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A traditional celebration
Activity type: Information gap
Time: 20–25 minutes
Preparation:  Click here to download the activity sheets. Print them out. Photocopy "Student A" sheets for half of the class and "Student B" sheets for the other half.
Procedure: Divide the class into two groups: "Student A" and "Student B." Have students form pairs with someone in the same group. Next give one information sheet to each pair. Working with this partner, the students should write questions that will help them get the facts needed to fill in the missing information. For less advanced students, write the following information on the board:
Who? – to find a person
What? – to find general information
Where? – to find a place
When? – to find a time
Why?/How come? – to find a reason
How? – to find a method
How long? – to find a distance or period of time
How much? – to find a price
How big/tall/heavy? – to find a number
When they are finished, put the students into new pairs, this time with each "Student A" joining a "Student B." Have them fill in the missing information by asking their questions.
Option: Ask students to describe an interesting tradition or celebration in their culture(s).
Correct story:
El Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, is a traditional celebration in 1. Mexico. On this day, people honor 2. their ancestors. They begin celebrating on 3. October 31. This celebration comes from the ancient Indian cultures of Mexico. The Aztec people believed that 4. spirits of people who have died return as butterflies. Mexican people say that the monarch butterflies that fly south for the winter carry 5. the spirits of their ancestors. This is not a sad or scary time. It is a time 6. of celebration and happiness. It is a time to remember 7. loved ones who have died.
There are skeletons everywhere, made of chocolate or white chocolate. 8. Handmade skeletons, called calacas, are very popular. The calacas always have 9. a smile, to show 10. a joyful afterlife.
To celebrate, people dress up as 11. ghosts, mummies, and skeletons. Then they walk through 12. the town carrying 13. a decorated coffin. The shopkeepers throw 14. lucky oranges into the coffin as well as flowers, fruit, and candies. At home, the families collect 15. fruit, bread, candy, and flowers. Pictures of 16. the ancestors are also displayed. In the late afternoon, the families light 17. special candles. The next day, families go to 18. the cemetery and clean 19. the graves of their loved ones. They also bring 20. flowers, candles, and candy to decorate the graves. Many families spend the entire night at the cemetery eating and dancing.
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