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SavannahYear 8
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LanguagesEl mundo hispanohablante20 min★★ difficulty

Fiestas y tradiciones

Festivals give you cultural knowledge and a reason to read short authentic texts, which is where reading confidence actually grows.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Reading: Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

Key learning points

  • • Three festivals
  • • Reading a short text
  • • Writing a response

This lesson at a glance

  • 20 minutes
  • 15 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

literarylanguagestorieslettersstimulate

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Fiestas y tradiciones

An English teaching video on this topic from aprenderUCDM. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Three festivals

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Three festivals

El Día de Muertos in Mexico (1–2 November) remembers relatives with altars, marigolds and favourite foods; it is warm rather than sombre. Las Fallas in Valencia (March) builds enormous sculptures and burns them on the final night. La Tomatina in Buñol is a one-hour tomato fight in August.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

Reading a short text

Read a cultural text twice: once for gist, once for detail. Underline cognates first — celebración, tradición, familia, música — then work outwards from what you already understand.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

What is El Día de Muertos like in tone?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

What happens at Las Fallas?

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 15

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 15

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Writing a response

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Writing a response

Me gustaría ver las Fallas porque me interesa el arte. Lo que más me sorprende es que... Sentence starters like these let you respond to culture rather than just list facts.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

What is the first step in reading a cultural text?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

What lifts a written response above a summary?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Reading passage with model response

'El Día de Muertos no es una fiesta triste. Las familias preparan un altar con flores, fotos y la comida preferida de sus parientes. Cantan, cuentan historias y recuerdan con alegría.' Response: 'Lo que más me sorprende es que la fiesta sea alegre, porque en Inglaterra recordamos a los muertos de una manera más seria.' — a comparison, not just a summary.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 15

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Mastery quiz

Part 14 of 15

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Fiestas y tradiciones

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. What is El Día de Muertos like in tone?

  2. 2. What happens at Las Fallas?

  3. 3. What is the first step in reading a cultural text?

  4. 4. What lifts a written response above a summary?

15

Lesson round-up

Part 15 of 15

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover

How this is going

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    Read literary texts in the language, such as stories, songs, poems and letters, to stimulate ideas and develop creative expression

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