CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
SAINT GEORGE, CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL SYMBOL
You are going to read about the festivity of Saint George celebrated in
England and in Catalonia, talk about your routine on Saint George’s Day,
and compare both traditions. You are also going to create a bookmark for
one of your classmates.
-When do we celebrate the festivity of Saint George in Catalonia?
Ask: What do you do that day? / What is the tradition? /What day is it? They have to
write properly the date and month. Good time to explain that 1st, 2nd and 3rd are
written differently.
-Does any other country celebrate it this day?
http://projectbritain.com/stgeorge3.html Write down some information you found.
St George is the patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, England,
Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities
of Cáceres, Ferrara, Genoa, Moscow, etc. St George is also patron saint of scouts,
soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers.
READING – Saint George in England
Pre-activity: Do you know the meaning of these words? In groups, try to translate
them.
Emblem emblema
Belief creença
wore portar posat (p.s.)
stem originar-se
brave valent
-Read the text and answer the questions. You can work in groups.
St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white
background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George’s
emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the
12th century. The king’s soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in
battle.
St George was a brave Roman soldier who protested against the Romans’ torture
of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St George in England
stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw
him in a vision and were victorious.
By tradition, 23 April is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national
flower. However, unlike other countries, England does not celebrate it like
Americans celebrate 4th July with fireworks. In fact, you are more likely to see big
St Patrick parades in England celebrating Ireland’s National Day, more than you
would see any sign of St George Day being celebrated.
-What is the flag of England? The flag of England is a red cross on a white
backgrounds.
Gemma Saladrigues Roselló
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CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
-Why was the emblem used for the soldiers? Because they wanted to avoid
confusion in the battle, so they used the emblem to be distinguished.
-What did St George protest against Romans? He protested against Roman’s torture
of Christians and he died for his beliefs.
-What is the national flower? The national flower is the red rose for the buttom hole
-Do English people make a big celebration this day? No they don’t. They do not do a
big celebration this day.
-Post-activity: We are going to do some research!
Look for information and try to answer the following question.
Why do English people wear a rose in the button hole on Saint George’s Day?
What does it symbolizes?
http://resources.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/nationaldays/england.html
SPEAKING – Different customs
Ask them if they remember what tense they need to use to
talk about customs and routines. Revise in two minutes the
usage of present simple. Revise adverbs of frequency too.
Ask your partner the following questions:
Remember that
we use PRESENT
SIMPLE for
routines!!!
-What do you normally do on the Saint George’s day? What is
your routine?
She/He…
-Do you stay at home or you prefer to go for a walk? Why?
Yes /No
-Do you celebrate the Lovers day? What do you do?
I…
__________________________________________________
WRITING – Description of my city/village on Saint George’s
Day.
Make a brainstorming before writing. With all the class, write
vocabulary of the Saint George Day on the board. Try to write down
necessary vocabulary related with the village description. They are going
to use it to write later.
WORDS TO USED:
There is, there are,
on the street, on
the library, buy
presents, fair,
books,
Gemma Saladrigues Roselló
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CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
On Saint George’s Day I…..
LISTENING – Catalan Legend of Saint George
Pre-activity: Explain briefly the legend of Saint George to your partner.
Ask the class if they know the legend of Saint George. Ask them to explain it orally in 5
minutes.
GAME: Try to do it all together, one starts with one sentence, and then the others
continue!!
Tell them that they are going to watch a short video about the legend and that this
video is going to be explained through images of Barcelona. Let’s see if they recognize
the places.
Watch and listen to the Catalan Legend of Saint George, and complete the
questions: VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-mOgCTjt8
1. What famous monuments from Barcelona have you seen?
Les rambles, parc güell, parc de la ciutadella, barri gotic, el palau de la música, casa
gaudí.
2. What animals have you seen in the video?
Rabbit, chicken, lamb, goose, dragon, horse,
READING CULTURE - William Shakespeare
-Do you know William Shakespeare? Where was he born? Why was he famous
for?
Ask them to write down all what they know.
They can write only words if they do not know anything else.
Tell them the day Shakespeare died, since it is also the 23rd april.
-Read the following chart about Shakespeare’s life and match them with the
corresponding question.
Where was he born? Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in
England. Later he went to London, to be an actor. But he became famous for
writing plays. His friends said he was the best writer of his time. Most
people now say he was the best of all time.
Why is he famous? Shakespeare plays are performed all over the world.
Students study Shakespeare in school and at university. People write books
about Shakespeare. There are Shakespeare theatres and Shakespeare
festivals.
Gemma Saladrigues Roselló
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CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
What plays did he write?
He wrote plays such as; Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Macbeth, etc.
Who was William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare is one of the world’s greatest writers. He wrote plays
for the theatre. He wrote poetry too.
FINAL TASK:
You are going to design and create a bookmark for one of your partners. In this
bookmark you have to include one of the following quotes from Shakespeare. But
before, try to translate these quotes in groups of 4. Explain the task and give
them the rest of the class to finish it.
1. It is not in the stars to hold our destiny
but in ourselves.
the stars do not know your destiny but
only you yourself do and you choose it.
2. There is nothing either good or bad but
thinking makes it so.
It is our mind that judges whether
something is good or bad, but in reality
nothing there is no good or bad.
Saying something without thinking is bad.
3. Words without thoughts never to
heaven go.
4. Some are born great, some achieve
greatness, and some have greatness
thrust upon them.
5. It's not enough to speak, but to speak
true.
HAPPY SAINT
GEORGE’S
DAY!
Literal meaning. Some people are always
doing great things and behaving great.
Do not talk just to talk. It is more
important that when you do speak to tell
the truth.
-They can design the bookmark as they want. They can write
on both sides and include all the words they want.
-Give them the bookmark printed with the image on it the
last day of class.
[QUOTES]
WEBPAGES USED:
-http://quotesnsmiles.com/quotes/40-favourite-william-shakespeare-quotes/
-http://www.henry4school.fr/Celebrations/Saint-George-sDay/george.htm#actpr
-http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/articles/famous-shakespeare-quotes.html
Gemma Saladrigues Roselló
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