Each student receives a slip of paper with one word or phrase on it connected with British or American celebrations, e.g. Auld Lang Syne, champagne, resolutions, midnight. Make sure you mix up several holidays, e.g. St Patrick’s Day: shamrock, green, Ireland, parades

Hallowe’en: witches, trick or treat, Jack o’Lantern, ghosts

Guy Fawkes’ Day: bonfire, Parliament, fireworks, plot

Thanksgiving: turkey, pilgrims, horn of plenty, Mayflower

Students have to imagine which holiday their word might

be connected to (and why) and find other students with words connected to the same topic.

In the checking process, you can discuss the choice of words, details of the celebration, and comparisons with festivals in the students’ own country. You might also focus on a specific grammatical form, such as the passive, e.g. Auld Lang Syne is sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

by Béatrice Briard (Arras, France)