Unit 1 Festivals around the world Period one Warming up
Teaching aims: 1. To know some meanings of different festivals, springs and customs. 2. To think about the variety of events and festivals in the world. 3. Learn some new words on festivals and customs and how to use them.
Teaching procedures: Step 1. Warming up
Hello, everyone! Welcome you back to school! Today, we’ll talk about a new topic—FESTIVALS. Festivals are meant to celebrate important events. Different countries have different festivals. Even, in one country, there are still many different festivals. Now, think about how many festivals you know and can you tell us what you know.
(Sample: New Year, Yuan Xiao Festival, International Women’s Day, International Labor Day, Chinese Youth Day… ) Step 2. Group work
Now, turn to Page 1. Let’s work in groups and list the three more Chinese festivals that you know.
Discuss: When they take place, what they celebrate and what people do at that time. Festival Mid-Autumn Festival Spring Festival National Day October 1 January/February Time of Year/date Autumn/fall What it celebrates What people do The beauty of the full moon, harvest, Give/Eat mooncakes and watch the full time with family and friends moon with family and friends The end of winter, arrival of spring, Give money in red paper to children; see Lunar New Year, reunion with family dragon dances; eat fish, prawns and and relatives Republic of China in 1949 dumplings; visit family members to see other parts of China; go shopping throw rice wrapped in reed leaves into The founding of the People’s Take time off work; travel to visit family or Dragon Boat The fifth day of the The memory of the beloved poet Qu Eat zhongzi; watch dragon boat races; Festival/Duan1 / 20
fifth month in lunar Yuan who died in 278 BC wu Festival calendar water in memory of Qu Yuan; put herbs on doorways for good health Step 3. Homework: Try to find more information about other festivals on line and tell out the differences.
Period two Reading
Teaching aims: 1. To help Ss bring their personal experience into the discussion of festivals. 2. To exercise the Ss prediction skills.
3. Enable Ss to know the earliest festivals with reasons for them and four different kinds of festivals that occur in most part of the world.
4. Enable to matter some English expressions and phrases about festivals.
Teaching procedures: Step 1. Pre-reading
Continue the theme of the Warming up section by moving the discussion to a more personal level.
Questions: What festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like best—the activities, the music, the sights, the food or the people who visit? Step 2. Reading
Show some pictures and words to help Ss to understand the text. Listen to the text carefully. 1. Para 1
Ancient festivals were associated with seasons of the year, fertility, survival and fear of the unknown. The ancient people did not understand scientific reasons for seasonal change, the migration of animals, birth and death and relied on what they thought they could do to bring back the sun in
winter, bring rain and ensure the fertility of the people and the crops. Many religions today celebrate their festival days on or about the times of the old festivals. Question: Why would people celebrate at these three times of the year? 2. Festivals of the Dead:
Many societies believe that the dead can influence their
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lives for good or evil? To honour one’s ancestors also brings respect to their memory and to the family. All societies have ways of recognizing the memories of their dead. Some do so out of belief that the dead are able to see and hear human life, as in the Obon festival. Others do so to face death and deal with the fear of dying as in the Day of the Dead in Mexico. In some Western countries, there is little that remains of the original festivals. Funeral practices tend to be quiet and private, not public.
Questions: 1) What kinds of things are done to honour the dead? 2) Why do you think we offer flowers to the dead?
3) What do you think about the Mexican practice of making cakes with skulls and bones> 4) What do you know about Halloween? What pictures have you seen? 3. Festivals to Honour People:
These festivals are used to develop or strengthen national pride, to recognize war heroes, national leaders, famous historical figures and events and loved and admired people in the country’s history.
Questions: 1) What festivals or celebrations can you think of that honour famous people or important events?
2) Who do you think should have a festival to honour them? Why? 4. Harvest Festivals:
These are continuations of the ancient festivals that were intended to ensure enough food and to celebrate survival for another year. Often there are large public gatherings to share food and drink.
Question: Do you know of any harvest celebrations in China? 5. Spring Festivals:
These festivals are celebrations of life, fertility and renewal. Many things associated with them are symbolic of new life and new growth. The food that is eaten is important. For example, lamb is a common Easter dinner. Rabbits and baby chicks are also
favourite Easter symbols. You may wish to discuss the reasons shy certain foods are eaten at
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certain festivals.
Question: Why are spring festivals popular? Talk about all the cultural practices you know of at spring festivals.
Step 3. Language points:
1. Festivals are meant to celebrate important times of year. 节日就是庆祝一年中重要的日子。
mean后面可以跟带不定式的复合结构。
I never meant him to work for us. 我从来没有让他为我们工作的意思。 这种句子也可以用被动结构。
Is that mark in the middle of the picture meant to be a building? 图画中心的记号是不是一座建筑物？
2. Discuss when they take place, what they celebrate and what people do at that time. 讨论它们（中国节日）是什么时间举行，庆祝的是什么事件，人们在那天做什么事。
take place 发生；举行
The performance did not take place after all. 演出终于没有进行。
Was there anybody passing by when the accident took place? 事故发生时有人路过那里吗？
3. Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. 有些节日，是为了纪念死者，或者使祖先得到满足，因为祖先们有可能回到世上（给人们）提供帮助，也有可能带来危害。 to do harm 损害，危害，伤害
It wouldn’t do you any harm to stay up late for a few days. 仅仅熬几天夜不会对你造成任何伤害。
I’m afraid it will do more harm than good. 这样做恐怕弊大于利。
4. For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. 在日本的盂兰盆节，人们要扫墓、烧香，以缅怀祖先。 Obon盂兰盆节，日本民间最盛大的节日，在每年的月或月中旬，为期一周。在此期间，各处高挂红灯，各家都要扫墓，打扫佛像，供奉蔬菜、水果和米饭，在广场和寺庙还有庆祝活动。节日结束的时候，还要放河灯。现在盂兰盆节已成为
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日本人家庭团聚娱乐的日子。 in memory of 纪念
They set up a monument of the soldiers who died in World War II. 他们建立起一座纪念碑，用以纪念二战中牺牲的战士们。
He wrote a long moving poem in memory of his good friend. 为纪念他的挚友，他写下了一首感人的长诗。
5. They also light lamps and play music because they think that this will lead the ancestors back to earth. 他们还点起灯笼，奏响乐曲，因为他们认为这样做可以把祖先引回到世上。
lead (…) to领往；通往；导致。
You see the path on your right? It leads to the village. 你看见右过的小路了吗？它通向村子/
This will probably lead to trouble in the future. 这很可能会导致日后的麻烦。
6. On this important feast day, people eat food in the shape of skulls and cakes with “bones” on them. 在这个重要的节庆日子里，人们会吃制成颅骨、形状的食物，和装点有“骨头”的蛋糕。
in the shape 呈现某种形状；以某种形式。
The shells on the sand were placed in the shape of the letters PKU. 贝壳摆放在沙地上组成字母PKU的字样。
Tom’s birthday cake was in the shape of a train. 汤姆的生日蛋糕是火车形状。 7. The Western holiday Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people. 西方节日万圣节也源自人们古老的信念，认为亡者的灵魂会返回人间。
Halloween万圣节前夕，也称为“鬼节”。原为欧洲凯尔特人于凯尔特年最后一天庆祝新年、敬奉死神萨马因的节日。后逐渐与基督教的“万圣节”一起庆祝。苏格兰和爱尔兰移民将庆祝此节的风俗习惯带入美国，现已成为儿童的节日。每年的10月31日，许多人家门窗上贴着鬼像，门口台阶或窗台上放着用南瓜雕刻的杰克灯。晚上，孩子们打扮成各种鬼怪模样，挨门挨户索要礼品，并且发出“要恶作剧还是给礼品”的“威胁”。
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