Masaryk University Pedagogical Faculty Department of English Language and Literature Customs and Traditions in the CR and English Speaking Countries in English Lessons Written by: Romana Průšová Supervisor: Mgr. Ph.D. Světlana Hanušová Brno, 2008 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the supervisor of my diploma thesis Mgr. Ph.D. Světlana Hanušová for her worthy advice, inspiration and patience in her leadership. I declare that this diploma thesis is completely my own work and that I used only the sources of information that are listed in the bibliography. I approve that this diploma thesis is stored and available for study and academic purposes in the library of the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University in Brno. ……………………………………………………….. 8^th July 2008 signature Content: Introduction ………………………………………………………….……....6 I. Theoretical part ……………………………………………………...7 1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) ..7 1.1 Sociocultural knowledge ……………………………………………………………......7 1.2 Intercultural awareness …………………………………………………………...……..9 1.3 Linguistic markers of social relations ……………………............................................10 2 Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE) ...12 3 Methods in education of foreign language ……………………………...16 3.1 Educational techniques, methods …………………………………….………………..16 3.2 Audio oral method ………………………………………………………………..……18 3.3 Audiovisual method …………………………………………………………………...19 3.4 Language teaching methods ……………………………………………..…………….19 3.4.1 The Grammar-Translation Method ………………………………………………….19 3.4.2 The Direct Method …………………………………………………………………..20 3.4.3 Suggestopedia (super learning) ………………………………………………...……20 3.4.4 The Total Physical Response Method ……………………………………………….21 3.4.5 The silent way ……………………………………………………………………….21 3.4.6 The Audio-Lingual Method …………………………………………………...…….21 3.4.7 The Communicative Approach …………………………………………...…………22 3.4.8 The community Language Learning ………………………………………………...22 3.5 Four skills ……………………………………………………………………………...23 3.6 Topic based work …………………………………………..………………………….25 4 The young language learner …………….…….……………………….…26 II. Practical part ………………………………………………….…...30 Chapter 1 – Halloween …………………………………………………………………….30 Chapter 2 – Christmas ……………………………………………………………………..49 Chapter 3 – Easter …………………………………………………………………………68 III. Research ………………………………………...………………….79 Conclusion ………………………………………….……………………….86 Anotace ……………………………………………………………………..88 Abstract …………………………………………………………………….89 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………..90 Appendix ……………………………………………………………………91 I Sociolinguistic Appropriateness ………………………………………………………..92 II Educational content of the educational field ……………………….…………………...95 III Some basic information about holidays ……………………………….……………….97 Introduction When I was thinking about the theme of my diploma thesis, I decided to write about something I am interested in and I have some relations with. I wanted to write about the foreign language teaching, namely about teaching culture in English lessons. The necessary part of teaching foreign language is also to acquaint pupils with the culture of the country whose language they are taught, with traditions, customs and reality of everyday living. In this work I want to find answers to these questions: 1. How to teach culture in a foreign language on primary level? – Which documents regulate teaching culture, are there any specifications, any models which tell us how to teach culture in foreign language in elementary schools? Are there any rules given? Or it is up to the teachers to teach culture to young learners? Which methods are helpful to teach culture? 2. Is it easy to teach culture? – Some lesson plans in practical part will show us if it is easy or difficult to realize aims I determined before I started to teach culture in elementary school. 3. How do they teach culture at all in other schools in the Czech Republic? – This is a research project, where I want to find out how culture is taught at schools and which materials are used by the teachers. I. Theoretical part The first document regulating teaching foreign language is determined for all foreign languages: English, German, etc. It defines teaching foreign language in general. 1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages was published by the Council of Europe in 2002. It defines the levels of operation language and describes knowledge and acquisition of the language in cultural context. In entirety, this describes what the students have to learn to use the language to communicate and what knowledge and skills they have to evolve to be able to use the foreign language effectively. The CEFR also defines levels of language proficiency, which enable to monitor progress of students in every stage of learning a foreign language and also in the process of their whole life. Experience with various languages and other civilizations support positive development of student’s personality and his or her sense of identity. 1.1 Sociocultural knowledge Simply speaking, knowledge of the society and culture of the community or communities in which a language is spoken is one aspect of knowledge of the world. It is, however, of sufficient importance to the language learner to merit special attention, especially since unlike many other aspects of knowledge it is likely to lie outside the learner’s previous experience and may well be distorted by stereotypes. The features distinctively characteristic of a particular European society and its culture may relate, for example, to: “ 1. Everyday living, e.g.: • food and drink, meal times, table manners; • public holidays; • working hours and practices; • leisure activities (hobbies, sports, reading habits, media). 2. Living conditions, e.g.: • living standards (with regional, class and ethnic variations); • housing conditions; • welfare arrangements. 3. Interpersonal relations (including relations of power and solidarity) e.g. with respect to: • class structure of society and relations between classes; • relations between sexes (gender, intimacy); • family structures and relations; • relations between generations; • relations in work situations; • relations between public and police, officials, etc.; • race and community relations; • relations among political and religious groupings. 4. Values, beliefs and attitudes in relation to such factors as: • social class; • occupational groups (academic, management, public service, skilled and manual workforces); • wealth (income and inherited); • regional cultures; • security; • institutions; • tradition and social change; • history, especially iconic historical personages and events; • minorities (ethnic, religious); • national identity; • foreign countries, states, peoples; • politics; • arts (music, visual arts, literature, drama, popular music and song); • religion; • humour. 5. Body language. 6. Social conventions, e.g. with regard to giving and receiving hospitality, such as: • punctuality; • presents; • dress; • refreshments, drinks, meals; • behavioural and conversational conventions and taboos; • length of stay; • leave-taking. 7. Ritual behaviour in such areas as: • religious observances and rites; • birth, marriage, death; • audience and spectator behaviour at public performances and ceremonies; • celebrations, festivals, dances, discos, etc.“ (CEFR, 2002) 1.2 Intercultural awareness Knowledge, awareness and understanding of the relation (similarities and distinctive differences) between the ‘world of origin’ and the ‘world of the target community’ produce an intercultural awareness. It is, of course, important to note that intercultural awareness includes an awareness of regional and social diversity in both worlds. It is also enriched by awareness of a wider range of cultures than those carried by the learner’s L1 and L2. This wider awareness helps to place both in context. In addition to objektive knowledge, inter-cultural awareness covers an awareness of how each community appears from the perspective of the other, often in the form of national stereotypes. (CEFR, 2002) 1.3 Linguistic markers of social relations These are of course widely divergent in different languages and cultures, depending on such factors as a) relative status, b) closeness of relation, c) register of discourse, etc. The examples given below for English are not universally applicable and may or may not have equivalence in other languages. * “ use and choice of greetings: on arrival, e.g. Hello! Good morning! introductions, e.g. How do you do? leave-taking, e.g. Good-bye . . . See you later * use and choice of address forms: frozen, e.g. My Lord, Your Grace formal, e.g. Sir, Madam, Miss, Dr, Professor (+ surname) informal, e.g. first name only, such as John! Susan! informal, e.g. no address form familiar, e.g. dear, darling; (popular) mate, love peremptory, e.g. surname only, such as Smith! You (there)! ritual insult, e.g. you stupid idiot! (often affectionate) * conventions for turntaking * use and choice of expletives (e.g. Dear, dear!, My God!, Bloody Hell!, etc.)“ One of the aims of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is to help to describe the degree of proficiency in a foreign language, required by present standards and tests through the use of six-degree scale and to make easy confrontation various qualifications. It is also necessary the common referential points to be presented by various ways for various purposes. For some purposes they are summarized in the chart. This easy “global scale” accesses this system to users and offers bench-marks to teachers and creators of curriculum. They are six international language levels which are written in the appendix I. (CEFR, 2002) The part of the knowledge of surrounding world is also the knowledge of the certain society and culture of the other community. It is important to pay special attention to this because this knowledge is not part of previous experience. It is related to everyday life (especially man habits, operating mode, activities in leisure time, the structure of family, institutions, bank holiday, traditions, history, art, behavior rules, etc.), human relations, bearings. But it is not only knowledge, it is connected with notification and understanding of certain similarities or differences between the world the pupil lives in and the world the pupil wants to know about, about its functions, about its distinctness, similarity and what is the same. Differences are in particular regions inside of the state (e.g. the habit of glazing girls on the Easter Monday practices only in northeast of Moravia), and that is why we are not interested in all the differences in the primary school but we are engaged in customs and traditions out of general standpoint: what are the same traditions attached various holidays in the state, e.g. Easter whipping. In the Czech Republic there is the document influencing education in all basic schools: 2 Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE) Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education published by Research Institute of Education in 2004 is complex document, which defines the education in all types of schools provided basic education. This document limits ways of the basic education through key competencies. The education aims at these competencies. They are defined as the sets of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and values important for personal development, his/her active integration into society. Besides the key competencies it limits educational content – desired bases and curriculum. (FEPBE, 2004) Every school makes School Educational Programme according to principles defined in Framework Education Programme for Basic Education. These are the goals of basic education: · “Create preconditions for pupils to acquire basic learning strategies and motivate them to life-long learning · Stimulate and encourage pupils to creative thinking, logical reasoning and problem solving · Get pupils to engage in efficient, effective, open communication on all aspects of their life · Develop pupils’ abilities to cooperate and to value their own work and achievements as well as the work and achievements of others · Guide pupils so that they should become free and responsible individuals who exercise their rights and meet their obligations · Induce in pupils the urge to express positive feelings and emotions in their behaviour, ways of acting and when experiencing important situations in their lives; develop in them sensitivity and responsiveness towards other people, the environment and nature · Teach pupils to actively develop and protect their physical, mental and social health and to be responsible for it · Guide pupils to tolerance and consideration for other people, to a respect for their culture and spiritual values; teach pupils to live together with others · Help pupils to discover and develop their own abilities and skills in the context of actual opportunities and to use their abilities and skills in combination with their acquired knowledge when making decisions regarding the aims of their own life and profession” (FEPBE, 2004) Key competencies represent the system of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and values that are important to the individual’s personal development and to the individual’s role in society. Key competencies are no isolated phenomena; they are mutually linked and intertwined. (FEPBE, 2004) The following competencies are regarded as key competencies at the basic education stage: * learning competencies; (to be able to process information) * problem-solving competencies; ( to be able to find and solve by own way) · communication competencies; ( to be able to listen to the others and respect his/her ideas) · social and personal competencies; ( to be able to take post in the group) · civil competencies; (to be able to live in the frame of moral worth) · working competencies. ( to be able to know about the working process) (FEPBE, 2004) The content of basic education within the education framework is divided into nine educational areas. · Language and Communication through Language (Czech language and Literature, Foreign Language) · Mathematics and its Applications (Mathematics and its Applications) · Information and Communication Technologies (Information and Communication Technologies) · Humans and their World (Humans and their World) · Humans and Society (History, Civic education) · Humans and Nature (Physics, Chemistry, Nature, Geography) · Arts and Culture (Music, Fine Art) Humans and Health (Health Education, Physical Education) Humans and the World of Work (The World of Work) (FEPBE, 2004) Parts of each educational area are: * description of the educational area * aims of the educational area * The educational content of the educational fields The educational area Language and Communication through Language holds a pivotal position in the educational process. The content of the educational area Language and Communication through Language is implemented in the educational fields of Czech Language and Literature, Foreign Language and Another Foreign Language. The skills acquired in this educational field are necessary not only for good quality language education, but also for the successful acquisition of knowledge in other areas of education. Foreign Language and Another Foreign Language contribute to understanding and discovering facts that go beyond the experience facilitated by the mother tongue. These fields provide a vivid language basis and the pre-conditions for the pupils’ ability to communicate within an integrated Europe and the rest of the world. Foreign language skills help reduce language barriers and increase the individual’s mobility in their personal lives and during their future educational and career paths. They allow pupils to learn about the different lifestyles and cultural traditions of people in foreign countries. The requirements for foreign language education set out in the FEPBE are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which describes the various levels of language proficiency. Education in the educational field of Foreign Language leads to the acquisition of the A2 level, and education in the educational field of Another Foreign Language aims to achieve level A1 (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). FOREIGN LANGUAGE Educational content of the educational field is written in the appendix II 3 The methods in education of foreign language The learning of a foreign language in primary school makes the introduction into foreign language instruction. We should mainly evoke the interest in the foreign language and make the positive relation of the pupils to this subject. We should concentrate on the sound of this language and on encompassment of relations between sound and graphic aspect. It means we develop the basics of speaking. The important part of learning foreign language is also to inform pupils about some typical features of living and culture in country, whose language is taught. It is necessary to choose those methods and forms of work, which will lead the pupils to reach for the goals. 3.1 The educational method The educational method is an instrument to achieve the educational goals. It does not work alone, but it is the part of complex of various factors. These factors influence the process of education. The function of the educational method is to realize sequent steps during the acquisition of the educational contents by the pupils. (Švec, Maňák, 2003) The term “method” is not always understood unambiguously. We very often indicate with this term the partial techniques, procedures, operations, acts etc., but also the complex procedures, educational conceptions, models and projects. Its most expressive function is an intervention of knowledge and skills. System of educational methods according Švec and Maňák (2003): * verbal: telling interpreting conference work with the text dialogue * clearly demonstrative: showing and observation work with the pictures training * skill-practical: formation of skills imitation manipulating, lab, experiment produce methods * activating: disscussion heuristic, solving the problems situational inscenation didactic games * complexional: frontal group and frontal with partner individual critical thinking brainstorming project education through drama open learning learning in common situations learning through television learning through computer sugestopedia and superlearning In general, we can use either of above mentioned methods for teaching to foreign language. In foreign language teaching the global ranking of methods does not exist, classification systems of various authors vary. Choděra (2001) says that methods in foreign language teaching are divided into two groups: 1. Direct methods – they are found on the communication of the teacher and pupils in the foreign language, they lead to the goal directly. E.g. methods: audio-lingual, audio-visual, communicative. 2. Indirect methods – they are found on continuous delay of communication in the foreign language on behalf of preparing to communication. E.g.: grammar-translation method. The mainstream method today is the communicative approach. According to Hendrich (1988) educational methods are divided into two groups: 1. reproductive methods – acquisition of knowledge and reproduction of known activities 2. productive methods – the pupil obtains new knowledge through a creative activity There are also two methods – they are very important for pupils in basic school – audio oral and audiovisual. (Hendrich, 1988) 3.2 Audio oral method The pupil learns listening and speaking, after that reading and writing. The aim of this method is to teach the pupil to receptive and active capture of phonetic form of language. The pupil should appear from spoken language not of written. We can use this method at the beginning of acquirement of the foreign language for creating and obtaining of the first language experience. This is applied e.g. in the beginning oral course. The oral courses are realized in the Czech Republic for several years. Their organization, choice of methods and using of audiovisual aids depended earlier only on the creative posture of the teacher to this form of the work and also on his/her pedagogic qualities and language knowledge. In these days the textbooks, which respect the priority of phonic aspect at the beginning of learning foreign language, are edited. (Hendrich, 1988) 3.3 Audiovisual method It is found on lasting continuity of situation – context – picture – group of words – meaning. The teaching of foreign language should go out of very common and known situations. It means the reality must be present. This is the picture in learning foreign language. The key for understanding of spoken speech is connecting between the phonic and the picture. Later the picture becomes less important and it is out in the moment, when the words and context are enough to realize the communication in the foreign language. The goal of learning at the beginning is to learn the language in its phonic principle. To reading we should go after developing of the phonic form of the language. The audiovisual method is shown as an effective method for teaching to young learners (because of their typical features, e.g. playfulness, willingness for presentation and playing drama, innocence or very little knowledge of grammar in their mother tongue, good mechanical memory etc.). That is why this method is used at the beginning oral courses and in teaching to children with other suitable methods. (Hendrich, 1988) 3.4 Language teaching methods The methods differ in: * Aims of learning – e.g. communication, written tasks, translation,… * The nature of language = the belief in “how the language looks like” – e.g. structure, function, situation * The process of learning – e.g. acquisition, learning (Larsen-Freeman, 1986) Basic methods: 3.4.1 The Grammar-Translation Method Originally it was used in learning Latin and Greek – it is based on knowledge of grammar rules. Grammar is taught by using the deductive method – first you have the rule and then the usage. It is explained in the mother tongue. Vocabulary is taught as isolated list of words and the students memorize them. Reading – a lot of reading and there were originally very difficult texts. Now: non-authentic texts, texts are used just for the aim of the lesson. There is a lot of translation and a little attention paid to pronunciation. The aim of this method is: translation, perfect grammar and reading. The focus is on the form (accuracy) not the meaning. The students often translate texts about some aspect of the foreign language community. Questions about the foreign culture are very common. 3.4.2 The Direct Method “The learning should be similar to learning of the mother tongue.” = the process of acquisition. Translation – the language is taught without the translation. Grammar –is taught by inductive method, it means teacher provides only examples, grammar rules are hidden in some songs, rhymes…. Vocabulary is taught in context. Pronunciation is very important. There is a lot of listening, the teacher provides authentic materials. The attention is paid in accuracy (teaching in English only). The syllabus is based upon situations or topics. The students study culture consisting of the history of the people who speak in foreign language, the geography of the country where is spoken, and information about the daily lives of the speakers of the language. 3.4.3 Suggestopedia (super learning) This method was introduced in 1979 by Georgi Lazanov, a Bulgarian psychologist. His idea was: “We do not use our brain enough” (only 10 percent of its capacity) and we need ideal conditions for it. The conditions for activating brain: · The use of music · Pleasant classroom atmosphere: nice room, pictures, comfortable furniture, a few pupils. · Relaxation: yoga exercises, music This method is based on reading texts, sometimes with listening to music; the text is even played by using mimic. Advantage: it is not so tiring. Disadvantages: it is time consuming method, we cannot listen to the music and read at the same time, it is passive method and the teacher is authoritative. The culture concerns the everyday life of people who speak the foreign language. The use of the fine arts is also common. Super learning was introduced in the U.S.A. and it is similar to suggestopedia. 3.4.4 The Total Physical Response Method Original idea is: “We learn the foreign language the same way as we learnt our mother tongue.” And how do we learn out mother tongue? * We say something to the child. * The child does not response using words, but he/she understands it and responses physically. (Such as: Bring me an apple!) * The child fulfills some tasks like: Bring me an apple! (or if the teacher dictates the coloured dictation – he/she colours) and later talks. The method is based on listening. The author of this method, James Asher, believes that the child will listen to the language and later he/she will be ready to speak. Culture is the lifestyle of people who speak the language natively. 3.4.5 The silent way Cognitive psychologists argued that language learning does not take place through mimicry. Language must not be considered a product of habit formation, but rather of rule formation. Language acquisition must be a procedure whereby people use their own thinking processes or cognition to discover the rules of the foreign language. All four skills are developed from the beginning, and meaning is as important as form. The students use the foreign language to express their thoughts and feelings. The role of the teacher: he/she can help if necessary. The teacher sets up situations that focus student attention on the structures of the language. The culture is inseparable from the language. 3.4.6 The Audio-Lingual Method This method was introduced during the World War II in the U.S.A., in the army – the soldiers had to learn languages quickly on communicative level. The method is based on the philosophy of behaviorism: stimulus evokes the reaction (e.g.: Hello! How are you? evokes the reaction: I am fine, thanks.). The idea: “We need to have language habits.” And the habits are achieved by drilling. So this method is based on teaching structures by drills. Grammar is based on dialogues and the dialogues are memorized. Later the dialogue is changed somehow (e.g. if we speak in the first person, we change it to the third person). Vocabulary is also memorized. There is a lot of listening. Advantages: this method is good for listening, it is focused on accuracy, you speak English all the time. Disadvantages: there are good results but only for anticipated situations. The children are not able to produce something new for non-anticipated situations. Cultural information is contextualized in the dialogs or presented by the teacher. Culture consists of the everyday behavior and lifestyle of the foreign language speakers. 3.4.7 The Communicative Approach The aim of this method is to be able to communicate in both speaking and writing. There are four skills and we pay equal attention to all of them. Both function and structure is emphasized on. The fluency is more important. Crucial is using the real language in real situations. All materials are authentic, the texts are not written for the purpose of language learning and teaching. Advantages: we teach what the learners are interested in (their needs and wishes are important), we can use more creativity. (Larsen-Freeman, 1986) Culture is also the everyday lifestyle of people who speak the language natively. There are certain aspects of it that are especially important to communication – the use of nonverbal behavior. 3.4.8 The community Language Learning This method takes its principle from the more general Counseling-Learning approach developed by Charles A. Curran. Curran discovered that adults often feel threatened by a new learning situation. He believed that a way to deal with the fears of students is for teachers to become “language counselors.” It means someone who is a skillful understander of the struggle students’ face. He can help students overcome their negative feelings and turn them into positive energy to further their learning. The teacher wants their students to learn how to use the foreign language communicatively. The most important skills are understanding and speaking. Culture is integrated with language. 3.5 Four skills There are four skills we develop during English lessons (and during teaching culture, of course): listening, speaking, reading and writing. Listening and reading are receptive, speaking and writing are productive. Listening: * You never spend a whole lesson listening. It is not taught in isolation. * Listening is the skill that children acquire first, especially if they have not yet learnt to read. * When we are talking and the children are listening, it is important to say things clearly and to repeat them. * Some listening activities will wake the pupils up, make them move about, create movement and noise. * Others will calm them down, make them concentrate on what is in front of them, and create a peaceful atmosphere. Speaking Speaking seems to be the most important of all the four skills. The pupils cannot speak unless they have at least the basic word power. To play the real dialog the teacher can use a mascot, a puppet or a teddy bear. The teacher talks to the mascot and asks children to do the same. Then the dialogue is transferred into pairs. Masks used by the children bring nice refreshment pretending some other people or animals and they talk to each other. The children also like questionnaires – they go round the class, meet as many pupils as possible and ask them questions and make notes. They like very much sitting in a circle on the floor, having a magic ball and ask questions and answer them. Acquirement of language is done through speaking. There are controlled speaking activities – they are completely controlled by the teacher, free speaking activities – the pupils need more activities, and communicative activities – the fluency is more important than accuracy. Drills There are many kinds of drills (e.g. repetition drill, substitution drill, question & answer drill, transformation drill, personalized drill, discrimination drill, chain drill) and these 3 are the most common in school for young learners: * Chain drills * Substitution drills * Repetition drills Drills are mechanical but a little boring for learners. (www.developingteachers.com) Reading As the pupils become better and better in the foreign language, the printed word becomes the main source of expanding and strengthening the language. Reading is also the language skill which is easiest to keep up. There are a number of different ways to approach the introduction of reading in a foreign language: Writing The children should already write in their own language. Writing is a complex skill, it is very difficult and time consuming especially for the beginners. But it adds another physical dimension to the learning process – hands are added to eyes and ears. It lets pupils express their personalities. The beginning of writing in English is often limited to straight copying. It is a good idea to ask pupils to read aloud, quietly to themselves when they are copying the words because this helps them to see the connection between the written and the spoken word. 3.6 Topic based work Topic based teaching is a useful, helpful, practical and exciting way to teach either all of the time or some of the time. Working on topics can help the learning process. The children can associate words, functions, structures and situations with a particular topic. Association helps memory, and learning language in context clearly helps both understanding and memory. Since the emphasis in topic based work is on content, the work in the classroom naturally includes all the language skills as well as guided and free activities. First, the teacher should choose the topic – the children are interested in. Second, he/she has to plan the time he/she spends on the topic. Third, the teacher collects materials – all sorts of written and spoken texts, pictures, objects, cards, ideas. (But not only teacher collects them; the children can bring some materials, too.) Fourth, the teacher has to decide, which situations and functions of the language he/she wants to concentrate on. Fifth, the teacher chooses methods and activities. Assessment: The teacher can do the assessment in the mother tongue; he/she can ask the children what they liked/did not like doing. He/she can ask them what they think they have learnt and he/she uses the opportunity to repeat what has been gone through in class. (Scott, Ytreberg, 2005) 4 The young language learner In choosing of educational methods we should respect psychical and physical distinctions of young learners. The young learners begin the foreign language learning about 8 years old. Their general concepts are already formed and they also form the view of the world. They distinguish reality and fantasy. They ask all the time. They are able to make decisions about their own learning. They know what they like and do not like doing. They are open to work together and learn from other children. Children of 8 to 10 use their mother tongue and they know many rules significant in their language. They start to understand abstract expressions, symbols or signs, they generalize and systematize – that is the presumption of improving in the language. There are many similarities in learning mother tongue and foreign language. But anybody did not find universal model of learning language yet, which everybody agreed with. In general, it depends on mother tongue and emotional factors the child is influenced by. It is certain that the children of 8 to 10 are ready and willing, which they bring with themselves into foreign language lessons. (Scott, Ytreberg, 2005) These pupils have good mechanical memory; they reproduce the pronunciation, intonation and melody of foreign language very well. But they are not able to sustain attention for a long time and that is why the lesson should be various and fancy. The teacher uses audiovisual, visual and objective aids and he/she activates pupils by rhymes, songs, riddles, stories, fairy tales, language games and competitions, simple dramatization, updating of curriculum, etc. The pupils are not shy, they are not frightened from their mistakes during oral or written speech. And that is why we can lead them to simple communication in foreign language from the beginning of learning. The skill to use the foreign language to communication on every grade of the advance without barriers shows after years during the next learning of language. It is necessary to provoke, strengthen and keep their focus on foreign language through using those methods, forms and techniques which are motivating and they raise children’s activity during lessons and learning. (Hendrich, 1988) According Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE, 2004) the young learners begin the foreign language learning about 5 or 6 years old. There is a big difference between what children at the age of five can do and what children at the age of ten can do. We can divide the children into two main groups: from five to seven years old and from eight to ten years old. What the children at the age of five to seven can do? * They can talk about what they are doing now. * They can tell you about what they have done or heard. * They can play activities. * They can argue for something and tell you why and what they think. * They can use logical reasoning. * They can use their vivid imagination. * They can use a wide range of intonation patterns in their mother tongue. * They can understand direct human interaction. * Their own understanding comes through hands and eyes and ears. The physical world is dominant at all times. * They are logical – what you say first happens first * They love to play and learn best when they are enjoying themselves. It is important to praise them. They are often happiest to work alone, they are not willing to cooperate and share. * They sometimes have difficulty to distinguish what is fact and what is fiction. (Scott, Ytreberg, 2005) That means, if you teach children of five to seven, they want to work alone. But the children of eight to ten want to work in pairs or groups. Pair work is a very useful and efficient way of working in language teaching. It is simple to organize and easy to explain. Group work – children should not be allowed to choose their groups, partly because this takes a lot of time, but mainly because it usually means that someone is left out. You sometimes can make groups of mixed ability (clever pupils can help the not so clever ones), sometimes according to their ability. As Harmer says, the children are curious, and this in itself is motivating. Their span of attention or concentration is considerably less than that of an adult. Children need constant changes of activities: activities which are exciting and stimulate their curiosity. The forms of education are understood as outer aspect of educational methods. They are the instruments, ways of lesson organization; they refer to forming of surroundings and ways of organization in teacher’s and pupils’ activities. (Průcha, Valterová, Mareš, 1995) The methods and forms of work are based on observation, listening, imitation, creative activities and games. The education is connected with the mother tongue but also with music, movement, arts and drama. It sorts some techniques and enriches them about new components, e.g. role playing, drama improvisation, etc., we can use recordings, rhymes, songs, poems and other texts in interpretation of native speakers. The teacher develop the imagination of children, he/she encourages and price their activity and invention, their creativity in working. The teacher exerts those methods, which lead to development of four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The education in basic school is not concentrated only on one of these language skills, but the teacher should choose the methods and forms of work to develop all the four skills at the same time. And now what the teacher should be like: * He makes his lessons interesting. * He speaks good English. * He explains clearly. * He shows the same interest in all his students. * He uses an audio-lingual method II. Practical part The practical part brings 3 chapters with lesson plans. These lesson plans are not for the 45 minutes lessons, they are written for the part of lessons, and they mostly take 15 to 20 minutes. Chapter 1 Halloween The partial aims of the Halloween lesson plans are given by each lesson plan. These are the overall linguistic, intercultural and educational aims: * Linguistic aims: speaking with good pronunciation and memorizing some grammatical structures (have got, possessives, there is, there are,…) indirectly. * Intercultural aims: learning some basic information about holidays in the CR and English speaking countries, being lead to respect another culture * Educational aims: communication in foreign language, be able to listen, speak, write and read in English Useful vocabulary: Pumpkin, jack o’lantern, witch, hat, bat, ghost, monster, haunted house, trick or treat, owl, skeleton, spider, black cat, moon, broom Task 1: Draw a picture Aim: presenting new words Aids: a piece of paper, flash cards (materials from the seminars of Sylvie Doláková), coloured pencils, board Time: 20 minutes Age: 6 – 7 Source: my own activity (inspired by Sylvie Doláková) The flash cards with Halloween words are on the blackboard (first only 3 – pumpkin, spider, witch, and the teacher can add some more later). The teacher points to the pictures, says the words, children repeat. After that the teacher puts one picture out (e.g. pumpkin) and asks: “What is missing? Please, take your pencil and draw.” Children draw the missing picture and they also name it. After that the teacher puts the flash card back to the blackboard and he/she takes another out. The teacher repeats the activity. Evaluation: This activity is very simple to understand. Children change speaking to drawing and back. We can use this activity for children at the age of 6 or 7 – they begin to learn foreign language. The children have the vivid imagination and their witches were so different. They did not draw the witch as it was in the flash card on the board. After remembering these three words they wanted to learn more words about Halloween, so I had to add some more pictures and words (hat, bat, cat, owl, haunted house), so this activity took not only 20 minutes, but almost 40 minutes. At the end of this activity I took some flash cards out of the board and tried to show them to the children as quickly as possible, so the children saw the picture only a second and they had to say what is in the picture. The children were excited and shouted together the right word at the same time. To calm them all I put the flash cards back to the board and we said together the words again – but it was not a competition. Task 2: Cut out the pieces and make the puzzles Aim: practicing new words Aids: the worksheet (www.topenglishteaching.com), scissors, a piece of paper, glue Time: 15 minutes Age: 6 – 7 Source: www.topenglishteaching.com The children make groups of 2 or 3. One worksheet is given to each group and the children cut out the pictures, make the puzzles and stick them on the piece of paper. After that they name the pictures. Evaluation: I think it is better to do this activity in pairs rather than every child alone, because the small children need more time for cutting out the pictures. And it is fine to see them to cooperate. They are at the age (6 or 7) they do not want to cooperate a lot, so this is the first step to be able to cooperate later. The children like colouring pictures a lot, so after sticking the puzzles they wanted to colour all the pictures – it took some more time. But the teacher can allow them to colour the pictures later, e.g. during their pauses (the pictures are put on the magnetic board and the children can take their picture whenever they want). Task 3: the poem Aim: to learn the rhyme by heart, revising colours and parts of the body Aids: the worksheet Halloween colours (www.oup.com/elt) – one for each child and one bigger on the board, coloured pencils Time: 25 minutes Age: 6 – 7, or older Source: www.oup.com/elt, my own activity The children get the worksheets and teacher asks: “Is there any pumpkin? How many? Does anybody see trick or treat? No, you cannot see it. Any ghost?” etc. and the children point to their picture and answer. And what now? The teacher says: “Take the orange pencil and colour your pumpkins. Take the green pencil and find the ghosts. Can you see their eyes? Yes? Colour the ghosts’ eyes green.” etc. If the children do not know what to colour, the teacher shows it on the big poster on the board. After colouring the picture the teacher reads the poem. It is a chant. The teacher has to read quickly and rhythmically. The teacher explains the unknown words (lantern – Jack o’lantern). The children learn the poem with using the rhythm: clapping their hands – the first verse, stamping their feet – the second verse. Evaluation: It is very useful to have one bigger copy of the worksheet on the board. If the children do not understand, the teacher can point to the picture on the board and everybody knows what to colour. The teacher can use strange colour for usual things, e.g. eyes are violet, pumpkins are blue, ghosts are red,… . I tried the traditional colours with children at the age of 6 and the unusual or strange colours with children at the age of 8. The children at the age of 8 know the certain rules we use and that is why they were so surprised by my “strange colouring dictation” and they liked it much more than colouring by classical colours. The poem was very difficult to learn for younger learners, so the children at the age of 6 can learn only the first verse and next year they can revise this poem and learn the second verse. Task 4: Make the witch’s house Aim: revising Halloween words or the poem Halloween colours Aids: the worksheet (www.oup.com/elt), scissors, glue, coloured pencils Time: 15 – 20 minutes Age: 7 Source: www.oup.com/elt The children get the worksheet, they cut the stripe with the small pictures, then they cut the house and fold it and they cut the window (according to the dash line they cut and according to dotted line they fold). Then they put the stripe with small pictures into the window and both ends of the stripe they stick together – they make the wheel. Before folding and sticking they can colour the house and all the pictures. After finishing this, the children can scroll the stripe in the window and say the Halloween words or they can say the poem Halloween colours with it. Evaluation: It is better to revise the poem first, then to make the witch’s house and at the end revise the poem again. The children needed the clapping hands at the beginning of this lesson, they wanted to move. After that they were able to concentrate on cutting or colouring. Otherwise, they were surprised how the wheel in the window operated and they liked it very much. After finishing this lesson the children repeated the poem again and again and moved with the wheel. Task 5: Halloween cards Aim: learning There is, there is not, revising numbers 1 – 4, letters A - D Aids: the worksheet Halloween cards (materials from the seminars of Sylvie Doláková) Time: 10 – 15 minutes Age: 8 or more Source: Sylvie Doláková Every child has got the worksheet. First the teacher says: “There is a moon, there is a black cat, and there is a witch with her hat and her broom. Where is it?” And children have to find the right picture and the number next to it and say the letter above it: “1A.” After a while one of the children say the sentences and other children look for the right pictures and say the number and letter of the picture. To make this activity more difficult for older children the teacher can use the sentences beginning with: “There is not …..” Evaluation: This activity is suitable for children at the age of 8 or more, because the younger ones cannot say the whole long sentence. It is too difficult for them. The children liked this activity because they did not have to write or draw, they only spoke English. It was faster and everybody had the chance to speak twice or three times during this lesson. The other group of children at the age of 9 had an idea to colour the pictures by themselves, not to show them to others and they said: “4A: Is the witch’s hair brown? “ “Yes/No.” They improve the possessives. It was surprising for me, because this was the first time the children had the good idea for practicing and improving their knowledge of English language. Halloween cards: Task 6: find the differences Aim: practicing the names of the rooms and furniture in the house, practicing: There is, there is not, Is there … ?, practicing the prepositions: on, under, in, next to, behind, in front of, between Aids: the worksheets (www.bogglesworldesl.com), a piece of paper and pencil or pen, board Time: 15 minutes Age: 9 – 10 Source: www.bogglesworldesl.com The teacher divides children into pairs. Each child gets the worksheet. One child in pair gets the worksheet Haunted House A, the one child gets Haunted House B. They do not show it to each other. Their task is to find out as many differences in their worksheets as they can in 10 minutes, using the sentences like: “Is there a ghost in the bed in the bedroom?” – “Yes, there is. / No, there is not.” They ask and the answers – the differences write down the piece of paper. After the time limit the teacher says STOP and asks how many differences the children found. The child or children with the most differences are the winners. The teacher writes the letters A, B on the board and children revise the differences – the teacher or the child writes the differences on the board. Evaluation: This activity is suitable for children at the age of 9 or 10. This group of children knew all the words needed in this activity, so they had no problem to speak all the time. Almost everybody found all the differences, so there were a lot of winners. The advantage was that all children were speaking at the same time and they could practice their speaking. But disadvantage was that the teacher could not hear everything and could not correct every speaking child. So there were some mistakes in speaking. I always listened to one pair – two sentences – corrected them if needed and then I went to listen other pair of children. It demanded the teacher’s concentration and more time to be able to hear all the children. Task 7: a song Halloween Aim: revising the Halloween words, learning the sounds of the monsters Aids: the song (the materials from seminars of Sylvie Doláková) Time: 15 minutes Age: 6 or more Source: Sylvie Doláková Children listen to the song and try to remember that the sound of the ghost is woo-oo-oo-oo-oo and the witch’s sound is ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Then they learn to sing the song. After that they can add some more sounds, e.g. an owl – woo-woo-woo-woo-woo, the cat – miaow-miaow-miaow-miaow-miaow. And they can sing more verses. Evaluation: This is a very easy song for small children; the older ones can do the second part – adding some more sounds and verses. The children like rhymes, songs and poems; they are a natural part of their childhood. So the teacher should use the songs and rhymes as often as possible and they like it. If they cannot remember some words, the teacher with children can sing the song (in which the word is) and stop singing just in front of the word and children are able to say it automatically and next time they know the word and cannot forget it. Through the singing the song the teacher can show the pictures of the ghost, witch, black cat, owl, so the children know what word and sound they will sing next. Chapter 2 Christmas Also the Christmas lesson plans have the linguistic, intercultural and educational aims. These are described in Chapter 1. Vocabulary: Christmas tree, Christmas card, Christmas stocking, present or gift, Father Christmas, star, an angel, turkey, pudding, cracker, mistletoe, decorations, reindeer, snowman, snowflake, fish, bell, carol, Christmas Eve. Task 1: Christmas presents Aim: learning I have, from, revising vocabulary – toys Aids: the worksheet (Addison Wesley Longman, 1999), a pen or a pencil, colouring pencils, flash cards with toys Time: 15 minutes Age: 7 Source: Addison Wesley Longman, 1999 The teacher asks: “Do you like giving presents? Do you like getting presents? Is this a present for you?” and he/she shows the flash card e.g. a car, a doll,… . After that the teacher gives one card (the worksheet – it must be cut into small pieces and every child gets one piece) and says: “Write the name of the person you want to give this gift and on the other side draw the gift – a car, a doll, a computer, a ship, a teddy,… and write your name.” After finishing children give the gift to their friend. The teacher asks: “Are you happy with your gift? What do you have?” And the children answer: “I have a gift from ……. (the name of the child who gave him/her the gift). It is a ………… (the name of the toy).” Evaluation: This is activity for training speaking. It can happen that one child gets more gifts and another child gets none. This can show which child is favourite in the class and which one is not. This activity I did in the class of 15 children and it happened that two children did not get any gift. They were very sad. So if this happens in the class, the teacher has to be ready to draw and give the gift to these sad children. I did it and their faces were so happy and they were smiling at me all the time. All the children wanted to speak and all the children spoke very well. They were happy they got a gift from their friend. They wanted to tell what they got. And they wanted to draw and give the gifts again and again. Task 2: a song We wish you a Merry Christmas Aim: learning the wishes – you can use this on birthdays (We wish you a happy birthday) or Easter (We wish you a happy Easter), practicing some new words Aids: the song (the materials from the seminars of Sylvie Doláková), flash cards with some Christmas words (Christmas tree, gifts, Father Christmas), the board Time: 10 minutes Age: 6 and more Source: Sylvie Doláková The teacher says: “Today we will learn a song. Look at these pictures (and he/she points to the pictures on the board). What will the song be about, what do you think?” And children answer: “About Christmas tree! Father Christmas! Christmas!” The teacher: “O.K. Listen and you will see who is right.” The children listen to the song and then they sing the song. Evaluation: The song is easy to remember, so during the first listening there were children who were also singing. They sang the song five times and they wanted to sing all the time. The teacher can change this activity: he/she divides the children into three groups and then the group 1 sings “We wish you a Merry Christmas”, the group 2 continues “We wish you a Merry Christmas” and group 3 sings “We wish you a Merry Christmas” and all groups sing “And a happy New Year”. Or the teacher points to the group which will sing (it can be in various order). The small children are happy, if they sing the first verse. They are too small and the other verses are too difficult for them. So they can learn the first verse, next year (when they are older) they can add next verse etc. and add the movement (a little clapping – clap your hands, a little jumping – a small jump, a little twirling – twirl with your friend or alone). Task 3: Find the Christmas present Aim: practicing prepositions – on, in front of, between, under, behind, next to, over, inside, revising toys vocabulary Aids: the worksheet (http://vs-material.wegerer.at), scissors Time: 20 minutes Age: 8 Source: http://vs-material.wegerer.at, my own activity The teacher divides the children into groups of 2 or 3. Each group gets the worksheet. The children cut the worksheets according the lines. Then the teacher says: “Put the ball under the Christmas tree. Put the car next to the ball. Put the teddy on the car.” etc. Children put the pictures of toys according the teacher’s instructions. They try to remember the order of toys. After that each group says two sentences: “The ball is under the Christmas tree. The car is next to the ball.” The other group continues with two sentences, etc. Then the teacher asks: “Where is the ball? On the Christmas tree or under the Christmas tree?” and the children have to look at their Christmas tree with toys, find out where the ball is and pick up the right preposition – under – and show it to the teacher. In the end each child chooses his/her favourite toy and says where it is: “My favourite toy is under the tree next to the ball, under the teddy.” And other children guess what toy it is. Evaluation: This activity is very difficult to explain. So the teacher has to give an example first and then the children know what to do. The most difficult was the last part of this activity, when they had to find their favourite toy and without telling what it is to say where it is. Only a few children said their sentence right. The teacher should write the sentences he/she will tell to children, because he/she cannot remember them all and he/she uses them again and again. So if the teacher has the written sentences, he/she can check their answers quickly by having a look at them. The class can have a competition. When the teacher asks: “Where is the ball? On the Christmas tree or under the Christmas tree?” and children pick up the prepositions. The teacher writes on the board the numbers of groups and which group is the first with the right preposition, gets a point. The group with the most points is the winner and this group can begin with next activity (or the teacher can raise the children by giving a small picture or a sweet). Task 4: Three bears’ Christmas party Aim: listening, story telling and revising numbers, animals, Christmas words Aids: the text about Three bears’ Christmas party (materials from the seminars of PhDr. He-lena Havlíčková), board Time: 20 minutes Age: 8 Source: PhDr. Helena Havlíčková The teacher reads or tells the story and draws on the board simple pictures: 3 bears, house, wood, invitations, Father Bear, Mother Bear, wolves, Little Bear, rabbits, Christmas tree, 2 sandwiches, clock (time 8 o’clock), tree, cakes and sweets, clock (6 o’clock). As the teacher reads the words drawn on the board, he/she points to them. Then the teacher asks children if they remember the animals, (if they try to name them), numbers and the Christmas words. The children try to name these words and then the teacher reads the story again and children check the numbers (they are the most difficult to remember), one of them can write them on the board. Then the children try to retell the story according the pictures on the board. Evaluation: The children like fairy tales and stories and they like to listen to them. The simple pictures on the board help to understand the story. The children were very surprised how many numbers can be hidden in the text. Of course, when they retold the story, they did not remember all the numbers from the text, although they were written on the board. But one child remembered some numbers, the other child another number and all the class was able to put the story together as puzzles. They made a lot of grammatical mistakes but this activity is to encourage the children to speak not to practice grammar, so the teacher does not need to correct the grammatical mistakes. If he/she corrects them, they will be afraid of speaking and will not want to speak any more. So I encouraged every child to speak and it was very funny and good for all of them. Some problem was with the word “invitation”, so I had to draw one bigger on the board and add the words: “Dear friends, we will have a Christmas party tomorrow at 6 o’clock. Please, come and have a fun. Three bears.” After that they remembered the word, because there was four times in the text. Task 5: a letter to Father Christmas Aim: writing a letter, practicing toy words Aids: the worksheet (www.onestopenglish.com), pen or pencil, coloured pencils Time: 20 minutes Age: 7 Source: www.onestopenglish.com The first task is to find in circles toy words. Small pictures of toys can help to find all the words. The empty circles are for children who want add some toys to the list of their gifts. Then children fill in the letters the names of toys. After, the children have an empty worksheet, where they draw some things they want to get for Christmas and write the letter to Father Christmas. Evaluation: Writing is very difficult for young learners because they are at the age when they learn to write in the Czech language. Writing in the Czech language is different from writing in English language. The best way to start writing in English is to write words and say their pronunciation to notify the difference between their sound and written form. It is also very difficult to have scrambled letters of the words, but pictures of known words can help and children very quickly find the right word. It happened that children drew the pictures of unknown words (in the second part) and they asked me again and again how the word is written in English. Then I wrote the words on the board again and again. But I was surprised after Christmas holidays that the children these words did not forget and they even used it when they talked about their Christmas presents! The most difficult is to write letters nowadays, because there are mobile phones and even an internet and people usually send messages or phone each other. So it was something new for the children and they had the pattern in front of them, so there were only two boys who wanted me to help with this. Task 6: decorate the Christmas tree Aim: revising colours, numbers 1 – 10, Christmas words; speaking – reacting on instructions Aids: the worksheet (KIDS ONLY 1998 © Mary Glasgow Magazines, An Imprint of Scholastic inc.), pencil, coloured pencils Time: 15 – 20 minutes Age: 8 Source: KIDS ONLY 1998, my own activity If the children know some Christmas words, the teacher can revise them as a colouring dictation. The children have the worksheet and the teacher dictates: “Please, draw a stocking in 9 red, an angel in 5 blue, a bell in 1 green, a star in 4 blue, a snowman in 8 green, a little Christmas present in 6 blue, a ball in 9 pink, mistletoe in 5 green, a fish in 2 green, a little Christmas present in 7 red, a stocking in 7 grey, a cracker in 5 brown, a snowman in 3 green, a star in 7 pink, a ball in 7 yellow, a reindeer in 2 brown.” Of course, the teacher explains they should draw simple pictures and during the dictation he/she has to wait till all the children are ready with the picture. After the dictation the teacher asks: “What is in 5 blue? What is in 2 green?” etc. and the children say the Christmas words they drew in the square. The teacher can also ask: „Where is the ball?” (But be careful, some words you dictated twice) and the children answer: “The ball is in 9 pink and in 7 yellow.” In the end let the children colour the Christmas tree with all the decorations. Evaluation: Children like colouring dictation – it is different from classical dictation where they have to write. It is natural for them to draw and colour and they want to draw and colour everything the teacher says – especially if they cannot write (in Czech or in English). The teacher teaches them to listen carefully and draw some English words. When the children can write, it is something special for them to draw the words. It is easier for the children to say one-word-answer on the teacher’s questions to remember the words. Later the teacher can ask them to answer the whole sentence. (What is in 5 blue? – There is an angel.) And if there is a clever child, he/she can ask questions and other children answer. At the end of this activity I let children to draw one Christmas word (as they like) anywhere they wanted. And then I asked where and what they drew. The children mostly drew toys: car, doll, and robot … something they wanted to get from Father Christmas. Task 7: What will you get from Father Christmas? Aim: revising Christmas vocabulary, toys, colours, You will get …., spelling Aids: worksheet (www.onestopenglish.com), coloured pencils, scissors Time: 15 minutes Age: 9 – 11 Source: www.onestopenglish.com First, children cut out the square from the middle of the worksheet. After, they colour the pictures, snowflakes and circles with various colours. And then, they fold the square according to the dotted lines (sky, hell, paradise). Then they go around the classroom and ask each other: “Choose one picture or colour.” The child 2 answers, e.g.: “Reindeer” And the child 1 spells this word:”a:r, i:, ai, en, di:, double i:, a:r,” and moves with his/her fingers to open this game sheet. After he/she stops spelling, he/she stops moving with his/her fingers and asks again to choose one picture. The child 2 again chooses, e.g.:“tree.” And child 1 again spells the word and again moves with his/her fingers. Then the child 2 chooses the picture last time. And the child 1 opens the paper and says: “You will get roller-skates.” – according to what he/she finds in the picture. Then the roles are changed. Evaluation: This activity is for children at the age of 9 to 11, because it is too difficult for younger pupils to spell those longer words, they do not now the written form of these words, they learn to write in Czech and they do not know that English words are not the same if you speak them and if you write them. The children like this game in Czech and this is an English variation. They realized this game is the same in Czech and in English. They were very enthusiastic to play this game which they are familiar with, they were not afraid of it. It is very important to tell them not to choose the same pictures they chose before, because they remember the presents hidden in the middle and they fancy one present and they want it again and again. In the end the children (I did this activity with) wanted to make their own game sheet. So I gave them the empty sheet of paper and they made their own game. They copied the square and folded it, then they drew their own pictures and mainly presents they wanted to get from Father Christmas. Chapter 3 Easter The Easter lesson plans have the same linguistic, intercultural and educational aims as the two previous chapters. Vocabulary: Easter, Easter Monday, Easter Bunny, egg, chocolate, basket, chick, sun, duck, hen, rabbit, spring, flowers, grass. Task 1: Chant – Easter eggs, pink and blue Aim: revising colours, numbers, pronouns: you, me Aids: cards with pictures (words) from the chant, worksheet (the materials from the seminars of Sylvie Doláková), board Time: 15 minutes Age: 7 Source: my own activity The teacher puts the pictures on the board. He/she says the chant (stressed syllables are marked by the dots) and points to the pictures as he/she says it. On the word ME the teacher points to him/herself, on the word YOU he/she points to one pupil, when he/she says numbers, shows one (two or three) fingers. The teacher repeats the chant and children will join him/her. Evaluation: Children like rhymes and chants. They remembered the words quickly, because when I pointed to pictures they understood the meaning of all the words. But when I wanted them to point to me on the word TEACHER, they didn’t understand. I had to say in Czech the meaning of this word to be able to point to me. Because at the beginning of this activity, as I said the chant the first time, I pointed to me with the word ME. The chant was easy to remember for all the children, after a few minutes the children were able to say it without my help. When I finished the lesson and children left the classroom, I could hear them to say this chant again and again. I felt good. Task 2: The busy Easter Bunny (a rebus story) Aim: reading with pictures, revising Easter vocabulary, reading for finding certain information Aids: worksheet (www.abcteach.com), pencil Time: 20 minutes Age: 9 Source: www.abcteach.com, my own activity First the children look at the pictures under the text and repeat after the teacher the words to remember them. The teacher reads the text and he/she explains the unknown words by miming. Then each child reads one sentence. If they do not remember what the name of the picture is, they can have a look at the words below. Then there are two tasks on the other side of the worksheet. First, the children read the sentences and write yes, if they are true, or no, if they are false. Second, they draw the line from the word to a right picture. Evaluation: The children of this group are very clever and when I say something and do the miming, they understand very quickly what I say in English. So when they read the text, there were some mistakes and I had to correct them, but after the while, when we read the text the fourth time, there were no mistakes. Some children even tried to do the miming like me during their reading! They liked the story about the Easter Bunny a lot. The first task on the other side of the worksheet we did all together. But I did not have to say anything. Only the names of children who wanted to read and answer. They were able to read the sentences correctly and they understood them. The children did the second task themselves – it was so easy for them. Task 3: Easter egg battleships Aim: speaking – Is there an egg (a rabbit) in ….?, Yes, there is. No, there isn’t. Revising numbers 1 – 6 and alphabet A – F Aids: The worksheet (www.langedizioni.com), scissors, glue, pencil Time: 25 minutes Age: 8 Source: www.langedizioni.com First the children cut out and colour the six eggs and one Easter rabbit. Then they stick them in the squares – wherever they want, but they do not show it to their neighbour. Then they ask each other the question: “Is there an egg (Easter rabbit) in A3?” “No, there isn’t.” or “Yes, there is.” When the child discovers where his/her neighbour has the egg, he/she writes 2 points down the sheet of paper. When he/she discovers the rabbit, writes down 4 points. The child who the first gets 10 points is the winner. Evaluation: The battleship is very popular game. The children like it very much, especially the boys. In this group there are 10 boys and 4 girls. The boys finished this activity very quickly. But they did not want to speak English, they only said: “A4, yes?” “No.” Every boy wanted to be the winner the first. I had to spend some time in each group to make them speak correctly and the right questions and answers, so the activity took about 32 minutes. The girls were slower but they did not need my help. They spoke very well, but when they coloured the eggs, it took them longer time than I expected. They wanted to have the eggs very colorful and pretty. Task 4: Easter puzzles Aim: putting together the Easter words and revising the Easter vocabulary Aids: the worksheet (my own activity), scissors, pencil or magic marker, a sheet of paper Time: 20 minutes Age: 9 Source: my own activity The teacher divides the children into the pairs. Each pair gets the worksheet. They cut the eggs with the words. Then they mix the eggs and find the right two halves. If they know the meaning of the word on the egg, they draw the word on a sheet of paper. Then there are empty eggs – the task is to try to make their own egg with the Easter word. Evaluation: The children like puzzles. This one is without pictures but with the words. The shapes I made for them were too easy to put together. The children finished this activity very quickly. But when they made their own egg puzzles, they only cut the eggs straight. So it was a little bit harder to put two halves together. One girl thought up this: there was the word on the first half of the egg and there was the picture on the second half. So she made the matching game. When the other children saw it, they wanted to make it too. I had to give them another worksheet with empty eggs and they made the matching game as the girl. Task 5: Here comes the Easter Bunny – a song Aim: moving with singing the song, remembering phrases as: Here comes …. My friend …… Aids: the song (the materials from the seminars of Sylvie Doláková) Time: 15 minutes Age: 7 Source: Sylvie Doláková The teacher plays the tape with this song and makes moves: Here comes – he/she waves with his/her hand towards him/her. The Easter bunny – he/she put his/her hands behind his/her head and mimes the long ears. My friend – he/she goes to the nearest child and shakes with his/her hand. Hopping along, singing a bunny song – he/she jumps around him/herself. I love – he/she shows a big heart with his/her fingers in the air. Hop, hop, hopping along – he/she jumps around him/herself again. The children join the moves and later they sing, too. Evaluation: This song has a catching melody and very easy lyrics and that is why the children liked this song very much and very quickly made moves as I did. But there was a very big mess, when the children tried to find their friend to shake their hands. They wanted to find their best friend and ran through the classroom. I had to stop the tape and tell them to make pairs to shake their hands. But afterwards they were able to sing and move six times and again and again. And in the end I asked the children to tell me about what the song was. I was surprised because they said: “About Easter Bunny, as we love him and as he comes to visit us at Easter.” Of course they spoke Czech, but they were able to understand this song without the translation, only the actions gave them the clue. III. Research I made the research where I wanted to find out in which schools the children are taught about the culture of English speaking countries and which materials are used by the teachers. Here is the question form: 1. The name of your school. 2. Do you teach in elementary school or in secondary? 3. How many children on average are there in groups you teach? 4. Which course books do you use? 5. Do you think the children will know anything about holidays and traditions in English speaking countries from this coursebooks? 6. Do you teach about culture in your lessons? (Halloween, Christmas, Easter) 7. Do you teach about other holidays or traditions? 8. If you do, do you use: the internet or your own worksheets or another course books? 9. Circle, how often do you use (in teaching about culture) this: 0 – never 1 – rather not 2 – rarely 3 – sometimes 4 – very often 5 always Songs 0 1 2 3 4 5 Rhymes 0 1 2 3 4 5 Chants, jazz chants 0 1 2 3 4 5 Pictures, realia 0 1 2 3 4 5 Video 0 1 2 3 4 5 Drama (puppets) 0 1 2 3 4 5 Games 0 1 2 3 4 5 Records (tapes, CDs) 0 1 2 3 4 5 Magazines 0 1 2 3 4 5 Worksheets from the internet 0 1 2 3 4 5 Your own worksheets 0 1 2 3 4 5 Workbooks 0 1 2 3 4 5 The teachers from seven basic schools in our region filled in this form, including both basic schools in my town. Here is the research sample: Number of informants Average age He/she teaches in elementary school He/she teaches in secondary school Women - 8 35 100% 0% Men - 2 32 0% 100% This chart shows how many men and women (including their average age) teach in elementary or in secondary school. This diagram indicates, how many pupils on average are in one group. Here are the coursebooks the teachers teach from: A. CHIT CHAT B. CHATTERBOX C. MILENA KELLY – ANGLIČTINA PO HLÁSKÁCH, PÍSMENKÁCH, SLOVECH D. ZAHÁLKOVÁ E. GET SET GO F. NEW ENGLISH FOR YOU G. PROJECT 1, 2, 3, 4 H. WAY TO WIN I. ANGLIČTINA NOVÁ ŠKOLA The most frequent course books are CHATTERBOX and ZAHÁLKOVÁ in elementary schools and PROJECT in secondary schools. Is there any information about the culture in these coursebooks? Yes 60% No 20% A bit of information 20% This chart indicates that: 60 % of informants think that the children will know something about holidays and traditions in English speaking countries from these course books. 20 % think that there is very little information about traditions in these course books and 20 % say that there is no information about the culture. Do you teach about the culture in your English lessons? Yes 90% No 10% Only 10 % of informants do not teach the culture in their English lessons. The most common holidays taught in schools are Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Sources Number of informants (in %) The internet 75% Own worksheets 20% Another resources 5% The most common resources were: WINDOW ON BRITAIN I, II (video), OXFORD GUIDE TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN CULTURE and FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL DAYS IN BRITAIN (by Melanie Birdsall). The research of using various aids during teaching about the culture is filled like this: 0 – never 1 – rather not 2 – rarely 3 – sometimes 4 – very often 5 always Songs 4 Rhymes 3 Chants, jazz chants 3 Pictures, realia 4 Video 2 Drama (puppets) 3 Games 4 Records (tapes, CDs) 4 Magazines 2 Worksheets from the internet 3 Your own worksheets 4 Workbooks 4 During teaching about the culture the teachers use: * Very often – workbooks, pictures and realia, games, records (tapes, CDs) and songs. * Sometimes – their own worksheets, rhymes, worksheets from the internet and chants or jazz chants. * Rarely – drama (puppets, theatre) and magazines. * Rather not – video. The research results indicate that the children are taught the culture by their teachers and the teachers make their culture lessons interesting. The teachers use songs and games the children like during getting acquainted with the culture. They have a wide range of resources, mainly from the internet, or they are able to think up their own worksheets to use. Conclusion The thesis of my diploma work was to find answers to three questions: 1. In the first question I tried to find if there are some documents regulating teaching culture. There are two main documents in the Czech Republic which regulate teaching culture in basic schools during teaching foreign languages: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) deals with teaching foreign languages in general. Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE) comes out of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), as regards the teaching foreign languages. In the theoretical part there is also an overview of the most common methods in foreign language teaching, as these methods approach to the teaching about culture. 2. Then I wanted to teach about the culture and find out if it is easy or difficult. In the practical part there are lesson plans. There are also the evaluations on every lesson plan which evaluate the process of teaching in English lessons in elementary school I teach. There are three chapters (Halloween, Christmas and Easter) which are most common to teach in elementary schools. All the chapters have the linguistic, intercultural and general educational aims; every particular lesson plan has its own aim which I tried to fill up. Every lesson plan has its own worksheet. They are mainly downloaded from the internet web sites (concrete web sites are written at the end, in part called Bibliography). In this part I found out teaching about culture very useful, effective, interesting and enjoyable not only for me but mainly for the pupils. 3. The third question is related to finding where and how the culture is taught. The research showed the teaching culture is provided by the teachers in 90% of basic schools. This is very pleasant to know the pupils will know something about the culture of foreign countries because they are lead to respect other culture and to realize their own identity. Simultaneously I found out which aids are used by the teachers and which resources they gather from. Nowadays the computers and the internet are used very commonly. This implies that the teachers look for their resources mainly in the internet or they are able to think up their own aids or worksheets. Anotace Diplomová práce se zabývá výukou svátků v hodinách anglického jazyka na prvním stupni základní školy, konkrétně se jedná o seznamování žáků s kulturou v anglicky mluvících zemích. První část je teoretická, vyjmenovává dva základní dokumenty, dle kterých se řídí výuka anglického jazyka na základních školách. Dále jsou zde popsány metody ve výuce cizích jazyků a jejich přístup k výuce kulturních aspektů. Praktická část popisuje realizované části vyučovacích hodin a jejich hodnocení. V poslední – výzkumné – části jsou zpracovány informace z 10 základních škol a to informace týkající se výuky svátků a tradicí anglicky mluvících zemí v hodinách anglického jazyka. Klíčová slova Kultura v anglicky mluvících zemích ve výuce angličtiny, metody ve výuce angličtiny, Společný Evropský referenční rámec pro jazyky, Rámcový vzdělávací program pro základní vzdělávání, vyučovací hodiny, Halloween, Vánoce, Velikonoce. Abstract The diploma thesis deals with the teaching about culture during English lessons in elementary schools. It concretely deals with the teaching about the culture in English speaking countries. The first part is theoretical; it specifies two basic documents according which the education in foreign language is followed. Next, the language teaching methods and their approach to the cultural aspects are described. The practical part describes lesson plans which were realized, and their evaluations. In the last part – research – there is information from 10 basic schools, mainly the information related to teaching about culture of English speaking countries in English lessons. Key words Culture of English speaking countries in English lessons, methods in English lessons, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEPBE), lesson plans, Halloween, Christmas, Easter. Bibliography: 1. Fowler, Virginie. Christmas crafts & customs around the world. New York : Simon and Schuster, 1984. 174 s. Simon and Schuster books for young readers. ISBN 0-671-67057-3. 2. Halliwell, Susan: Teaching English in the Primary Classroom, Longman Group UK Limited 1994, ISBN 0-582-07109-7 3. Larsen-Freeman, Diane: Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, Oxford University Press 1986, ISBN 0-19-434133-X 4. Perclová, Radka - Wisniewska, Ingrid. Speak out in English! : hry rozvíjející ústní projev a znalost reálií. Illustrated by Jiří Tyller. 1. vyd. Plzeň : Fraus, 1997. 70 s. . il. Obsahuje kopírovatelné materiály. ISBN 80-85784-97-1. 5. Rámcový vzdělávací program základního vzdělávání. Praha: VUP, 2004. 113 s. (Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education) 6. Rabley, Stephen. Customs and Traditions in Britain. 5. vyd. Harlow : Longman, 1989. 47 s. ISBN 0-582-74908-5 7. Rodgers, Theodore S. - Richards, Jack C. Approaches and methods in language teaching : a description and analysis. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1986. viii, 171 s. Cambridge language teaching library. ISBN 0-521-31255-8. 8. Scott, Wendy A., Ytreberg, Lisbeth H.: Teaching English to Children, Longman Group Limited 2005. 113 s. ISBN 0 582 74606. 9. Společný evropský referenční rámec pro jazyky, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci 2006, 267 s, ISBN 80-244-1425-2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) 10. Toufar, Pavel: Český rok na vsi a ve městě I, II, Akcent Třebíč 2004, ISBN 80-7268- 277-6. 11. Vondrušková, Alena: České zvyky a obyčeje, Albatros Praha 2004, ISBN 80-00- 01356-8. www.coe.int www.developingteachers.com www.hmrowe.com Sources of worksheets: www.topenglishteaching.com www.oup.com/elt www.bogglesworldesl.com http://vs-material.wegerer.at www.onestopenglish.com www.anglomaciacy.pl www.abcteach.com www.langedizioni.com Appendix The list of appendix: I – Sociolinguistic appropriateness II - Educational content of the educational field III - Some basic information about holidays I Sociolinguistic appropriateness SOCIOLINGUISTIC APPROPRIATENESS . C2 Has a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels of meaning. Appreciates fully the sociolinguistic and sociocultural implications of language used by native speakers and can react accordingly. Can mediate effectively between speakers of the target language and that of his/her community of origin taking account of sociocultural and sociolinguistic differences. C1 Can recognise a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts; may, however, need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar. Can follow films employing a considerable degree of slang and idiomatic usage. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social purposes, including emotional, allusive and joking usage. B2 Can express him or herself confidently, clearly and politely in a formal or informal register, appropriate to the situation and person(s) concerned. Can with some effort keep up with and contribute to group discussions even when speech is fast and colloquial. Can sustain relationships with native speakers without unintentionally amusing or irritating them or requiring them to behave other than they would with a native speaker. Can express him or herself appropriately in situations and avoid crass errors of formulation. B1 Can perform and respond to a wide range of language functions, using their most common exponents in a neutral register. Is aware of the salient politeness conventions and acts appropriately. Is aware of, and looks out for signs of, the most significant differences between the customs, usages, attitudes, values and beliefs prevalent in the community concerned and those of his or her own. A2 Can perform and respond to basic language functions, such as information exchange and requests and express opinions and attitudes in a simple way. Can socialise simply but effectively using the simplest common expressions and following basic routines. Can handle very short social exchanges, using everyday polite forms of greeting and address. Can make and respond to invitations, suggestions, apologies, etc. A1 Can establish basic social contact by using the simplest everyday polite forms of: greetings and farewells; introductions; saying please, thank you, sorry, etc. (CEFR, 2002) II Educational content of the educational field Stage 1 „Receptive, productive and interactive speech skills Expected outcomes – Period 1 pupils will · pronounce and read correctly in terms of phonetics an appropriate vocabulary range · understand simple instructions and sentences and respond appropriately · distinguish between the written and spoken form of a word · understand the content and meaning of a simple, slow and carefully pronounced conversation between two people, provided there is enough time for understanding · use an alphabetical textbook dictionary Receptive speech skills Expected outcomes – Period 2 pupils will · understand familiar words and simple sentences related to the topics being covered · understand the content and meaning of simple authentic materials (magazines, pictorial and listening materials) and use them in their activities · read a simple text aloud containing familiar vocabulary; reading is fluent and phonetically correct · find necessary information in a simple text and formulate an answer to a question · use a bilingual dictionary · productive speech skills Expected outcomes – Period 2 pupils will · form a simple written message, short text and response to a message that is correct in terms of both grammar and form; fill in a form with their personal data · reproduce, both orally and in writing, the content of a text and simple conversation of appropriate difficulty · modify short texts while adhering to their meaning interactive speech skills Expected outcomes – Period 2 pupils will · participate actively in a simple conversation, greet and say good-bye to both an adult and a friend; provide the required information” Subject matter · rules of communication in common everyday situations – greetings, thanking, introductions · simple messages – address, congratulations, holiday greeting and letter, apology, request · theme areas – home, family, school, free time and leisure activities, clothing, shopping, nature and weather, traditions and customs, holidays, important geographical data · vocabulary and word formation – synonyms, antonyms, meaning of words within context · basic grammatical patterns and types of sentences – simple sentences, forming questions and negations, word order in a sentence ANOTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGE - this is only at stage 2. (FEPBE, 2004) III Some basic information about holidays All Souls‘ Day x Halloween All Souls’ Day Remembering of all death people takes place on 2^nd November. The whole church prays for dead people. This commemoration is celebrated from the 9^th century. After the World War I where a lot of people died the priests can hold three celebrations this day. In the Czech Republic there is a tradition to go to the cemetery to the family grave. The prayer for the dead belongs to the oldest Christian traditions. This tradition was introduced by abbot Odillo in 998 who wanted to faced up to continuing heathenish rituals. In the 13^th century this tradition was extended through the west church. In 1748 this tradition was acknowledged by the Pope Benedict XIV and in 1915 the Pope Benedict XV expanded this permission to the whole church. And where does the name All Souls’ Day come from? All Souls’ Day was also pastry in a shape of two bones and this pastry was baked on this day and it was also called God’s bones. Housewives gave this pastry to poor men, travelers and beggars standing at the churches. There are also many superstitions connected with this holiday. The most famous is: souls of dead visit their cousins and that is why this holiday is so strange and mysterious. Children, don’t go this night to the cemetery, some lost souls can put you to purgatory in spite of them, so that you had to hurt. This night is said to be “a magic night”. And when we go to the cemetery we should have a look at the sky because it is said: When the sky on the All Souls’ Day is clear, the winter comes to us. Another saying says the gross fog is contributing to pleasing of souls. And now it is the time for a legend: One farmer was on his field too long and he suddenly saw a cloud as huge as a ship. He wasn’t glad to see this so he got inside to rye-mow. Suddenly he heard: “Hold it properly!” “But I can’t!” “So hold it and don’t shed it!” This was shouting as ten lazy men carry something heavy and nobody want to take pains. The farmer was curious and he looked out. He saw souls carrying that black cloud. He was so scared of them so he fainted. But not only souls carried these dark clouds. Even witches and devils did it. People rang on the bells so they had to go away. There are many traditional ways of augury: girls put some hazelnuts to the fire. Every hazelnut was a boyfriend. The girls said the magic formula “If you love me crack and jump out, if you don’t love me burn down and die.” Or the girls cut an apple into two halves and they ate it in front of the mirror. In the mirror there will appear their future husband. Or you can peel the apple so that there will be only one piece of its skin and at the same time say: “I peel this apple round and round to show me the name of my lover man, I throw it over my shoulder, show me the name of my lover man.” Or you can let the snail go through your ash in your fireplace. Its footprints will show the first letter of the name of your lover man. Halloween This holiday comes from the Celtic mythology. For the Celts this day was the beginning of the year. They believed the ghosts of dead can come out to the living people. So they wore some various masks on their faces so the ghosts couldn’t recognize them. The Rome imperia accepted this holiday. Later, this tradition was connected with the Christian holiday – All Saints’ Day. In the USA there this tradition was refreshed and it’s celebrated the day before All Saints’ Day. This name comes from the English translation, too. In the USA Halloween became the second important holiday after Christmas. You can see a receptionist in a mask of a witch in serious companies… In villas’ quarters there are houses hidden in falls webs, perfect lawns are cropped by gravestones and in the crowns of trees hangers are hanged. Everybody engraves the pumpkins – called Jack-o-Lantern. Jack was a legendary drunkard. He tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree for a juicy apple and then quickly cut the sign of the cross into the tree trunk, preventing the Devil from coming down. He made the Devil to promise he will never come for his soul. But once Jack died. He went to gates of heaven but he was drunk and had to go away. Then he went to the Devil. The Devil said: “You can’t come in. I promised it.” “But where can I go?” asked Jack. “Back where you come from.” And he gave him a lighted coal from the fire of Hell. Jack was eating the turnip at the time, he placed the coal inside and used it to light his way. Since that day, he has traveled all over the world with his Jack-O-Lantern to search the place to stay (Have a rest). Irish children used to carve out turnips and potatoes. But in the 1840s when the Irish came to America, they found out a pumpkin made a better lantern. Nowadays, the children dress up as witches, ghosts, monsters and skeletons. They wear masks and go from house to house, knock at the door and say: “Trick or treat?” People give them some money or sweets and they go away. If they won’t get this, they play a trick, such as drawing on the window with soap. There are Halloween parties, where children play games, such as bobbing for apples. The player must keep his/her hands behind his/her back and then take an apple out of water with his/her teeth. The game called Spitting: the seeds of the pumpkins are washed. We make a line and we try to spit the seed so far as we can. Christmas Christmas in the CR Christmas is the most beautiful holidays in the year for most of people. Old traditions are mixed by new ones so the Christmas days have got a strange feeling of happiness and family countenance and also of meditation and nostalgia. It is going with good food and joy of gifts, tree decorated with some ornaments and lights of candles. And Christmas cribs and carols. For Christians it is a celebration of birth of God’s Son and finale of fast. At the beginning Christmas was usually celebrated as a joyful holiday connected with procession of masks, singing and dancing, plentiful regale. But later there was majority of humility and continence. Regales decreased, the faithful fasted, went to the churches and prayed. During the 17^th and 18^th century, at the era of baroque, the pomp came back. And till the second half of the 17^th century Christmas began to celebrate in family circle. The legend of Christian’s Christmas The basic of the Christian’s Christmas is the story from the Bible about the birth of Jesus Christ in the town of Palestine, Bethlehem. His parents Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem from their home in Nazareth, because Roman emperor proclaimed a census and people’s belongings so that he could levy taxes. But they couldn’t find an accommodation there; all the taverns were full of people. And that is why Mary gave birth to Jesus in cowshed. There were shepherds on the meadows behind the walls of Bethlehem. The angel appeared and told them about Jesus birth. They came to see Jesus. At the same time the three Magi went to Bethlehem. They brought him unusual gifts. But the king Herod reigned in Palestine. He ordered to kill all small boys in Bethlehem. He was afraid of his throne. But Joseph took away his family to Egypt and after Herod’s death they came back to Nazareth. The main day of Christmas is Christmas Eve (24^th December); it is connected by Christmas Day (25^th December) and Boxing Day (26^th December). Christmas Eve It is the most important day in light of the celebrations. The house must be tidy and clean. The walls of the houses in countryside was whitening, the floors and the furniture were scrubbing. The housewife set the table and gave the nice cloth on the table. The main decoration was a crib. Later it was replaced by the ornate tree. Who wasn’t eating the whole day could see the gold pig. After the Christmas dinner people went to the church for midnight celebration. This was also day when people can see the future. There are various ways of predictions – weather forecast, destiny of the family, success in farming. If you cut an apple into two halves you can see the sign of your life. If you throw your shoe over your head you will know if you leave your home. Small boats made of shells of nuts with short candles will show your future husband. Very popular is augury from the pieces of melt lead that are stiffening in cold water. Every shape says something different about the future: straight piece means peaceful life, the wavy one means troubles. The half circle means betrayal and parting, the full circle is more money. Two connected circles are wedding. The oval calls in the love, the triangle calls happiness and the cross means the death. Christmas Day This is Jesus’ day of birth. People went to the church for sunrise celebration and morning one. People weren’t allowed to work, housewives didn’t make the beds. Boxing Day This day was a day when everybody caroled and wished happiness and health. Nowadays people visit their relations or go to the church to see cribs. Traditional food is goose with dumplings and cabbage. Carols Carols are the part of many holidays. The adults went for carol but nowadays children carol. Every body was dowered. The carols are also songs. They contain various wishes or tell about Jesus. E.g. the carol “Jesus Christ was born” is from the 13^th century. “We are bringing news” or “We will go to the Bethlehem” comes from the 16^th century. The most famous Christmas song is “Still night” and its origin is from the beginning of the 19^th century in the church in Austria where organ was broken and people had to think up the alternative program for the Midnight celebration. Also the famous Jingle Bells are singing more than 150 years. White Christmas came into being in the USA in 1942. The American singer Bing Crosby sang it. Christmas dinner Christmas dinner started with the first star in the sky. The number of people around the table couldn’t be uneven. Under the plates there were coins or fish scales – for the happiness. Before the dinner people said grace, thanked for all good and pleased for blessing. Nine courses were during the dinner. There wasn’t meat. People usually ate meals from mushrooms, gruels, dried fruit, apples and nuts. People drank beer, tea or punch. Later people could eat meat and drink alcohol. We prepare the fried carp, potato salad, fish soup. The symbols of Christmas Mistletoe grows on the trees as a parasite. Its white berries ripen in December. It is a nice decoration and it is said to bring the happiness and save the house. There are many Christmas flowers, e.g. Christmas star, cyclamen or Christmas cactus – it has beautiful blossoms right at Christmas. Christmas in England In England people decorate their houses with mistletoe and lamps. The most important day is the 25^th December – in the morning children find their presents in the stockings. Father Christmas or Santa Claus brings them the presents. He is a man with white hair, moustache and a beard. He wears a red suit. He lives at the North Pole and makes toys there in his workshop. He travels through the sky at night before Christmas. If the children prepare a cake and milk the day before Christmas day, they will find presents under their tree. They shouldn’t forget carrot for his reindeer Rudolph. Father Christmas comes to their homes down the chimney. On Christmas Day the children wake up early, they open the presents in their Christmas stockings and then they go to the Christmas tree and open others presents. At noon there is lunch: stuffed turkey or roast lamb and Christmas pudding with hot punch. Traditionally there is a silver coin in the middle of the Christmas pudding and when somebody finds it, they will have good luck. There are Christmas crackers on the table next to the plates. When you pull a cracker, you will find a paper crown, a small toy and a joke in it. On Boxing Day people give money to people like dustmen, milkmen or newspaper boys. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Before Christmas people go from house to house to collect money and sing traditional Christmas carols or songs, e.g. Good King Wenceslas, The Holly and Ivy or We Three Kings. Some Christmas customs are very ancient, e.g. the mistletoe was gathered in winter to ward off evil spirits. Or Yule log was burned in December to bring good luck and people dispersed the ashes around the fruit trees for a good harvest in autumn. In southwest of London there is a legend that says Joseph of Arimathea built wattle church and the thorn staff that he got in the ground took root and bloomed. It bloomed every year at Christmas time. In the 14^th century there was a group of men called Mummers. They went around the streets of villages, they wore masks and they entered the houses, sang and danced. They were said to bring good luck to the house. These customs changed. In the 15^th century it was very popular to elect a Lord of Misrule for the Christmas ceremonies at court and homes of the nobility. In the 16^th century at the court of Henry VIII there was Christmas time that lasted through twelve days. It was called the Twelfth Night and it was a time full of joy, dramas (plays) that are called masques. There is a scene in Shakespeare’s Henry VIII: the king was disguised as a shepherd to surprise Cardinal Wolsey at a banquet. Henry’s daughter, Queen Elisabeth I, continued with this tradition and Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night was performed for her. After several years of civil war when Oliver Cromwell became a head of state (he was a strict Puritan) people couldn’t celebrate Christmas. After his death it lasted a long time people returned to their celebrations. In the middle of the 19^th century when Queen Victoria ruled, Christmas became a celebration of children’s joy, gifts, decorations and family feasts. Boxing Day became a holiday when servants and tradesmen had boxes full of money and gifts from other people. Christmas in the USA In the USA the customs vary according where people (settlers) come from. E.g. in the northeast, Christmas trees were decorated with popcorn or cranberries and Christmas stockings were hung on the fireplaces with a new penny and an orange in them. In the 17^th century when there was the Dutch colony in New York, people celebrated Saint Nicholas Day on December 6. Later it changed to December 25. Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, was settled by people coming from Bohemia (it was a part of the Czech Republic). People gave the Christmas Crib in that town when Indians wanted to attack Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Up in the tower trombones played Christmas music and Indians run back to the forest. They were superstitious. In Los Angeles the group of men went through the streets of the Mexican quarter with their lanterns and nativity figures to visit their friends and relatives. New Year x New Year’s Eve New Year in the CR The last day in December is celebrated as the end of the year. This wasn’t celebrated in the past but in the 16^th century the Gregorian calendar established the beginning of the new year to 1^st January and people started to go to the churches to say good bye to the old year. But the 20^th century sublimated the meaning of this day and nowadays it is celebrated all over the world. People held great parties in their own family or in the society of their friends, sometimes also in society of unknown people. The fixed tradition is the midnight toast with best wishes in the New Year. But hardly anybody knows Sylvester is originally the name of the Christian saint. He lived at the turn of the 3^rd and 4^th century in Rome. He was elected of the pope in time when the prohibition of the Christianity was abolished. In the surrounding of Nové Město na Moravě there was a tradition to bake cobs and everybody gave the feather in each of them. When the feather burnt the person should die by the year. Or people made a hill of salt on the table. When it was split till the morning the person will die. Or who will go to the cemetery at that night, he/she will see all the people who will die early. In the villages there were persons dressed in black clothes. They went into a house and swept the cook stove three times and said “By the name of Father, Son and holy ghost” – the cook stove should heat well. The housewives gave them the coins. There were various superstitions, e.g. the housewife didn’t have to dry laundry through that night because she would call the Death and somebody will die. Or the person who got up as the last was laughed at. The menu had some special rules. People ate the same meal as at Christmas Eve. Later, in the 19^th century, people ate grouts, boiled pork and grated horseradish with apples. They believed they call the happiness. The rich people had various cakes with nuts, almonds and raisins, pastries in animal’s and people’s shapes. There were lots of meats: beef, pork, lamb, poultry and fish. Nowadays the specialty is sweet or salt confectionery, sandwiches. The midnight toast is with the glass of sparkling wine. New Year’s Eve in Britain and the USA In these countries it is also popular to have parties on New Year’s Eve. People stay up till midnight to toast. In Britain people wait for hearing the chimes of Big Ben on TV, in London there are many people in the Trafalgar Square. The square becomes very quiet before the chimes of Big Ben and as the chimes are heard, everybody starts to cheer and kiss each other. They wish “Happy New Year!” and sing traditional song “Auld Lang Syne”. In New York people gather in Times Square to see illuminated Big Apple. In Scotland New Year’s Eve is celebrated as much as Christmas. It is called “Hogmanay”. There is a custom called “first footing”. The first person to visit your house in the New Year should carry a piece of coal for good luck. Another popular New Year’s tradition around the world is to make a New Year’s resolution. People make a promise to themselves and try to keep it for the whole year. Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day in the CR A holiday of St. Valentine is celebrated on 14^th of February. We started to celebrate this holiday recently. The young people and people in love took it. And the shops with valentine cards, presents and flowers. We don’t know exactly who the right Valentine is. Probably the Roman priest and doctor, who was tortured to death during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3^rd century. There are a lot of legends about St. Valentine, about his acts. E.g. he cured a blind girl who fell in love with. Or he told men not to go to the war and stay home with their wives. Another legend says Valentine watched orgies of Roman inhabitants through his window in prison and he asked them to behave well. Or he was a priest who married and that’s why he was executed. The grave of St. Valentine is on the one way to Rome. It became a place for Pilgrims. Later there was built a basilica. Nowadays St. Valentine is a patron of all people in love. His symbols are: a heart, flowers and pigeon hen. We don’t know when this holiday was started to celebrate. The beginning is perhaps in France in the 15^th century. There were many prostitutes in Paris. They were organized and held various celebrations and parties. Every year on St. Valentine’s Day they gave flowers to the King of France. This tradition was broken by Great France Revolution, because many prostitutes were transported to America. And it is possible they celebrated the St. Valentine’s Day there and after the long, long time it returned back to Europe. Except flowers and valentine’s cards for women and girls people give each other small presents as a proof of love. And another superstition: People believed that single girl will marry the first boy who she will see this day. The oldest valentine’s cards are from the 16^th century. Valentine’s Day in Britain and the USA In Britain is usual to leave the card unsigned so that you have to guess who they are from. People also publish anonymous announcements in the newspapers. They are loving or humorous messages to the one people are in love. In the USA people give each other also candy hearts with a little message on them, e.g. “Be my Valentine”. They usually send signed Valentine’s cards. Another tradition is to hold a school party. Everyone must have a partner. If anyone has no partner, he/she is very sad. But people believe if they have for breakfast a toast with butter, cinnamon and sugar, they will find a partner for the Valentine’s party. On this party there is a competition “the nicest pair”. Easter Easter in the CR Easter is the most important holiday for Christians. It is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection after his crucifixion. The night of Christ’s resurrection started to mark as Great Night, the night of the greatest secret – and that is the name of Easter. The celebrations at Easter season have older tradition that is connected with coming of spring, sun and warm. This season meant for our ancestors the end of the long winter and the beginning of the new summer. The date of Easter is flexible and it must figure out every year. The date of Easter was set in the 4^th century. The following of various ways of Christian faith met in Niceja, the town in Asia (the territory of Turkey), in 325. They decided when and how to celebrate Easter. On those days there were several various filiations of Christian faith. This date is set after the first spring day (21^st March) and at the same time it must be the full moon till that day. And because the Great Night was at night from Saturday to Sunday, it must be Sunday after the first full moon in spring. The story that is a basis of Easter was written in the Bible. In year 33 A.D. in Jerusalem the thousands of pilgrims met to celebrate the escape of Jews from the Egyptian imprisonment. Among these pilgrims there was also Jesus of Nazareth with his followers. Some people were glad to see him and they also liked his new teaching of mercy and forgiveness. Jesus saved the prostitute who should be stoned to death. By his occasional dinner he blamed one of his followers as a traitor – his name was Judas and this name became the symbol of betrayal. Jesus showed how to eat bread and drink wine, which he compared with his body and his blood. After dinner Jesus went to pray to Gethsemane Gardens. But he was searched by the Roman soldiers and they arrested him soon. They got him in the Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate wanted to keep on good terms with Pharisees, the highest representatives of Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem. So he let to decide gathered crowd. People were influenced by Pharisees and they wanted Jesus to die. Jesus was sentenced to death – crucifixion. He was nailed to wood cross. And he had to carry it to Golgotha, the hill behind Jerusalem. On his head he had a thorn crown. After his death he was put to the grave by three women named Marry. One of them was his mother. Pilate sent a few soldiers to Golgotha to guard Jesus’ grave. He was afraid of stealing of the body. There was a prediction Jesus will rise from the death. But when the following day women came to his grave to embalm Jesus’ body, they found the grave empty, only the cloth, in which the Jesus’ body was wrapped, was lying on that place. The angel appeared to them and said: “His father God took Jesus to him.” And now one of the customs: Lamb’s-tails are one of the symbols of spring nature. Originally they were the symbol of heathenism – people charmed with them – but Christians made people to carry them to the church to hallow the lamb’s-tails. The last week of Lent is called “holly” or “Easter week”. It starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Monday. The most important are three days between them: Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Foul Wednesday – it is called like this because Judas scowled at Christ and he betrayed him. And that is why the people aren’t allowed to scowl at anybody. And the chimneys were swept. Maundy Thursday – the name of this day is implied from the green vest used in the church or people must eat only the green meal: spinach, cabbage, peas, spring herbs, etc. Easter started by the Thursday celebration. The church’s bells rang the last time and “flew away to Rome” and they were quiet till Saturday. Their chime was replaced by rattling and clapping of wooden rattles and clappers. The boys met at the church and under the guidance of the oldest one called taskmaster they went through the village. These trips took place in the morning, at noon and in the evening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when the bells made ring again. The boys got eggs, sweets or coins during their last trip. On Maundy Thursday the boys “hunted Judas” – during their trip they sang songs with texts against Judas and Jews, who crucified Christ: One of the boys ran out of the church and the others hunted him with the noise of their rattles and clappers. People did a lot of superstitious things on that day. They were connected with sanitation of human body. They got up early in the morning, said the prayer and after this they washed by the dew to prevent illnesses. People beg of the land for accepting their ache (especially the toothache). The housewives swept in the morning and the sweepings burnt, carried out of the house or threw them behind the fence to chase mice or fleas. The farmer sprinkled his house by holy water after the sunset. The holy water was in a new mug and the farmer used the straw to push away witches. Maundy Thursday was the last but one day of Lent. People ate vegetables, pulses, dried fruits. They ate also pastries with honey as a protection from the snakebite or threw the bread with honey to the well with the view of there are a lot of water in it. People also ate sweet mash. Good Friday is the day of sadness. It is said to be the quietest day in the year. The celebrations don’t take place, the bells don’t ring or organ doesn’t sound. Some of the people believed that they may not work on that day; some people didn’t talk and ate Lenten meals. On Good Friday people played dramas, they are called passion-plays. They were about the death of Christ and about his resurrection. Holy Saturday was the last day of long Lent. It was named after the white color of baptized people. On that day the bells were ringing and the fire was sanctification. There was the night divine service called vigils where the fire lit outside the entry to the church was sanctification and long candle was lit from it and put into the church. The Easter fire was called Judas fire. The celebration of resurrection followed. Till the end of Easter young and single people could confess love to his/her boyfriend or girlfriend. Easter Sunday is sometimes called Great Sunday. People go to the church and then they have festive lunch. In the past they went to sanctify Easter food like eggs and pastry to the church. They ate these meals at home after the end of celebration. They gave a bit of meal to their animals. In towns people sent this meal to their relatives as presents. It is possible the cards we send nowadays are the remainders of this custom. After the long Lent housewives cooked various meals, they prepared meat and sweet pastry. The most common Easter pastry was a cross-bun and the lamb of sweet dough was also favorite pastry. The meat of lamb was eaten frequently on Easter Sunday – people did a cleanout of their flocks. Easter Monday belongs to the most important days of Easter; Easter Whipping is practiced on Easter Monday. This custom is adhered nowadays. Boys usually go to osiers and walk through the village and whipped girls. The girls give eggs or chocolate eggs them. The adults get an alcohol or money. Easter eggs are colored by the girls. There are so many techniques of ornamentation in the Czech Republic. The most famous are batik eggs (wax and colors), next gravure (scratching into the color), and acid embossing, coloring (by colors and wax) and gluing the pieces of straw. Easter in Britain and the USA In Britain and the USA Easter is associated with Easter eggs (mainly chocolate eggs), lambs, daffodils and Easter Bunny. Parents hide Easter eggs around the house and in the garden and children have to find as many eggs as possible. Traditional food is a hot cross-bun (as in the Czech Republic) – the pastry with a cross on top of it. England is a land of old traditions and that’s why the competitions of eight are holding on the river Thames; the race of pancakes – women with saucepans race – or kite parade. And the custom associated with the royal family: till the 12^th century they give gifts to poor people. The special coins are minted; they become collectors’ rarity. In the USA children believe the Easter Bunnies bring them Easter Eggs. In Washington, D. C., children go to the White House to have an Easter Egg Roll; it is a competition where they roll their hard-boiled eggs down a slope and the first egg to reach the bottom without breaking is the winner.