Warm-up
Answer a few quick questions before today’s lesson about Festivals & celebrations.
Listening
Listen to the recording and answer the questions in each part. You can replay the audio as many times as you need — click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to a specific moment. Read the questions in each part first, then submit when you are ready; your answers will be marked together at the end of each part.
Listening — Why We Celebrate Diwali
This listening task is split into parts. The audio player stays at the top of the page so you can replay it freely — click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to a specific moment. For each part, read the questions first, then listen and answer. You can change your answers until you click Submit; feedback appears once you submit each part.
Reading
Read the passage on the left, then work through the questions on the right.
Reading — Why We Celebrate: The Stories Behind Our Festivals
Read the passage on the left, then answer the questions one by one.
Why We Celebrate: The Stories Behind Our Festivals
Festivals and celebrations happen all around the world, but do you know why we celebrate them? Every festival has a reason. Some celebrations honour important historical events. For example, Independence Day in the United States celebrates freedom because the country became independent in 1776. Other festivals celebrate nature and seasons. Harvest festivals happen in autumn because people want to thank the earth for food and crops.
Religion is another important reason for celebrations. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Eid celebrates the end of Ramadan for Muslims. Many families also create their own celebrations. Birthdays and anniversaries are special because they mark important moments in people’s lives. Wedding celebrations happen because families want to show joy and bring people together.
Why do we celebrate? We celebrate because we want to remember important things, share happiness with family and friends, and feel part of a community. Celebrations make life meaningful and help us stay connected to our culture and history.
Vocabulary Practice
Practise the 12 key vocabulary items from this lesson through three exercises.
Vocabulary Practice — Unit 2: Why are we celebrating?
Work through all three parts. Each part uses the same vocabulary in a different way.
Writing Task
You are on holiday and visiting a big festival in another country. Your friend asks you in a message: ‘What festival are you at? Why do people celebrate it?’ Write a short postcard reply to your friend telling them about the festival.
You should address:
- Name the festival you are visiting
- Explain why people celebrate it using ‘because’
- Say one thing you are doing or seeing at the festival
Plan:
Greeting: Start with ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ and your friend’s name.
Main message: Name the festival and explain why people celebrate it using a ‘because’ clause.
Activity: Describe one thing you are doing or seeing at the festival right now.
Sign-off: End with a friendly closing like ‘Love’ or ‘Bye’.
Speaking
Speaking task. Read the instructions, then complete the task.
Useful sentence starters:
- I think this is…
- Because…
- In my opinion…
- I agree because…
- One thing I notice is…
- In my country, we celebrate…
After the Lesson
Reflect on what you learned and how confident you feel now.
Teacher Guide
Practise with
- bonfirenoun
A large fire that people make outside at a celebration.
- Christmasnoun
A holiday in December when many people give presents.
- dancingnoun
moving your body in time to music
- Diwalinoun
An Indian festival of lights.
- fireworknoun
a colourful object that explodes in the sky with lights and noise
- fireworksnoun
Bright lights that go up in the night sky.
- funfairnoun
a place with fun games and rides for children
- lanternnoun
A light inside a paper or glass cover that you can carry.
- New Yearnoun
The first day of a new year.
- Thanksgivingnoun
An American holiday when families share a big meal.