Level:
Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate (10-12th grade);
Class
size: 20 Sts
Time:
45m
General
objectives:
SWABT
·
identify
characteristics of celebrating top 13 Craziest Festivals around the world;
Language
objective:
SWABT
·
write
about/create a festival they would like to be celebrated in Georgia, according
the given top 13 examples, using the target vocabulary given in the texts.
Civic
objective:
SWABT
·
write about/create an imaginary festival.
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Procedure:
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Steps:
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Description:
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Skills/work type
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Time:
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Warm-up:
Lead-in:
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“Circle”
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T divides the
class into groups of two according the colored slips of papers. Sts with the
red make the inside circle, sts with the green make the outside circle. Sts
face each other in two circles.
T gives instructions. T asks a
question, sts in the outside circle have to speak about the question for 1
minute to the students in the inside circle whom they are facing, then switch
the roles. After the first question the outside circle steps to the left and
faces other students. T asks the second question, sts answer another
question. In total 3 questions will be asked. (Questions: 1. Which Georgian holiday
do you like best? Why? 2. Which Georgian holiday do you like least? Why? 3. What
international holiday do you know? Describe it.)
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Speaking/Listening/pairs
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6m
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Presentation:
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Step 1:
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T divides the
class into groups of 5(give out the slips of paper at random. The paper
contains the names of vegetables and fruit: tomatoes, potatoes, carrots,
apples, oranges, sts sit in groups according the fruit/vegetables. Four sts
per group. Handout 1) and gives out the pictures at random. (Handout 2). Each group gets 4
pictures. Several groups might have the same picture. Sts have to predict/discuss:
What are the festivals in the pictures? Where do the festivals take place?
Why is the festival special?
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Speaking /
Listening /groups
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2m
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Practice
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Step 1:
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Sts discuss and
try to identify the festivals. Sts answer above given 3 questions.
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Speaking/Listening/groups
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5m
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Step 2:
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T elicits what
sts have discussed through questions. T holds a picture so that every student
can see and asks for information e.g. which group has this picture? What is
the festival in the picture? Who else has the same picture? Where does this
festival take place? What do you think why are they doing it?
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Speaking/Listening/class
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3m
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Step 3:
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T gives out the
stories (Handout 3) of each picture to the groups who
have the picture illustrating the festival given in the text. Sts read the
texts to check their predictions.
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Reading/groups
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5m
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Presentation:
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Step 1:
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T elicits the
answers to the questions she has: and praises the groups whose answers to the
following questions are the closest.
1. What is the Festival called?
2. Where does this holiday take
place?
3. What happens during the
Holiday?
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Speaking/Listening/class
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5m
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Production:
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Step 1:
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Sts work in
groups to create the festival they would like to be celebrated in Georgia – sts
can use the vocabulary from the texts to help them.
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Writing/groups
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10m
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Step 2:
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Sts present their
presentations.
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Speaking/Listening/groups/class
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9m
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Prior Preparation
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Cut out red and
green paper to divide the class in pairs.(just like a slip of paper). Cut out
Handout 1. Photocopy the pictures so that each group gets 4 different photos.
Two different groups might have the same picture. Cut the pictures from
Handout 2. Print out and cut out the texts - Handout 3(use colored paper if
possible). Review the material to make sure you know which picture matches
the text. Have plain paper just in case.
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Handout 1
Handout 3
Holidays around the World
La Tomatina
The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in
Bunol since 1944 or 1945. No one is completely certain how this event
originated. Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food
fight among friends. This
is an amazing festival in Spain, Buñol; It takes place every last Wednesday in
August. It may sound strange but the main ingredient for the festival is a
tomato, actually tons of tomatoes. Tomato lovers have fun! This is their
festival. Each year tens of thousands of people go dawn on Buñol for La
Tomatina, This is a celebration which lasts a week. The culmination of a
week-long celebration of Buñol is tomato throwing. An estimated 125,000kg of tomatoes are used, People bring tomatoes in
the town square by a bunch of lorries. Drunken participants dive in, throwing the fruit at each other until the
streets run red and then it’s all over – in an hour. Main rule is to squash
tomato before throwing not to be too painful.
Day
of the Dead
November 1st
and 2nd is Mexico’s Day of the Dead. The history
dates back in time 4000 years. These days we think of it as a "Mexican
holiday", but the origins of the Day of the Dead can actually be traced
back several millennia before Mexico even existed as a country.
It’s a two-day festival celebrating the reunion of relatives who had died. One can see colourful costumes,
loads of food and drink, skeletons, parties in cemeteries, skull-shaped items and bands performing next to graves. This beautiful, moving
spectacle will fascinate you like Halloween witches. The day celebrates the
continuation of life beyond. Celebrations are held by cultural
Mexicans throughout the world, but a few of the bigger celebrations take place
in Mexico City and Los Angeles. “The Day of the Dead,” celebrates All Saints’
Day, which remembers all those who have passed before us. A colorful display of costume and culture is a day
you don’t want to miss.
The ‘Night of the Radishes’
This might
not sound sensible but people celebrate radish
day in Mexico every 23rd of December. You can love it or hate it, but you
can’t ignore it. At least not in Oaxaca, Mexico, where the root vegetable has been the subject of an annual festival since 1897. The celebrations last just a few hours,
during which time craftsmen compete
to sculpt shapes from the season’s finest radishes. The ‘Night of the Radishes’
began as a marketing trick when the Spanish first brought radishes to Mexico in
the 16th century, they carved them into different, nice shapes to attract buyers (although they didn’t go quite as far as
the Japanese;). Today the tradition takes the form of a competition, as local artists
carve amazing things from massive
radishes for a cash prize and the respect of lovers of crisp, roots worldwide.
Battle of the Oranges
The Spanish are well known for their annual food fight, La Tomatina, but that’s
nothing compared to Italy’s Battle of the Oranges. The origins of this festival
are unclear, but we do know that being hit in the face by citrus fruit is
painful. However, that doesn't frighten
participants, who turn up in their thousands to join the fight.
The Historical Carnival of Ivrea is a unique Italian event of international
importance, as acknowledged in the communication by the President of the
Council. The spirit of Carnival lives through the re-enactment of the city’s
liberation from tyranny dating back to Medieval times: a baron who starved the
city was driven away thanks to a miller’s daughter who rebelled against the
baron and asked people to revolt. In this commemoration every year the new
version of the Carnival is celebrated as Festival involving the whole town,
during which the community of Ivrea can show its self-determination.
Songkran Water Festival
The festival is celebrated in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Every April 13-15. It is celebrated in the last days of the old year and the
Lunar New Year begins on the day just after the end of the festival. Even an
elephant gets involved. This is the water fight of your dreams, so back up your
Super Soakers, water balloons, and water bottles and go to Thailand for a wet
and wild adventure. Forget packed pubs and overpriced cafes, in
Thailand during the New Year. Expect three days of oversized water tanks and buckets
of the blue stuff as Songkran hosts in the hottest month of the year with
country-wide water fights. Traditionally, the water symbolizes cleansing, but these days it seems more
an excuse to get elephants to spray
unsuspecting viewers.
Boryeong Mud Festival
This festival takes place in Boryeong on the 18-27th
of July, in South Korea. As we know Korea is known for its outstanding
festivals, but MudFest is perhaps the greatest among them. It takes place right
by the Daecheon Beach, so you can easily muddy yourself up, then pop into the
ocean to clean yourself. Leave your best clothes at home if you want to join
the two million or so mud-loving people that make their way to Boryeong in
South Korea for a summer-long fest. There’s mud wrestling, mud races, mud
sliding, mud fireworks and just about anything else mud-related that organizers
can think of. Luckily, there is a soap making class too. In 1996 a range of cosmetics was produced
using mud from the Boryeong mud flats. The cosmetics were said to be full of
minerals,all of which occur naturally in the mud from the area.In order to
promote these cosmetics, the Boryeong Mud Festival was created. It was hoped
people would learn more about the mud and the cosmetics. The festival has
become popular with both Koreans and western tourists, as well as American
Military personnel stationed in the country, and foreign English teachers
working in Korea.
Monkey
Buffet Festival
The
monkey buffet festival is a celebration that takes place in Thailand and it´s
held every November 25th. The local peoples believe that monkey´s
bring good fortune to the visitors. It has been held done since 1989, and it
main public are the tourist from different parts, which offers proximally 4000
kilograms of food and drinks every year. It has also representative music and
dances and different activities throw-out the day with young people dress like
monkeys, as a shown of thanks because of their great value. As well it has
become a very important colorful tradition to the Thailand people because of
the meaning of the monkeys. In this festival the ones who enjoy the buffet are
the monkeys them self. They enjoy with a large buffet of food, ranging from
sweet desserts to fruits, vegetables, and sodas. In the monkey buffet you can
watch the monkeys drink coke directly from the can. In the past years the
monkeys have consumed over four tons of food, not many people are agree with
the type of diet that this monkeys have on this event, but what it is a fact is
that this animals certainly enjoy their annual special meal.
Holi
Holi
is celebrated by Hindus Around the World on the 27th of March in
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and other Hindu regions. Holi, also known as the
Festival of Colors, celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
It’s fun, safe, and free. Just remember to BYOD (bring your own dye). Entire country wears a festive
look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get busy with activity
as shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Lots of colours can be
seen on the festival. It associates with the colorful flowers as they boom in
spring. People throw at each other powders of various colors and wish each
other a good harvest.
International Balloon Festival
International Balloon Festival takes place is
the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the world. Essentially it’s like Up
— but better. The Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as the highlight of a 50th
birthday celebration for a Radio station. It is held at the beginning of
November every year in Japan. The fiesta is held just outside of Saga
City,
along the Kase River. It has grown from a gathering of 5 hot air balloons to a
competition where over 3500 people volunteer, and has gained a reputation as
one of the top ballooning competitions in the world. It is also a popular time
for tourists as other Festival is held at the same time in the city. Since 1980
the launch site has been visited by over 10 million spectators.
Cooper
Hill’s Cheese Rolling Festival
Cooper
Hill’s Cheese Rolling Festival takes place in Gloucester, England on the 26th of May.
If you’ve ever wanted to watch hundreds of men run down a hill while chasing a wheel of cheese, then you’re in luck — because the Cooper Hill
Cheese Roll not only exists..A number of grown men running down a pretty steep
hill to catch up with a roll of homemade cheese. Only the British could come up
with a sport like this one.
It’s true—year by year thousands gather to watch
this odd of events that’s been around since the 1800’s. Participants begin at
the foot of the hill and race up to the top for the preliminary competition.
Then an 8-pound wheel of Double Gloucester Cheese—the ultimate prize of the
affair —is thrown from the top, and everyone chases after it. It’s
dangerous, it’s messy, but it’s fun.
Running
of the Bulls
That happens in Pamplona, Spain, on the 6-14th
of July. Let’s be real — who doesn’t like watching people make fools of
themselves? The Running of the Bulls is a time-honored Spanish tradition, which
is such to raise your adrenaline levels, whether you’re running or watching.
The origin of this event comes from the need to transport the bulls from the
off-site to where they would be killed in the evening. Youngsters would jump
among them to show off their bravery. Spanish tradition says the true origin of
the run began in northeastern Spain during the early 14th century. While
transporting cattle in order to sell them at the market, men would try to speed
the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement.
After years of this practice, the transportation and hurrying began to turn
into a competition, as young adults would attempt to race in front of the bulls
and make it safely. When the popularity of this practice increased and was
noticed more and more by the expanding population of Spanish cities, a
tradition was created.
Baby jumping Festival
The festival’s date changes.
Anyone who has a newborn
addition to their family can bring their baby along to this festival known as
the El Colacho which has taken place annually since way back in the 1620’s. The
festival itself is part of the celebrations held all over Spain for the
Catholic festival of Corpus Christi and whilst at this particular time many
other cities and towns have spectacular processions and a variety of other
popular means of entertainment and enjoying themselves, there is only one Baby
Jumping Festival. The babies are laid on the ground in and grown men, yes adult
males, dressed as devils jump over the infants and this is supposed to cleanse
them of all evil doings. The question of who is protecting the babies from
being stepped on by the adults is asked but who are we to doubt this
traditional combination of religion and Spanish folklore which proves to be
great fun, if not a little scary, to watch.
Saint Marta de Ribarteme
The festival of near death experiences, is a
slightly odd festival held in a small Spanish village, that borders Portugal –
Las Nieves, Pontevedra, in Galicia and
taking place on the 29th of July.
Every year in people who have suffered a near death
experience in the previous year get together to attend Mass in celebration of
Saint Marta de Ribarteme, but here is the twist: they turn up at Mass carrying
a coffin, or being carried in a coffin. Thousands of people line the streets of
this tiny village. At 10am, the relatives of the people who narrowed escaped
death are expected to carry their loved ones in coffins to the small
church.After Mass, which is projected across the village using loudspeakers,
the procession then walks to the local cemetery and then back to the church
with a large statue of the Virgin Santa Marta overseeing the celebrations.
Despite the somberness of the event, people light fireworks and shopkeepers
fill the streets to sell religious objects.