This year’s ESL magazines have a Christmas dialogue that's pretty boring. I thought we could check out the examples of a Christmas conversation here and have the kids possibly write their own. I also made a speaking board game.
Unlike previous years, I can't devote as much time to teaching Christmas because this year's ESL program is heavily focused on grammar. Once a week is about as much as I can have, to talk about Christmas. Fortunately, I have a lot of materials for next year. (The Grinch,the Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, and Charlie Brown.) However, I will always make time for the Nativity Story and singing carols.
TIME: The West counts time (the Gregorian calendar) according to Jesus' birth. BC (Before Christ)西元前 and AD (Anno Domini) 西元；西元. So the year 2017 is 2017 years after Christ's birth. Most scholars believe Jesus birth actually happened between 4- 6 BC.
RELIGION宗教信仰；宗教: He is the founder of the Christian religion (CHRISTIANITY基督教) and believed to be God incarnated in man. He is considered a prophet預言家 by Muslims穆斯林, who also believe in His virgin birth (but not his deity).
3. The Main Theme 題目 of Christmas:
Being a Light in a Dark World, inviting that Light
To take a break from the very serious, somber mood of my social studies class (refugee crisis) I'd thought I'd incorporate Christmas. Learning how other cultures celebrate Christmas can also incorporate geography too. Like all the units, the students will get a hand-out of the vocabulary, writing exercises and the readings, as well as a map.
How is Christmas celebrated in Taiwan? Asia? I found out that most of the students werent familiar with the Nativity story, so I had to show them a little cartoon with Chinese subs, as well as one with easy English.
11.Decorated (past tense verb or adj.) we decorated the tree/ the decorated tree
12. the Winter solstice (n.)
The Philippines: Christmas season begins
in September with the feastof
Saint Pio (畢奧神父) and ends in January, meaning nearly half the year is Christmas in
the Philippines. The event closest to December 25th is a nine-day mass called Simbang Gabi,
which includes hymns and
Filipino foods. Christmas Eve is celebrated all night and then followed by a
day of family talks and gift giving. Maligayang pasko (Merry Christmas)!
Mexico: In the nine days before Christmas,
children and adults dress up as Mary and Joseph and visit different
neighborhoods ("Las Posadas"). These “pilgrims” sing
songs at houses to ask for shelter.
The host replies in song and offers drink and food. Children try to break a
star-shaped piñata and do not receive gifts until January 4th. Feliz Navidad!
Ethiopia: Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 6th
in accordance with the local Ge’ez calendar. On that night, priests carry
nicely decorated umbrellas and
wear traditional clothing. They march through cities with large groups of
people. In the morning, people feast, presents are exchanged, and some people
play sports. During the Timkat parade, held 12 days later, a stone石頭replica 複製品 of the 10 Commandments (十誡（指《聖經》中，上帝透過摩西頒布給猶太人的行為準則) is wrapped in rich fabrics and carried by priests on their
heads. Melkam Ganna!
Finland: Finns believe that the Winter Solstice brings out the
spirits of the dead. On Christmas Eve, celebrated at roughly (about) the same time,
Finns place candles around the graves of
relatives. Hyvää Joulua!
Vietnam: Christmas was only recently reintroduced to
largely Buddhist佛教徒 Vietnam after a relaxation of restrictions受約束的 in
the early 1980s. It is a mainly a Jesus-free event. Santa is sometimes shown
on a scooter instead of a sleigh and
Vietnamese Catholics天主教徒 gather in churches that look like temples. Citizens
visit crowded city centers and later eat Christmas chicken soup. Chúc Giáng
Sinh Vui Vẻ!
Answer the questions:
1) Which country has
the longest Christmas holiday season?
2) In Mexico, what
should you do if Mary and Joseph show up at your door?
3) What do priests
carry on their heads during Timkat?
4) Your opinion: Which celebration
sounds most interesting to you?
II.Festival of Lights
Central to the Christmas theme is the importance of
light at the darkest time of the year. Baby Jesus is the light in a dark world.
Even before Christianity, ancient people celebrated light during winter
solstices.
According
to folk tradition, December 13th follows the longest night of the year in
Sweden. During the winter there are only a few hours of sunlight each day.
St. Lucia is honored this day with her wreath of candles.
The oldest girl in the
family is declared St. Lucia on December 13th. On this day she dresses up
wearing a white robe with a red sash and a wreath with candles on her head.The
"St. Lucia" of the family serves everyone a special (saffron 番紅花粉) bun called
Lussekatter.Schools have a celebration with a St. Lucia choir. All the
girls dress up as St. Lucia and the boys are "Star Boys."
The
Christian tradition of light during the Christmas season is celebrated by the
Advent Candles which are lit for the next four following Sundays before Christmas
Day. Families also burn a yule log. This tradition goes back
pre-Christian celebrations during Winter Solstice.
French children put their shoes by the fireplace
on Christmas Eve in hopes that "Pere Noel" (Santa Claus) will bring
them some toys. They leave a snack and a glass of wine for Pere Noel and beet
greens for the donkey that travels with him. Pere Noel is tall and thin. He
has a long red robe trimmed with fur. Pere Noel brings toys to
children in a sack. As he comes, he calls out “tralala, tralala, bouli,
bouli, boulah.”
Families go to church at
midnight on Christmas Eve. After church everyone eats a huge dinner called"Le Reveillon."After this large dinner of goose,
turkey, chicken, or beef; a fish dish, cheese, bread, wine, and fruit, many
families serve a "Buche de Noel." The Buche de Noel is a sponge
cake decorated like a yule log. Some families burn a real log in the
fireplace.
French families think
that mistletoe is also lucky and hang it everywhere.
If a man or woman are under the mistletoe at the same time, they must kiss.
Traditions of light: Hanukkah （猶太教的）獻殿節，光明節（在12月，爲期八天）
Hanukkah
is the Jewish Festival of Lights celebrated in countries all over the world.
In 165 B.C. there was a great battle 戰役 between the Maccabees and the Syrians 敘利亞人／敘利亞的.
The Jews won the battle and when they went to their temple, they found that
the Syrians had allowed使有可能 their sacred light to go out. They only had oil for
one day. The miracle奇跡 of Hanukkah is that the oil lasted 8 days until a
messenger could return with more. There are nine candles in the menorah大燭台.One is used
to light the other candles and the other eight stand for the eight days that
the oil kept burning.
Children play a game with a
spinning top called a dreidl. Everyone eats special foods such as
potato pancakes.On Hanukkah it is traditional for parents to give their
children money or "gelt."
1 1. Which traditions are similar to Taiwanese Chinese New
Year?
22. Which Christmas foods would you like to try? I would like to try...
13. What might Light be a symbol for? Light can represent...
I have the same ESL kids as last year, so I will review the Nativity story (The First Christmas) and carols we sang last year 2015.
This year I want to focus on Charlie' Brown's Christmas and the meaning of Christmas.
Charlie Brown's dilemma is about finding meaning in our modern, neurotic Christmas with its commercialism and pleasing others, over something more authentic. He cries out for meaning and Linus answers him with quoting Luke 2: 8-14 which is itself a prophetic quote.
At the end all the characters sing the classic carol, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" Of course we will sing it too!
Before we watch the whole 1965 version, I will introduce the whole concept of the "Holiday Blues", and the story's characters. Then we will read the script beforehand, as I didn't find any YouTube versions with Chinese subtitles. If we had time, it would be fabulous to bring some drama into the classroom and act it out (script here).
Charlie Brown: lead character, depressed抑鬱的,消沉的,沮喪的, neurotic神經過敏的，神經質的,modern現代的 man
Linus: The voice of Meaning重要性 (Faith宗教信仰). He is seen as weak and depending on his trusty blanket, but he can see Charlie's real problem better than Lucy. He is wise 明智. In the end he does help all of them back to the Nativity story.
Lucy:"Know it all" "自以為無所不知的人", psychiatrist 精神科醫生 , psychologist心理學家 (Secularism現世主義) She advises Charlie to be busy (forget about his emptiness) and direct 導演 a Christmas play.
Sally: Charlie's little sister who only cares about gifts and money (Commercialism商業主義；重商主義；利潤第一主義). Snoopy: Charlie Brown's Beagle 華格爾犬, who only cares about decorating his doghouse better than the others. (Commercialism) Snoopy is the world's most famous beagle. 史諾比是世界上最著名的小獵犬。
The author and text: This was the 3rd gospel福音書（《聖經》中記載耶穌生平的四福音書之一） written (according to tradition) by one of Jesus' followers (one of the 12 disciples耶穌十二門徒), named Luke, who was a well educated, urban doctor who wrote in Greek 希臘式的. It was written around 80 AD.
8 And in the
same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their
flock by night.9 And then an
angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were very afraid.10 But the
angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great
joy, which will be to all people.11 For unto you
is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this
will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth,
lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly
there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and
saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”
TIME: The West counts time (the Gregorian calendar) according to Jesus' birth. BC Before Christ and AD anno Domini. So the year 2017 is 2017 years after Christ's birth. Most scholars believe Jesus birth actually happened between 4- 6 BC.
RELIGION宗教信仰；宗教: He is the founder of the Christian religion (CHRISTIANITY基督教) and believed to be God incarnated in man. He is considered a prophet預言家 by Muslims穆斯林, who also believe in His virgin birth (but not his deity).
