html
and connected with Christmas celebrations),
or as a prize for the first student who correctly 13 The final extra activity could be used for
remembers the items in the video. homework, or as an extension activity for fast
finishers. It is an open gap-fill, setting some of
10 Divide students into pairs for exercise 3c. Tell
the vocabulary from earlier exercises in context.
them to spend a few minutes noting down ideas
Ask students to complete it individually, thinking
and then take it in turns to do the asking or
back to the video and the vocabulary featured so
describing. Remind them to think back to the
far. Note that more than one answer is possible
video and look back at the language in earlier
for questions 1, 4, 7 and 12; the key provides
exercise material to help them. They can look at
suggestions here based on words from the lesson.
the images provided as a stimulus, or supply their
You might wish to point out the use of adjective
own to aid and illustrate their descriptions.
real (= existing naturally and not artificial), i.e. a
11 Exercise 4 is to encourage conversation and real Christmas tree, and contrast it with artificial
simulate real life interaction. Students need to (= man-made) Christmas trees as a common
work with a different partner than the one they alternative in the UK. As a further extension,
have previously worked with. Firstly, ask the students could write a similar paragraph about
students to write five questions to ask their new their own Christmas/special day.
partner about their special occasion. Check they
KEY:
are correct. Next, students move to interview
their new partner and note down their answers. 1a students’ own answers
As this is a fluency exercise, remind students that
1b Christmas card: a card that you send to
they don’t need to write down everything their
your friends and family at Christmas
partner says, just the key words to help them
Christmas pudding: a sweet food made with
remember for when they report back later. Once
dried fruits and spices, eaten at Christmas
completed, students can either return to their
Christmas Eve: the day or evening
original partner and tell them what they have
before Christmas Day
found out, or report back to the class as a whole.
Christmas cracker: a tube of coloured paper
12 As a wind-up discussion, ask students to read and given at Christmas which makes a sudden
think about what Natasha says at the end of the sharp noise when two people pull it apart. It
video. Do students agree with her? Is their own contains a small present, paper hat and a joke.
country different from the UK in this respect? You Christmas carol: a traditional song sung at Christmas
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Christmas
Teacher’s Notes
Christmas stocking: a large sock that children 7 j
hang on their bed the night before Christmas 8 b
that is filled with presents while they sleep 9 c
Christmas tree: a tree that you cover with 10 e
lights and other decorations at Christmas
3b 1 b
2a 1 walk the dog 2 c
2 duck 3 c
3 3pm 4 b
4 the food 5 a
5 the washing up 6 a
6 doesn’t like 7 c
7 as early as possible
4 students’ own answers
8 stressed
5 1 party (other answers possible)
2b 1 big thing
2 off
2 dinner
3 Christmas Eve
3 tradition
4 celebrate (other answers possible)
4 starts
5 spending
5 consists
6 Christmas tree
6 the trimmings
7 baubles (other answers possible)
7 worst thing
8 fairy lights
8 early
9 mince pies
2c students’ own answers 10 least
11 stockings
2d 1 How would you describe a traditional
12 presents (other answers possible)
Christmas in your household?
13 tradition
2 How do you celebrate Christmas?
14 dinner/lunch
3 Is there a typical, traditional meal that you have?
15 trimmings
4 What kind of food?
16 crackers
5 What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?
3a 1 f
2 h
3 a
4 i
5 d
6 g
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