1、FESTIVALNew YearNational DayChristmasFathers DayChildrens DayMothers DayDragon BoatFestivalTeachers DaySpring FestivalMay DayArmy DayMid-Autumn DayWhat festivals do you know?When do they take place? Spring FestivalJanuary 1 at lunar calendar Lantern FestivalJanuary 15 at lunar calendar Dragon Boat F
2、estival May 5 at lunar calendar Mid-autumn DayAugust 15 at lunar calendar Easter around March 22 April 25 Thanksgiving Daythe last Thursday of NovemberHalloween October 31Christmas DayDecember 25 1. What festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like
3、best- the activities, the music, the sights, the food or the people who visit?Work in groups and talk about the two questions.2. Look at the pictures and title of the passage below. Discuss in pairs what kind of information you think will be introduced in the passage.Read through the passage and fin
4、d out how many types of festivals are mentioned in the passage?1. Ancient festivals2. Festivals of the Dead3. Festivals to Honor the People4. Harvest Festivals5. Spring FestivalsWhats the main idea of the text? How many kinds of festival are mentioned? What are they?Read the text quickly and answer
5、the following question.The text mainly tells us about some of todays festivals. There are three kinds of festivals. Some are religious, some are seasonal and some are for special people or events.What festivals are mentioned in each paragraph and what do the ancient festivals celebrate?Para. 1 Ancie
6、nt Festivalscelebrate the end of the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn; celebrate when hunters catch animals.Para. 2 Festivals of the DeadJapan - ObonMexico - Day of the DeadAmerica - HalloweenPara. 3 Festivals to Honour PeopleChina - Dragon Boat Festival USA - Columbus DayIndia
7、 - festival to honour GandhiObon（盂兰盆）（盂兰盆） in JapanDragon Boat FestivalColumbus DayPara. 4 Harvest FestivalsEuropean and other countries - Harvest and Thanksgiving FestivalChina and Japan - Mid-Autumn festivalPara. 5China - Spring festivalSome Western countries - Easter and related holidaysJapan - C
8、heery Blossom FestivalHarvest Festivals Halloween (万圣节万圣节)Read the passage carefully and answer the questions with the help of the pictures.What would people celebrate at these three times of a year?Why do you think music and fire or light are used in festivals?Ancient FestivalsWhat kind of things a
9、re done to honour the dead?Why do you think about the Mexican practice of making cakes with skulls and bones?Mexican Day of the DeadObon (日本盂兰盆节日本盂兰盆节) What do you know about Halloween? HalloweenWhat festivals or celebrations can you think of that honour famous people or important events? the Dragon
10、 Boat Festival Who do you think should have a festival to honour them? Why?Columbus DayHarvest Festival Thanksgiving DayDo you know any harvest celebrations in China?1. Why did ancient people celebrate after hunters had caught animals?A. Because they had no food to eat except animals.B. Because they
11、 wouldnt go hungry when food was found.C. Because animals were their favourite food at that time.D. Because they wanted to show their admiration for the hunters.Choose the best answer.2. Whats the right time order of the following festivals?a. Easter b. Cherry Blossom Festival c. Western carnivalsA.
12、 c; a; b B. c; b; a C. a; b; c D. a; c; b1) What are festivals of the dead usually for? Festivals of the dead are for honouring or satisfying dead ancestors or others, who some people believe might return to help or harm living people.Use the information from the reading passage to answer the follow
13、ing questions.2) What makes autumn festivals happy events? Autumn festivals are happy events because people are thankful that food is ready for winter and the hard farm work is finished.3) What do people usually do at spring festivals? At spring festivals, people usually have dances, carnivals and o
14、ther activities to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring.4) What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations? It is important to have festivals and celebrations so we can enjoy life/ be proud of our customs/ forget our work for a little while.5) Compare the festivals of
15、 the dead in Mexico, Japan and China. What things are similar? What things are different? The Chinese, Japanese and Mexican festivals of the dead all have customs to honour the dead. The Chinese and Japanese go to clean their ancestors graves, and the Mexicans offer food, flowers and gifts to the de
16、ad. However, there are some difference. The Mexicans eat special food that looks like bones, something the Chinese and Japanese do not do.6) What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations? Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our daily life for a little wh
17、ile.Which festivals you think are the most important and which are the most fun. Type of festivalExample of festivalReasons for your choiceMost importantMost fun1. Go over the text after class and try to write a summary of the text (about 100 words) and retell the text according to the summary.2. Try to find out as much information as possible about festivals around the world. You can surf the Internet or refer to the books.
