Christmas activities by Weronika Sałandyk
CHRISTMAS BINGO BOARD GAME
2 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
FIND THE DIFFERENCES Read the text and draw a picture. Compare the text with your friend and find twelve differences.
WORKSHEET A It’s Christmas. We are in the living room. The Christmas tree is very big. There are many ornaments on the Christmas tree. On the top there is a big star. My mum is sitting on the sofa. She is eating gingerbread cookies. My father is playing the piano and singing carols. My grandmother is opening her present. It is a clock. My brother and I are playing with our new toys – cars and trains. There are five candles on the table.
WORKSHEET B It’s Christmas. We are in the kitchen. There are four candles on the table. The Christmas tree i s very small. There are many ornaments on the Christmas tree. On the top there is a big angel. My mum is sitting on the chair. She is eating chocolate. My father is playing the guitar and singing carols. My grandfather is opening his present. It is a book. My sister and I are playing with our new toys – dolls and robots.
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CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 3
ABOUT CHRISTMAS WORKSHEET A
Christmas People start to get ready for Christmas in (1)__________________________. Shop-keepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for (2)__________________________. In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have (3)__________________________with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a new door and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work (4)__________________________ and have a drink together, or finish their Christmas shopping. They cover the presents in special paper and put them (5)__________________________. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings by the fire because (6)__________________________comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing carols. Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. (7)__________________________ they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is in the afternoon and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull (8)__________________________ which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then hot mince pies or a Christmas pudding. (9)__________________________ many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says ‘Happy Christmas’ to everyone. Boxing Day (26 December) is also a holiday in Britain, but many shops now open on this day. (10)__________________________, rich people gave boxes to their workers on Boxing Day, with Christmas presents inside. Now it is another day for eating, drinking and watching television at home, or going out to watch some sport. (from “Seasons and Celebrations”, J. Maguire)
1) When _______________________________________________________________________________? 2) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 3) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 4) When _______________________________________________________________________________? 5) Where _______________________________________________________________________________? 6) Who _______________________________________________________________________________? 7) When _______________________________________________________________________________? 8) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 9) What time ____________________________________________________________________________? 10) When _______________________________________________________________________________? 4 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
ABOUT CHRISTMAS WORKSHEET B
Christmas People start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November. (1)__________________________ decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for presents. In the middle of December, most families buy (2)__________________________, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have Advent calendars with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a (3)__________________________and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work early and have a drink together, or finish (4)__________________________. They cover the presents in special paper and put them under the tree. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings (5)__________________________because Santa Claus comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing (6)__________________________ Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. After breakfast they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is (7)__________________________and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull the crackers which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then (8)__________________________. At three o’clock many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says ‘Happy Christmas’ to everyone. Boxing Day (26 December) is also a holiday in Britain, but (9)__________________________now open on this day. In the nineteenth century, rich people gave boxes to their workers on Boxing Day, with Christmas presents inside. Now it is another day for eating, drinking and watching television at home, or going out to watch (10)__ ________________________. (from “Seasons and Celebrations”, J. Maguire)
1) Who _______________________________________________________________________________? 2) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 3) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 4) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 5) Where _______________________________________________________________________________? 6) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 7) When _______________________________________________________________________________? 8) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 9) What _______________________________________________________________________________? 10) What _______________________________________________________________________________? OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 5
TABOO
RIBBON
SLEIGH
STAR
material tie presents
Santa Claus travel vehicle
sky moon light
RESOLUTIONS
FIREWORKS
MERRY
New Year better decision
explosive New Year colour
happy Christmas wish
NEW YEAR’S EVE
WINTER
MULLED WINE
party champagne midnight
summer time Christmas
hot spices drink
CAROL
COLD
GINGERBREAD
song sing church
winter hot freezing
cake Christmas sweet
SKIS
BEARD
CRANBERRY
mountain sport winter
Santa Claus white hair
turkey eat fruit
SNOWMAN
TURKEY
MISTLETOE
winter children carrot
meat chicken Christmas
kiss hang green
SNOW
LIGHTS
EGGNOG
winter white cold
colours hang Christmas tree
drink alcohol eggs
CHIRSTMAS TREE
ORANGES
BELL
pine decorations hang
fruit bananas tropical
sound ring sleigh
ANGEL
CHOCOLATE
CANDLE
wings heaven God
sweet brown eat
light decoration burn
CHRISTMAS CARD
SWEETS
REINDEER
send wishes merry
candies sugar chocolate
animal Santa Claus Rudolph
LETTER TO SANTA CLAUS
ADVENT CALENDAR
CHAMPAGNE
write present send
picture December twenty-four
drink alcohol bubbles
6 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
TABOO
ELF
DECEMBER
STABLE
Santa Claus help toys
month November Christmas
animals Baby Jesus live
TOYS
CAKE
SANTA CLAUS
children play present
sweet food eat
man old red
SHEPHERD
CHIMNEY
SACK
sheep star Baby Jesus
Santa Claus house roof
bag presents Santa Claus
ORNAMENTS
FIREPLACE
PRESENT
decorations hang Christmas tree
stocking hang warm
gift give exchange
NORTH POLE
WORKSHOP
WREATH
live Santa Claus winter
elves toys Santa Claus
ring leaves flowers
HOLLY
WRAPPING PAPER
GIFT BAG
plant green red
colourful decoration present
present give colourful
WISE MAN
HOLY FAMILY
CARP
three king Baby Jesus
Jesus Mary Joseph
fish eat Christmas Eve
ICE SKATES
BOXING DAY
CHRISTMAS EVE
winter sport freeze
26th December Christmas day
24th December dinner family
GREETINGS
STOCKING
CHURCH
wishes card Merry Christmas
presents hang fireplace
mass go Jesus
FREEZING
FAMILY
CHRISTMAS DINNER
cold winter temperature
mother father relatives
eat twelve food
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CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 7
TABOO
ST A RT /F I NI SH
N MISS A TUR
MISS A T U RN
DOU BL E T I ME
8 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CHRISTMAS HALF A CROSSWORD WORKSHEET A 1 2 5
S
T
3
O
C
K
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G R
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E
D
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15 18
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R
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B
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13 14
S
A
C
H
O
L
L
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E
M
E
N
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F R
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H
S
Z
17
E
20
R
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T
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E 16
O
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A 7
12
4
C
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W
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I N
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W
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E
G
G
N
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D
R
E
S
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R
R
Y
S
A
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C
E
O 24
R
G
O
25
W
N
T
A
26
K 27
S
28
C R
A
N
B
E
29
S
B
L
E
CLUES, worksheet A
Santa’s vehicle
very cold
a long and narrow strip of coloured material which is used for decoration or tying presents
cold weather, when temperature drops below zero
a plant with green leaves and red fruit used as a decoration at Christmas
three kings who came with gifts to visit baby Jesus
a Christmas sweet usually red and white in the shape of a stick
an alcoholic drink made of eggs, sugar and milk, drunk at Christmas
a popular Christmas present, a type of clothing, looking like a coat, worn in the morning or after a shower
a big sock, usually hung by the fireplace, a place where Santa leaves presents
a large bag in which Santa carries the presents
a sauce made of small and sour red fruit, usually eaten with turkey at Christmas
explosive materials used at midnight of New Year’s Eve
your own decisions to do something better in the new year
a place where animals such as horses live or a place where baby Jesus was born OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 9
CHRISTMAS HALF A CROSSWORD WORKSHEET B 1 2 5
3
B
4
M
I
S
T
L
E
T
O
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7
X 9
W
6
O
N 8
N E
E 10
E
G
G
I
F
T
V
O
S
T
N 11
T
U
C
H
E
L
R
D 12
A
13
Y 14 15 18
16
B
O
S 19
G
I
N
G
E
A
M
P
P
U
H
P
22
L
E
I
R
N
D
G
L 24
E D 27
S
N
O
W
F
L
A
K
E
I 28
R
E 20
I
R
B
R
E
A
D
G
I
F
W
H
W
F
17
21
23
T
25
26
W R
A
A
E
R
A
O
T
L
N
E
E
R
29
A
G
C
P
P
B
H
CLUES, worksheet B
a type of brown cake with a lot of spices such as ginger or pepper
26th December
a traditional religious song sung at Christmas
a type of plant which grows on trees, used as a Christmas decoration. According to a custom, people who stand under it should kiss
a decorative ring made of leaves, flowers and other things such as bells, candles, angels
a card which you give as a present and which is worth a specific sum of money and can be later exchanged for goods in a shop
a season which comes after autumn
long pieces of shiny paper used as a decoration of Christmas tree
a type of decorative bag where you put the presents, used instead of wrapping paper
a type of evergreen tree, often used as a Christmas tree
coloured, decorated paper used for covering presents
a small piece of snow
wine which is served warm with sugar and spices
a type of knot, made of ribbon, used as a decoration of Christmas presents
a person who takes care of sheep, the first visitors of baby Jesus
10 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CHRISTMAS GUESS IT FOOD &
DRINKS
ACTIONS
DECORATIONS
PRESENTS
candy cane
sing carols
angel
toys
eggnog
hang up the stockings
bell
skis
gingerbread
kiss under the mistletoe
mistletoe
sleigh
turkey
decorate the Christmas tree
tinsel
snowboard
fruitcake
put up lights
lights
ice skates
carp
bake a cake
candle
roller skates
fish
open the presents
holly
robot
potatoes
write a letter to Santa Claus
stocking
ball
sweets
wreath
car
chocolate
eat gingerbread cookies
star
teddy bear
hot chocolate
send Christmas cards
poinsettia
game
tea
visit family
ornaments
book
biscuits
go shopping
Christmas tree
watch
ham
eat Christmas dinner
advent calendar
bracelet
oranges
drink champagne
necklace
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make a Christmas shopping list
snow
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 11
CHRISTMAS GUESS IT FOOD &
DRINKS
ACTIONS
DECORATIONS
PRESENTS
dance
fireplace
mobile phone
watch fireworks
chimney
socks
ribbon
pyjamas
nuts
mulled wine
champagne
ski
cabbage
sled
elf
scarf
cake
ice skate
reindeer
cap
coffee
make a snowman
Santa Claus
lipstick
almonds
look at the stars
snowflake
perfume
honey
a snowball fight
have
bow
sweater
mushrooms
wrap a present
sack
pen
beetroot
go to church
snowman
CD
poppy seed
look for presents
fireplace
doll
soup
wrapping paper
calendar
meat
tidy up
blanket
dessert
pull the crackers
Christmas card
wallet
cinnamon
relax
bag
12 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
make NewYear’s resolutions
gift bag
crib
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
TEACHER’S NOTES
CHRISTMAS ON PLANET A47
ABOUT CHRISTMAS
1. Introduce the topic: A new planet has just been discovered. “People/aliens” who live there celebrate a holiday similar to Christmas.
1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A text A and student B text B. 2. Students read their texts.
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and invent the festival: what people/aliens do, eat and drink, how they prepare for this holiday, how they decorate their houses etc.
3. Students work in pairs A – A and B - B. They complete the questions below the texts. Each question should help them to find out what the missing fragment is.
3. Each group prepares an advertisement of the holiday on Planet A47. It can be an oral advertisement or a leaflet.
4. Students work in pairs A and B. They ask and answer the questions and complete the text with the information they have found out.
4. The whole class listen to or watch the advertisements and they vote for the planet where they would like to go to see the festival.
ABOUT CHRISTMAS
Christmas CHRISTMAS BINGO BOARD GAME
5. Students work in small groups. Each group should have a dice and a board game. Each player should have a counter and a picture grid. 6. Before the game starts pre-teach Christmas vocabulary. 7. Students look at the board game and choose nine pictures which they draw on their picture grid. 8. Students place their counters on START and begin playing. They roll the dice and move their counter. They must name the Christmas object which is drawn in the square they have landed on. If they have the same object drawn on their picture grid they cross it out. 9. The object of the game is to be the first player to cross out all the pictures on the picture grid.
FIND THE DIFFERENCES
1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A worksheet A and student B worksheet B. 2. Tell students to read the text and draw a picture matching the description. 3. Students work in pairs. They describe the picture without showing it to their partner. The aim of the activity is to find twelve differences between the pictures. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
People start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November. Shop-keepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for presents. In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have Advent calendars with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a new door and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work early and have a drink together, or finish their Christmas shopping. They cover the presents in special paper and put them under the tree. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings by the fire because Santa Claus comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing carols. Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. After breakfast they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is in the afternoon and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull the crackers which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then hot mince pies or a Christmas pudding. At three o’clock many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says ‘Happy Christmas’ to everyone. (from “Seasons and Celebrations”, J. Maguire)
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 13
TEACHER’S NOTES
WORKSHEET A 1) When do people start get ready for Christmas? 2) What do shoppers start to look for? 3) What do many children have? 4) When do people often stop work? 5) Where do people put presents? 6) Who comes down the chimney? 7) When do children open their presents? 8) What do people pull?
the card. However, the clue giver can’t use any taboo words written below the clue. To avoid cheating one person from the opposite team should look at the clue card and monitor the words the clue giver uses. The first team tries to guess the word. 4. Each team has thirty seconds to guess as many words as they can. When their time is up they move their counters as many squares forward as the number of words they guessed. 5. If the team lands on “miss a turn” square, they miss the next turn.
9) What time do many people in Britain turn their televisions on?
6. If the team lands on “double time”, they will have double time (1 minute) to guess the clues in their next turn.
10) When did rich people give boxes to their workers on Boxing Day?
7. The winner is the team which first gets to FINISH.
WORKSHEET B 1) Who decorates the shops with lights, trees and other decorations? 2) What do most families buy? 3) What does a child open every day? 4) What do people finish on 24th December? 5) Where do the children sometimes leave their stockings? 6) What do people sing at midnight on Christmas Eve?
CHRISTMAS GUESS IT
1. Draw a board game like this on the board. Divide it into 24 squares and mark each square with a symbol: - food and drinks, - presents, – decorations, – actions. Explain that each symbol refers to a different Christmas vocabulary category. You may add a legend next to the board game. Mark START / FINISH square on the board. 2. Divide students into two or three teams. Give each team a counter (use a magnet) and place it on START.
7) When is Christmas dinner? 8) What do people have for Christmas dinner? 9) What opens on Boxing Day? 10) What do people go out to watch? TABOO
1. Divide students into groups. Give each group a board game and a set of word cards which should be placed face down in the middle.
S A R T / � S H
2. Each group must be divided into at least two teams. Teams place their counters on START. 3. The first team starts the game by choosing one of its players to be a clue giver. That person takes the first card from the pile and describes the word at the top of
14 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
TEACHER’S NOTES
3. Put four piles of cards with categories on your desk. Make sure your students know which pile belongs to which category. 4. The first team starts the game by choosing one of its players to be a clue giver. That person takes the first card from the pile ACTIONS and describes the word at the top of the card. The rest of the team must guess the word. 5. Each team has one minute to guess as many words as they can. When the time is over they move their counter as many squares forward as the number of words they guessed. 6. The cards which have been used are placed at the bottom of the pile and might be reused in the same game again.
explosive materials used at midnight of New Year’s Eve FIREWORKS
your own decisions to do something better in the new year RESOLUTIONS
a place where animals such as horses live or a place where baby Jesus was born STABLE
very cold FREEZING
cold weather, when temperature drops below zero FROST
a plant with green leaves and red fruit used as a decoration at Christmas HOLLY
three kings who came with gifts to visit baby Jesus WISE MEN
a Christmas sweet usually red and white in the shape of a stick CANDY CANE
an alcoholic drink made of eggs, sugar and milk, drunk at Christmas EGGNOG
a popular Christmas present, a type of clothing, looking like a coat, worn in the morning or after a shower DRESSING GOWN
7. The winner is the team which first gets to FINISH. CHRISTMAS HALF A CROSSWORD
1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A worksheet A and student B worksheet B.
CLUES, worksheet B
a type of brown cake with a lot of spices such as ginger or pepper GINGERBREAD
a traditional religious song sung at Christmas CAROL
a decorative ring made of leaves, flowers and other things such as bells, candles, angels WREATH
coloured, decorated paper used for covering presents WRAPPING PAPER
3. Give pair A CLUES, worksheet A, and pair B CLUES, worksheet B. The pairs match the definitions to the words they have in their crosswords.
a small piece of snow SNOWFLAKE
wine which is served warm with sugar and spices MULLED WINE
4. Ss work in pairs A-B. A asks B: ‘What’s 2 down?” B gives A a clue. If A cannot guess the word, B spells the word in English. Then they swap and B asks A for a clue.
a type of knot, made of ribbon, used as a decoration of Christmas presents BOW
a person who takes care of sheep, the first visitors of baby Jesus SHEPHERD
5. The object is to complete the crossword with the missing words.
26th December BOXING DAY
a type of plant which grows on trees, used as a Christmas decoration. According to a custom, people who stand under it should kiss MISTLETOE
a card which you give as a present and which is worth a specific sum of money and can be later exchanged for goods in a shop GIFT VOUCHER
a season which comes after autumn WINTER
long pieces of shiny paper used as a decoration of Christmas tree TINSEL
a type of decorative bag where you put the presents, used instead of wrapping paper GIFT BAG
a type of evergreen tree, often used as a Christmas tree FIR
2. Students work in pairs A – A and B - B. They look at their crossword and try to figure out the meaning of the words which appear in their crossword. They may use the dictionaries.
CLUES, worksheet A
Santa’s vehicle SLEIGH
a long and narrow strip of coloured material which is used for decoration or tying presents RIBBON
a big sock, usually hung by the fireplace, a place where Santa leaves presents STOCKING
a large bag in which Santa carries the presents SACK
a sauce made of small and sour red fruit, usually eaten with turkey at Christmas CRANBERRY SAUCE
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CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 15
