Theme: New Year traditions and New Year resolutions. Reviewing the year, talking about past events, talking about intentions.
Lexical area: spare time activities, ways of celebrating.
Cross curricular links: Personal and social education.

Instructions for language assistants are in italics

Classroom materials

Introduction
Use the title of the text and put it on the board. What type of plans do people make when a year starts? What plans do they have for school? You can also use the words ‘New Year’ with higher levels and ask them to write down anything which they associate with the start of a new year.

Another possible introduction is to use an example from well known British literature which features a character making resolutions (e.g. Brigit Jones in Helen Fielding’s “Brigit Jones’ Diary” or Adrian Mole in Sue Townsend’s “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole..”). What resolutions do they make? Use examples of your own resolutions from last year and comment on them. Did you stick to them? Why do people make resolutions? Have your students ever made a resolution? (not necessarily for new year but for a new start)

1. New Year’s resolutions
Run through this using your own examples. Have students ever made any of these resolutions? Do people in their country make resolutions. Write up your own 3 examples in note form so they get the idea. Students can ask each other about their resolutions in pairs.

Task 1 New Year’s resolutions

• Here are some common New Year’s resolutions (personal plans for the coming year). Tick the resolutions you would like to make. I’m going to………….
  • Exercise: do more/join a gym/take up a sport
  • Health: lose some weight/go on a diet/eat less chocolate/stop smoking/give up junk food
  • Hobbies: start a new hobby/join a club/learn a new skill( how to cook, paint, play an instrument)
  • Friends: make new friends/write to friends more/be kinder to friends/ spend more time or less time with friends
  • Studies: study more/do more homework/listen more in class/get books from the library/ read more
  • Money: get a Saturday or holiday job/save more money/spend less/be careful with pocket money
  • Stress: worry less/work less/relax more at weekends/go to bed earlier

• Read the resolutions below of young people in the UK. Are they similar to yours?
• Do people make resolutions at New Year in your country?

2. Ways to celebrate the New Year
When correcting this exercise you can bring out aspects of New Year in the UK: Hogmanay celebrations in Scottish cities, the superstitions surrounding first footers, the use of mistletoe for kissing, the count down to midnight and the singing of Auld Lang Syne which is sung throughout the English speaking world. Note the very cold swim and give examples of other events in your region if you can. The drinking aspect of New year is perhaps more noticeable in the UK compared to European countries where a big, long meal with accompanying drinking is more customary .Do people get drunk in their country? Do they think this is a good way to celebrate the New Year?

Task 2 Ways to celebrate the New Year
Read the descriptions of celebrations around the UK and answer

• Who has the quietest time on New Year’s Eve? (Ben – he stays in)
• Who likes celebrating outside with lots of people? (Sophie – is going to the city centre)
• Who celebrates Hogmanay? (Mary – people in Scotland)
• Who starts the New year with a splash? (Ben – he goes swimming in the sea on the South coast)
• Who is going to be very tired on New Year’s Day? (Sophie – she plans to stay out until the early hours of the morning)
• Why is Uncle John the best person to have at your door on January 1st? (Uncle john is a tall dark man which brings luck in the New Year. You can expand by explaining that the first footer should also carry a lump of coal for even more luck!)

3. New Year in your country
You can either get your students to discuss these questions in pairs or have an open class debate.

Task 3 New Year in your country

• Are any of the things similar to New year celebrations in your country?
• What traditional ways of welcoming the New Year do you have in your family or in your region?
• How old are your New Year traditions? Did your grandparents celebrate in the same way?
• Are children allowed to stay up late to see in the New Year?
• Are there any special meals or activities for New Year’s day?
• What are you and your family planning to do this year?

4. Good year, bad year
Elicit questions for each category and put students in pairs or small groups to compare their experiences. This activity will work best with higher levels.

Task 4 Good year, bad year
Some years are better or more enjoyable/successful than others. We remember these years and the special things that happened.

• Choose a good year for you. Tell your partner why the year was special: What happened? What did you do? Who did you meet? Where did you go?

• Make a list of things that have happened in 2002. Follow these headings to help you:
  • New friends
  • Fun things I did
  • Key events/moments
  • Fun things I heard or saw
  • Important lessons I learned

• Interview your partner/classmates about their year. Was it a good year?

• Do you know what happened in the year you were born? Find out as much as you can and describe the year to your class.

5. Resolutions
This can be a fun activity where students use their imaginations to suggest amusing examples. Give students in small groups time to pool ideas and then get suggestions round the class.

Task 5 Resolutions
Some people write their resolutions in a diary, in their notebook or on a piece of paper. Write some resolutions for the following people: He’s/She’s going to…….

• Your mother
• Your best friend
• Your boyfriend/girlfriend
• Your teacher
• Can you think of funny or serious resolutions for the following people:
• President Bush
• A famous pop star you like
• The Queen of England

Internet links

Comprehensive guide to what's happening in Scotland and the background to all the associated customs. http://www.hogmanay.net/hogmanay.htm

Lots of varied activities and background here.
http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm

Some practical activities, discussion topics and reproducible worksheets.
http://www.theholidayzone.com/newyear/index.html

Background to the song and Burns.
http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/AuldLangSyne.5.html

By Clare Lavery