Advanced ESL Christmas Activities for Adults

OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

These advanced ESL Christmas Activities for Adults offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for C1 learners. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss various adjectives to describe holiday celebrations and explain their choices.
• Watch a video showcasing over-the-top holiday stories and complete activities based on it.
• Analyze holiday-themed stories and relate them to adjectives discussed earlier.
• Practice using vocabulary related to extravagance, sentiment, and quirkiness in different contexts.
• Create and report a holiday-themed news story using their own creative ideas.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In the first of these ESL Christmas Activities for Adults, students reflect on the characteristics of Christmas or other December holidays. They select adjectives such as "sentimental," "extravagant," and "quirky" to describe the season, then discuss their choices with their peers. Following this, students explore a set of holiday stories, choosing the one they would most like to read. They are encouraged to apply the adjectives discussed in Part 1 to describe the people and events in the stories. Additionally, students answer thought-provoking questions about holiday traditions, discussing whether they enjoy extravagant or sentimental celebrations and whether they engage in over-the-top holiday activities like decorating or spending large sums on gifts.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

In this section, students watch a video that highlights five over-the-top holiday stories, ranging from a British mom's holiday tree display to a family's extravagant lights in New Jersey. The video showcases how these individuals went above and beyond to create unforgettable holiday experiences. After watching, students describe the stories from the video, identifying key actions such as the types of decorations used, the amount of money spent, and the quirky traditions involved. They then complete a fill-in-the-blank exercise using words from the video to reinforce vocabulary related to extravagant holiday celebrations. Finally, students revisit their earlier discussion from the preview activity and compare their own holiday experiences with the stories shown in the video, considering whether they mentioned similar over-the-top examples.

DISCUSSION & VOCABULARY

After watching the video, students engage in a discussion where they share which story surprised them the most and why. They are encouraged to use the adjectives they discussed earlier, such as "extravagant" or "sentimental," to describe the stories and the people involved. Students also complete an exercise that ties vocabulary to the connotations found in a holiday news article about an Atlanta-based photographer's initiative to give back to her community. The exercise involves matching verbs and phrases to specific themes like extravagance, generosity, and sentiment. By discussing the connotations of words like "to splurge on" or "to go all out," students deepen their understanding of how language reflects holiday values and actions.

HOLIDAY HEADLINES: SPREAD CHEER THROUGH A STORY

In the activation stage of these ESL Christmas activities for adults, students are invited to create their own holiday news story based on one of the provided headlines, or they can come up with a headline of their own. They work individually or with a partner to craft an engaging news story that incorporates the themes of sentiment, extravagance, or quirkiness. Once their stories are ready, students present them to the class, explaining the impact of their fictional holiday events. This allows students to practice storytelling, use holiday-related vocabulary, and reflect on how the holiday season can be portrayed in the media. The final step involves discussing which themes their stories relate to.

BENEFITS OF USING THESE ADVANCED ESL CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS

These ESL Christmas activities provide advanced adults with an engaging way to improve their vocabulary and speaking skills through the context of Christmas and holiday celebrations. Teachers can easily integrate cultural discussions, build students' understanding of festive vocabulary, and encourage creativity through storytelling. The activities allow students to practice new language in meaningful contexts while fostering critical thinking and discussion about extravagant holiday traditions. This lesson also helps students use advanced language structures in real-life scenarios, which helps them boost both fluency and comprehension. Additionally, the video-based activities offer a great way to tie visual learning with language development.