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Traditions

Activity type: this is a grammar-based (test-teach-test) lesson in which students review the present simple.

Level: Pre-Intermediate and above

Teacher's notes:

1. Set the students a homework assignment of researching a traditional day in their countries e.g. Thanksgiving, Chusok etc. You can tell them to ask their parents about the day, research on the internet or ask friends in order to find out as much as they can about the traditional day and of course add their own knowledge.
   
2. Tell them that they must also research the lexical items needed by using a dictionary because they are going to present the information in class. Words could include the various foods or verbs.
   
3. In class, put the students into pairs to explain their days to their partners. Monitor and check to see how the students are using the present simple i.e. that they are using it to express traditions and events which ‘repeatedly’ or ‘regularly’ occur.
   
4. Ask a few students to explain their days to the entire class. Go over any unknown lexical items.
   
5. Then begin to describe a traditional day from your own country. If you have photos or items that are used/seen on that day, bring them into class and show them to the students. As you are doing so elicit and highlight the present simple e.g. People usually…eat turkey and roast potatoes.
   
6. Go through the whole day. As you are doing so, prompt the students to repeat after you e.g. People usually eat turkey. People always buy each other presents. Some people like to go out for long walks in the afternoon. Some people like to watch TV all day etc.
   
7. Highlight the use of the present simple; elicit and draw the timeline on the board to help check the students’ understanding. Also elicit the question form and the negative.
   
   ++++++++++++++++++NOW++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++>
   
   i.e. establish the habitual nature of the language.
   
   
8. Hand out the worksheet below and ask the students to complete the sentences according to their traditional days. They could do this in pairs orally or they could write the sentences first and then read them to their partner.
   
9. Once they have done this, ask them to present the work to the class or ask them to mingle and ask each other about their traditions.
   
   

/ worksheet can be found one the following page for easy printing /









Worksheet:

1. We usually ....................................................................................................
   
   
   
2. We always .....................................................................................................
   
   
   
3. People usually .................................................................................................
   
   
   
4. Some people like to ..........................................................................................
   
   
   
5. Our family usually ............................................................................................
   
   
   
6. I occasionally .................................................................................................
   
   
   
7. Sometimes ....................................................................................................
   
   
   
8. We rarely .....................................................................................................
   
   
   
9. We never ....................................................................................................
   
   
   
10. We hardly ever ..............................................................................................
    
    

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