Unit14Celebrating Holidays and FestivalsTheme:holidays and festivalsLanguage functions:Describing what people do on holidays and festivals;talking about future plansObjectives:Students shall be able to describe holidays&festivals and talk about their future plans;they shall also consolidate their command of the functional expressions used to show agreement&disagreement as well as describe past experiences.Warm-upProcedures:1.Divide students into groups of four and ask them to guess what the festivals are according to the descriptions and then discuss the questions in the textbook.The holidays and festivals described in part one are the Mid-Autumn Festival,Tomb-Sweeping Festival/Qing Ming Festival,Thanks g iving,and Halloween.Activity11.ConversationThis text is a dialogue between two friends,Zhang Juan and Peter,discussing holidays and festivals in their respective cultures,China and the United States.The text provides an introductory cultural exchange and comparison of traditional holiday celebrations in China and the United States.It highlights some of the major national holidays in each country and some unique customs.Go through the conversation and draw students’attention to expressions of asking about and describing the holidays and festivals.Then lead students to have a look at the useful words and functional expressions in the Language Bank.In addition,the teacher may ask students to add other important holidays and festivals in China or other countries.2.Pair work●Focus:This task aims to engage students in conversational exchanges about culturalevents and making logical guesses about which festival is being depicted based on the visual information provided.●Procedures:Arrange students in pairs.Ask each pair to make dialogs based on the given pictures, following the pattern in the textbook.They may choose to make three short dialogs or one dialog incorporating descriptions of three holidays.Remind students to use the pictures asprompts to practice talking about different holidays and festivals.The goal is to identify the celebration based on the visual clues.Then the teacher may ask two or three pairs to role-play their conversation(s).Provide feedback on the content and language used.Highlight any new vocabulary or proper holiday names introduced through the activity.3.Mini-speech●Focus:The goal of this task is for students to strengthen their public speaking andpresentation skills by individually preparing and delivering a short speech about a holiday or festival to their peer group.Students will select a celebration from the provided list,research key details about its history,customs,and origins,and create a two-minute informative presentation to group members.●Procedures:1.Divide students into groups.Have each student select one holiday/festival from the provided list.2.Give students a few minutes to prepare a short two-minute presentation about their chosen holiday/festival.They should include key details like the date,traditions,origins,etc.3.Have each student take turns giving their mini-presentation to the group.Encourage them to speak loudly and clearly.4.After each presentation,the other group members could ask follow-up questions about the holiday.This allows the presenter to provide more detail.5.When all students have presented,lead a brief class discussion reflecting on what they learned about different cultural celebrations from their peers.6.Provide positive feedback on the content and public speaking skills demonstrated. Sample Speech and Q&AThe festival I will talk about today is the Lantern Festival.This festival takes place on the15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.It marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.The Lantern Festival has a history of over2,000years.During this festival,people light lanterns and hang them around temples,in the streets,parks,and even near rivers and lakes.The lanterns come in all shapes,sizes and colors,often with Chinese symbols, animals from the zodiac,or scenes from myths.The lanterns symbolize hope for the new year.Families carry lanterns to join in parades and events.There are often fireworks, dances,and lion dances too.Eating round sticky rice balls called yuanxiao in Chinese is a popular custom,because their round shape matches the full moon on this night.The Lantern Festival is about bringing families together to celebrate while welcoming the first full moon.Q&A:Q:When was the first Lantern Festival held?A:The Lantern Festival began during the Han Dynasty,over2,000years ago.Q:What foods do people eat during this festival?A:Common foods eaten during this festival are sticky rice balls called yuanxiao and round-shaped dumplings.These match the full moon.Q:What makes the lanterns special?A:The lanterns come in all sizes,shapes and colors.Many have Chinese symbols,animals or myths depicted on them.They symbolize hope.Activity21.ConversationsThe two conversations in this activity focus on talking about future plans and usual practice on certain holidays.Lead students through the two conversations and ask them if they know anything about the origin of the April Fool’s Day and the Dragon Boat Festival.Students may also share some interesting April Fool’s stories and some different ways of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in different parts of China.2.Pair work●Focus:This task focuses on using the phrase“I am going to”to discuss future holidayplans.This allows students to practice talking about the future in English while learning about their partner’s holiday traditions and plans.●Procedures:1.Divide students in pairs.Ask each pair to follow the instructions in the textbook and remind them to think about what they learned in Unit3to talk about future plans and try to use the expressions they learned.2.Students will take turns using the phrase“I am going to”to discuss their plans.They could discuss activities,food,places they will visit,people they will see,etc.Students should aim to provide3-5“I am going to...”statements for each holiday prompt.3.After both students have had a chance to share their plans,the teacher can invite some pairs to share with the class.3.Story-telling●Focus:This task aims to get students to share some interesting/memorable personalexperiences or stories related to a holiday tradition holidays by using3-5key details.By recounting events in sequence using the past tense,students can improve their ability to narrate a coherent story in English.●Procedures:Divide students into groups.Students will take turns sharing stories about memorable experiences they’ve had on Chinese or Western holidays/festivals.Remind students that they need to give as many details as possible to make their stories vivid and impressive.Stories should focus on a specific holiday event or tradition and past tenses should be used to describe what happened.If a student does not have a relevant personal experience to share, they can share an interesting,moving,or funny holiday story they have heard before.After the group work,the teacher may ask some volunteers to share their stories in front of the class.Activity31.FestivalsThis text explores two major cultural festival traditions—China’s Spring Festival(Lunar New Year)and the American holiday of Thanksgiving.It first provides background on Spring Festival,describing the celebrations,customs,and activities associated with this revered start of the lunar new year.Details are given about the significance of family gatherings,traditions like hanging red banners and staying up late on New Year’s Eve,visiting relatives,and enjoying public festivities.The text then shifts to discuss the origins and modern practices of Thanksgiving in America. It recounts how the Pilgrims started the tradition in1621after surviving a difficult winter thanks to the help of Native Americans.Their inaugural feast and celebration of a bountiful harvest spawned an ongoing national holiday.Thanksgiving is associated with family gatherings,travel,special meals featuring turkey and pumpkin pie,and giving thanks for one’s blessings.Together,the passages showcase two major cultural holiday traditions and how they bring families and communities together through celebration,shared history,and gratitude.Lead students through the text and ask them to summarize what kind of information should be included in an introduction of a holiday or ually,when,how and with whom the holiday or festival is celebrated are necessary,and then the origin,related stories, importance as well as cultural implications may also be included.2.Pair work●Focus:This task allows students to compare and contrast customs and traditions betweenmajor Chinese and Western holidays.Students will work in pairs to identify similarities and differences across six festival pairings.This promotes cultural understanding of how celebrations vary across regions.●Procedures:The teacher may introduce some patterns often used to talk about similarities and differences before dividing the students into groups.Each group may first brainstorm on the customs of all the Western and Chinese festivals in the table and have a discussion of the similarities and differences between each pair.After discussion and completing the table,students will share what they listed with the class and explain the cultural significance.Suggested Answers:Festivals Similarities DifferencesChristmas vs.Spring Festival -Family gatherings-Decorating homes-Exchanging gifts-Christmas:Christianity;turkeySpring Festival:Lunarcalendar;jiaozi;fireworksValentine’s Day vs.Qixi Festival -love/romance-Gifts to loved ones-Festival tales about couples-Qixi:traditional Chinesestory;activities likewatching stars-Valentine’s:more widelycelebratedHalloween vs.Qingming Festival -Respect to the deceased-Rituals and offerings-Halloween:morelighthearted;costumes andcandy-Qingming:more reverentand solemnThanksgiving vs.Mid-Autumn Festival -Family gatherings-Feasts/meals-Harvest origins-Thanksgiving:Americanhistory-Mid-Autumn:mooncakes,lanterns and moon viewing3.Interview●Focus:The task focuses on encouraging students to think about and voice their opinionson Chinese and Western festivals and how people should celebrate them in the present era.The discussion promotes critical thinking on cultural evolution.●Procedures:The teacher may start by asking students how they feel about traditional holidays now compared with how they felt when they were young.Then,students may give their opinions about how people may maintain or adjust the customs.4.Show and tell●Focus:The task is designed for the students to look for information about a particularfestival of an ethnic group and integrate what they have collected into a presentation.●Procedures:The teacher may assign the task in class and leave it as homework for students to look for related information and prepare for the presentation.Divide students into groups of four and ask them to first decide on a festival of an ethnic group.The teacher needs to make sure that each group focuses on a different festival from other groups.Then,ask students to think about what they would like to include in their presentation and how they can make their presentation more impressive.In addition,remind them to have a proper allocation of work and ensure good cooperation among the group members.Finally in class,each group does their presentation and other groups give their comments on the content and performance of the presentation.Supplementary Activity1.ConversationThis is a conversation between Rick,an American exchange student studying Chinese culture at Peking University,and his Chinese friend Cherry.It takes place on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival,a major traditional holiday in China.Their conversation provides insight into Chinese traditions around the Mid-Autumn Festival.The teacher may make use of the activity to get students to know more about the festivals celebrated in China and appreciate the cultural diversity of our country.2.Role-play●Focus:This task is for the students to demonstrate an understanding of a key Chineseholiday,the Winter Solstice Festival.Students work in pairs and roleplay the original characters of Rick and Cherry.●Procedures:1.Have students work in pairs,with one partner playing Rick and the other playing Cherry. Explain that the scene is now the Winter Solstice Festival.2.Rick should ask questions to learn about the Winter Solstice Festival,such as its origins, traditions,foods,etc.Cherry will explain details about the festival and how Chinese people celebrate it.Encourage to use prior cultural knowledge.3.Have students perform their role-plays for the class.After each role-play,briefly discuss key information presented about the festival.Sample DialogueRick:Hi Cherry!Happy Winter Solstice Festival!Thanks for inviting me over to celebrate again.Cherry:You’re welcome,Rick!I’m excited to tell you about another Chinese holiday. Rick:Me too!So can you explain what the Winter Solstice Festival is all about?When is it celebrated?Cherry:The Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important festivals in China.It takes place around December21st,the shortest day of the year.Rick:Interesting!What are the origins of this festival?Cherry:It originated over2,000years ago.Ancient Chinese people celebrated the solstice because it means the days would start getting longer again as spring approaches.Rick:That makes sense.I read the solstice has something to do with yin and yang. Cherry:Yes,exactly!The solstice represents yin transitioning to yang—from the darkness of winter to the light of spring.Rick:Nice.So how do Chinese people celebrate today?What are the traditions? Cherry:There are many fun customs!Eating jiaozi and spending time with family.Also ancestor worship and lighting candles.Rick:It sounds very meaningful.I’d love to experience all of that someday.Well,thanks for telling me about this great Chinese festival!Cherry:You’re welcome!I’m happy to share our culture with you.Ready for our feast?3.Pair work●Focus:This activity prompts students to discuss and compare regional variations incelebrating traditional Chinese holidays and festivals.Students will activate prior knowledge and share experiences to highlight how geography and local culture lead to diverse paring traditions boosts cultural understanding.●Procedures:Have students work in pairs.Students in each pair may start with sharing how certain traditional festivals are celebrated in their hometown and see if there are any differences.In addition,they may share whatever they know of or have heard of the different ways of celebrating traditional festivals in different places.Remind students to make use of the expressions introduced in Task1for Activity3to talk about these differences.Encourage students to explain why certain regional variations developed.Consider geography,ethnic groups,available foods,etc.Have some pairs briefly share their examples with the class.。