Конспект уроку з англійської мови для 7 класу на тему " Британські свята"

Topic: Boxing Day

Learning outcomes: By the end of the lesson learners will be able to:

• learn more about British holidays;
• work on new words;
• form reading skills;
• encourage cultural awareness.

English level: Pre-Intermediate

The lesson introduces learners to one of the interesting topics Boxing Day. Working with the article will help them to find out more information about the British holiday and develop an ability to express their ideas. They will enlarge their vocabulary with new words and structures.

The lesson is suitable for teenagers and should be around 40 minutes long.

Procedure

I. Lead-in

A teacher shows a picture of a box and asks students whether this object has any connection to the British holiday Boxing Day. After students express their ideas a teacher offers them to work in pairs. They have to write five questions that can help to find more about this holiday.

S1: When is it celebrated?

      Why is it called Boxing Day?

       How is it celebrated?

       Where do people celebrate this holiday?

II. Reading task

Students should read the text and then find the answers to the questions. Before that they exchange the questions.

S2: Boxing Day is celebrated after Christmas.

III. Vocabulary Drill

Students should guess the words due to their meanings.

- to share things among the group of people, especially in a planned way (to distribute);

- objects made out of  baked clay (pottery);

- a traditional Christmas song (a carol);

- someone who owns or works in a shop that sells meat ( a butcher);

- money, food given to people in the past (alms).

IV. Speaking Drill

A teacher asks students to think over some questions:

1. Do you like this holiday? Why?

2. Have we got the same day?

3. Would you like to celebrate Boxing Day in our country?

V. Hometask

A teacher asks students to make a project about Boxing Day in any form they want ( a short story, a presentation, a rhyme etc)

Worksheet 1

Boxing Day - the Day after Christmas!

Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is only celebrated in a few countries. It was started in the UK about 800 years ago, during the Middle Ages. It was the day when the alms box, collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches, were traditionally opened so that the contents could be distributed to poor people. Some churches still open these boxes on Boxing Day.

It might have been the Romans that first brought this type of collecting box to the UK, but they used them to collect money for the betting games which they played during their winter celebrations!

In Holland, some collection boxes were made out of a rough pottery called 'earthenware' and were shaped like pigs. Perhaps this is where we get the term 'Piggy Bank'!

The Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas, is set on Boxing Day and is about a King in the Middle Ages who brings food to a poor family.

It was also traditional that servants got the day off to celebrate Christmas with their families on Boxing Day. Before World War II, it was common for working people (such as milkmen and butchers) to travel round their delivery places and collect their Christmas box or tip. This tradition has now mostly stopped and any Christmas tips, given to people such as postal workers and newspaper delivery children, are not normally given or collected on Boxing Day.

Boxing Day has now become another public holiday in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is also the traditional day that Pantomimes started to play. There are also often sports played on Boxing Day in the UK, especially horse racing and football matches!