oxford xmas activities

Christmasactivities

by Weronika Saandyk

2 CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 OxfORd unIVERSITy pRESS

CHRISTMAS BINGOBOARD GAME

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES 2010 3 OxfORd unIVERSITy pRESS

FIND THE DIFFERENCESRead the text and draw a picture. Compare the text with your friend and find twelve differences.

wORkSHEET AIts Christmas. We are in the living room. The Christmas tree is very big. There are many ornaments on the Christmas tree. On the top there is a big star. My mum is sitting on the sofa. She is eating gingerbread cookies. My father is playing the piano and singing carols. My grandmother is opening her present. It is a clock. My brother and I are playing with our new toys cars and trains. There are five candles on the table.

wORkSHEET BIts Christmas. We are in the kitchen. There are four candles on the table. The Christmas tree is very small. There are many ornaments on the Christmas tree. On the top there is a big angel. My mum is sitting on the chair. She is eating chocolate. My father is playing the guitar and singing carols. My grandfather is opening his present. It is a book. My sister and I are playing with our new toys dolls and robots.


ABOUT CHRISTMAS

wORkSHEET AChristmas

People start to get ready for Christmas in (1)__________________________. Shop-keepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for (2)__________________________. In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have (3)__________________________with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a new door and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work (4)__________________________ and have a drink together, or finish their Christmas shopping. They cover the presents in special paper and put them (5)__________________________. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings by the fire because (6)__________________________comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing carols. Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. (7)__________________________ they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is in the afternoon and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull (8)__________________________ which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then hot mince pies or a Christmas pudding. (9)__________________________ many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says Happy Christmas to everyone.Boxing Day (26 December) is also a holiday in Britain, but many shops now open on this day. (10)__________________________, rich people gave boxes to their workers on Boxing Day, with Christmas presents inside. Now it is another day for eating, drinking and watching television at home, or going out to watch some sport.

(from Seasons and Celebrations, J. Maguire)

1) When _______________________________________________________________________________?

2) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

3) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

4) When _______________________________________________________________________________?

5) Where _______________________________________________________________________________?

6) Who _______________________________________________________________________________?

7) When _______________________________________________________________________________?

8) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

9) What time ____________________________________________________________________________?

10) When _______________________________________________________________________________?


ABOUT CHRISTMAS

wORkSHEET BChristmas

People start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November. (1)__________________________ decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for presents. In the middle of December, most families buy (2)__________________________, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have Advent calendars with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a (3)__________________________and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work early and have a drink together, or finish (4)__________________________. They cover the presents in special paper and put them under the tree. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings (5)__________________________because Santa Claus comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing (6)__________________________Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. After breakfast they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is (7)__________________________and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull the crackers which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then (8)__________________________. At three oclock many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says Happy Christmas to everyone.Boxing Day (26 December) is also a holiday in Britain, but (9)__________________________now open on this day. In the nineteenth century, rich people gave boxes to their workers on Boxing Day, with Christmas presents inside. Now it is another day for eating, drinking and watching television at home, or going out to watch (10)__________________________.


1) Who _______________________________________________________________________________?

2) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

3) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

4) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

5) Where _______________________________________________________________________________?

6) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

7) When _______________________________________________________________________________?

8) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

9) What _______________________________________________________________________________?

10) What _______________________________________________________________________________?


TABOO

RIBBON

materialtie

presents

SLEIGH

Santa Claustravel

vehicle

STAR

sky moonlight

RESOLUTIONS

New Yearbetter

decision

FIREWORKS

explosiveNew Year

colour

MERRY

happyChristmas

wishNEW YEARS EVE

partychampagne

midnight

WINTER

summertime

Christmas

MULLED WINE

hotspicesdrink

CAROL

songsing

church

COLD

winterhot

freezing

GINGERBREAD

cakeChristmas

sweet

SKIS

mountainsport

winter

BEARD

Santa Clauswhitehair

CRANBERRY

turkeyeat

fruit

SNOWMAN

winterchildrencarrot

TURKEY

meatchicken

Christmas

MISTLETOE

kisshanggreen

SNOW

winterwhitecold

LIGHTS

colourshang

Christmas tree

EGGNOG

drinkalcohol

eggsCHIRSTMAS TREE

pinedecorations

hang

ORANGES

fruitbananastropical

BELL

soundring

sleigh

ANGEL

wingsheaven

God

CHOCOLATE

sweetbrown

eat

CANDLE

lightdecoration

burnCHRISTMAS CARD

sendwishesmerry

SWEETS

candiessugar

chocolate

REINDEER

animalSanta Claus

RudolphLETTER TO SANTA CLAUS

write present

send

ADVENT CALENDAR

pictureDecember

twenty-four

CHAMPAGNE

drinkalcoholbubbles


TABOO

ELF

Santa Claushelptoys

DECEMBER

monthNovemberChristmas

STABLE

animalsBaby Jesus

liveTOYS

childrenplay

present

CAKE

sweetfoodeat

SANTA CLAUS

manoldred

SHEPHERD

sheepstar

Baby Jesus

CHIMNEY

Santa Claushouseroof

SACK

bagpresents

Santa Claus

ORNAMENTS

decorationshang

Christmas tree

FIREPLACE

stockinghangwarm

PRESENT

giftgive

exchange

NORTH POLE

liveSanta Claus

winter

WORKSHOP

elvestoys

Santa Claus

WREATH

ringleaves

flowers

HOLLY

plantgreen

red

WRAPPING PAPER

colourfuldecoration

present

GIFT BAG

presentgive

colourful

WISE MAN

threeking

Baby Jesus

HOLY FAMILY

JesusMary

Joseph

CARP

fisheat

Christmas EveICE SKATES

wintersportfreeze

BOXING DAY

26th DecemberChristmas

day

CHRISTMAS EVE

24th Decemberdinnerfamily

GREETINGS

wishescard

Merry Christmas

STOCKING

presentshang

fireplace

CHURCH

massgo

Jesus

FREEZING

coldwinter

temperature

FAMILY

motherfather

relatives

CHRISTMAS DINNER

eattwelvefood


START/FINISH

MISS A TURN

DOUBLE TIME

MISS A TURN

TABOO


CHRISTMASHALF A CROSSwORD

wORkSHEET A

C

S T O C K I N G A R I B B O N

R N S A C K

E D

S Y H O L L Y

O C

L A

S U N

L T E F

E I R

I O E

F R O S T G N E

I H S Z

R W I S E M E N

E N

W E G G N O G G

O

R D R E S S I N G G O W N

K

S

C R A N B E R R Y S A U C E S T A B L E

1

2 3 4

5 6

7 8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15 16 17

18 19

20 21

22 23

24 25 26

27

28 29

CLUES, worksheet ASantas vehicle

a long and narrow strip of coloured material which is used for decoration or tying presents

a big sock, usually hung by the fireplace, a place where Santa leaves presents

a large bag in which Santa carries the presents

a sauce made of small and sour red fruit, usually eaten with turkey at Christmas

explosive materials used at midnight of New Years Eve

your own decisions to do something better in the new year

a place where animals such as horses live or a place where baby Jesus was born

very cold

cold weather, when temperature drops below zero

a plant with green leaves and red fruit used as a decoration at Christmas

three kings who came with gifts to visit baby Jesus

a Christmas sweet usually red and white in the shape of a stick

an alcoholic drink made of eggs, sugar and milk, drunk at Christ-mas

a popular Christmas present, a type of clothing, looking like a coat, worn in the morning or after a shower


CHRISTMASHALF A CROSSwORD

CLUES, worksheet B

wORkSHEET BT

B W I

O I N

X N S

M I S T L E T O E T E

N E L

G G I F T V O U C H E R

D

A

Y

F I R

B S W

O H G I N G E R B R E A D

W E A

M P P

U H P

L E I G I F T B A G

L R N

E D G W C

D P R A

S N O W F L A K E A E R

I P A O

N E T L

E R H

1

2 3 4

5 6

7 8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15 16 17

18 19

20 21

22 23

24 25 26

27

28 29

a type of brown cake with a lot of spices such as ginger or pepper

a traditional religious song sung at Christmas

a decorative ring made of leaves, flowers and other things such as bells, candles, angels

coloured, decorated paper used for covering presents

a small piece of snow

wine which is served warm with sugar and spices

a type of knot, made of ribbon, used as a decoration of Christmas presents

a person who takes care of sheep, the first visitors of baby Jesus

26th December

a type of plant which grows on trees, used as a Christmas decora-tion. According to a custom, people who stand under it should kiss

a card which you give as a present and which is worth a specific sum of money and can be later exchanged for goods in a shop

a season which comes after autumn

long pieces of shiny paper used as a decoration of Christmas tree

a type of decorative bag where you put the presents, used instead of wrapping paper

a type of evergreen tree, often used as a Christmas tree


FOOD & DRINKS ACTIONS DECORATIONS PRESENTS

candy cane sing carols angel toys

eggnoghang up

the stockingsbell skis

gingerbreadkiss under

the mistletoemistletoe sleigh

turkeydecorate the

Christmas treetinsel snowboard

fruitcake put up lights lights ice skates

carp bake a cake candle roller skates

fishopen

the presentsholly robot

potatoeswrite a letter

to Santa Clausstocking ball

sweets make a Christmas

shopping listwreath car

chocolateeat gingerbread

cookiesstar teddy bear

hot chocolatesend

Christmas cardspoinsettia game

tea visit family ornaments book

biscuits go shopping Christmas tree watch

hameat Christmas

dinneradvent calendar bracelet

orangesdrink

champagnesnow necklace

CHRISTMASGUESS IT


CHRISTMASGUESS IT

FOOD & DRINKS ACTIONS DECORATIONS PRESENTS

nuts dance fireplace mobile phone

mulled winewatch

fireworkschimney socks

champagne ski ribbon pyjamas

cabbage sled elf scarf

cake ice skate reindeer cap

coffeemake

a snowmanSanta Claus lipstick

almondslook

at the starssnowflake perfume

honeyhave

a snowball fightbow sweater

mushrooms wrap a present sack pen

beetroot go to church snowman CD

poppy seedlook

for presentsfireplace doll

soup make NewYears

resolutionswrapping paper calendar

meat tidy up gift bag blanket

dessertpull

the crackersChristmas card wallet

cinnamon relax crib bag


TEACHERS NOTES

CHRISTMAS On pLAnET A47

1. Introduce the topic: A new planet has just been discovered. People/aliens who live there celebrate a holiday similar to Christmas.

2. Students work in pairs or small groups and invent the festival: what people/aliens do, eat and drink, how they prepare for this holiday, how they decorate their houses etc.

3. Each group prepares an advertisement of the holiday on Planet A47. It can be an oral advertisement or a leaflet.

4. The whole class listen to or watch the advertisements and they vote for the planet where they would like to go to see the festival.

CHRISTMAS BInGO BOARd GAME

5. Students work in small groups. Each group should have a dice and a board game. Each player should have a counter and a picture grid.

6. Before the game starts pre-teach Christmas vocabulary.

7. Students look at the board game and choose nine pictures which they draw on their picture grid.

8. Students place their counters on START and begin playing. They roll the dice and move their counter. They must name the Christmas object which is drawn in the square they have landed on. If they have the same object drawn on their picture grid they cross it out.

9. The object of the game is to be the first player to cross out all the pictures on the picture grid.

fInd THE dIffEREnCES

1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A worksheet A and student B worksheet B.

2. Tell students to read the text and draw a picture matching the description.

3. Students work in pairs. They describe the picture without showing it to their partner. The aim of the activity is to find twelve differences between the pictures.

ABOuT CHRISTMAS

1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A text A and student B text B.

2. Students read their texts.

3. Students work in pairs A A and B - B. They complete the questions below the texts. Each question should help them to find out what the missing fragment is.

4. Students work in pairs A and B. They ask and answer the questions and complete the text with the information they have found out.

ABOuT CHRISTMAS

ChristmasPeople start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November. Shop-keepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for presents. In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them inside the house, and put colourful decorations on them. Many children have Advent calendars with little doors for each day until Christmas. Every day the child opens a new door and inside there is picture or a chocolate. The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas Eve. People often stop work early and have a drink together, or finish their Christmas shopping. They cover the presents in special paper and put them under the tree. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus when they go to bed. If the house has a fireplace, the children sometimes leave their stockings by the fire because Santa Claus comes down the chimney. Many people go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. They hear the Christmas story and sing carols. Christmas Day (25 December) is a holiday. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to see what Santa put there for them. After breakfast they open their other presents around the tree. Christmas dinner is in the afternoon and is the biggest meal of the day. Before they start to eat, people pull the crackers which make a loud noise, and have a small game and paper party hat inside. Dinner is usually turkey with lots of winter vegetables and then hot mince pies or a Christmas pudding. At three oclock many people in Britain turn their televisions on because the Queen says Happy Christmas to everyone.



TEACHERS NOTES

WORKSHEET A1) When do people start get ready for Christmas?

2) What do shoppers start to look for?

3) What do many children have?

4) When do people often stop work?

5) Where do people put presents?

6) Who comes down the chimney?

7) When do children open their presents?

8) What do people pull?

9) What time do many people in Britain turn their televisions on?

10) When did rich people give boxes to their workers on Boxing Day?

WORKSHEET B 1) Who decorates the shops with lights, trees and

other decorations?

2) What do most families buy?

3) What does a child open every day?

4) What do people finish on 24th December?

5) Where do the children sometimes leave their stockings?

6) What do people sing at midnight on Christmas Eve?

7) When is Christmas dinner?

8) What do people have for Christmas dinner?

9) What opens on Boxing Day?

10) What do people go out to watch?

TABOO

1. Divide students into groups. Give each group a board game and a set of word cards which should be placed face down in the middle.

2. Each group must be divided into at least two teams. Teams place their counters on START.

3. The first team starts the game by choosing one of its players to be a clue giver. That person takes the first card from the pile and describes the word at the top of

the card. However, the clue giver cant use any taboo words written below the clue. To avoid cheating one person from the opposite team should look at the clue card and monitor the words the clue giver uses. The first team tries to guess the word.

4. Each team has thirty seconds to guess as many words as they can. When their time is up they move their counters as many squares forward as the number of words they guessed.

5. If the team lands on miss a turn square, they miss the next turn.

6. If the team lands on double time, they will have double time (1 minute) to guess the clues in their next turn.

7. The winner is the team which first gets to FINISH.

CHRISTMAS GuESS IT

1. Draw a board game like this on the board. Divide it into 24 squares and mark each square with a symbol: - food and drinks, - presents, decorations, actions. Explain that each symbol refers to a different Christmas vocabulary category. You may add a legend next to the board game. Mark START / FINISH square on the board.

2. Divide students into two or three teams. Give each team a counter (use a magnet) and place it on START.

SART/SH


TEACHERS NOTES

3. Put four piles of cards with categories on your desk. Make sure your students know which pile belongs to which category.

4. The first team starts the game by choosing one of its players to be a clue giver. That person takes the first card from the pile ACTIONS and describes the word at the top of the card. The rest of the team must guess the word.

5. Each team has one minute to guess as many words as they can. When the time is over they move their counter as many squares forward as the number of words they guessed.

6. The cards which have been used are placed at the bottom of the pile and might be reused in the same game again.

7. The winner is the team which first gets to FINISH.

CHRISTMAS HALf A CROSSWORd

1. Divide students into pairs. Give student A worksheet A and student B worksheet B.

2. Students work in pairs A A and B - B. They look at their crossword and try to figure out the meaning of the words which appear in their crossword. They may use the dictionaries.

3. Give pair A CLUES, worksheet A, and pair B CLUES, worksheet B. The pairs match the definitions to the words they have in their crosswords.

4. Ss work in pairs A-B. A asks B: Whats 2 down? B gives A a clue. If A cannot guess the word, B spells the word in English. Then they swap and B asks A for a clue.

5. The object is to complete the crossword with the missing words.

CLUES, worksheet ASantas vehicle SLEIGHa long and narrow strip of coloured material which is used

for decoration or tying presents RIBBONa big sock, usually hung by the fireplace, a place where

Santa leaves presents STOCKINGa large bag in which Santa carries the presents SACKa sauce made of small and sour red fruit, usually eaten with

turkey at Christmas CRANBERRY SAUCE

explosive materials used at midnight of New Years Eve FIREWORKS

your own decisions to do something better in the new year RESOLUTIONS

a place where animals such as horses live or a place where baby Jesus was born STABLE

very cold FREEZINGcold weather, when temperature drops below zero FROSTa plant with green leaves and red fruit used as a decoration

at Christmas HOLLYthree kings who came with gifts to visit baby Jesus WISE

MENa Christmas sweet usually red and white in the shape of a

stick CANDY CANEan alcoholic drink made of eggs, sugar and milk, drunk at

Christmas EGGNOGa popular Christmas present, a type of clothing, looking like

a coat, worn in the morning or after a shower DRESSING GOWN

CLUES, worksheet Ba type of brown cake with a lot of spices such as ginger or

pepper GINGERBREADa traditional religious song sung at Christmas CAROLa decorative ring made of leaves, flowers and other things

such as bells, candles, angels WREATHcoloured, decorated paper used for covering presents

WRAPPING PAPERa small piece of snow SNOWFLAKEwine which is served warm with sugar and spices MULLED

WINEa type of knot, made of ribbon, used as a decoration of

Christmas presents BOWa person who takes care of sheep, the first visitors of baby

Jesus SHEPHERD26th December BOXING DAYa type of plant which grows on trees, used as a Christmas

decoration. According to a custom, people who stand under it should kiss MISTLETOE

a card which you give as a present and which is worth a specific sum of money and can be later exchanged for goods in a shop GIFT VOUCHER

a season which comes after autumn WINTERlong pieces of shiny paper used as a decoration of Christ-

mas tree TINSELa type of decorative bag where you put the presents, used

instead of wrapping paper GIFT BAGa type of evergreen tree, often used as a Christmas tree FIR

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