IDEAS FOR EASTER Stage One: EASTER SONG 10 mins Materials: colour and phonemic cards, HO1, HO2, Treetops 2 CD2, CD player, NB cover phonemic chart in room! 1. Teach five phonemic symbols-colours (plum, pink, orange, fawn, gold). 2. Sort words from song into correct phonemic columns (HO1): OPTIONAL ACTIVITY FIND WORDS WITH OTHER SPELLINGS FOR... 3. Put phonemic table words into song gaps (HO2) NOTE: USE MEANING AND RHYME TO GUESS 4. Listen and check. 5. Turn over text and practice with gestures. Sing with karaoke tape. Stage 2: EASTER EGG INFORMATION GAP 15 mins Materials: shape cards, HO3, scissors for all, laminated Treetops A3s, felt tips pens 1. Unjumble shape words (with stars/stripes/circles/diamonds/flowers/wavy lines): AS FOLLOWS: 2. Match shapes and words. 3. Check ordinal numbers. 4. Decorate the eggs dictation (HO3) with ordinal numbers. 5. Cut out eggs. 6. Check vocabulary. 7. Demonstration of Easter egg information gap activity. (Three guesses, then ask where?) 8. Participants carry out activity. 9. Discuss other ways of structuring the activity: Commands: Put the X egg.. All guessing: Is it..? Ask and answer: Where s the X egg? It s..
Stage Three: EASTER BOOKLET ACTIVITIES 15 mins Materials: vocab cards, Treetops photocopy 1 Elicit/teach new vocabulary items from Treetops 2 TB p. 131. (lamb, hot cross buns, chick, basket, daffodils) 2 Listen to clues and write the number of the item. (See below.) Check. 3 Brainstorm other possible clues for one item. 4 Pairs write clues for other items. 5 Pairs quiz other pairs. 6. Follow-up? Colour and make booklet. Clues for 2: This is a type of bread. (6 hot cross bun) This is oval-shaped. (7 egg) This has wings. (4 chick) The Easter Bunny uses this. (1 basket) This begins with the letter D. ( 5 daffodil) This likes carrots. (3 bunny) The last letter of this isn t pronounced. (2 lamb) Brainstorm ideas for hot cross buns : This is good with butter and jam. It s round. It s composed of three words. The baker makes it. It s soft. It s cooked in the oven. Stage Four: WHISPER OR RUNNING DICTATION 10 mins Materials: HO 4 cut up into paragraphs. 1. Dictate four questions. Why is the rabbit associated with Easter?, Where does the word Easter come from?, How old is the tradition of the Easter Bunny?, Where was the first edible Easter Bunny produced? 2. Discuss in pairs, FB. 3. Carry out a whisper or running dictation. Each group dictates one paragraph of the text (HO4). 4. Re-form groups to find answers to questions.
Stage Five: EASTER EGG HUNT 5 mins Materials: Easter egg 1. One participant leaves the room. 2. Hide egg, but not completely out of sight. 3. Play 5 questions + hot/cold to find egg. Roundup Thank you! 3 mins
Ideas for Easter Lessons Handout 1 Put the words under the correct sound. There are three words for each sound. plum gold pink fawn orange bunny bunny chick goes home hop long mother other paw small so song spring tall wiggle
Ideas for Easter Lessons Handout 2 Look at the Easter song. Can you put nine words from the phonology exercise in the gaps? Bunny, white With ears tall And your two eyes And your mouth so Wiggle one ear goes the other Hop,,, to your Adapted from Treetops 2 OUP
Ideas for Easter Handout 3 Listen and decorate the Easter eggs:
Ideas for Easter lessons Handout 4 Some Easter History The Easter bunny and chick have their origins in pre-christian fertility cults. The rabbit in particular was the most fertile animal known, and it served as as a symbol of new life during the Spring season. From ancient Egypt, this tradition spread to the Greeks and then to the Romans, who shared it with the rest of Europe. Later, the Celts, Saxons and other early European peoples celebrated the pagan festival of Eastre or Ostara, a goddess of the dawn associated with springtime and the spring equinox. Her symbol was also the rabbit. Many people think that the modern feast of Easter developed from springtime feasts to honor this goddess. During the Middle Ages, the rabbit also became associated with chicken eggs, since both were symbols of rebirth in the spring. The Easter bunny as a holiday symbol delivering candy and eggs probably started around that time in Germany. It was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies also appeared in Germany during the 1800 s. They were made of pastry and sugar. Together with gummy candies shaped like eggs, they were placed in straw nests and hidden in secluded areas of the garden for children to find. And so the exciting Easter egg hunt came into being!