A Monthly Newsletter for Teachers of English

April 2008

© Pearson Education Polska 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

1

A traditional Easter: eggs, water and… snowmen?

A Traditional Easter

When we think of Easter, we think of

spring. The weather is warm, the grass is
green and there are flowersice of the
winter is finished and forgotten. This
year, though, things were a little different.
Instead of warm weather, many places
had cold winds, instead of green grass
many places saw white snow and
instead of flowers there were icicles.

Easter fun and games

Easter is a time for eggs. In Britain

this

means

eggs

for

breakfast and - later, of
course

– special chocolate

Easter Eggs as presents
for children.

Traditionally, people in Britain and

America play ‘egg hunting’ games: eggs
are hidden around the house or in the
garden and everyone tries to find them.

In some other countries, such as

Poland,

Slovakia

and

the

Czech

Republic, there is another
tradition.

On

Easter

Monday boys throw water
at girls - though these
days girls do almost as
much throwing as boys! In many
European countries people paint eggs in
beautiful bright colours.

Easter food

Of course, eggs are very important at

Easter time and they are often coloured,
painted

or

decorated.

Cakes

are

important too. There is a traditional fast
for forty days before Easter, called Lent,
when many people do not eat meat; on
Easter Sunday, when
the fast finishes, cakes
are traditionally eaten.

The

cakes

are

usually very rich, with a
lot of fruit and, perhaps,
also some alcohol. One of the most
traditional cakes is the hot cross bun: a
sweet bun with a cross on the top.

A good time for change

During Lent, it is traditional to stop

doing something - to give up something -
which is a bad
habit,

such

as

smoking or drinking
alcohol. Lent only
lasts for forty days
but many people
take the chance to
give up smoking, for example, forever.

A not very traditional
Easter...

Easter eggs? Spring weather? This

year Easter was more like Christmas for
many people, with Easter snowmen on
Easter Sunday and snowballs instead of
water on Easter Monday. A most unusual
Easter, indeed. Let’s hope that next year
have more traditional holiday weather:
snow at Christmas and spring sunshine
at Easter.

EASTER…

SNOWMAN?

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

© Pearson Education Polska 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

2

Starting off

What do you usually do at Easter? Talk in small groups and think about:

what you eat

where you go what you do

who you see

What did you do this year? Was it similar or different?

Before you read

You’re going to read about Easter traditions. Take a look at the words below. Do you know these traditions?
1. Chocolate
2. Hunting

3. Paint
4. Water

5. Fast
6. Cakes

First reading

Read the text quickly and check your guesses.

Second reading

Read again and try to find the answers to the questions below.

1. What is the weather usually like at Easter?
2. Where do people play ‘egg hunting’ games?
3. Where do people throw water at each other?

4. Who usually throws water at whom?
5. What are the forty days before Easter called?
6. Are Easter cakes very simple and plain?

Vocabulary 1

Ten words and phrases in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.

1.to stop doing something, especially something that
you do regularly

2.a long thin pointed piece of ice hanging down, for
example from a roof or balcony

3.for all future time

4.something that you do regularly or usually which is
not a good idea and, perhaps, is dangerous

5.with colours which are strong and easy to see

6.when you do one thing and not another,
you do one … the other

7.food with a lot of butter, cream, or eggs, which make
you feel full very quickly

8.use you hands to make something fly through the air

9.difficult to see or find

10.continue for a length of time

(all definitions from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

© Pearson Education Polska 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

3

Vocabulary 2

Complete the sentences using one of the words or phrases from Vocabulary 1. You may need to change the form of the word.

1. The exam starts at 2.00 and finishes at 3.30. It ____________________ for 90 minutes.

2. This film will never end! It will go on ____________________.

3. You ____________________ th

e ball and I’ll catch it.

4. I always sing when I’m driving my car. It’s a very ____________________.

5. Chocolate cake with cream, ice-cream and brandy -

wow! That’s a pretty ____________________ dessert!

6. The city was very ____________________, with neon signs everywhere.

7. Every winter I have to knock the ____________________ off my balcony. They might fall on somebody.

8. I painted it green ____________________ red. I thought it would be less aggressive.

9. This year I promise you I will ____________________ smoking.

10. I think somebody has ____________________ my telephone for a joke. It’s not funny!

Lexis 1

Here is a part of the same text, with some words missing. Work with a partner - what are the missing words?

A Traditional Easter

When we think 1. ______ Easter, we

think 2. ______ spring. The weather is
warm, the grass is green and there are
flowers 3. ______ the parks and gardens.
The snow and ice of the winter is finished
and forgotten. This year, though, things
were a little different. Instead of warm
weather, many places had cold winds,
instead of green grass many places saw
white snow and instead of flowers there
were icicles.

Easter fun and games

Easter is a time 4. ______ eggs. In Britain

this means eggs 5. ______ breakfast and -
later, of course - special chocolate Easter
Eggs as presents for children. Traditionally,
people in Britain and America play ‘egg
hunting’ games: eggs are hidden around the
house or 6. ______ the garden and
everyone tries to find them.

In some other countries, such as Poland,

Slovakia and the Czech Republic, there is
another tradition. On Easter Monday boys
throw water 7. ______ girls - though these
days girls do almost as much throwing as
boys! In many European countries people
paint eggs in beautiful bright colours.

Easter food

Of course, eggs are very important 8.

______ Easter time and they are often
coloured, painted or decorated. Cakes are
important too. There is a traditional fast 9.
______ forty days before Easter, called
Lent, when many people do not eat meat;
10. ______ Easter Sunday, when the fast
finishes, cakes are traditionally eaten.

The cakes are usually very rich, with a lot

of fruit and, perhaps, also some alcohol.
One of the most traditional cakes is the hot
cross bun: a sweet bun with a cross on the
top.

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2008

© Pearson Education Polska 2008

PHOTOCOPIABLE

4

Lexis 2

Choose the best answer for each gap in Lexis 1.

1. (a) of

(b) on

(c) to

2. (a) of

(b) on

(c) to

3. (a) at

(b) in

(c) on

4. (a) off

(b) about

(c) for

5. (a) on

(b) for

(c) at

6. (a) in

(b) at

(c) on

7. (a) at

(b) on

(c) in

8. (a) in

(b) on

(c) at

9. (a) at

(b) for

(c) from

10. (a) in

(b) on

(c) at

Now complete the sentences using ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘can’.\

Speaking

Not all places have Christmas in the winter and Easter in the spring! In Australia, for example, Christmas is a summer holiday,
with warm weather and long days. Imagine you have to plan a summer Christmas and a winter Easter. What will be the same?
What will be different? Work with a partner and prepare to present your ideas to the class.