April Fool's Day

by Katarzyna Szewczyk

Yanka Kupala Grodno State University

Grodno, Belarus

imaginationby @ yahoo.com

Level: lower-intermediate

Time: 80 mins

Aims:

            1. skimming and scanning the new text

            2. working on vocabulary connected with the topic of the lesson

            3. writing the creative essay

Resources/materials: the clown's picture on separate sheets of paper for every 2 Ss (if necessary – printed simplified text), chart, computers with the Internet access and Web browser.

Possible problems: Ss may have problems with understanding the text (propose to use an Internet glossary or dictionary such as http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/).

Preparation:

The teacher should check the Internet site before the lesson and write all the links on a blackboard. If the text is too difficult for Ss it is possible to simplify it and print the text with necessary changes.

I. Introduction (20 mins):

1.      Divide the class into pairs and give them the sheets of paper with the clown's picture. Ask them to think about the holiday it is symbolizing. Write all the variants on a blackboard and ask for arguments.

2.      When the proper answer is given (April Fool's Day) ask Ss to recollect any funny April Fool's trick they have experienced. Tell them to describe it - funny, interesting, cruel, boring, unexpected, unusual and so on. What was their reaction to it?

3.      Ask Ss to put down some facts about the origin of the April Fool's Day on a sheet of paper if they know any (5-6 sentences).

II. Internet work (45 min):

1.      Ask Ss to go to the following site http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjhol/a/aprilfools.htm and read the text (Learn all about the history of April Fool's Day), using the Internet dictionaries to help if they find any unknown words.

2.      After reading the text ask Ss to go to http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/hisholidays/l/blquizholapfool.htm and do the quiz without using the text. If they make a mistake, advise them to return to the text and try to find a right answer.

3.      Once they have finished the quiz, ask Ss to work in pairs, look through the text again and find similarities and differences in the ways of celebrating April Fool's Day in France, America and Belarus. Propose Ss to put the facts in a chart and discuss the results.

III. Post-Internet work (15 min):

Ask Ss to compare the facts about the April Fool's Day they have put down and the facts they have learnt from the text.  Did they learn anything new? Encourage them to use some additional links about the April Fool's Day if they got interested in this topic (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blaprilfools.htm/.3l, http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa032801a.htm). Tell them that these links can help them in preparing their homework.

Homework:

Ask Ss to compose an essay about the traditional way of celebrating April Fool's Day in their country and make a small vocabulary of the new words they have learnt.

Note: the clown's picture that could be used.