Traditional British Christmas Foods

Traditional British Christmas Foods

I Lead in.

a)    What do you know about Christmas in the UK? When is it celebrated?

b)    What are the symbols of Christmas? Take 1 minute to write down the symbols or associations you can think of. Compare your lists with other students.

II Match the images to the names of British Christmas symbols. Watch the video below and check. Which of the Christmas symbols from the list do you have in your country?

1.    snow-covered postcard

2.    family gathering

3.    gift exchanges

4.    shopping spree (spree is a short period of doing an (enjoyable) activity)  

5.    stockings packed with sweets

6.    reindeer

7.    Santa Claus

8.    Christmas lights

III Pronunciation focus. Look at the phonetic symbols [ɪ], [i:], [aɪ];  [ʃ]; [ʌ]; [ʊ]. How do you pronounce them? Put the words in the list in the correct column based on the way you pronounce the underlined letters. Listen or watch  the video in Task V and check.

Christmas; spree; gift; lights; sweets; dish; pudding; plum; Medieval; traditional; associated; dish; mince; pie; spices; treat; icing

[ɪ]	[i:]	[aɪ]	[ʃ]	[ʌ]	[ʊ]
hit	see	night	mention	but	put

IV Match the images to the names of British Christmas dishes and drinks. Watch the video and check. Which of the Christmas dishes or drinks would you like to try?

1.    eggnog

2.    duck

3.    Christmas pudding or plum pudding

4.    ham

5.    mince pie (or minced meat pie)

6.    gingerbread house

7.    “gingerbread men”

  

V Watch the video above and list the names of Christmas foods and drinks in the order you hear them.    

A.   duck

B.   Christmas pudding or plum pudding - 1

C.   ham

D.   mince pie (or minced meat pie)

E.    eggnog

F.    pheasant

G.   gingerbread house

H.   turkey

I.      “gingerbread men”

J.     goose

VI Watch the video again. Divide the words from the list in task V into three groups:

a) types of meat:

b) sweet dishes:

c) drinks:

VII Watch the video and mark the sentences as True (T) or False (F). Correct the false statements.

1. The traditional Christmas meal has not changed over the years.

2. Christmas pudding is made with several different kinds of mixed fruits.

3. Christmas pudding is served on New Year’s Day.

4. Gingerbread minced pie was sometimes lit aflame before being brought to the table.

5. Another Christmas dish is mince pie also called minced meat pie.

6. Mince pies are drinks.

7. The most popular meats served at Christmas time in the UK have always been ham, goose, duck, and pheasant.

8. One of the more popular Christmas desserts is typically made in the form of small animals.

9. Minced pie is also used to create small houses.

10. Eggnog is a sweet drink made with ginger.  

VIII Watch the video and answer the questions.

1) What are the ingredients of Christmas pudding?

2) In what Christmas dish did people hide coins? Why did they do it?

3) Does mince pie (or minced meat pie) contain meat? What are the ingredients of this dish? 4) What is one of the most popular Christmas meats in the USA?

5) What are the small dessert houses made of?   

6) What are ingredients of eggnog?

7) What can adults add in their eggnog?

8) Will Christmas dishes change in future?  

IX OVER TO YOU.

A)  Find a recipe of a traditional British Christmas dish (not described in the video). Share the history of the dish and its recipe with other students in class.

B)   Plan a ‘perfect’ Christmas dinner with other students. (See the example below). To do it follow the instructions below:

1) take a large sheet of paper;

2) every person writes his or her first name and family name in English

3) move right and try to write the names of dishes and drinks using the letters of every person’s name.

 4) after three rounds draw the dishes or drinks  on your ‘menu’.

  

b
r		p
E	l	i	z	a	b	e	t	h
a		z			a			o
d		z			n			n
		a			a			e
					n			y
					a

HOW BIRTH ORDER CAN SHAPE YOUR PERSONALITY

HOW BIRTH ORDER CAN SHAPE YOUR

 PERSONALITY

I Lead in.

A) Look at the list of adjectives below. Those adjectives describe personality. Divide them into positive, negative or neutral personality characteristics. Which of the adjectives can you use to describe yourself?

   

responsible; nervous; conscientious; conservative; dominant; experienced; dependent; outgoing; ambitious; strong; irresponsible; demanding; motivated; independent; sociable; honest; self-centred; diligent; power-orientated; open; predisposed (towards leadership); frivolous; selfish

  

D) Take a fun test: write 3 adjectives (that can describe personality) that come to your mind in 30 seconds. Click on the link to see the key to the test.

Key to the fun test: the first adjective -this is how you see yourself, the second adjectives - this is how other people see you; 3rd adjective - this is what you really are like.

 

Discuss your results with other students. Do you agree with the results of the fun test?

II Key words. Read the sentences (1-8). The words in bold are used in the video. First guess the meaning of the words. Then match the words with their definitions (a-f).

1)  Some people believe that children who have no siblings are likely to be selfish.

2) Some scientists believed that the order in which we were born to a family affects our personality.

3) For the middle children the pace of development is higher.  

4) The only child doesn’t compete with  any siblings.

5) Only children are often  pampered by their parents

6) Studies have a number of inaccuracies.

7)Research doesn't take into account important social factors such as ethnicity, education, and relationships within a family.

8) The upbringing that children receive in their homes is a much more important factor in shaping their lives as individuals.

a)    the way people are treated or educated when they are young

b)    brothers or sisters

c)    giving someone special treatment, giving someone everything the person wants

d)    the speed with which something moves

e)    has an influence on something or someone

f)     to consider something

g)    a situation in which something is not completely correct

h)    try to be more successful than someone else

III Watch the video and divide the adjectives from the list above into three groups: personality characteristics of the oldest child, a middle child, the youngest child, an only child. Do you think the description is true for you? Why or why not?

the oldest child	a middle child	the youngest child	an only child

IV Watch the video and say if the statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.  

1.          There is a stereotype that the oldest child in the family tends to be very irresponsible.

2.          The Birth Order Theory was developed by Alfred Adler, Sigmund Freud’s friend and colleague.

3.          Alder believed that the order in which we made friends affects our personality.

4.          According to Adler, the oldest child tends to be sociable and dependent

5.          Oldest children often take responsibility for the younger siblings, so they are likely to take initiative when they grow up.

 6.          Middle children often struggle to surpass their parents.

7.          Middle children are more likely to set unreasonably high goals to themselves.

8.          As a rule the youngest child gets little care and attention from parents and even older siblings.

9.          Youngest children often achieve big success; they become the fasted athletes, the best musicians, and most talented artists.

10.      Only children are pampered by their parents.

11.       Only children are often independent and people-centred.

12.      The only child often has difficulty interacting with other children. Many children who have no siblings become perfectionists, and they usually achieve their goals no matter what.

V Watch the video and answer the questions.

1) What groups of people did scientists study to understand the relations between birth order and IQ level?

2) What groups of children showed higher performance in intelligence tests?

3) Did the scientists find any effects of birth order on emotional stability and imagination?

4) What groups of people did scientists study to understand the relations between birth order and personality?

5) What children (the oldest child, a middle child, the youngest child, or an only child) tend to be more conscientious and diligent?

6) What children tend to be honest and dominant, but less sociable and less resistant stress?

7) What children are likely to be open and sociable?

8) What children can be nervous, but they’re also quite outgoing and sociable?

 9) Are the studies of connection between birth order and personality always accurate? Why or why not?

10) What other important factors can influence children’s personality?

VI OVER TO YOU.

A)   Look at the “self-portrait” poem. Follow the instructions to write a poem about yourself. Share your poem in class (you can read it aloud or you can print it and display it as a poster (you are free to choose the type/font for your first and last name).

“Self-portrait” poem

1)                                              Anna

2)                   loving, honest, independent, kind,

3)                   youngest daughter of Alexander and Helen

4)                   likes music, chocolate ice-cream, and warm days

5)                   afraid of spiders and darkness

6)                            would like to see the ocean

7)                                               Martins

Instructions (write your poem)

1)             your first name

2)             four adjectives that describe you

3)            where you are in your family, and your parents’ (caretakers’) names

4)             three things you like

5)            something you are afraid of

6)             something you would like to do

7)             your last name

B)   Find two examples of the famous people (famous political leaders, scientists, artists) you admire or find interesting. Find out what role in their families those people had: were they the oldest child, a middle child, the youngest child, or an only child? Do you think that birth order influenced their personalities? Why or why not. Find the examples in their biographies that prove birth order theory right or wrong.

C)  Express your opinion on the birth order theory. Do you think that birth order affects our personality?