Celebrations

Today you are going to learn about celebrations all over the world! 

This webquest provides a lesson that is applicable to pupils who have been studying English for 4 years at school. Through the course of this task the pupil will be building his knowledge of the English language as well as his listening, reading, vocabulary and writing skills.

INTRODUCTION

What would you tell your foreign friends about traditional Russian holidays and celebrations? What do you think your British friends will tell you about their traditional holidays and celebrations?

Every country has its own national holidays, but there are holidays that are common for many countries. People all over the world know New Year’s Day, Christmas and Easter. In Russia, New Year’s Day is the most popular holiday; but in the West people pay more attention to Christmas.

There are also dates and events in our country that are memorable to Russian people. They are Victory Day, the Day of Reconciliation and Harmony, Women’s Day, the Day of Spring and Labour, Independence Day, Country Defendant’s Day, Constitution Day, and Maslenitsa. Besides, there are many professional days in our country: Teacher’s Day, Miner’s Day, etc.

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday. All holidays and traditions are connected with the history and culture of the country.

Besides public holidays, there are certain traditional festivals which have existed over centuries in the country. They are Pancake Day, Guy Fawkes’ Night, Saint Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Hallowe’en, April’s Fool Day, etc. These days are not days-off. But they help to keep many traditions, which Englishmen have always been famous for.

The task in this Webquest is meant to build knowledge of the holidays celebrated by people all over the world. Through this a participant will gain more understanding of the celebtations all over the world as well as build English language skills during the process.

In the following Webquest pupils will need to form into  groups of four. These four participants will have different roles within the group. These roles will be explained in more detail later.