Celebrations and dates - English Template, Novice High

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Please Note: Many of the activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.  — The Pathways Project

Looking for the Spanish Version of this activity to adapt for your language? CLICK HERE

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
  • Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu.

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials for your classroom follow the instructions below:

  • Google Slideshows:
    • To begin, go to File -> Copy to create an editable version of the slideshow.
    • Once finished with your changes, please complete the following steps to share:
    • Click on Share
    • Who Has Access
    • Ensure link sharing is on and allow external access.
  • Materials Saved as PDF: Please email pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu and we will provide you with an editable copy. Please allow up to two business days for a response. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided. 

3. Adapt for Another Language:

  • See the linked English Version at the top of the activity (English Version may not be available for all activities)

Celebrations and Dates

Description:

Students will practice talking about events and holidays. They will discuss the ways in which they celebrate events with family and friends in the past. Students will also be able to identify how other cultures celebrate local or national holidays. They will recommend places to celebrate birthdays or go on dates in their city, and practice how to talk about past friendships or relationships. 

Proficiency Level:

Novice high

Keywords:

Events, holidays, celebration, friends, birthdays, dates

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:

  • Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  • Standard 1.2 Students understand and interpret spoken and written (target language) on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of (target culture).
  • Standard 4.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons between (target culture) and their own.

Idaho Content Standards for World Languages:

  • COMM 1.1: Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions. 
  • COMM 2.1: Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
  • CLTR 1.1: Analyze the cultural practices/patterns of behavior accepted as the societal norm in the target culture.
  • CLTR 1.2: Explain the relationship between cultural practices/behaviors and the perspectives that represent the target culture’s view of the world.
  • COMP 2.3: Compare and contrast authentic materials from the target culture with the learner’s culture.

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can talk about how I celebrate holidays and special events with my family and friends
  • I can provide recommendations of a place to celebrate a birthday or go on a date in a city
  • I can talk about my past friendships and relationships, along with my plans for the future
  • In my own and other cultures I can identify how people celebrate local and national holidays or festivals (intercultural)

Materials Needed:

Warm-up

1. Begin by introducing the Can-Dos for today’s activity and displaying the Google Slideshow on the projector.  

“Today, we are going to chat about celebrating holidays and special events. We will chat about how we have celebrated in the past or how we would want to in the future. We will also decide the ways to give a recommendation and talk about past friendships or relationships."  

2. The students will play "heads up" with a set of cards (linked). As students if they have played in the past, if not explain how heads up is played. 

“Do you all know how to play? One person is going to choose a card, but DON’T look at the word on the card. You are going to put the card on your forehead and the rest of the group is going to describe the word so that you can guess it.”

If students need some assistance getting the discussion going, use the questions below: 

"What is... [the color, the form, does it make a sound, can one eat it], etc?"

3. Before continuing to the main activity give the students a little bit of cultural insight to how some holidays are celebrated in Spanish speaking countries.  

“In Spain and other Spanish speaking countries, people eat twelve grapes while the new year begins. A bell sounds twelve times and with each sound everyone eats one grape. It is a tradition that people do in order to receive good luck in the new year."

Main Activity

1. Students will chat about dates and celebrations. Use the Question cards to move the conversation along. Hand out the small cards to each person.
“We are going to chat about dates and celebrations!! Today we have a lot of discussion questions and we are going to use these cards on the table in order to help with the discussion.”

2.  Students will take turns choosing a card. The person who chooses a card will read out loud. Then, everyone must answer or contribute to the conversation. 

 “I have a stack of cards and we are going to take turns choosing a card. The person that chooses the card is going to read it in a loud voice. After, you all are going to answer and participate in a discussion."

3. Give the students an example that they can model on how to ask questions. Have the students answer the question and explain why.
     1. What is the best place to have a date in Boise?

            1. "In my opinion, the best place to have a date is... because...."

        2. At what age do you want to retire and why?

            1. “I want to retire when I am 50 and move to... because..." 

4. If you finish early, you can ask more questions.

    1. "If you finish early, ask some more questions"

4. If you finish early, you can ask more questions.
  

Wrap-up

Ask some of the following questions to finish the lab: 

1. What question was your favorite?

2. What is the best gift you have received? What have you given?

3. What is the easiest way to meet new people?

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. 
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.) 
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can talk about how I celebrate holidays and special events with my family and friends
  • I can provide recommendations of a place to celebrate a birthday or go on a date in a city
  • I can talk about my past friendships and relationships, along with my plans for the future
  • In my own and other cultures I can identify how people celebrate local and national holidays or festivals (intercultural)

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