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© 2001, English Language Institute
University of Florida
StudyEnglish@eli.ufl.edu

Using Holidays in TESOL...

By: Mohamed Al-Khairy

 

Introduction:
This page is intended to help both students and teachers of TESOL to better use holiday themes as an interactive instructional material.
"Ethnography for ESOL" is the main theme for this page and I am using links about holidays as a tool to  initiate interactive conversation. Also it prepares the students
to explore life outside the classroom as ethnographers in order to discuss the cross-cultural differences and similarities in  these holidays. I will try to provide (links to) background information about the origin of the Holiday and the customs associated with it in USA.

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How to use this Page?
These "Holidays and Seasonal Information" pages are provided to give students and teachers in the  English Languge Institute  at the University of Florida  easy access to primary sources related to events that go on in the real world outside their English classrooms. The basic goal is to locate and organize information in such a way that others can see or be reminded of the range of issues, topics, and activities related to particular times of the year, and have them at their fingertips when they want them. It is NOT the goal of these pages to create new documents, or to offer extended commentary on the resources indexed. Students are invited to encounter the sights and sounds "unfiltered." Nor is it to provide language-learning activities; creative teachers can do that to fit their particular students' needs.

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Types of Holidays:(Click on the icons below)                                            

Multi-Cultural Calendar that could be used as a basis fro gathering info about holidays all around the world.
World holidays presented by month, and separated by ethnic, national holiday, and religious categories.

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Activities:
The Holiday Zone: Activities for English Language Learners - The Holiday Zone offers seasonal games, songs, finger plays and action rhymes, language activities, discussion topics, reading comprehension exercises, and more for ESL/EFL students of all ages and abilities.

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  • Holidays and Seasonal Information   gives students an easy access to primary sources related to events that go on in the real world outside their English classrooms. {The Intensive English Institute at the University of Illinois}.
  • http://www.su.edu/ESL/langlab.htm A very comprehensive site; with links to almost *all* kinds of holidays all around the world.  {Multimedia Language Learning at Shenandoah University, VA.}
  • U.S. Holidays -The name says it all! {The University of Kansas, Applied English Center}
  • Ms.Perez's ESL Web Site - This web page is designed to provide teachers of English as a Second  Language with a guide to multicultural resources, and holidays around the World. {State University of New York at Stony Brook}
  • Christmas.com - Find out how Christmas is celebrated throughout the world.
  • Hanukkah - Festival of Lights - History, songs, art, and games.
  • Happy Valentine's Day - Things you and your class can do on February 14, including  graphics, recipes, and links.
  • Holidays - From the fine collection of Kathy Schrock.(Discovery Channel School)
  • Summary of Common U.S. Holidays - Descriptions of over 100 American holidays.
  • Thanksgiving - Collection of Thanksgiving links (and more!!)
  • The Holiday Pages Web ring - An easily navigable link up of some holiday sites on the World Wide Web.
  • World Wide Holiday and Festival Page - With information on hundreds of holidays throughout the world.

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* Idioms:

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