The activities
1. Community story exchange: Traditions in two voices
Language focus: Interviewing, past tense, sequencing, reporting speech; vocabulary for celebrations and values.
What learners do:
- Prepare respectful interview questions and sentence frames, for example, “Could you tell me about…?”, “What does this tradition mean to you?”
- Interview a family member, neighbor or peer about a holiday or seasonal tradition. If interviews aren’t feasible, use a classmate as the source or a leveled reading about a global holiday.
- Produce a short bilingual “micro-profile” (name, tradition, significance, a memorable moment), then present an oral summary in English.
Assessment: Rubric for clarity, accuracy and respectful language; peer feedback focusing on paraphrasing and sequencing.
Differentiation: Offer question banks and visual vocabulary for emerging learners; advanced learners compare traditions across contexts and analyze symbolism.
2. Festival marketplace role-play: Language for negotiation and etiquette
Language focus: Functional expressions (requests, offers, bargaining), pragmatics, numbers and currency, politeness strategies.
What learners do:
- Create a “market stall” representing a holiday item, for example, lanterns, sweets and decorations, crafts). If cultural items feel sensitive, use neutral seasonal products such as winter snacks, flowers.
- Role-play buyer-seller interactions with specific communication targets, for example, making polite offers, handling misunderstandings, clarifying quantities.
- Rotate roles to practice different registers and perspectives.
Assessment: Checklists for functional language, pronunciation, and turn-taking; quick reflective exit tickets on pragmatics (what felt polite or direct, and why).
Differentiation: Provide phrase cards and substitution tables; challenge higher levels to incorporate hedging, concession, and cross-cultural politeness norms.
3. Recipe lab: Imperatives, sequencing, and multimodal communication
Language focus: Imperatives, time connectors, quantities, process descriptions; micro-genre: procedural texts.
What learners do:
- Choose a holiday or seasonal recipe (or craft) and rewrite it as a clear, step-by-step procedure with visuals and safety notes.
- Record a concise “How-to” video or podcast segment using imperative forms and clear sequencing (“First… Next… Finally…”).
- Include a short cultural note: origin, symbolism and a personal connection.
Assessment: Criteria for clarity, sequencing, accuracy and audience awareness; self-assessment on fluency and pronunciation.
Differentiation: Provide templates with sentence frames; advanced learners add troubleshooting tips or cultural comparisons (for example, dumplings at Lunar New Year vs. pierogi at Christmas).
4. Global calendar debate: Proposing inclusive school events
Language focus: Persuasion, modals, hedging, concession, synthesis of sources; civic literacy.
What learners do:
- Research public holidays across regions, focusing on practices and community impacts rather than doctrine.
- Develop a proposal for an inclusive school events calendar or a guidelines document for festive observances.
- Hold a moderated debate or council meeting role-play; practice agreeing, disagreeing and building on ideas respectfully.
Assessment: Position statements, evidence use, rhetorical strategies and collaboration; reflective writing on equity and inclusion.
Differentiation: Offer scaffolded research packets; challenge advanced learners to apply concession structures and policy language.
5. Holiday soundscapes: Lyric and language analysis
Language focus: Figurative language, tone, register, cultural context; speaking and creative writing.
What learners do:
- Analyze short excerpts from global holiday or seasonal songs, focusing on imagery and cultural references.
- Rewrite a verse in plain English or in a different tone (formal/informal), or produce an original “inclusive celebration” jingle that emphasizes togetherness.
- Present and discuss choices in diction and cultural framing.
Assessment: Analytical notes, vocabulary application, creative output; peer review on clarity and impact.
Differentiation: Provide glossaries and guided questions; ask advanced learners to connect themes to personal or community values.
Planning with confidence
- Set outcomes with precision: Using the Global Scale of English (GSE) Learning Objectives, target can-do statements such as “Can describe customs”, “Can compare cultural practices”, or “Can propose solutions to community issues”, then select activities that directly evidence these outcomes.
- Build assessment into the task: Pair each activity with quick rubrics, exit tickets, or self-reflection so progress is visible and actionable.
Well-crafted festive activities can enhance language skills, strengthen community and broaden horizons without seeming superficial. By setting clear goals, using effective scaffolding and offering inclusive options, your learners do more than just celebrate; they communicate, connect and develop.