Reading and WritingModule 4 Carnival

Reading and WritingTask-based writing approach

Getting prepared1.Reading for Vocabulary and StructureRead a short email about describing a festival. While reading, please find out:1)Adjectives describing the festival.1.the atmosphere (noisy, colorful)2.the music (great, exciting, relaxing)3.the food (good, tasty)

good, tasty

noisy, colorfulgreat, exciting, relaxing

1) The structure of the email (the order the email is organized in)

__4__ what the writer’s doing__1__ the atmosphere at the festival__3__ the food__5__ what the writer’s going to do__2__ the music

2. Presentation of the TaskDesign a brochure about a Chinese traditional festival•Searching for the information and resources on the Internet•Following the structure of the sample writing•Using as many words describing festivals you have learned•Applying the grammar item (passive voice) correctly and properly

Sample BrochureThe Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday associated with Chinese cultures. In 2008, the government set the

Dragon Boat Festival officially as a national public holiday. Now please follow me to know more about this fantastic festival.

DATEThe Dragon Boat Festival is the festival’s English

name which comes from a Chinese traditional sport -- dragon boat racing. Because people always celebrated it on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people also call it “Double-fifth Festival” or “Duanwu” in Chinese.

ORIGINSPeople believed that The Duanwu Festival dates from

ancient China. A number of theories exist about its origins as a number of folk traditions and myths are connected to its origins. Today the best known of these relates to the suicide in 278 BC of Qu Yuan, poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom during the Warring States period.

QU YUANThe best-known traditional story

holds that people set the festival in memory of the death of an ancient poet Qu Yuan (340 BC - 278 BC). Qu served in high offices in ancient China. However, when the king decided to ally with ( 联合 ) the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was accused of treason (被控叛国罪 ) and was punished for opposing alliance. Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered.

Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital, which proved Qu Yuan's opinion. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

FOOD AND BOAT RACINGPeople say that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of “zongzi”. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to look for his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

ACTIVITIES

Three of the most wide-spread activities for the Duanwu Festival are eating (and preparing) “zongzi”, drinking realgar wine and racing dragon boats. Other common activities include hanging up mugwort and calamus, taking long walks, and wearing perfumed medicine bags and colorful bracelet. All of these activities, together with the drinking of realgar wine, were regarded by the ancient Chinese as effective in preventing disease or evil and promoting health and well-being.

Grammar FocusLook at the underlined sentences in my leaflet. Please change them following the given example.1.In 2008, the government set the Dragon Boat Festival officially as a national public holiday.In 2008, the Dragon Boat Festival was officially set as a national public holiday. 2.Because people always celebrated it on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people also call it “Double-fifth Festival” or “Duanwu” in Chinese3.People believed that The Duanwu Festival dates from ancient China.4.people set the festival in memory of the death of an ancient poet Qu Yuan5.People say that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river

Answers:2.Because it is always celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, it is also called “Double-fifth Festival” or “Duanwu” in Chinese3.The Duanwu Festival is believed to date from ancient China.4.the festival was set in memory of the death of an ancient poet Qu Yuan 5.It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river

Homework (to be exchanged or shared in the next period)After class please enrich the brochure and make it as beautiful as possible.You can:•cooperate with your group members for different tasks•use subtitles / subheadings as the topic of each section•provide pictures to make the brochure more attractive•use the descriptive words of festivals and passive voice•check for possible mistakes in grammar and spelling•…

Appendix: Jigsaw reading

Russian Legend of BabushkaBut then there was a knock at the door. Babushkaopened the door. There were three kings outside! toThey wanted stay at Babushka’s house until night-time, when they would follow the star again.  When night-time came, the kings were ready to follow the star. They asked Babushka if she would come with them. They said she could take the baby some food or a toy as a present.  They said that the star would lead them to a baby called Jesus who would be king of Earth and Heaven. Babushka made them a lovely meal, and they stayed until night-time.

The Russian people say that Babushka is still looking, and it is she who leaves presents for children at Christmas.

When she woke up, it was morning. Because it was morning, Babushka couldn’t see the star, and so she couldn’t follow the kings. She went from place to place, asking people if the kings had been there. At each place she stopped, she left some of her presents for the little children.