plik

A Monthly Newsletter for Teachers of English

April 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

A traditional Easter: eggs, water and… snowmen?

A Traditional Easter

When we think of Easter, we think of

spring. The weather is warm, the grass is
green  and  there  are  flowersice  of  the
winter  is  finished  and  forgotten.  This
year, though, things were a little different.
Instead  of  warm  weather,  many  places
had  cold  winds,  instead  of  green  grass
many  places  saw  white  snow  and
instead of flowers there were icicles.

Easter fun and games

Easter is a time for eggs. In Britain

this

means

eggs

for

breakfast and - later, of
course

– special chocolate

Easter Eggs as presents
for children.

Traditionally, people in Britain and

America  play  ‘egg  hunting’  games:  eggs
are  hidden  around  the  house  or  in  the
garden and everyone tries to find them.

In some other countries, such as

Poland,

Slovakia

and

the

Czech

Republic, there is another
tradition.

Easter

Monday boys throw water
at  girls    -  though  these
days  girls  do  almost  as
much  throwing  as  boys!  In  many
European countries people paint eggs in
beautiful bright colours.

Easter food

Of course, eggs are very important at

Easter time and they are often coloured,
painted

decorated.

Cakes

are

important  too.  There  is  a  traditional  fast
for forty  days before Easter, called Lent,
when  many  people  do  not  eat  meat;  on
Easter  Sunday,  when
the  fast  finishes,  cakes
are traditionally eaten.

The

cakes

are

usually  very  rich,  with  a
lot of fruit and, perhaps,
also  some  alcohol.  One  of  the  most
traditional  cakes  is  the  hot  cross  bun:  a
sweet bun with a cross on the top.

A good time for change

During Lent, it is traditional to stop

doing something - to give up something -
which is a bad
habit,

such

smoking  or  drinking
alcohol.  Lent  only
lasts  for  forty  days
but  many  people
take  the  chance  to
give up smoking, for example, forever.

A not very traditional
Easter...

Easter eggs? Spring weather? This

year  Easter  was  more  like Christmas  for
many  people,  with  Easter  snowmen  on
Easter  Sunday  and  snowballs  instead  of
water on Easter Monday. A most unusual
Easter, indeed. Let’s hope that next year
have  more  traditional  holiday  weather:
snow  at  Christmas  and  spring  sunshine
at Easter.

EASTER…

SNOWMAN?

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Starting off

What do you usually do at Easter? Talk in small groups and think about:

what you eat

where you go what you do

who you see

What did you do this year? Was it similar or different?

Before you read

You’re going to read about Easter traditions. Take a look at the words below. Do you know these traditions?
1. Chocolate
2. Hunting

3. Paint
4. Water

5. Fast
6. Cakes

First reading

Read the text quickly and check your guesses.

Second reading

Read again and try to find the answers to the questions below.

1. What is the weather usually like at Easter?
2. Where do people play ‘egg hunting’ games?
3. Where do people throw water at each other?

4. Who usually throws water at whom?
5. What are the forty days before Easter called?
6. Are Easter cakes very simple and plain?

Vocabulary 1

Ten words and phrases in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.

1.to stop doing something, especially something that
you do regularly

2.a long thin pointed piece of ice hanging down, for
example from a roof or balcony

3.for all future time

4.something that you do regularly or usually which is
not a good idea and, perhaps, is dangerous

5.with colours which are strong and easy to see

6.when you do one thing and not another,
you do one … the other

7.food with a lot of butter, cream, or eggs, which make
you feel full very quickly

8.use you hands to make something fly through the air

9.difficult to see or find

10.continue for a length of time

(all definitions from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words or phrases from Vocabulary 1. You may need to change the form of the word.

1. The exam starts at 2.00 and finishes at 3.30. It ____________________ for 90 minutes.

2. This film will never end! It will go on ____________________.

3. You ____________________ th

e ball and I’ll catch it.

4. I always sing when I’m driving my car. It’s a very ____________________.

5. Chocolate cake with cream, ice-cream and brandy -

wow! That’s a pretty ____________________ dessert!

6. The city was very ____________________, with neon signs everywhere.

7. Every winter I have to knock the ____________________ off my balcony. They might fall on somebody.

8. I painted it green ____________________ red. I thought it would be less aggressive.

9. This year I promise you I will ____________________ smoking.

10. I think somebody has ____________________ my telephone for a joke. It’s not funny!

Lexis 1

Here is a part of the same text, with some words missing. Work with a partner - what are the missing words?

A Traditional Easter

When we think 1. ______ Easter, we

think  2.  ______  spring.  The  weather  is
warm,  the  grass  is  green  and  there  are
flowers  3.  ______  the  parks  and  gardens.
The  snow  and  ice  of  the  winter  is  finished
and  forgotten.  This  year,  though,  things
were  a  little  different.  Instead  of  warm
weather,  many  places  had  cold  winds,
instead  of  green  grass  many  places  saw
white  snow  and  instead  of  flowers  there
were icicles.

Easter fun and games

Easter is a time 4. ______ eggs. In Britain

this  means  eggs  5.  ______  breakfast  and  -
later,  of  course  -  special  chocolate  Easter
Eggs  as  presents  for  children.  Traditionally,
people  in  Britain  and  America  play  ‘egg
hunting’ games: eggs are hidden around the
house  or  6.  ______  the  garden  and
everyone tries to find them.

In some other countries, such as Poland,

Slovakia  and  the  Czech  Republic,  there  is
another  tradition.  On  Easter  Monday  boys
throw  water  7.  ______  girls  -  though  these
days  girls  do  almost  as  much  throwing  as
boys!  In  many  European  countries  people
paint eggs in beautiful bright colours.

Easter food

Of course, eggs are very important 8.

______  Easter  time  and  they  are  often
coloured,  painted  or  decorated.  Cakes  are
important  too.  There  is  a  traditional  fast  9.
______  forty  days  before  Easter,  called
Lent,  when  many  people  do  not  eat  meat;
10.  ______  Easter  Sunday,  when  the  fast
finishes, cakes are traditionally eaten.

The cakes are usually very rich, with a lot

of  fruit  and,  perhaps,  also  some  alcohol.
One  of  the  most  traditional  cakes  is  the  hot
cross  bun:  a  sweet  bun  with  a  cross  on  the
top.

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

Lexis 2

Choose the best answer for each gap in Lexis 1.

1. (a) of

(b) on

2. (a) of

(b) on

3. (a) at

(b) in

4. (a) off

(b) about

5. (a) on

(b) for

6. (a) in

(b) at

7. (a) at

(b) on

8. (a) in

(b) on

9. (a) at

(b) for

10. (a) in

(b) on

Now complete the sentences using ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘can’.\

Speaking

Not all places have Christmas in the winter and Easter in the spring! In Australia, for example, Christmas is a summer holiday,
with warm weather and long days. Imagine you have to plan a summer Christmas and a winter Easter. What will be the same?
What will be different? Work with a partner and prepare to present your ideas to the class.