Party “English holidays”
for 5-8 Formers
Objectives: to practice speaking about English holidays; to encourage
pupils to memorize useful vocabulary, to discover cultural
values throughvariedcreative activities.
Equipment: a fir-tree, an oven, pumpkin pie, Christmas cards, a song “Auld lang syne”, a song “Jingle bells”, two letters.
Characters: Compere Betty
Mr. Brown Children
Mrs. Brown
Mag
PROCEDURE
Compere:
Today we shall speak about one of the most popular English traditions celebrating of Christmas. Christmas day is celebrated on December 25. Many people look on Christmas as time to celebrate the earliest times.
In those days the sun meant so much to primitive people that when it began to lower each day till December 23, people thought the sun was going to die and they were worried. They ate less keeping the food for the next year.
On December 23 the sun stayed in the sky longer and after that the nights were becoming shorter and shorter. When this happened the primitive man was very happy. He wanted to celebrate it.
Nowadays the 25 of December had become the day of the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact day of Christ’s birth, but most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25.
People of different countries celebrate Christmas in various ways. But some traditions of celebrating it are common for all the countries. Two of them should be mentioned here. They are to decorate Christmas tree and to light candles. These traditions also go back to ancient times. In the earliest times green trees were symbols of life. People also believed that candle’s light helped them to forget the darkness of winter.
Now we should like it show you, how Christmas is celebrated in the English family. Here are the members of that family; Mr.Brown, the father. He works in an office in London. Mrs.Brown, his wife. She is a house-keeper.
Their two daughters, Mag and Betty. Mag is 11 and Betty is 12.
They are schoolgirls.
Browns live in a little town near London.
Be very attentive. Try to understand and remember as much as you can.
Mag.Hi, Daddy! Why are you so early today?
Mr.Brown.You see, today is Christmas eve. And on that day all the offices are closed at 1 o’clock. And what are you doing?
Betty.We are writing letters to Santa Claus. Listen what I have written: “Dear Santy! My name is Betty. I am 12. I am a schoolgirl. I think I am a good girl. I get only good marks at school and I always help my mother about the house. I know that on Christmas Day you bring presents to good children. Please, bring me a new doll. I wish you be happy and healthy.
Sincerely yours
Betty Brown”
Mr.Brown.A nice letter. And what about you, Mag? What do you want
Santa Claus to bring you?
Mag.“Dear Santa Claus! I am Mag and I am 11, I go to school. I should say I am an obedient girl. I am a good pupil and I always clean my room myself. I help my mother to wash up. I like animals very much and I want to have one at home. Please, bring me a little puppy. I shall look after it carefully.
Thank you very much.
Your Mag.”
Mr.Brown.Your letter is not worse than your sister’s one. You are good girls and I think Santa Claus will bring you all you want.
Betty.Daddy, don’t you know where Santa Claus lives? We don’t know his address.
Mr.Brown.He lives in Norway, in the very North of this country in an ice-house.
Mag.And how does he get here, to our country.
Mr.Brown. He has special sledge pulled by reindeer. When Christmas comes he takes presents, sits down in his sledge and arrives to our country.
Mrs.Brown is coming into the room.
Mrs.Brown.Oh, darling, you are at home! What a hard day! I have already cleaned up the house, done all the shopping. Now I am thinking about Christmas dinner. What about stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes?
Betty. It’s great! Mummy, and a pie.
Mrs.Brown.It is already in the oven.
Mr.Brown.I see /she smells/
Mrs.Brown.Oh, my pumpkin pie! /runs away /
Mr.Brown.And now, girls, let’s do another thing. We have to congratulate our relatives. I have already written Christmas cards to our aunts and uncles. And you will write congratulations to our grandmothers and grandfathers. Here are the cards. And I shall read to you something from the Bible.
“Then the angel said to them:” Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord? And this will be sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloth, lying in manger. And suddenly there was with angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, good will toward men”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another: let us now go to Bethlehem and see this things that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us” “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe, and many marvelous things. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
/ Mrs.Brown enters/
Mrs.Brown.A wonderful story, isn’t it girls?
Betty.Oh, Mum! We have written Christmas postcards to our grannies. By the way, there are robins on them. Why is it so?
Mrs.Brown.You see, dear, the first Christmas postcards were printed in 1842. In those times postmen who brought them had bright red coats. They looked like robins. And people began to think about a robin as a Christmas bird. Now you can see it on almost every Christmas card.
/somebody is calling at the door/
Oh, somebody is calling at the door. I shall see.
/is going out and comes with children/
Oh, they have come to congratulate. /is going out /
Children 1. Merry Christmas!
Children 2. Merry Christmas!
All. Merry Christmas to all of you!
/song “Auld lang syne”/
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, for auld lang syne,
My dear, for auld lang syne
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
/ Mrs.Brown comes in with a pie and treats children and thanks for the carols.Then children are going out./
Mag.Mummy, we want the pie too.
Mr.Brown.And do you know any verses about Christmas?
Betty.I know! I know!
Look at all the snow
Falling gently down,
Falling on the houses
All around the town.
Listen to the wind
Blowing all the snow
Blowing round the houses
All down the row.
Mrs.Brown. Wonderful! Here is a piece of the pie.
Mag. And what about me?
This is the season
When mornings are dark
And birds do not sing
In the wood and the park
This is the season
When children ski
And Father Frost
Brings the New Year Tree.
Mrs.Brown. Thank you, dear. This is for you.
Betty.Daddy, Mummy, we want to go out and congratulate our neighbours, as those children do.
Mr.Brown. And what will you sing?
Betty.Jingle, bells, of course.
Mr.Brown.Well, then, let’s have a rehearsal.
/Betty and Mag sing/
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Down the hill we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob-tail ring
Making feelings bright
What fun is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Rf:
Jingle, bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
What a fun is it to ride
In one-horse open sleigh!
Mrs.Brown.It’s great! So, girls, you may go, but don’t forget we are not prepared for a boxing day yet.
Mag.And when is it Mum?
Mrs.Brown.It is on the 26th of December. We shall go to give presents to our friends.
Betty.And why is it called “Boxing day?”
Mr.Brown.Because all the presents are usually packed in boxes. We have already bought presents for our friends, but we must pack them. So we need your help.
Mrs.Brown.And don’t be late for dinner. We shall sit down at the table at 9 sharp. Do you remember: stuffed turkey and mashed potatoes.
Mag. All right, Mummy, we shall be at home at half past eight. /speaks to Betty/ Let’s hang up our Christmas stocking’s /hang up Christmas stockings and are going out/ Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad!
Mrs.Brown.What lovely girls have we!
Mr.Brown.I am quite agree with you, darling. Now let’s go to the dining-room, I’ll help you to lay the table.
Література
- Виховний захід з англійської мови «Englishholidays» [Електронний ресурс]. – 2010. – Режим доступу: